DhO. 13, 1896.] 
FOREST AND STREAM^ 
467 
Two of our local shooters, J. W. Irwin and John Pem- 
berton, had rather a novel experience the other day. 
They started off duck hunting, and the only dog they 
had was a Chesapeake retriever. The flight was rather 
scattering and soon ceased entirely. They then thought 
they would see if there were any bu'ds to be found in the 
fields close by. Of course they expected to walk them 
up, and never paid any attention to their retriever. 
Presently Irwin noticed that the dog was acting rather 
peculiarly, as his head was high up in the air and gently 
swaying to and fro; so he walked up to him quietly, and 
when within a few steps of the dog he broke and put up 
a bevy of birds. These were marked down and the dog 
allowed to work on them, and whenever he scented one 
he went through the performance above described, and 
with only this dog to help them the shooters bagged 
thirty-six birds. Paul R, Litzkb. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Enormous Seizure of Illegal Came. 
Chicaoo, 111., Dec. 5.— State Warden Fullerton, of Min- 
nesota, has added another laurel to his wreath as a pro- 
tective ofiEioer, and has struck one of the hardest blows 
ever aimed at illegal game handlers. It was thoughtthat the 
Kewaunee game case of Illinois, fiasco as it was, broke the 
record for amount of illegal game confiscated. Mr. Ful- 
lerton's seizure, however, involves nearly as large a lot 
of game, and moreover he got away with his confiscated 
property. The appended press dispatch gives such facts 
as are known at this date, and will serve well enough to 
show how the big markets get their supply of venison. 
They get it at the expense of the people of such States as 
Minnesota, States which have a little game left belonging 
to the people. They get it by means of direct and high- 
handed robbery. Were the game dealers accused of 
burglary or theft in anything like a similar amount, the 
outraged law would punish them swiftly and severely. 
They might break into the vaults of the State treasury 
and steal directly the people's funds with as much face of 
right as to steal the people's game. Nay, they might do 
this with better right, for taxes of the people's property 
might (replace again the money; but no tax upon the 
people and no resource, either of the people or of nature, 
can ever again replace the wild game when it is gone. It 
is a most singular matter that the people have been so 
slow in discovering the contemptuous injustice, the unlaw- 
ful wrong, which has been wrought upon them for years by 
those who seek to privately market property which be- 
longs to the public, and to which by no means can they 
establish a title. Too much honor and credit cannot be 
given Mr. FuUerton for his work in showing the people 
their rights. The facts are stated as below: 
St, Paul, Dec. i, — The largest seizure of game ever 
effected at one time in the United States was made last 
evening in the Chicago, Milwaukee & St, Paul freight 
yards by Executive Agent Fullerton, of the State Game 
and Fish Commission, and Deputy Game Warden James 
Nash, of Minneapolis. The officers seized and declared 
confiscated to the State of Minnesota three tons of veni- 
son that they claim was being illegally shipped out of 
the State via the Milwaukee road. 
The venison was placed in a Chicago, Milwaukee & St. 
Paul freight car, which it completely filled. The meat 
was cut into pieces, all ready for disposition to retailers, 
and the fine for the illegal carriage of the game meat 
will amount up into thousands of dollars, as there is a 
fine of $50 for every piece f oimd illegally in the posses- 
sion of any shipper or merchant. The venison was 
tagged to persons in Boston, New York and Chicago. 
The railroad officials refused to disclose to the officials 
the bills which would indicate who shipped the venison 
and who was to receive it. 
The officers are of the opinion that the venison was 
killed by pot-hunters in the northern part of the State, 
along the Lake of the Woods and in that region. It was 
impossible to make a count of the pieces, but the officers 
are of the opinion that the fines for the alleged illegal 
transportation of the game will reach somewhere in the 
neighborhood of $40,000 to $50,000 unless a settlement is 
arranged. 
Proposed Illinois Game Law. 
We are to have our regular Illinois struggle with the 
game law at the next session of the Legislature. This 
time the sportsmen's bill is to be called the Baird bill, and 
there is every reason to suppose that Mr. Baird has pre- 
pared a bill which will be acceptable to sportsmen, and 
which will not revive the likeness of the late lamented 
Blow bUl, of beloved memory. We are to have our reg- 
ular committee of sportsmen to go down to Springfield 
and try to teach the farmers what a fine man the "true 
sportsman" is. Also we are to have our regular commit- 
tee from the game dealers of Chicago, who will not say 
so much about the true sportsman, but who will not do a 
thing with the farmers just the same. The game dealers 
will make their usual fight, allowing the sportsmen to do 
what they please with the Illinois game, which is all sold 
already, but objecting strenuously to any law affecting 
the sale of game from outside the State of Illinois. The 
leaders of the market men would accept a game law 
which would allow them to sell all sorts of game at all 
hours of the day and night, from Jan. 1 to Jan. 1. The 
sportsmen might probably compromise with them on that 
basis. Let us hope that we shall not be again afflicted 
with the news of weak-kneed brethren, who, for reasons 
which perhaps they do not care to have made public, 
raise their voices, or perhaps we might more accurately 
say allow their voices to be raised for them, in the cry 
for a compromise with the butcher shops of South Water 
street. There is no compromise natural or possible be- 
tween an honest sportsman and these butcher shops. 
The war is here and we might as well fight it out. One 
dealer says some houses in this street often handle from 
$4,000 to $6,000 worth of game a day at the height of the 
season. "There is a demand for game which must be 
filled," he says. There is the whole thing in a nutshell. 
The dealers say this demand must be filled. Sportsmen 
know that if the last head of game in this country were 
killed and marketed the demand would not even then be 
filled. Yet the life of the sportsman would then be end- 
ed. There is your war. Now how can any compromise 
be possible? 
Stole 300 Dogs. 
The Chicago dog pound has for the past thirty days 
been a byword and reproach. Numbers of dogs have 
been confined there half fed and exposed practically to 
the winter air without heat and without the chance for 
exercise. One night this week some charitable soul, 
whose name is not known, broke open the dog pound and 
set free 400 dogs, giving them a sort of Thanksgiving 
Day, as it were. About 100 of the dogs were recaptured 
and put back in cold storage. There is a fairy story float- 
ing about to the effect that 300 dogs were mysteriously 
shipped in a car, billed through to Texas, but this story is 
one to which it is probably oest to append the cautious 
journalistic legend, "it is alleged." 
Wants a Meat Dog. 
A gentleman who lives in New Jersey, but whose name 
I do not feel quite at liberty to give, has written me a let- 
ter which may be of interest to others than myself, so 
that I beg to give it. He says: 
"From your description of the 'meat' dog' I am con- 
vinced of your accurate knowledge of that article. I am 
just out of dogs of this description, and for next year's 
use may want to get one or two three to six months old 
setter dog puppies of pure blood, but of the large-headed 
sensible type which develop into 'meat dogs,' Can you 
give me the address of some one willing to sell such at a 
price within the reach of one whose Bradstreet rating is 
not 'AA — Al,' which translated means 'one million or 
over?' 
"I shall greatly appreciate an answer by mail, and if I 
receive it shall more than ever enjoy the profound wis- 
dom which weekly appears in 'Chicago and the West,' " 
I have written the gentleman, expressing my grateful 
appreciation of his belief in my infallibility, which of 
course is entirely deserved, but I have delicately tried to 
explain to hitn that as I understand it you cannot look a 
puppy m the face and tell whether he is going to be a 
meat dog or not, no matter whether he has a large head 
or not. It is all a question of the experience, training 
and natural good sense of the dog. A meat dog does not 
necessarily have a large head. I have seen them with 
large feet. It is a test of a good dog in my mind, as is 
well known, that he should be able to meet with cheer- 
fulness such an accident as being run over by a wagon, 
but there are dogs which might have large heads and be 
run over by wagons and yet not be good meat dogs. If I 
had any meat dogs about the office here I would not sell 
one for all of New Jersey, with Delaware thrown in, but 
I want to do what I can for a man who recognizes my 
ability in dog matters, an ability which it seems to me 
to have been too long smothered under a bushel of popu- 
lar ignorance about it. No doubt many who will read 
this are owners of good, strong puppies, which have 
sensible looking faces, and which might, under proper 
care, develop into the only sort of dog which is worth 
having, namely, a meat dog. I wish as a favor to this 
gentleman and to myself that all such owners of dogs 
which they are willing to sell would write, giving de- 
scription of such dog and price wanted for same. These 
communications should be addressed "Meat Dog, in care 
of Forest and Stream," whence they will be forwarded 
to the gentleman making the inquiry. I feel pretty sure 
that he will eventually get whac he wants. I want to 
see how many dog men there are who do not advertise, 
but who yet think they can sell dogs. In any well-regu- 
lated newspaper office a man should be able to get any 
kind of game he wants, from a meat dog down to a car- 
pet sweeper, and if my friend in New Jersey is disap- 
pointed I am going to be disappointed too, I forgot to 
state that no dogs need apply which have not had wagons 
run over them as a preliminary test. This I think would 
be a boon to the status of shooting dogs to-day. If own- 
ers will only get out their wagons and their dogs, and 
thus try them together, the result will be such that I shall 
henceforth be regarded as a wise man and a benefactor. 
To Texas. 
Mr. George Kinney, of Chicago, is one of the early 
shooters to begin the southern migratory flight to Texaa, 
Mr. Kinney's father is interested in the great Coleman- 
Fulton Pasture Co. , in Texas, the cattle ranch at which 
our party, as well as many other parties of Northern 
shooters, were so handsomely entertained by the late 
George Fulton, as noble a soul as ever lived. Mr. Kinnf y 
will go to Eocbport, Texas, where he will meet Mr. Jas. 
Fulton, and will with his wife and family pass the winter 
at Rockport. He will also visit San Antonio, and no 
doubt see all the boys there whom all the rest of us would 
be very glad to see again. 
From Arkansas. 
Mr, Joseph Irwin sends the following shooting notes 
from Little Rock, Ark., which serve to make envious 
those Northern men who live in cities and do not get 
any shooting : 
"On Wednesday last in a slough just below old Mr. 
Pemberton's residence, where you and I spent the night, 
his son John and I enjoyed some very nice teal shooting 
over decoys. After putting out two and a half dozsn in 
the head of the slough we made our blinds in the willows 
alongside, and Minnesota, my big Chesapeake, was soon 
busily employed bringing them across from the other 
side through the mud and water that few dogs could have 
passed over, but after making over twenty trips over and 
back he was ready and willing to go again. Nover before 
have I more fully appreciated the value of a fix-at-class 
retriever. I have bagged nearly a hundred ducks this 
season, and Minnesota has never lost one that fell within 
a reasonable distance and that he could see fall. We 
saw a good many geese and had some shots, but not a 
feather came to our bag. We have these geese located 
now and with the coming of harder winter expect to en- 
joy some of my old-time sport at them over profile and 
live geese decoys. At present they confine themselves 
almost entirely to the sand bars in lakes and rivers, but 
they will a little later go to the fields to feed, returning 
at night to the river. 
"It has been unusually warm up to to-day, Nov. 27, 
but we are having quite a bl zzard to-day. Thanksgiving 
shooters were a disappointed lot, as it rained all day so 
that they could not hunt. 
" I wrote you last week about the death of Nancy, my 
pointer, and just a week later I learn of the death of my 
Roderigo dog over in Mississippi, where he was being 
trained. This cleans me up in the bird-dog line, I regret 
to say. 
" I start on Thursday next with a party of friends for 
the mouth of the White River on a big-game hunt, and 
expect to have a great time. We have two packs of bear 
dogs and everything necessary for a good time. 
"Another party leaves Clarendon, Ark., on a house 
boat on the 7th, and will float down White River, stopping 
at points where they find the shooting best, and they will 
no doubt have a fine trip. 
" Jno. Pemberton and I went out Saturday for a duck 
shoot over decoys, but finding our blinds occupied, we 
gave the ducks up and went after quail, using on them 
my Chesapeake dog Minn., and we succeeded in bag- 
ging three dozjn quail. He does notpomt them, but has 
an excellent nose and puts up the singles very nicely, and 
his retrieving was first class, of course. Who ever heard 
of hunting quail with a Chesapeake? " 
Calumet Heights Club. 
By all means the largest and best patronized sportsmen's 
country club of Chicago is the Calumet Heights Club, 
whose grounds, so often mentioned in these columns, are 
located in the wild country along the shore of Lake Michi- 
gan just below Chicago. The management of this club is 
a good one, the endeavor being constantly to afford the 
greatest pleasure to the greatest number. Trap-shooting 
is practiced, but not to the exclusion of other sports. Ex- 
cellent opportunities for long range rifle shooting are 
afforded, and this branch of sport is a growing one, some 
of the members stating that next year they intend paying 
less attention to the shotgun and more to the rifle. Fish- 
ing, rowing and sailing have always had many warm 
followers in this club; and it is proposed now to even fur- 
ther extend the range of outdoor sports, alike for gentle- 
men and ladies. The club held its quarterly meeting at 
the Sherman House on the evening of Dec. 2, and ap- 
pointed a committee on winter sports. These will look 
Into the possibilities for general athletics, throwing the 
hammer, putting the shot, etc. ; and wUl more especially 
look into the facilities for curling. Excellent rinks can 
be laid out on the Grand Calumet River. The committee 
wUl also see what can be done in introducing golf and 
archery. The club-keeper's house and the club dining 
room will be increased in size. The club is to print its 
constitution and by-laws in permanent book form. Ac 
the meeting a semi-official report was made by the shoot- 
ing committee on the distribution of prizes. A commit- 
tee was appointed on river improvements. It seems that 
the Grand Calumet River has a pleasant way of running 
backward or forward according to its own taste or fancy, 
and just now is running back toward its source instead 
of emptying into Lake Michigan. It is proposed to re- 
move the bar at the mouth of the river. 
Calumet Heights Club has been trying the experiment 
of acclimatizing quail, and has quite a number of these 
birds upon its grounds. The members make a practice in 
their walks about the country of carrying a pocketful of 
grain to distribute for feed for the biras. JSext spring 
the club will plant mDlet, barley, etc., as feed for the birds, 
and will see what can be done m planting smartweed for 
mallard feed. 
The wildness of the Calumet Heights country may be 
guessed when it is stated that numbers of wild toxes and 
also numbers of raccoons still live in the wooded hills 
near by. Last winter eight foxes were killed and a num- 
ber of raccoons captured; but one is obliged to chronicle 
the death of the club's veteran foxhound Banjo, which 
was lately killed by a B. &, O. Railroad train. 
The annual meeting of the Calumet Heights Club will be 
held next March. The outlook for the club for the ensu- 
ing year is a very bright one. 
Called. 
Among many pleasant callers at the Forest and Stream 
office here this week was Mr. Thomas H. Keller, of the XJ. 
S. Cartridge Co., one of the best-known men in trap- 
shooting matters in the counfry. Mr, Keller is looking 
well and hearty as usual, and is apparently indestructible. 
He started on his return to New York and Boston with 
the intention of stopping off at Detroit for a little duck 
shooting if it was not too late, but it is likely that he will 
find everything frozen up there and the ducks gone. 
A Canadian Sportsmen's Club. 
On a recent visit to Chatham, Ont., the writer had the 
pleasure of accepting an invitation from Mr. W, B, 
Wells, of that city, to visit the club house and preserve 
of the Big Point Club, which is situated on Lake St, 
Clair, about twelve miles from Chatham. The shooting 
season was then over and we merely passed a night at 
the olub house, but while there 1 learned some interest- 
ing facts in regard to one of the finest little clubs of the 
sort in the country. There are only six members to this 
club. Sir Casimir Gzowski is a gentleman eighty-five 
years of age, but very fond of the gun and still able to 
kfll his bag of ducks. Sheriff Mercer, of Chatham, is 
eighty years old, a hale and white old gentleman who 
shows in his person the virtue of field sports. Christopher 
Robinson, Q. C, of Toronto, is another man of affairs 
who has time to be fond of the gun, Mr, S. Barker, of 
Hamilton, and Messrs. W. B. Wells and J. Moore, of 
Chatham, complete the select and able membership. 
There are no rules whatever in this club, as all the gentle- 
men know each other personally and there is plenty of 
room for all in the little club house. The club has been 
in existence for about twenty years, and so valuable are 
its privileges, and so wall have they been conserved, that 
the shooting remains still good enough to please the most 
fastidious. On the last three days of his last trip to the 
club house Sheriff Mercer killed thirty, fifteen and forty- 
three ducks respectively. In fact, tne daily average for 
the entire membership of the club for the entire season 
often runs in the neighborhood of twenty birds, none of 
the members trying to see how many they can kill at any 
time, and some of them shooting only parts of days. 
This certainly shows very good wildfowl shooting for 
these days. 
The Big Point Club owns about 3,000 acres of valuable 
marsh ground along the edge of Lake St. Clair, and 
leases about 3,500 acres in addition as a preserve for quail, 
these covers being phenomenally well stocked. In short, 
this is a shooting club where there is some shooting, and 
it shows alike the efficiency. of the Canadian game laws 
and that of inteUigent preserving. 
The game book of Big Point Club is the moat complete 
and neatly kept that one has ever seen in any part ol the 
country. From it it is possible to tell how many and what 
sort of birds each man has killed on each day of the sea- 
son, and what is his daily average. The yearly totals and 
the daily average of the total bag for each year are also 
kept in tabulated form. The club has thus a complete 
record of its doings in neat and legible form, and as its 
