428 FOREST AND STREAM. [my. 27, mi. 
In pioneer days. 
I (Continued from page S68O 
These passageg, frotn the private diary o£ a resident of Cleveland, 
O., have never before been printed. They have a doubled interest 
flow as showing the wilderness conditions of Ohio and Michigan a 
half-century ago, when there were elk and wild turkeys and wolves, 
and when the home conditions of the residents were more primitive 
than those which prevail to-day: 
Dec. 14, 1842.~Having heard a great deal of a cele- 
brated wolf-hunter by the name of (Snyder, who lived in 
the Black Swamp, near the mouth of the Maumee River, 
"ive started this day, well equipped for a prolonged hunt 
to this famous game region, to make the acquaintance of 
th§ noted ninirod. 
The third day, "while driving along through a dense 
piece of woods, we all at once heard marfial music, and 
Btoppiiig our horse, soon saw emerging from the forest a 
company of men marching in Indian file to the tune of 
the ''Dead March in Saul;" behind them came a wagon 
Containing the dead body of an "old Revolutionary 
soldier," who, after having fought successfully the battles 
of his country, had migrated at an early day into this wild 
and lonely region, where the keen old hunter Death met 
him in the warpath and sent him to the home of his 
fathers. 
A moment after, at a short turn in the road, we started 
a large flock of wild turkeys, and shortly before sunset we 
entered the hamlet of Woodville in the Black Swamp. 
This being the nearest place we could get to Snyder's 
with horse and wagon, we left them at the tavern. Buck- 
ling on our belts and shouldering our rifles, we followed a 
blazed road as directed when, night and a snowstorm 
coming on, we found ourselves lost as to direction. Sit- 
ting down on a log that crossed a small arm of the Por- 
tage River, in consultation, it occurred to us to retrace 
our steps some half mile, where we had seen a light 
shining through the woods. Following these directions, 
in about an hour we found ourselves at the door of a 
miserable old dilapidated log house. We knocked, and 
the door was soon opened by a long, lank and forlorn- 
looking old woman, to whom we related our unsuccessful 
hunt for Snyder. She replied, "This is Snyder's," and, 
sure enough, in a moment more we stepped into the 
august presence of the rough old wolf hunter of the Black 
Swamp. He spoke to us very kindly, and gave us, in a 
rough way, a very cordial reception, bade his wife prepare 
for us some supper^ and seemed greatly pleased that his 
fame as a wolf hunter had extended as tiar as Cleveland. 
The house was situated near the Portage River, and be- 
sides never having been "chinked," possessed no floor save 
a few loose "puncheons"; the house had but one room, and 
that contained ail his plunder, a number of various-sized 
animal traps, bundles of various kinds of skins, cooking 
utensils, and two beds about Gft. square, that he had made 
himself out of white ash and basswood bark. His family 
living with him consisted of his wife, a daughter of 
eighteen, and five boys from four years of age up to nine- 
teen. Snyder, his wife and youngest boy, whom we named 
"Coughing Jake," slept in one bed, and the girl and three 
of the boys slept in the other, while the eldest boy, J. W. 
and myself camped down by the fire, without covering to 
protect us from the cold. During the night Coughing 
Jake, who had the king's evil on his neck, so that he 
could not move his head, had several violent fits of cough- 
ing and kicking, during which he kicked the old wolf 
hunter out on to the floor, whereupon his mother, after a 
heavy spanking, tucked hini under the bed and ordered 
him to remain there and keep the peace the rest of the 
night. Just before daylight we heard a lively scratching 
overhead, and immediately afterward the lusty crowing of 
an old veteran rooster. In a short time the entire Snyder 
family were out of their beds, and we learned afterward 
that, having no timepiece, the crowing of the old game 
cock was the morning reveille for all hands to muster for 
duty. 
After our breakfast of fried venison and corn dodgers, 
with "spice bush tea," Snyder, J. W. and self, with our 
rifles started into the woods. In the course of the way 
Snyder stopped and gave us the lay of the land and ways 
of the game; pointing out directions for ^ach to take, and 
reminding us that when we heard the hooting of an owl 
to go in the direction of the sound and we would find him. 
Shortly after parting with Snyder I saw a doe loping 
slowly from me about ten rods oft'. I bleated at her and 
she stopped when 1 dropped her in her tracks. I had 
barely hung her up when I heard the report of a gun to 
my left, followed by the hooting of an owl. Going in that 
direction I soon found old Snyder stripping some bark 
from a, basswood tree, and as quickly tying it around the 
neck of a fine doe he had just shot, quietly remarking to 
me: "Seeing that I am an old man and you are young and 
strong, suppose I carry the rifles while you take the deer 
home." i'rom the nature oi' the case I could do naught 
else but comply, and after a hard tug through the woods 
and a long pull on the ice of the river, I reached the house 
well tuckered out, resolving, however, in my own mind 
that in the future I would pay no attention to the hooting 
of owls. 
We had for supper the aforesaid fried venison and spice 
busb, tea, but ibr variety, before stretching out for the night 
on me puncheon floor,*old Snyder brought out his fife and 
played for us, over and over, the airs he had played as a ' 
tifer in the war of 1812, for Snyder, as he informed us, was 
at Lundy 's Lane and many other tights. 
Qld chanticleer from the rafters the next morning, gave 
us notice of the spice tea and fried venison, after which, as 
soon as finished, we made for the woods, determined to 
hunt this day after our own fashion; within an hour we 
passed many fresh signs of deer, and saw two small droves 
of turkeys, but they were too much on the alert tagive us a 
passable shot. While carefully treading the margin of a 
cotton wood swamp, and carefully keeping a sharp eye out 
for game, I at last detected the movement of a white object 
some forty rods ofi', partially covered by a fallen log. In a 
moment more I found it to be the antlers of a buck. The 
log preventing me from seeing anything more of his body, 
I crawled to the side of a cotton wood ti-ee some ten rods 
nearer the game, when getting all ready, after reaching the 
tree and peeping carefully around it, I saw the old buck 
stan'ding up with his ears in full play, trying to detect 
some strange sound that had disturbed him, probably the 
noise of my footsteps, as he did not have my wind. The 
moment I got sight of him he was looking toward the spot 
where I stood, but I dared not make a motion to shoot. 
At last when he turned his head in a diflerent direction, 1 
drew up my rifle to fire, when he again lay down. 
Thinking I was too far o^ to make a sure thing of hitting 
him I carefully crawled some 10 rods nearer, and cocking 
my rifle as I rose from the ground, I saw the buck again 
standing up and moving his head around seemingly some- 
what frightened at some noise he had heard, but not satis- 
fied as to the direction it came from. His head being 
sidewise, I took aim . at his neck on a line with his body 
and fired. The instant I shot he made several tremen- 
dous jumps and was soon out of sight. On going to the spot 
where the buck had stood, I found that instead of his hav- 
ing been directly behind the log he was, in fact, some 5 
rods beyond it. I found no blood on the snow, but did 
find a tuft of hair that looked as if cut off by a ball. In 
pacing the distance from the tree to where the buck had 
stood I _ found it to be 28 rods. I took the track, and fol- 
lowing it for half an hour and finding no blood stains or 
other signs of wounds, but the animal continuing to make 
the same tremendous jumps, I gave up the chase. 
Taking a look at my compass I shaped my course toward 
Snyder's— which was also the direction the buck took — 
and had gone about a half a mile when I started another 
noble buck. I fired at him when on the keen run, and 
going forward found that my ball had struck a large log 
and glanced upward. Thinking, of course, I had not hit 
him, I had little curiosity in going to look at his track, but 
finally doing so, was surprised to find spots of blood about 
it. Instantly it occurred to me that this was the same old 
buck I had just shot at near the big log, so going back on 
his track a short distance I found that such was the case. 
Loading my rifle as I walked along to where I last saw 
the buck, I followed for half a mile, when he slackened 
his jumps to & slow walk, and now one single drop of 
blood commenced dropping on the snow at every stej). 
Keeping a careful lookout to the right and left and ahead, 
I suddenly saw him a few feet oft' facing me, with his hair 
bristled up and head depressed, just in the attitude of 
making a dash at me. I instantly fired, when he partially 
fell, but immediately regaining himself plunged on di 
rectly for me. I jumped behind a tree, when I heard a 
crashing fall and a hoarse, guttural bellowing sound near 
me. Looking from behind the tree I saw the old buck 
square on his back, with his horns fastened in the earth 
and all four legs kicking the air. In a second he was up 
and running a few rods, and again tumbled down. Being 
much excited by the attack, it took me longer than usual 
to load my rifle; but before he could regain his feet I was 
ready and brought him down at last. Going up, I found 
the largest deer I ever met, with a monstrous pair of horns 
of remarkable whiteness and polish. On examination, I 
found my first ball went through the thick part of his 
neck, doing no damage to any vital part; my second shot 
struck the log only; the third shot struck the brisket, 
glancing on the shoulder-bone passed into its body; the 
fourth shot through the head. I dressed him, but on ac- 
count of his great weight could not easily hang him up 
beyond the reach of wolves and hogs, so I returned to 
Snyder's and had the two boys drag him in. Old Snyder 
said, 'twas the largest deer he ever saw, and guessed it 
would weigh nigh onto 250lbs. undressed. 
J. W. getting tired of Black Swamp board, so we con- 
cluded to leave. After visiting his traps, Snyder was to 
accompany us as far as Sandusky, he wishing to "verify 
his wolf scalps," of which he had seven. So bidding good- 
bye to "coughing Jake" and the rest of the family we 
started from Cleveland, and so ended our first hunt in the 
Black Swamp region. 
N'ebraska Game Fields. 
Omaha, Neb., Nov. 11. — I notice in the Oct. 231 number 
an article, written by Mr. McCandless, in regard to the Es- 
kimo curlew, or dough bird, as it is commonly called. If he 
will go to the vicinity of Edgar or Sutton, Neb , about the 
last of April, he will find them in abundance, as they always 
stop in that neighborhood on their northward flight. Large 
numbers are killed there for market every year. Regular 
buyerp, representing Eastern cold-storage houses, come out 
every spring for this purpose. I have also seen the birds, but 
not so numerously, in the sandhills near Alliance, Neb. 
Dr Carver may be correct in stating that the Bartramian 
sandpiper is called the prairie pigeon, but I think he is m 
error. I have hunted considerably in all the Western States, 
covering a good many years, and have never heard it so 
called. The common name always given to the Bartramian 
sandpiper is the upland plover. The golden plover I have 
often heard called the prairie pigeon. I shot some golden 
plover the other day and found them unusually fat; great 
layers of fat nearly half an inch thick covered the body, and 
it took lots of shot to bring them down. 
In regard to Mr. Candless's criticism of the Nebraska laws 
on wfldfowl, I have not a copy at hand, but have a brief 
synopsis that I made that expressly makes it illegal to shoot 
from sandbars or shores of islands, etc , of any rivtr, stream, 
lake, or other body of water in the State; also illegal to shoot 
between sundown and sunrise, or Irooi any form of boat or 
raft. I agree that it is a fool law, but ja^t the same, his 
A SUe&ESTION PROM THE ST. PkVU (.MINNt) Dispatch. 
idea of building a blind upon a sandbar instead of in the bed 
of a river, etc, will not do if he is to observe the law. 
He is wrong in stating that ducks and geese do not nest in 
the State; the marshes and lakes in the sandhill country are 
nesting grounds for thousands of ducks, and not a tew geese, 
to my certain knowledge, as are to a considerable extent, the 
lakes throughout the northern part of the State. Ducks and 
geese also nest and rear their young all along the Platte 
River, not many, of course, but still quite a few can be seen. 
Quail are all over Nebraska in unusual abundance this 
year, more plentiful than 1 have ever seen them before; and 
as far as I can learn, the law has been fairly well lived up to 
Not so with the pinnated and sharp-tail grouse; both were 
slaughtered unmercifully before the season opened, I was 
hunting ducks recently in the eastern part of the State, and 
my companion and I flushed seven bevies of quail in cutting 
across an island covered with cottonwoods, that apparently 
held no food for them, with the exception of wild grapes. 
W, R, Halt., 
" Market- Hunting Outrage!" 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Mr. Hough, in to-day's Forest anb Stktsam, relates an 
illegal game incident which he terms the "champion outrage 
of market-hunting." It seems the warden had found two 
squabs of the mourning dove in an illegal shipment of game. 
This is bad enough, but it is not the champion outrage. It 
remains for Mr. Hough to relate that in his notes on 
"Ducks." 
He writes: "The canvasbacks are in at Koshkonong, and 
shooting there is about as good right now as at any place 
known hereabouts. Eddie Bingham is just back from there, 
and in two days got thirty-odd canvas, fifty-odd bluebills, 
a fine lot of redheads and a few mallards, about 150 birds 
in all." 
Here you have it in cold type, the "cbampion outrage." If 
this is protection, what is meant by extermination? Where 
shall we place this slaughter of about a quarter of a ton of 
game in two days by one sportsman? 
If Mr. B threw away the birds, which I do not for a mo- 
ment suppose, the market hunter would stand head and 
shoulders above him, If he sold the game, he is a market- 
hunter. If he gave it away, is he not a market-hunter also? 
It is hurpan to expect an equivalent for our gifts. In any 
event the birds are being exterminated. 
I have kept a tab on game killed by sportsmen as reported 
in FoKEST AND STREAM sincc 1888. Mr. Hough would be 
startled by his own record. The slaughter of about 8,000 
birds by one club during the spring flight is one item that is 
a lasting disgrace to the guild of spoitsmen. 
Establish a limit, and it may be possible to save our game 
from extermination. 
We have wardens to look after the market- hunters that 
ship squabs, but no check to restrain the greed of sports- 
men. Hermit. 
GliOTJCESTEB, Nov. 18. 
The Delaware' [Game Protective Association. 
Editor Forest and Streavi: 
The attention of non-resident gunners in this State is called 
to the following extracts from our laws: — 
An Act to Incorporate the Delaware Game Protective 
Association, Sec. 6: That hereafter any person or persons, 
non-residents of this Stale, who shall kill, destroy, hunt or 
take any * * * kind of grouse, quail, woodcock, Wilson or 
gray snipe, reed bird, raU bird, black ducfe, gray duck, sprig; 
tail, teal duck, mallard or any other kind of wild duck, or 
any wild goose, swan, brant, or other wild fowl, or any hare 
or rabbit at any time * * * without complying with the by- 
laws of this Game Protective Association, then the person or 
persons so otiendiug shall forfeit acd pay the sum of $50 for 
each and every oftence. 
Extract from the by-laws of the Delaware Game Protect- 
ive Association: 
Any person or persons, non-residents of this State, wish- 
ing to kill, destroy, hunt or take, at any time, any game as 
provided for in the sixth section of the Act incorporating 
this Association shall first become members of this Associa- 
tion by payment of the membership fee to the secretary receiv- 
ing a certificate of membership signed by the president and 
secretary and sealed by th«; corporate seal of the said Associ- 
ation. 
The fee for non-resident membership in this Association is 
$5 for the first year, and for each succeeding year $2. 
Certificates may be procured from I N. Mills, Secretary, 
Clayton Del., or of T. B. Brison, Station Master P. W. & B, 
R. R., Wilmington Del. 
Delaware Game Protegtive Association. 
Dover Del. . 
Game near New Berne, N. C. 
New Berne, N. C, Nov. 13 —Deer seem to be in great 
plenty eight or ten miles out in the country, and a good 
many have been brought in. Several large ones have been 
recently killed in Pamlico county. Quite a number of skins 
have been brought in and sold in New Berne, There is no 
place where a man can get a week or ten day's fun and have 
so little discomfort in getting his game as near New Berne. 
Our hotels and boarding houses are good and terms reason- 
able . There are plenty of good teams that can be hired at. 
very low rates. Our climate is dehghtful, and an outing- 
among the pines will bring vigor to the step and give an ap- 
petite to the invalid. Try New Berne when you need a 
little rest, and you will not be disappointed, but you will go 
home a new man and be ready for any amount of hard work. 
The trip on the steamer is delightful, and the accommoda- 
tions excellent. Partridges seem to be quite plentiful, and> 
some good sport awaits the sportsman. Now is the time to^ 
come." C. A, S. 
Florida Quail. 
Letters received by the Messrs, Atkins, of Asbury Park, 
from Enterprise, Fla., state that quail will be more plentiful 
than lor ten years. The season opens in December, and the 
woods are now overrun with fat birds that seem to know they 
are safe for another month. The summer has been cool and 
pleasant, and all the conditions favorable for thrifty growth 
of orange trees and other vegetation. Heavy rains have fal- 
len during September and October, and high water in the 
liver and lakes insures the best sport with snipe and ducks, 
Didymus writes from St. Augustine, that the birds have 
practically been exterminated there by over-shooting by 
Booners and pot-hunters. 
