Maboh 2% 1897.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
249 
The weather had been too warm and dry for good hunt- 
ing, but we had reasonably good success and an immensely 
good time; and we bade good-by to Bluejay Camp, with 
many pleasant memories and a resolution to repeat the 
ex perience next year if possible. Mc. 
Eagle Rock, Pa. 
LAKE LE SAULMER, WISCONSIN. 
This is one of the choice spots for a party of sportsmen 
t') pitch a tent. The site is reached by a wagon road from 
Fi field, on the Wisconsin Central Eailway, distant sixteen 
miles. The road follows in part the trend of the Flam- 
beau River, whose sparkling waters tempt the traveler to 
camp on its bank and angle for the lovely muskalonge 
that sports beneath its surface. Here and there a wily 
deer has crossed the road and left his footprints in the 
moist earth, and now and then partridges strut awaj' and 
are lost to sight in the shrubbery. The quacking of ducks 
may be heard on the river, and a more home-like sound — 
that of the tinkling of bells — comesto our ears as the even- 
ing shadows lengthen, and straggling bands of horses and 
cattle gather in some nearby chopping to spend the night. 
Lake Le Saulmer, nestled among the wooded hills, 
empties its surplus waters into the Flambeau River 
a mile away. An old lumber road parallels the 
outlet and connects with the wagon road, making 
it convenient to camp at the outlet of the lake. Patches of 
pine and hardwoods alternated originally, and as the for- 
mer has been cut out there remains dense forests of hard- 
wood and extensive choppings. Near the railroad a few 
of these choppings have been cleared, but the soil is thin 
and a few crops exhaust it. Game seems in little danger 
of extermination from the clearing up of this section of 
country; but as for the Indian, who can prevent him from 
trading summer pelts for ''drinking liquor" and feeding 
his pappooses and curs on tainted venison? From his res- 
ervation he roams and camps at will all over northern 
Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Jlichigan, and, 
summer or winter, in season and out of season, his hunting 
instinct acknowledges no law. Le Saulmer is three 
miles long by about a half mile wide, and is one of a chain 
of lakes that affords first-class sport for the angler. 
From our camp at its outiet a beautiful i^icture presented 
itself as the morning's sun shed its bright rays on branch 
and shrub, bringing to view millions of dewdrops that 
scintillated like purest gems in their settings of green, 
purple and gold. The view extended from the crown of 
the surrounding hills to the placid bosom of the lake — the 
diamond superb of the cluster. All the while black bass 
were jumping for an October breakfast and pine squirrels 
were chaitering among the branches. We caught black 
bass within 40yds. of our tent with frogs taken from the 
rushes in the outlet 20ft. from our door. 
Following the outlet some 300yds. we found two pools 
hemmed in by high wooded hills and redembling in form 
a pair of eye-glasses. One could easily throw a pebble 
across either of them; but we took some fine bass from 
them when the air was too raw to angle with comfort on 
the more exposed waters of Le Saulmer, 
There were ten of us in camp, five of whom had at some 
time in the past killed a deet! Each of the ten would like 
to kill at least one deer before breaking camp, so after a 
surfeit of fish and a few dishes of bear steak from the 
quarter of a black bear trapped by a settler in a logging 
camp a mile away, we planned a drive hunt. Rain had 
been falling in showers every now and then for the two 
days intervening since we had pitched camp, and our short 
excursions into the forest sufliced to give us an idea of the 
lay of the land and of the feeding places of deer, but only 
*one of the party had seen game, and he failed to get a 
•shot. Since the deer were not stirring much of their own 
accord, we decided to form a line and see if we could not 
persuade them to show themselves. Down the wagon road 
some three miles, where the river makes a horseshoe called 
the Big Bend by local sportsmen, there is a chopping that 
extends from the road to the river, a distance of probably 
two miles. liere nine of our party formed in line about 
75yds. apart and started slowly for the river. We had no 
dogs, neither were there men on runways. I was on the 
extreme left and following the timber line, and had crossed 
a small ridge, when I heard Hutchens, who was next to 
me, and who had reached the top of the ridge where it 
ran obliquely up toward the river, exclaim, "Oh! ohi oh!" 
and then followed the report of his rifle three times in 
succession. At the same instant I saw the outlines of a 
buck as he loped off through some shrubbery. 
About 100yds. ahead the chopping turned to the left and 
the ground sloped down toward the river. If the buck at- 
tempted to make the timber I would get a shot as he 
crossed my front, and I prepared to improve the oppor- 
tunity. He was going from me, but no doubt winded 
danger off to the right and turned toward the timber. He 
crossed a slight elevation where the shrubbery did not 
cover his body, and here I caught a lead on him and 
pulled trigger. He vanished in the smoke from my rifle 
and I hurried forward to see the result of my shot, and to 
try for him again if he was still going. When I reached 
the mound some 90yds. distant, over which he disappeared, 
I could see no deer. I saw where the ball from my rifle 
had clipped some twigs, and there were the tracks of the 
buckjlshowing where he had lumbered off among the logs 
and stumiDS. covering 20ft. at a bound. But five of these 
mighty junips were all he was able to make, for yonder he 
lay, a magnificent creature with six points to each horn. 
The boys came up, and we decided not to attempt to take 
the buck to camp whole, so I proceeded to dress him while 
they hunted on the river. I left the pelt on the saddles 
and divided the fore-quarters, making loads for three men. 
I found my ball had gone through the heart above the 
center. Hutchens, probably on account of being on the 
ridge above the deer, had missed, but he has the right stuff 
in him, and instead of being jealous, as the manner of some 
is, remarked: "George, I tell you I was glad to hear your 
gun crack," 
The boys jumped a deer soon after they left me, and got 
some shots at long range; but soon returned, and we started 
for camp. Southwest of camp were miles of forest, with 
very little pine. Occasionally we came to an opening 
where a few large trees had been cut, letting in the sun- 
light, and a tangle of briers and grasses covered the ground, 
making a good feeding place and cover for game. These 
large stumps made fine platforms from which to watch for 
deer. They were away ahead of a leaning tree or slippery 
log, from which one may tumble, with no certainty as to 
how he will strike the ground. 
One day our man Headington was resting on one of 
these stumps. I shall accuse him of resting, for he con- 
fessed that he was sitting down on a large pine stump, lost, 
not as to locality, but in meditation. After a time (which 
is very indefinite) he heard a slight rustling of the leaves 
behind him, and turned to see what was causing the dis- 
turbance. He was not a little surprised to see a fine doe 
loping away through the forest. This was Charley's one 
opportunity. Had he the experience in woodcraft that he 
has in merchandising, he would either have remained 
motionless until the deer came by and in front of him, or 
have turned so slowly as to excite the deer's curiosity in- 
stead of frightening it. About a mile further west Hutchens 
got a shot at a brown bear one evening and wounded it. 
He followed a while, but had to give over on account of 
darkness, and it was quite late when he reached camp. 
We went out next morning and trailed a half mile or so 
further by an occasional drop of blood, but as the day ad- 
vanced and the leaves became dry the trail petered out, 
and Ave gave up the chase. Hutchens picked up a wad of 
brown hair where the bear had stood when he shot, and 
that was the first evidence we had that there were brown 
bears in AVisconsin. 
Just south of where we trailed the bear I did some very 
poor shooting one day, and while it is not to my credit it 
will suffice to "point a moral and adorn a tale." I was fol- 
lowing the bent of my inclination and alone, as my habit 
is, and was approaching a hill. Off to my right was what 
I took to be a tamarack swamp, and beyond probably was 
Round Lake, a great lake for muskalonge. Ahead and to 
the left was to all appearances dense forest. I was at the 
foot of the hill or ridge when crash! went something over 
the crest. I sprang forward and bounded up the hill, ex- 
pecting to see a deer before it got out of range, nor was I 
disappointed. On the hill I ran into a tangle of logs and 
brush that a fire had charred, and by the time I could ex- 
tricate myself from this surprise another one confronted 
me in the shape of a lake at the foot of the hill. Partially 
around the lake to the left were a number of dead tree 
trunks standing among piles of fallen trees and growing 
shrubs, and through this went like a gray streak what I 
verily believe to be the largest buck I ever saw. Before I 
could find a hole in this obstruction the buck was past it, 
and on a bit of prairie theat joined the lake. He was 
about two-fifths of the way around the lake, and without 
taking my eye off him 1 commenced shootmg, holding 
higher each time after seeing that my shots did not take 
effect. I sent a fifth shot after him as he went into dense 
green woods beyond the lake, and then for the first time 
was brought to a realization of my error. It was not 
200yds. across the lake. I had "overshot the mark." 
One day when I was doing camp duty Headington and 
Hoover came in from fishing in one of the small pools be- 
fore mentioned and reported hearing strange sounds in the 
forest beyond not unlike the wailing of some wild animal. 
I had put away the breakfast dishes and had a pot of squir- 
rels stewing. The boyS said if I wished to go and look for 
the brute they would stay at camp until I returned. I 
took my Winchester and started, passing Gable, our luck- 
iest fisherman, taking a string of bass at the pools, and 
beyond entered an old chopping. The shrubbery was tall 
and dense, furnishing good cover for game, large or small. 
However, I soon came to more open ground, and here a par- 
tridge arose and sailed away. A few steps further and a 
deer jumped and stood showing its outline in the shrubbery 
about 75yds. distant. At the crack of my rifle it fell. 
This was getting interesting, even if I had not found the 
brute I was looking for. I walked down the slope to 
my deer and found it to be an early fawn. As fawns are 
liable to be found in pairs, I stepped upon a large pine 
stump against which my deer had fallen, to take a survey 
of the field. I was scarcely erect when crash! went a deer 
on an adjoining hillside. It lit in an old tree top, and the 
next bound would be behind a clump of evergreens. I 
threw my gun ahead, thinking to catch it on the jump, and 
here an amusing thing occurred. As it launched itself 
forward a limb or pole, on which its hindfeet chanced to 
rest, broke, and it fell backward on its haunches with its 
forefeet in the air. I was no better prepared for this than 
was the deer, and though I pulled my gun around, before 
I was able to get a bead and press the trigger the deer let 
itself down and with one bound was out of sight. Once 
behind the clump of pines, it escaped over the hill. I 
then shouldered my fawn and made my way by easy 
stages to camp, having been absent two hours. 
Aboat this time our friend in the lumber shanty trapped 
another bear, and I went over to see it. It had a slender 
body and large limbs and feet, and in color were was a red- 
dish yellow. I took it for a young brown bear, but it was 
unlike any bear I had ever seen both as to form and color, 
and though the woods may be full of them, to me it pre- 
sented a rare and racy appearance. G. W. Cunningham. 
Indiana. 
Early Rhode Island Woodcock. 
Provxdexce, R. I.. March 33. — Town Clerk Angell, of 
North Providence, had m his possession on Wednesday last 
(17th inst.) a woodcock said to have been picked up dead in 
thai vicinity. It is regarded as a sinffular circumstance that 
a woodcock should be in these parts at this season of the year, 
and two theories are advanced to account for it. The condi- 
tion of the bird was cood except the eyes, which were sunken 
so as to be practically gone, and this "led some to think that 
the bird was killed late in the fall, and had lain in some spot 
where favorable conditions prevailed for keeping the body 
until the recent warm weather carried away the snow and 
ice. Judge Andrews, who is well posted on the habits of 
game birds, thinks the more probable theory is that the bird 
is a very early comer from the, South, which arrived during 
the warm sptll, and perished by reason of the present cold 
snap freezing 1 11 the available food supplies, the woodcock, 
being a feeder upon worms and the like, which it extracts 
from the ground by means of a long bill. W. H. M. 
[There is nothing very remarkable in the occurrence. 
Woodcock are among the earliest birds to arrive in spring, 
and have been found in New Jersey and southern New York: 
in February. They commonly reach us in March. May it 
not be ttiai this particular bird killed itself by flying against 
some obstacle, and that this would account for the condition 
of the eyes. Of course, this is only a guess, but an examina- 
tion of the specimen should enable one to determine the 
cause of death.] 
ADIRONDACK GAME INTERESTS. 
Sabanac Lake, N". T.j March 16. — Edit&r Forest antL 
Stream: As is usual at each session of the New York State 
Legislature, numerous amendments are being offered to the 
game laws. In my opinion, what we need is not so much 
new fish and game laws as the enforcement of those now on 
the statute books. It is an open secret that in some portions 
of the Adirondacks the game laws are flagrantly violated 
each year. This is not, however, the fault of the chief game 
protector, but it is because of the lack of a sufficient number 
of resident game protectors, so that each locality may be 
thoroughly watched and the game protected from "pot- 
hunters " 
The Adirondack Guides' Association includes the best 
guides from nearly every portion of the Adirondacks, and 
it seems to me proper that the game protectors for this 
region should be cho?en from among its number. 
T bilieve that killing deer in the water should be utterly 
abohehed, and that if hounding is permitted at all, shooting 
on the runway only should be allowed. I think that the 
majority of both sportsmen and guides are agreed that the 
killing of does and fawns is inhuman, and should be con- 
demned by law, and that jacking is, as a rule, a wanton and 
indiscriminate method of hunting deer. 
I believe that anything that will preserve the game of the 
Adirondacks, and increase the deer, birds and fish, will be 
beneficial to the region, and to the business of the railroads, 
hotels and guides. I do not believe with some that we have 
too much wild game in the country, neither do I believe that 
the game is likely to die of starvation owing to the increase 
of numbers; but, on ttie contrary, I think that the country 
is capable of supporting a vastly greater number of deer and 
of other game than at present inhabit it, and that if the game 
can be protected so as to increase and not be rendered timid 
by noisy pursuit, wild animals will be more likely to become 
visible; and thus persons who are fond of wild creatures and 
love to see them occasionally upon the lake shores, or in the 
woods or m the forests, may have the pleasure of looking at 
them from time to time. 
If this can be done it will prove a great attraction, and 
bring each year more people into the Adirondacks. 
SeATEK a. MlIiliEK. 
Western Spring Shooting. 
Nebkaska Citt, Neb., March 13. — Prospects for spring 
shooting are perceptibly brightening in the West. The un- 
usual amount of snow and rain has filled up the lakes and 
sloughs of the prairie States in a most satisfactory manner, 
and ducks and geese will find abundance of water every- 
where. Already the advance guard has put in appearance, 
and quite a number of birds have been killed. As has been 
usual for two or three years now, the flight is mostly up the 
Missouri River, but all along the course of the stream they 
are dropping out into the sloughs, and the sportsmen are be- 
ginning to haunt the air holes 
Speaking of air holes reminds me that a few weeks ago I 
read an article in Fokest astd Stream on the subject of 
shooting mallards in air holes that had a strangely familiar 
sound, and sure enough, the other day, in looking through 
LtfHngwell's "Wildfowl Shooting," I saw the article entire. 
Y'our correspondent, G. L. R., "should be more careful in 
cribbing other people's thunder. Forest and Stream is 
hardly ihe paper in which to steal articles without detection. 
-It is a little early as yet to make predictions, but I believe 
the shooting this sprmg will prove exceptionally good, both 
for ducks and geese and snipe as well, though the large num- 
ber of water holes may scatter the birds somewhat. 
W. E. H. 
Stop Spring Shooting. 
Wabasha, Minn., March 13. — Editor Forest aiid Stream: 
Language cannot express the feeling, bordering almost on 
contempt, with which the true sportsmen of the Northwest 
regard the attempt of the poor deluded mortals that are argu- 
ing in favor of spring shooting. Their arguments are all so 
thin that they will not hold water for a moment, and are 
purely from a selfish point of view. They cannot advance 
the first theory in favor of it, and it would seem as though 
they were not endowed with the necessary amount of brains 
required to discriminate in matters pertaining to the protec- 
tion of game. All true sportsmen are not in favor of spring 
shooting, as they see that it is directly opposite to what game 
protection is expected to accomphsh. Verily the "great 
American game hog" is still abroad in the land, although, 
thank God, he is slowly dropping out of the ranks year by 
year, which gives promise of ultimately accomplishing some- 
thing in the way of game protection. If anyone wishes to 
"get back at" me for these few broad assertions let him come 
on. Nature's laws, truth and right are all on my side on 
this question, and they are "mighty and must prevail." 
EL B, Jewell. 
Connecticut Deer. 
Haddam, Conn. — Editor Forest and Stream: Two deer 
were seen on the east side of the river in this town last fall: 
one a four-prong buck and the other a full- grown doe. They 
were seen separately and at different times. These deer 
were seen on a sort of promontory between the Connecticut 
and salmon rivers, a section of 1,000 or 1,500 acres of tim- 
ber swamps and ravines, and less frequented than much of 
the Adirondacks, and there are many similar tracts of land 
in this and other towns of the State. Several reports have 
been pubhshed of deer having been seen in different parts of 
the State during the last year or two, and it is fair to pre- 
sume that at the end of the close period, viz., Oct. 1, 1903, 
somebody will have the pleasure of hunting- this big game 
within the limits of this small State. A. 
Guns in the Woods in Summer. 
EasTis, Me. — Editor Forest and Stream: It has been sug- 
gebted that the law should prohibit the carrying of guns into 
the wilderness in the close season. To do that would be to 
kill the flavor of the whole trip for a large part of our best 
company. Many a sportsman takes liis rifle, large or small, 
on a fishing trip, and has his best fun at the old log bulk- 
head back of th6 camp, spattering lead into the buUseye, or 
(just out of it) breaking in his sights and his gun (also his 
shoulder), and planning just how he'll do the business next 
fall, when he comes back to get a bull moose, a caribou, two 
deer, and the old bear and two cubs that ate up his lauding 
net full of trout that hung on the back of the camp one 
night. . H, 
