460 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Dec. 3, 189ft 
and scores of others shot at, but. missed by a greater or 
less margin. One farmer lost a black horse and a white 
heifer, both on the same day, both victims to the skill 
and judgment of "deer" hunters. Another farmer lost 
five head of cattle by the same causes. One man, who 
was out along a woods road with a red wagon and a 
team of large horses, was shot at by a party of hunters, 
and it is said that seventeen shots were fired at him be- 
fore he could make it understood that he was not a deer. 
These shooters are reported to have been "Eastern 
men," but this I hope is a libel, though it makes no 
difference what State they hailed from. I adduce these 
facts as showing that deer hunting nowadays, under our 
liberal Western system, is a sport which has certain ex- 
citements. 
In this same Chippewa county forty-five deer were 
marketed by butchers; sixty went out by one express 
company, seventeen went out at one depot, 196 at an- 
other depot (the Wisconsin Central), forty were taken 
home by local hunters, one express company shipped 
twenty each day for many days, 100 were shipped from 
one town (Cadotte) in one day, 300 were shipped by the 
Soo Railway from towns along its line, and several hun- 
dred others went out to the markets from Cadotte, Boyd 
and Stanley, all within this county. This is one coun- 
ty, and though perhaps the greatest of which we can get 
definite news on these points, it shows pretty well what 
a development there has been in deer hunting. The 
main wonder is that so many deer still exist. 
Deputy Warden Henry, of Michigan lower peninsula, 
made a visit to the upper peninsula early in the season. 
He reported that there were 4,000 hunters in the upper 
peninsula alone. On one day before the season opened 
1,400 hunters crossed the Straits of Mackinaw. Mr. 
Henry reports ten arrests for violations of the deer law. 
He thinks the average of success is one deer to five 
hunters. This may be true of the visiting hunters, but 
I do not think it at all covers the case of local shooters 
who kill for their own use, or of the many covert market- 
hunters Who sneak out deer steadily to the big city mar- 
kets. I should think that, taking these local and more 
skillful hunters into account, we may allow one deer at 
least, perhaps more, as the average of every hunter of 
whom we can get word as having gone out after deer. 
My earlier estimate of 25,000 deer for Michigan and 
Wisconsin, perhaps including Minnesota, I believe is not 
very far out of the way, all things considered. I have 
never before been able to get at this thing so closely as 
this fall, and some of the above facts have interest, since 
they begin to give an inkling of the magnitude of this 
Western deer traffic and deer travel. I do not have the 
figures of the Maine deer records at hand, for this season 
or last, and of course have no wish to make any com- 
parison between our Western deer product and that of 
the big and good old State of Maine. Yet it seems like- 
ly that the history of our deer country and that of 
Maine will, year by year, take on the greater resemblance, 
and that our newer Western woods will be obliged to 
come to the check and tab system. I want to quit hunt- 
ing then myself, and indeed I did quit deer hunting in 
this country a good while ago. It is too blamed ciyilized, 
and likewise too populous to suit a timid man. 
And yet, speaking of accidents, the record obtainable 
for this section of the West for the present deer season 
is not so formidable as we might be entitled to suspect. 
I hear of less than a half-dozen shootings. At Ashland, 
Wis., Willie Moore shot himself. Not far from that 
place a farmer was out cutting evergreens, when he 
was seen and shot by a man who "saw something move." 
In another case two tenderfeet went out together to 
"shine" deer (an illegal method). They became 
separated. One saw a gleam of light, which he took to 
come from a deer's eye. It was from the lantern, and he 
killed his friend. These things sound absolutely in- 
credible, but they go to prove what incredible idiots 
sometimes buy and use deadly weapons. One writer in a 
Wisconsin paper says that more men have been killed in 
that State by reckless deer hunters, since the shooters 
began to come in there, than have been killed by bullets 
in the Spanish war. I have heard used with contempt 
the expression "hunting with a brass band," this applied 
with scorn to the tenderfoot who broke twigs and made 
other noise in his hunting, but I am disposed to think 
that, on the whole, since neither hymns nor red shirts 
will always do, a brass band and a drum major would be 
about the best outfit a man could have along on a deer 
hunt in our north woods. But I shouldn't like to 
carry any risk on the drum major, if I were in the life 
insurance business. 
White Deer. 
I have heard of not less than three white deer being 
killed in Wisconsin alone this fall. One was taken into 
Ashland by F. C. Klady, H. Palmquist and Eric Schei- 
deen, who shot it Nov. 19. Another was killed by Ole 
Catfish, a Flambeau Indian, on Nov. 10, on the Lac du 
Flambeau reservation. It weighed 254lbs. and had good 
antlers. It was bought by the Indian agent and sent to 
Chicago for mounting. A third albino deer was killed by 
A. Vine, son of the school superintendent on this same 
Flambeau reservation. It weighed 22Slbs. and also had 
a good set of antlers. This specimen had a few small 
dark spots on the legs, but was otherwise white. In the 
case of Col. Catfish, the Indian, it would appear that he is 
forgetting a good many of the sacred traditions of his 
people, one of which says that the Indian who shoots a 
white deer is forever accursed and followed by ill for- 
tune. Perhaps Col. Catfish is willing to take a few 
chances in that line for sake of the additional price that 
a white deer brings in valid coin of the realm. Super- 
htition and commerce sometimes blend rather strangely. 
Thus I have heard that the common belief that opals are 
a most unlucky stone arose originally from the act of a 
hook-nosed citizen of Russia, who had a lot of other 
jewels to sell, whereas a fellow merchant was doing a 
good business in some newly imported opals. He in- 
dustriously circulated the story that the new stones were 
unlucky, and adduced hook-nosed facts to prove it. Re- 
sult, a posterity saddled with superstitious disbelief in 
the most beautiful stone there is on earth. I honor Col. 
Catfish, who saw the white deer and soaked him, even 
as, I am told, other men have betimes soaked opals, re- 
gardless of the superstition thereunto pertaining. 
Half-rate Lion Hunt. 
On Dec. 8, 9 and 10 there will be held, at De Beque, 
Colorado, a grand hunt of the round-up sort, which all 
are invited to attend, on condition that they bring their 
own blankets and have the price of 25 cents per meal. 
It is made a further condition that all participants in 
this hunt shall become members of the Western Slope 
Hunting Association, which costs only $3. It is the in- 
tention to make a regular thing of this hunt, and to 
bring to it as many hunters from as wide a scope of 
country as possible; in fact, the wider the scope the 
better, as I am persuaded to believe. The object of this 
hunt is to suppress, slay, exterminate and otherwise 
make uncomfortable all and several the mountain lions, 
bobcats, lynxes, wolves, coyotes and other cow-eating ani- 
mals, which are alleged to be swallowing De Beque up, 
body and boots. Mr. M. R. Morse, of Parachute, has 
been elected captain, and has behind him fifty enthusias- 
tic citizens, the county commissioners, and the passenger 
department of the Colorado Midland Railway. Mr. Bert 
Stroud, of De Beque, is secretary, and the citizens of 
that town have made arrangements for shooting matches, 
barbecues and other things appropriate to successful lion 
hunting and wolf extermination. Camera clubs are ex- 
pected to attend to photograph the slain animals of prey. 
Everything will be done on a magnificent scale — pro- 
vided that the lions, wolves, bobcats, etc., catch the true 
spirit of the occasion, and do their part, or any part of 
their part. It ought to pan out quite a good-sized af- 
fair, especially as I understand that the railway will 
advertise the hunt and do everything possible to boom 
it. I presume that the people of De Beque know 
whether or not they are content with the present status 
of their lions, wolves, bobcats and other animals above 
enumerated, though it might seem that if they want to 
get rid of them, this is a very bad way to do so, as hath 
been many times proven in the history of similar enter- 
prises. The word "enterprise" perhaps covers this pro- 
ject neatly. Passenger agents are proverbially enterpris- 
ing, and the Colorado Midland is a hustling road. I 
trust I violate no confidence and disturb no one's equan- 
imity by suggesting that while perhaps the lions, wolves, 
etc., above specified will perhaps not be exterminated, 
there will perhaps be no more than the usual damage 
done when large bodies of men go out to disturb the 
game of a region, but upon the contrary there will have 
been a certain benefit accruing to the eisenbahn, the 
carro ferril, and likewise the chemin de fer of the Colo- 
rado Midland. We are nowhere more American than 
in Colorado, yet I could wish there were held to be suffi- 
cient in the other boundless resources of that great State 
without calling upon the big game to make this truly 
American holiday. 
Half-rate Rabbit Hunt. 
The dates of Dec. 15 and 16 have been claimed for 
the annual jack rabbit hunt at Lamar, Colorado, and it 
is reported that the rabbits are as abundant as ever, in 
spite of the inroads of earlier years. Rev. Thos. Uz- 
zell, of Denver, is credited with the inception of this 
jack rabbit round-up for the benefit of the poor, and 
though I have doubts about the priority of this claim, 
there is no doubt that he was first to put the idea into 
practical and extensive practice. This year the par- 
son — "Parson Tom," he is called — intends to branch out 
a little. A New York fur house offers 7, cents apiece for 
the jack rabbit pelts, intending to make sealskins out of 
them, and Mr. Uzzell thinks there will be something in 
this for the poor. From a Chicago furrier I learn that 
the use of jack rabbit skins in the manufacture of "elec- 
tric seal" (commonly made of coney fur) is a thing of 
some years' practice, though the hide of the jack rabbit is 
so tender as to be practically worthless. The big Lamar 
hunt, which is annually boomed to the good of the town 
and the railways, will no doubt this year, as for several 
years last past, net about 5,000 jack rabbits. 
Dakota Licenses* 
The ccfunty clerk at Steele, N. D., this fall issued 
shooting licenses to the total value of $1,035.25. If all 
the other counties in the duck belt did as well as that 
State Warden Bowers must have money enough to carry 
in a shawl strap. 
Minnesota Justice. 
In January, 1897, State Agent Fullerton seized over 
1,000 illegal partridges shipped by a notorious alleged of- 
fender against the game law, E. W. Davis, a commission 
man of Detroit, Minn. Four indictments were br'ought 
and Davis was tried in June, 1897, being acquitted on 
the ground that the game was killed by Indians on their 
reservation. Then came the ruling of the Interior De- 
partment, as- exclusively reported in the Forest and 
Stream at the time, by which Indians were held amen- 
able to the game laws the same as white men. Davis 
was tried under this new status of the law. The judge, 
Baxter, of Moorhead, fined Davis $10 and costs on three 
counts, and dismissed the rest, thus allowing him to go 
practically unwhipped of justice. This is a defeat to the 
Minnesota commission, and one which comes with a 
tinge of bitterness, as it seems neither law nor justice., 
Davis' record entitled him to a severer handling. 
The Law. 
"Game killed on an Indian reservation by a tribal In- 
dian and transported by wagon to the nearest railway 
station off the reservation, and there delivered to a car- 
rier to be shipped out of the State, is held, in Selkirk 
vs. Stevens (Minn.), 40 L. R. A. 759, to be subject to the 
game laws of the State." 
"Live Quail. ** 
Mr. H. G. McCartney, of this city, told me a .curious 
thing the other day. He said that his groceryman, who 
lives and trades somewhere in the vicinity of Thirty-first 
street and Cottage Grove avenue, came to his door not 
long ago and offered to sell him some quail. "These are 
not any cold storage quail," said the honest grocer, "but 
real, live quail. I have just got a lot from South Water 
street, and if you don't believe it I'll bring them right 
here to your door and kill them, so that you can see. for 
yourself that they are all I claimed." Mr. McCartney 
verified this man's assertion. He was really, in the year 
of grace 189S, in the city of Chicago, and in full sight of 
our game law, keeping live quail for sale, to be butchered 
on demand. He said he could get them right along, 
Tacoma Duck Record. 
Messrs. H. T. Denham and E. A. Kimball, of Tacoma, 
Wash., last week brought into town 113 ducks, the result 
of one day's shooting. This is said to beat the earlier 
record of W. A.- Eberly and W. R. Dodge, who killed 
104 in one day. Mr, Eberly and another man once 
killed 134 in one day, These are top notches for the 
duck men of that city, it seems. 
Grouse. 
Mr. C. A. Duke writes me from Duke Center, Pa., 
that he has this season killed in all sixty-six ruffed 
grouse. Certainly a very good run, even in a country 
where, as he says, the birds are quite abundant. 
Thanksgiving. 
Deputy Willis, of Bay City, Mich., early this week 
seized i,6oolbs. of under-sized fish at the markets, and 
caused them to be distributed among the poor. 
Personal. 
Mr. Chas. Lungren, the noted painter of Western 
subjects, paid the Forest and Stream office a little visit 
to-day, and spoke as usual with enthusiasm of the sweet 
and sleepy Southwest. 
Oscar Guessaz, once of San Antonio, Texas, and well 
known to all American sportsmen, is now at Savannah, 
Ga., still with the army, and so much with it, as he 
writes me to-day, that he can't get away from it. He 
is on the staff of not one but two generals, Wheaton and 
Lee, and neither will accept his resignation. He has 
been regimental adjutant, commissary quartermaster, 
ordnance officer, and division inspector of rifle practice, 
all at the same time, and has also been doing the work of 
lieutenant-colonel. This is a good deal like Guessaz, and 
I am satisfied there is enough of him to go round. It is 
no wonder he can't get resigned. 
Mr. Louis Duryea, of New York city, called at this 
office to-day, and speaks very pleasantly of Dick Cox, 
the former beloved Chicago shooter, who went out to 
Seattle to grow up with the country, and Who has grown. 
Mr. Duryea spent some time on the Sound, and reports 
that country flourishing and full of fine sportsmen. 
Hon. Nat. H. Cohen, the much-alive president of our 
State fish commission, is among those who have recent- 
ly reposed their feet on the Forest and Stream furni- 
ture here. Mr. Cohen has caused several bass to grow 
where but one grew before, and sportsmen may remem- 
ber this to his honor. 
Mr. Jos. A. Baker, of Benton, Mont., seems to be on 
about the right lines to have a good time while he is 
alive. He lives in one of the best sporting countries on 
earth, and has made several trips down the Missouri, 
which he describes to be one of the best voyages one 
ever made, and full of interest. To-day he came in to 
get advice about Texas coast country, and I have sent 
him artd his friend, Mr. F. S. Eaton, of Boston, down 
to Aransas Pass, Texas, where they will remain probably 
until next May, just thinking and shooting and eating. 
They will see Johnny and Jimmy Bludworth and all the 
rest of the Rockport friends known to the Forest and 
Stream, and I hope will have a very pleasant time. 
They intend to charter a boat and cruise by themselves, 
as they are both good sailormen. 
Speaking of sailors, it was this week that Nat. Cook, 
of Chicago, and Fred Dickens, of Milwaukee, both 
prominent members of the Western Canoe Association, 
dropped in to pass the time of day. They were about to 
attend a meeting at the Great Northern Hotel, with a 
view to rehabilitating the old W. C. A., Whose winter 
meeting will be held at Milwaukee in January. It is 
many a tale of wild adventure by stream and lake that 
these two spirits can tell. 
Mr. J. M. Morley, of Saginaw, Mich, (who is 
"Brooks" of the "Saginaw Crowd" hunting party), 
called this week as it happened right while I was over 
in his State, so we passed each other, Mr. Morley. 
leaves word that he will see me some day and convince 
me of the overdrawn character of some of the hunting 
stories told by his friend, the ex-Mayor of Saginaw, in 
regard to the performances of "Brooks," It was on the 
cards that we three were to meet this week at the city 
of salt and shavings, but it fell out otherwise. Mr. 
Mershon himself, the said ex-mayor, was in Chicago 
yesterday, and left for home late last night. 
E. Ho con. 
1200 Boyce Building, Chicago, 111. 
Connecticut Game Interests. 
Bridgeport, Conn., Nov. 24. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: All true sportsmen and those interested in the 
preservation of our fast-disappearing game birds in Con- 
necticut will be pleased to learn that the subject will 
'be taken up at Hartford during the coming session of our 
Legislature, when a strong effort will be made to pass 
such laws as will prohibit the sale of game in the 
State, also the export. Old Connecticut, with its ideal 
territory for the propagation of the partridge, the quail 
and the woodcock, with its acres of delightful covers, is 
fast and surely being depleted of its game birds by the 
incessant market-hunter, who from sunri.se till dark pur- 
sues to kill, and incidentally to sell. In many cases 
whole coveys of partridges are easily bagged by the 
practiced killers before the open season, and when the 
opening day arrives the law-abiding sportsman finds but 
very few scattered birds as a rule. Add to this class 
the .imported pot-hunter, with his single-barrel gun, who 
pots the robins and all other protected birds that come 
his way, and one can see plainly the "handwriting on the 
wall." The Whir of the partridge and quail, and the 
whistle of the woodcock will soon be music of the past, 
unless, our lawmakers act wisely and quick. 
. :,t ,: Oronoque. 
The Forest and Stream is put to press each week on Tuesday. 
Correspondence intended for publication should reach us at the 
latest by Monday and as much earlier as pracl it-able. 
