388 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Nov, 12, 1898, 
amount of meat taken out by any one party for a num- 
ber of years, and at first thought it would seem like 
imprudent slaughter, but considering the immense party 
and eipipweijts, they did not take the limited amount 
of game allowed them by law, and the meat was all care- 
fully preserved and packed ptli and distributed among 
their friends from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Omaha, Neb., 
where it was fully appreciated, as elk meat was then 
becoming something of a rarity. 
This t<> tile was one of the hunting trips that was full 
of interest and instruction, learning many things about 
regular army life that I never knew, and learning to ad- 
mire the gentlemanly soldiers who are a high, type of 
manhood. Emerson Carney. 
West Virginia. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
^ The Deer Season. 
Chicago, 111., Nov. 3. — This is the banner week of the 
'leer season, and at this writing a good many thousand 
men are out in the woods of the three Western States 
of this section in which most of the deer hunting is 
done, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. There is 
little doubt that the hunters will be rewarded with at 
least average success, as deer have been reported in 
good numbers at all the favorite points. The Chicago 
& Northwestern Railroad has carried an army of shoot- 
ers and delivered them chiefly at the following points: 
AtltigOj Mercer, Tomahawk, Conover, Three Lakes, 
Pelican, Woodruff, Pratt junction, State Line, Rice 
Lake, Tron River, Geobic ami other points in the terri- 
tory above covered. The Milwaukee & St. Paul road 
has imported a similar number and unloaded them at 
such points as Star Lake, Minocqua, Floodwood, Cham- 
pion, Ellis Junction, Wausaukcc, Dunbar, Middle In- 
let and Pembine. The Wisconsin Central lines have 
sent their hosts of deer hunters into the country tapped 
by such points as Fifield, Phillips, Rib Lake, Glcnwood, 
Prentice, Stanley, Glidden, etc. Out in Minnesota the 
new road known as the Fosston branch of the Great 
Northern has taken out many hundred deer hunters. 
It is likely that the followers of wildfowl shooting and 
deer hunting average an increase in numbers from year 
to year, this, of course, governed by the relative increase 
in business prosperity. The number of deer licenses 
issued hi Wisconsin this fall would seem to warrant 
this belief, though perhaps the number of non-resident 
licenses will be cut down by the closeness with which the 
law is thought to be enforced this fall. The law was a 
laughing slock last fall in Wisconsin, and the number of 
non-residents who shot on residents' licenses must have 
run into Ihe hundreds, if not thousands. The identifica- 
lioii measures this season are more" sensible, and the 
result will perhaps be a total increase of non-resident 
licenses registered, but a decrease in the actual number 
O'l uon-resident: hunters in the State of Wisconsin. Min- 
nesota will get the. benefit of a good deal of this overflow, 
shlQC Minnesota has no license law as yet. There is no 
real way of getting at the extent of deer hunting travel 
in the State of Minnesota, and before the establishment 
o( 1 he license laws in the States of Michigan and Wis- 
consin the number of deer hunters in those States was 
si ill more a matter of guess. 
As tO the actual number of licenses issued, for instance 
in the Slate of Wisconsin, nothing but a county canvass 
would justify a claim to accuracy, though there are cer- 
tain indications by which an estimate can be reached. 
A I Ashland. Wisconsin, there were 627 deer licenses is- 
sued last year. At the same date this fall there was a 
tailing off of nearly one-half, only 250 licenses hav- 
ing been issued up to the last week of October. At 
Superior. Wis., the county clerk has issued t'jjg licenses 
up to the. last week of October. On Oct. 28 and 20 
he issued fifty -one licenses. This town last year issued 
(88 licenses. At Black River Falls, Wis., there had up 
to the beginning of this week been issued 125 licenses. 
At Haraboo, Wis., the county clerk had issued 200 
licenses before the beginning of the season. A friend 
of mine, wdio has just come down from Wisconsin, says 
that he heard that J, 000 licenses had been issued in 
Lincoln county this fall. He could not confirm this, and 
I am inclined to think that it may be a mistake. It may 
be seen, however, from the meager figures given above 
thai a good many people seem to be out of deer meat, and 
intend to make good the shortage. 
There has been a heavy snowfall in upper Wisconsin. 
On Nov, t there was 3111. of snow in the north peninsula 
0i Michigan. A good "tracking snow" is the fondest 
wish of the deer hunter, and there seems to be nothing 
lacking this fall to salisfv the hunter. 
The deer season in the State of Michigan does not 
begin until Nov, 8, though it is very likely that this 
fact is not understood by a great many hunters who 
have gone into Michigan north peninsula, where some 
of the best hunting points are near the Wisconsin State 
line, the law in Wisconsin making the date Nov. 1. At 
Marquette, Mich., 243 deer licenses have been taken out 
up to this week. This is an increase of about 100 over 
last year. At Grand Rapids, Mich., eighty-six licenses 
had been issued at date, and at Hillsdale, Mich., about 
thirty licenses. 
"Grand Rapids," 
I presume that in every mountain region there is a 
peak known as "Old Baldy." I have known many such 
mountains. 1 have nearly always found also that in any 
lake region there is a "Long Lake," a "Deep Lake" and 
II "Crooked Lake." Every once in a while, in their 
work, the old French-Canadian voyageurs found a bad 
bit Of water in a river, which they would call "Grand 
Rapids." There are a good many grand rapids in the 
Northern country, and as such a piece of water nearly 
always came to make a good milling power in the later 
days, it has happened that towns have grown up at the 
old carries. At the Grand Rapids, Michigan, above men- 
lioued, there was a fall of about lift., which built up the 
milling industry that made that place the center of the 
hardwood manufacture for an immense territory. The 
white men have now blown up and smoothed out most 
of the rapids. Naturally we may expect any town named 
Grand Rapids to be a good sporting town. The thriv- 
ing Michigan city above mentioned is the home of a 
remarkable number of splendid sportsmen, as witness, for 
instance, the eighty-six deer licenses, most of which 
were perhaps resident. 
At Grand Rapids, Wisconsin — for, of course, this State 
must also have a Grand Rapids — there have this fall been 
issued 175 deer licenses. This is a falling off from last 
year's record, which shows none the less that the town is 
in a sporting neighborhood. 
At Grand Rapids, Minnesota, we have another in- 
stance of the quality of a name. This is the town which 
a couple of years ago advertised a big trap shoot and 
moose hunt combined, putting out circulars under the 
head of a 'Tlot Time." This effort received a great 
deal of condemnation, for some, reason or other. There 
is a wide difference between Grand Rapids, Michigan, 
and Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The former is the home 
of a large element of modern, intelligent, law-abiding 
sportsmen, whereas the latter is a harbor of about 
everything which is the reverse of this. I presume there 
is not a town in Minnesota where the law is so extensive- 
ly and flagrantly violated. The town itself is progressive 
and well built, but is near a good deer and moose coun- 
try. Venison and moose meat are served the year round. 
It is the exception when the average of a certain class of 
men living at Grand Rapids kill a fish in a legal way. 
You can get a guide for a moose hunt at any season of 
the year at Grand Rapids, and they openly boast there 
that they will not allow any game wardens in their 
neighborhood. It is indeed likely that it would be dan- 
gerous for a warden to go in there. There are no licenses 
reported from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and even if 
there were a license law in that State it is doubtful if 
Grand Rapids would make many returns. At this partic- 
ular Grand Rapids the game laws are run pretty much 
to suit the inhabitants. I fancy that this will not al- 
ways continue to be true. Grand Rapids, Michigan, is 
an older town than Grand Rapids, Minnesota. 
Distinguished Sooners, 
, A nice little haul of distinguished sooners was made 
at Lakewoocl, on the Gillett branch of the Milwaukee & 
St. Paul road, in Wisconsin, last week. Game Warden 
Bissinger took in a special car party whose member- 
ship was as follows: J. S. Brooks, of Chicago; John M. , 
Roach, head man of the Yerkes Street Railway Com- 
pany, of Chicago; 11. M. Schmidt, a Chicago lumber 
dealer; J. C. Durgin, of Chicago; George W. Thompson, 
of Henry-, Hi-! C. H, Lester, of Oconomowoc, Wis. 
John M. Roach is the second vice-president and gen- 
eral manager of the North Chicago Street Railroad 
Company. Mr. Moses Brooks is a member of the 
Oconto Lumber Company, and Mr. Thompson is su- 
perintendent of the same company. Mr. C. H. Lester, of 
Oconomowoc, included in the subpeena, answers very 
closely to the description of the C. H. Lester who once 
indignantly protested in these columns on account of 
the publication of a story about his helping to kill 
something like a thousand quail iiv lower California. 
The charges against these gentlemen, or some of 
them, appear to be somewhat complex. They were ar- 
rested last week, whereas the game law does not open 
until Nov. [. They are charged with hunting with 
clogs, which is contrary to the law of that State. Some 
of them have pleaded guilty to this charge. More- 
over, the non-residents of the party had failed to provide 
themselves with licenses. These people seem to belong 
to a certain American class who have more money than 
they have decency, and who seem to think themselves be- 
ings set apart from the ordinary run of humanity. I 
think that Warden Bissinger will do somewhat to dis- 
abuse them of this erronious belief. They are just folks 
like the rest of us. 
It seems that the charge that offense of illegal hunting 
in Wisconsin is not a new one with this outfit. The 
game warden says that a similar special car party went 
through the deer country ahead of the season last year 
and killed a great many deer, though escaping under the 
extraordinarily lax enforcement of the Wisconsin game 
laws. This special car party is said to have left Chicago 
about a week ago, as guests of John C. Brooks, of 
Chicago, president of the Oconto Lumber Company. 
They side-tracked their car at Lakewood, and the en- 
tire party, nine men in all, were guests of Mr. Brooks 
at the farm of the Oconto Lumber Company. Three of 
the party escaped arrest. Moses Thompson, George W. 
Thompson and H. M. Schmidt pleaded guilty to hunt- 
ing with dogs, and have been fined $140.64. It is certain- 
ly to be hoped that all the rest of them can be brought 
to book. 
The man wdio arrested the above gang is Special 
Deputy Game Warden F. M. Bissinger, of Green Bay. 
Every sportsman in this country who believes in com 
mon decency ought to arise and call Warden Bissingjr 
blessed. There are no classes in America. We are all 
just folks. 
Good for Wisconsin, 
There has been a singular revival of energy in Wis- 
consin this fall in game law matters. I have already 
taken pleasure in mentioning the stoppage of the "Mr. 
Hicks" leak at Milwaukee, by which a great deal of game 
was coming to Chicago. I also mentioned the fact that 
Warden Johnson, the Oshkosh hustler, had been dele- 
gated to go over to Lake Koshkonong to look into the 
numerous violations of the game laws at that point. It 
is pleasant to be able to say that, with his usual activity, 
Warden Johnson got to work among the sneak boat 
shooters, and last week he arrested eighteen different 
parties, each_ of whom was taken to Fort Atkinson and 
fined. Some of these men were from Janesville, Wis., 
and among these were Harry H. McKinley, William Mc- 
Vicar and Edwin Parker. A number of sneak boxes and 
other outfits were confiscated. I have no doubt what- 
ever that a deep sense of injury broods over the bosom of 
Lake Koshkonong at the present writing. Warden 
Johnson and Warden Bissinger, of Wisconsin, deserve a 
high place among the celebrities of the week in sport- 
ingdom. 
Close in the company of the two wardens above 
named, should be mentioned Deputy Warden August 
Zinn, of Milwaukee, who located the mythical "Mr. 
Hicks." "Mr. Hicks" was mostly concerned with ship- 
ping partridges. It seems that Messrs. T. D. Randall 
& Co., of South Water Street, Chicago, wanted some 
Wisconsin deer, and other game, as badly as H. L. ( 
Brown & Son wanted partridges. The following is the 
circular which they sent out to encourage the violation 
of the Wisconsin game laws: 
"Chicago, 111., Oct. 11, 1808. — Dear Sir: Are you 
doing anything in game yet? If so, we would certainly- 
like very much to handle your shipments for you again 
this season as formerly. There is very little game coming 
forward as yet, and market here is ruling firm and active. 
It is quite difficult for us to keep our large trade entirely 
supplied. 
"Prairie chickens and partridges firm at $4.50 per 
dozen; email, $2; jack snipe and golden plover, $1.75 per 
dozen; mallard clucks, $3.50 per dozen; teal ducks, small 
or common ducks, $1.50 per dozen; venison saddles, 15 
to 16 cents per pound. 
"If there is any information that you want concern- 
ing the market, drop us a line, and we will gladly furnish 
same, and if out of tags advise us to this effect. Yours 
truly, "T. D. Randall & Co. 
"P. S. — If you have any difficulty in shipping, send 
your game to the Hurson Transportation Company, of 
Milwaukee, Wis., instructing them to reforward it to 
us in Chicago. The way to do this is to have tags on 
one side of which is printed the 'Hurson Transportation t 
Company" and on the other side 'T. D. Randall & 
Company.' 
"Advise them when shipping and also drop us a line." 
Deputy Zinn fell upon this circular and raided the t 
"fence" of Mr. Hurson. The latter gentleman says that '; 
he was innocent, and can prove an alibi, and promises 
that he will aid in no such violation of the law hence- 
forward. When, after a while, the enforcement of the ! 
game laws has become a matter of such importance as 
it should already be, there will be a system of detective [ 
work put in force which will uncover an enormous 
amO.unt of illegal game, which is shipped into the j 
Chicago market contrary to the Wisconsin law. There 
is no doubt whatever that tons of Wisconsin venison will 
come into Chicago this month, as it has been coming for i' 
the last thirty or sixty days ahead of the law. That 
Deputy Zinn has discovered one of these illegal schemes 
is a good thing, and he deserves the backing of every 
sportsman, and of every citizen, who believes in doing 
business honestly and legally. The storm center in 
Wisconshj this week is one of great interest, and its 
chief interest lies in the fact that it indicates a better, a I 
more honest and a more manly day. 
Special Cars. 
This is a day of the special car. I presume that never 
in the history of American sport, have there been so 
many special car parties out in the West as during this [ 
fall. My friend, Dick Merrill, who is back with his 
brother, Fred F. Merrill, from their annual hunting trip 
at Devil's Lake, says that he never saw so many bunt- 
ing cars as he did this fall. They were side-tracked all 1 
over North Dakota. There is no pleasanter way of go- 
ing hunting than in a special car. well equipped, and . 
well conducted, and usually it is a splendid class of men 1 
who go in this manner. They are not all like the special 1 
car outfit further above mentioned, wdio cared nothing ; 
for the laws of the State where they did their hunting. 
Nebraska Quail. 
This is a great quail year in the State of Nebraska, as 
T learned by comparing reports from a number of dif-J 
ferent points in that State. The general belief is 1 1 1 a t ' 
there are more quail in Nebraska than for twenty years 
past. At Wymorc. Neb., quail shooting has been going; 
on for six weeks, ahead of the open season, and bags of; 
several dozen to the gun have not been infrequent. 
The States of Nebraska, Kansas and Indiana have been 
among the weak sisters in matters of enforcing the gamei 
laws. Kansas is better than it formerly was. Indiana] 
takes no real interest, and makes no decent appropria- 
tion for protection. Nebraska is spasmodic. There is 
no general sentiment in favor of protection, though in 
spots the game laws are sometimes enforced. 
Indiana Instance. 
There is a newspaper known as "The Democrat" 
down at Anderson, Ind., which is a rank howler against 
sportsmen. This week it comes out with its customary! 
tirade against the "annual bluff at the enforcement of 1 
the law" by Anderson citizens. It says that no prosecu- 
tion has ever been made by any Anderson man or An- 
derson's sportsman's club, and is distinctly in favor oi 
the farmers as against sportsmen in general. 
Accidents of the Field. 
The week has been a sad one in its records of acci-i 
dents of the field. At Littleton. Colo., Dr. Edward 
Bovett and Earnest Gerard were drowned by the over-' 
turning of their boat, while hunting ducks on Bowie 
Lake. Near Pine Grove, Wis., Frank Somonski was 
accidentally shot and killed by a friend with whom 
was out rabbit hunting. Vespasian Smith was last week 
shot by unknown parties, who no doubt took him to b'e 
a deer, the killing taking place near the suburbs 0 
Duluth, Minn. This was two days ahead of the oper, 
deer season. At Park Rapids, Minn., on Oct. 30. Willian 
McMullen was shot and killed by his friend, Nelson 
Rust, while they were hunting deer together near Lake 
Itasca. The Minnesota deer season opens Oct. 25. -Neai 
New Orleans, La., last week, Edward Seruntine was 
accidentally killed by James Kearney while they were ouj 
hunting birds. He was shot through the back at closij 
range by a load of No. 9 shot. 
Ducks. 
Shooting has been fair on Lake Winnebago, Wis., tin 
past week. Messrs. Siewert and Service, of Oshkosh 
bagged 59 birds last week. Two guns on Lake Poygaij 
bagged seventy birds. Mr. D. J. Hotchkiss writes uv 
that hundreds of ducks came in on Fox Lake last week 1 
though the sport was spoiled by boats that persisted 
in chasing around in the open. Mr. Hotchkiss asks wha 
can be done to stop this chasing of the ducks, and I an! 
sure I don't know, unless it conies under the genera 
Wisconsin provisions, prohibiting the use of a sneak bo -1 
or sneak boat, outside the natural covering of vegctatiot* 
