Fe^. ^, 1898.] 
miie ^Hg mid 0ntL 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Sheep and Snowshoes, 
Chicago, 111,, Feb. 12. — Mr: Calvin S. McChesney, of 
Troy, N. Y., who was my companion in the winter 
hunt in the Blackfoot Reservation last year. start.s next 
week, in company with Mr. George B. Harrison, oE 
Troy, for another try after a specimen or so of sheep 
and g-oats. Mr. J. W. Sclniltz, of Kipp, Mont, will 
again be the guide. The party will make the goat hunt 
first and then move into the Two Medicine Valley after 
sheep. Mr. McChesney says he is tempted to take his 
umbrella along again, but I am moved to urge that he 
leave it at home. Should he do this, I am satisfied that 
we will get his ram's head this time sure, for the game 
is there, and Mr. McChesney was only prevented last 
year by the worst kind of hard luck from getting the 
coveted trophies. The work of the snovvshoeing and 
winter camping will be all the easier this year, and I 
not only wish him, but prophesy for him, full success 
on a trip in which it would give me the greatest pleasure 
in the world to join. 
Mr. Schultz wrote me this week from Kipp, Mont., 
saying that he has some good grizzly bear coimtry lo- 
cated, if I knew of any one who has lost a bear. 
Mr. Fletcher Walters, of Arlington, N. J., asks for a 
little advice about snowshoes. 
"I am led to believe," he says, "from reading your 
various articles of trips taken on snowshoes, that you 
understand these things. I expect to make a trip this 
winter in which the Canadian snowshoe will figure, to 
a great extent, and having had no experience in their 
use, I thought I would ask j'ou for some advice. Will 
you kindly tell me what you consider the proper foot 
gear and leg covering for shoeing; also the best 
method of securing the shoes to your feet to insure 
comfort and to hold the shoe properly. in position. I 
know enough of shoeing to know that people differ in 
their method of adjustment, and of the different ways 
some must be better than the others. Please give me 
3'our method." 
I have at times spoken of the best foot wear for 
snowshoeing. In the very far North, where the cold is 
steady and the snow very dry, a large moccasin with 
plenty of socks under it is good foot wear. For any 
country where the snow is apt to melt and soften, the 
moccasin does not compare with the soft, heelless rub- 
ber known as the Gold Seal brand. This rubber is not 
stiff, but soft as a moccasin, and the shape of the toe 
makes it far easier on the foot than a moccasin, since 
the straps cannot chafe the foot so much. In some 
Western towns these rubber shoes can be bought with 
a leather top. I sewed canvas tops on my own. In 
dry snow they do not need any tops. In any snow 
they should be worn over two or three pairs of heavy 
stockings, the felted German sock being best. This 
does not mean the felt boot of the teamster. Nothing 
stiff or hard must be worn about the foot. I shoukl 
use this Gold Seal rubber for any snow.shoeing in the 
United States. If I were going into an arctic country 
I might prefer the moccasin, or would use the rubber 
very large and over duffle socks. 
As to the snowshoes. it is much a matter of fancy. I 
have tried many varieties, from the New Brunswick flat 
bow to the Mo.ntreal turned toe, and the lumbermen's 
oval, from the bear-paw round to the narrow Cree 
model shoe, and the still longer shoe used by the sub- 
Arctic Indians. As I stated in the story in the trip which 
Mr. McChesney and I made together, I took with me a 
pair of "Alaska model" snowshoes sent to me by Messrs. 
Metz & Schloerb, of Oshkosh, Wis. These shoes are 
Sft. long, ift. Avide, and have a strongly upturned and 
narrow toe. We tried several sorts of snowshoes on 
our winter trip in the mountains, but all liked these 
Alaska shoes best. Mr. McChesney tells me that he 
has ordered two pairs for his trip this month. These 
shoes are the best I ever used. I do not like a flat- 
bowed shoe. The upturned toe of these shoes prevents 
all tripping on crust, and always keeps one's feet up and 
forward, which is what you Avant. The long heel keeps 
the shoe down behind, which is also what you want. 
As to needing a short and broad shoe for brush work, 
I cannot see the utility of such a model. With the 
Alaska shoes I can go anywhere that a man can go 
with the Canadian shoe, ami some places where he can- 
not go. In hill work the narrow tread of the shoes 
was found a benefit, and for a long, steady tramp they 
are the easiest I ever got into. 
The question of straps is far more complex. All there 
is to snowshoeing is the straps. If the tenderfoot gets 
the right straps on his shoes he can walk oft' at once, 
and will never know anything about mal de raqiiette. 
Thong ties have been used on snowshoes because the 
men who use the snowshoes had no other kind of straps. 
They are an abomination when once you have had the 
'right kind of straps. These I cannot very well describe, 
hnX will try once more to do so roughly. The toe strap 
is a permanent one, made with a buckle so that it can 
Idc tightened or loosened at will. It is about ^in. wide, 
is made of stout leather, and passes over the toe, through 
the side holes and under the bottom of the foot beneath 
the .shoe, thus stiffening the webbing. To prevent the 
ibuckle from hurting the toe, a broader and softer piece 
■C)f-Jeather is let under the toe strap by means of loops, 
ilike a collar pad under a hame strap. On level ground 
a good shoer does not need much of a strap excepting 
the toe strap, but when it comes to hills it is different 
In this rig a heel strap, provided with a buckle like a 
skate strap, is fastened to the sides of the toe strap, 
close down to the shoe. This is made of harness leather 
about lin. wide. It rests on the heel below the ankle 
cords, and is kept from falling below the heel by means 
of an instep strap. In putting on his shoes with such 
a rig as this, the snoAvshoer kicks his toe into the toe 
strap, fastens one buckle on the side of his foot on his 
heel strap, and the thing is done. Such straps do not 
chafe and do not stretch a great deal They hold the 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
foot firmly and yet loosely to the shoe, which is what 
snowshoe straps should do. Thong ties would kill a 
man in the mountains, but we found this harness very 
comfortable and effective. 
In Ari2ona. 
_Mr. J. S. Cullinan, of Chicago, who is spending the 
winter at Phcenix, Ariz., writes me that for the past 
two weeks they have been having fine weather; average 
maximum temperature, 75 degrees. There is no wind 
•&lld the air is still and clear, a characteristic of southern 
Arizona. Mr. Cullinan says the climate is the finest in 
the Avorld in Avinter. 
"Summers, as you know, are ve^y liotf" he says, and 
adds: "I have been hunting jack rabbits and shooting 
at quail with a Winchester 'pump gun.' I can't get 
used to the way the quail rise, without letting one knoAv 
they are going to flush behind you; mostly, therefore, 
my bags are indifferent; but it's sport." 
Poisoning of Doves, 
Near Folsom, Cal, a farmer named Daniel Fauken- 
heim put out a quantity of wheat soaked in strychnine 
for the purpose of killing the doves which were feeding 
on his grain. Game Warden Helms Avent out to inA^esti- 
gate the matter, and found some 2,500 dead doves scat- 
tered about. Under the law there was no penalty for 
this destruction. 
Sprhig Shooting in Iowa. 
At the mstance of the Dubuciue Gun Club, of Du- 
buque, la.. Representative Nolan has introduced in the 
loAA'a Legislature a bill prohibiting the spring shooting 
of Avildfowl. This is quite in lirie with the recent stirring 
up of protective matters in the middle West, and it is 
all the more gratifying in that the measure originates 
from a point on the Mississippi River, along which 
stream a good many shooters live Avho do not believe 
in cutting off the spring duck shooting. It is to be 
hoped that the measure will carry. Minnesota is almost 
certain to eventually adopt a law prohibiting spring 
shooting. Wisconsin has already partially adopted such 
a measure. Illinois may do so in the course of a hun- 
dred years or so. 
A Chicago Rabljit Hunt. 
We Avcre about out of meat at my house this week,- 
so I thought it Avas time to go on a big winter hunt, and 
my friend Organ being in somewhat the same condition, 
to say nothing of John Watson, who had not had a 
taste of rabbit for months except in the way of charity, 
Ave three took the trail to see Avhat could be done. As 
there were ladies, dogs and snowshoes mixed up in the 
enterprise, it took on something of a tribal nature, anel 
the party was freely accepted by the public as a portion 
of the Klondike hcgira, though really we were only 
going to MaksaAvba Club house on the Kankakee River, 
Avhere the main herd of rabbits had lately been located 
hy the runners of the tribe. 
This was the first time in many years that I have 
deliberately gone out hunting for rabbits, but it was 
like going back to the old love of one's youth. When 
I Avent out hunting for the first time it VA^as with my 
father, for rabbits, and I believe the first thing I ever 
shot Avas a rabbit. The occasion I remember very Avell. 
The rabbit was discovered solus, sitting under a brush 
pile, Avrapped in thought. I was too small to hold the 
gun, so my father held it and trained it on the game, 
alloAving me to pull the trigger. Methinks there must 
have been some slight movement of the muzzle of the 
gun, for instead of striking tlie rabbit in the head it 
caught him about midships, and all that was left was. 
in the words of the poet a rag, a bone and a hank of 
hair. We did not eat that rabbit. Y'et in those days, the 
deer and turkeys and even the quail being exhau.sted, my 
father and I were wont to hunt rabbits very faithfully, 
and we had the old smokehouse about full of skinned 
and frozen rabbits all the time, much to the disgust of 
CA-erybody else connected with the domestic economy. 
I remember that in those days many of oUr neigh- 
bors would not eat rabbit, saying they would as soon 
eat cat. This, as Mr. Organ very justly remarks, de- 
pends largely upon the way one has been raised. - 1 
ahvays preferred rabbit, and I have known for many 
years that rabbit is good to eat if yott know hoAV to 
prepare and cook it — ^the younger and fatter tli'e- -rabbit, 
and the nearer to a cornfield, the better. 
But I digress from the winter hunt. Mc. Watson, Mr. 
Organ and myself, with the rest of the village, left Chi- 
cago at 5:40 in the CA^ening and reached Maksawba Club 
house, sixty miles down in Indiana, at about 8 o'clock. 
We found that Ira Pease, the keener, with his good 
wife, were ready for us with a good, hot dinner, and 
they told us the rabbits were fairly running away with 
the country. We passed the evening nicely in the his- 
toric assembly room of old Maksawba, and by 8 the 
next morning Avere Inmgry again. Such buckAvheat 
cakes, such cream and honey and butter are not to be 
found anywhere else upon the range. 
After breakfast we all piled into a big wagon box 
sled, three couples of us, a driver, Melville Fancher, one 
of the club pushers and guides, who was born and raised 
on the Kankakee bottoms, and knows all its game the 
season through. It was a pleasant Avinter day, and the 
snoAV was just right for rabbit hunting, so everybody Avas 
happy. We drove about a mile, and Fancher stopped 
us at a brush patch of a few acres. 
"We ought to pick up two or three on here," he said, 
and so, indeed, we did. A rabbit started off to the right 
and crossed near Mr. Organ, who tickled it a bit, but 
did not stop it. I killed it a few moments later at the 
edge of the thicket to the left This afforded the ladies 
no idea of things, as they Avere off at one side, but a 
nioment later, when John Watson had them all paternally 
in charge, he instructed them all to jump in concert upon 
a certain brush pile. They did so, and squealed as a 
nice, fat rabbit ran out from under their feet. This 
John Watson did not stop promptlv. so the rest of our 
battery cut loose at long range, and finally the dog caueht 
the rabbit, much to the delight of everybody. Then 
Ave Avent on again over a bit of grass. Fancher's dog 
Queen pointed hard and fast, and we knew Ave had a 
rabbit stn-e. Queen is a pointer, but the ethics of the 
Klondike require a dog to point everything, indnding 
168 
mink and skunk. This rabbit Roll Organ Icicked out, 
but he only threw snow over it with his close-choked 
gun, as it dodged for cover. John Watson was at one 
side, and both John Watson and I wiped Mr. Organ's 
eye. The ladies began to think rabbit hunting was a 
lot of fun. 
We now got into the sleigh again and drove a couple 
of miles further, stopping at one of those timbered 
islands peculiar to the Kankakee country. Here we 
fell foul of many rabbits, and each gun picked up one in 
a few moments, the laches, who tramped close up, dressed 
Avarmly and shod with heavy stockings and moccasins, 
seeing all the fun very comfortably, and getting quite 
into the notion of the sport. We walked slowly around 
a hundred acres or so of this cover, and by the time 
Ave got back to the sleigh we had eleven rabbits in all. 
Then we drove back to the club house and had a good 
lunch. Isn't that a Sybaritic sort of way to go rabbit 
hunting? 
After lunch Ave took our time, and drove off in a 
different direction to another stretch of scrub oak cover. 
It was noAv colder and snoAv began to fall, but the Aveaker 
members of the hunt were game and resolved to finish 
the day. We jumped three rabbits before we had gotten 
well started, Messrs. Watson and Organ doubling on 
one very long shot in open Avoods. The falling snow 
had covered all the old tracks so that we could see the 
fresh record of the woods before us. Tracks everywhere, 
so that one would have expected to see a hundred rab- 
bits, but rabbit fashion, the makers of the tracks kept 
well on ahead. Fancher noAv told us to spread out in 
line and nieet some of these 1 rabbits as they came back 
in their circle (as the rabbit will nearly always do). 
This we did. and John Watson picked up four rabbits at 
his end of the line in a little Avhile. Then Fancher sta- 
tioned us all on stumps and began a Avide circle, giving 
tongue in an excellent imitation of a hound— the very 
last of the Kankakee marsh hunters' tricks I have seen 
put in practice. The rabbits, thinking that now all Avas 
lost, began to scurry about and once in a while we got 
a shot. Cramped up on my stump top, I missed one 
easy shot, vvhich Roll Organ bettered a moment later 
as the rabbit passed him. Then a very sportsmanlike 
chorus from the ladies of "Mark! Mark!" drew' my 
attention to a rabbit that looked about as big as a cow, 
Avhich I added to my pockets. Thus it Avent and in a 
little while Ave had nine more rabbits, which Ave voted 
quite enough for all our Avants. It Avas something of an 
old story for us men, but the experience for the ladies 
Avas ncAv and interesting. 
That night it snoAved very hard, and the next day 
there Avas in full swing the great storm Avhich passed 
on east of here this Aveek. The temperature was loAver 
and the air Avas so full of flying driven snow that one 
could hardly see. It was too much for the ladies, and 
as we had all the rabbits we wanted, Mr. Organ and I 
turned it into a snoAVshoe expedition and had a nice 
tramp, without any guns at all, the snow being perfect 
for that sport. 
We came back to the city that afternoon, considcn'ng 
that our winter hunt had been very much a success. W'' 
have meat in our houses now. Let no man scovi at 
rabbit, lest thereby he betray ignorance alike nf Vrnra-y 
and cookery. Let me describe. As soon as a rabbit was 
killed Fancher eviscerated it Avith a long cut and n sharp 
flirt of the body, grasped head and foot in his two hands, 
an operation Avhich did not soil his hands. This shouFd 
always be done as soon as a rabbit is killed. At home 
f personally conducted the rest of the operations, relying 
oil my early training and not on that of any cook. I 
picked out the smallest and fattest rabbits, skinned care- 
fully and dressed them nicely. (To skin a rabbit, break 
the skin in the middle of the back and pull the hands 
apart, one-half of the skin thus coming free in each 
hand, and no hairs being left on the flesh.) Then I butch- 
ered out my venison carefully, throwing aAvay all blood- 
shot pieces. I cut off each hindleg and then cut a 
couple of sections or saddles across the back, trimming 
off all the thin flank meat up to the edge of the loin. 
I carved off the forelegs, taking out the shoulder blades 
nicely. The meager and bony residue of the rabbit I 
discarded, and thus I got a platter full of fine, firm, red 
and white meat, as nice looking as any venison that ever 
was. This meat can be stewed or boiled gently for an 
hour or so, and then fried and served Avith a thick brown 
gravy, and prepared in this Avay it is tender, delicate and 
toothsome. It can be fricasseed like chicken or can be 
broiled or fried direct Avithout parboiling. A friend to 
whom I gave some rabbits said that he had them broiled 
Avhole, basted with butter, and he declared them good. 
Others like to soak the meat over night in Avater slightly 
salted. I think myself that a rabbit is improved by being 
hung up dressed and alloAved to freeze for a few days. 
Somewhat depends on the way a rabbit is cared for when 
shot and in the manner in Avhich it is dressed and cooked, 
but depend upon it the individual who says rabbit isn't 
good is one who says so because he doesn't savvy how to 
kill, carve and cook it. Cats, forsooth! I Avill go bail 
that anyone who ate one of our MaksaAvba rabbits would 
never haA^e cared to go back to cat again so long as he 
lived ! 
Notes. 
At Necedah, Wis., on Feb. 5, ex-Member of the Legis- 
lature Wheelihan was fined $129.99 for shooting par- 
tridges out of season. Mr. Wheelihan may thus be 
placed upon the list of sheriffs, wardens, justices of the 
peace, etc., compiled by the Forest and Stream during 
the past two years, of persons in high places who have 
not been above breaking the game laws. 
At the Wardens' Convention here last week the odd 
information came up that Michigan has a statute pro- 
hibiting the hunting of squirrels by means of ferrets. It 
IS stated that this measure is the remnant of a session 
in which it was jocularly attempted to pass a law prq^ 
tecting the Spanish mackerel in Lake Michigan. 
This same Wardens' Convention was held at the 
Great North ern Hotel, and in the course of the proi- 
ceedings Mr. Davis, of Michigan, asked Warden Love- 
day Avhat Avas the law on venison in Illinois. On being 
told that it could not be sold at this season, Mr. Davis 
said he had bought some that day at his lunch at the 
Great Northern Hotel! At least it was listed as veni- 
son, though it did not taste like anything. Mr, Loveda^' 
faid he valued this as a tip. 
