S48 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 23, 1899. 
clliiied to accept any courtesies in the- shooting which 
would not be extended to a man, always insisting that if' 
a bird went up no one was to wait for her to fire. It is 
not often that one finds a woman shooter who can actually 
walk, actually shoot, and be a good feUow all day long, 
imder all the changing conditions of weather and walking. 
Mr. and Mrs. Brown spend a great deal of time together 
fishing and shooting. Ncal Brown himself is a 6ft. law- 
yer, an ex-member of the Legislature, a man of large 
afifairs and a sportsman of large heart. He knows how to 
take life comfortably and get something out of it. and I 
am sure I don't know what more he could ask than he 
has. 
When we got out ot the wagon in the morning tu^ grass 
was dripping wet and a few minutes served to wet feet 
and limbs completely. We hunted for an hour or so 
without success, and got ordered off from one or two 
farms. Then we put up a couple of old birds wild, and 
marked them both down. Mr. Brown and Varney went 
after one and got it, and Mrs. Brown and I Ininted after 
the other for a long time without success. Fina1l5^ as 
we started awaj- the bird rose out of the grass some dis- 
tance from where we had marked it. and by the time we 
got done with it it was voted unanhnously killed. Then 
we went on, and after a time Mr, and Mrs. Brown got 
into a flock of sharp-tailed grouse, knocking doAvn four 
birds in about that many seconds. One of these birds 
flew some distance, and I had a race with a shooter from 
another party who cut in ahead after our scattered birds 
and did his best to rob us of our covey. He actually 
picked up our crippled bird first, but I took it away from 
him and carried it back to Mrs. Brown. All through the 
day we put up only four coveys of birds, and on two oc- 
casions, when we had oi:r scattered birds marked down, 
we saw other parties break for them on the run and go to 
.shooting among them before we could come up. Had we 
been left alone, I think we should have killed a dozen 
more birds, for the coveys were very large and full. 
The prettiest shooting we had was just about noon, 
Varney and I were together on a bit of open ground when 
we fairly stepped into the middle of a big flock of chick- 
ens. One bird rose on the outside, and in some Avay Var- 
ney and I both managed to miss him. He killed with his 
second barrel and so did T. mv shot being a neculiar one 
for prairie chicken shooting. The bird started straight up 
and was nearly 30ft, high when I shot him, though it was 
almost directly above me. I could see his neck stretched 
up and the whole expression of his countenance seemed to 
say that he wanted to get out of there as soon as he 
could. We marked this covey down and also marked the 
wagon load of hunters who stopped and made for it. Just 
at this moment Mr, and Mrs. Brown also walked into a 
covey and they killed four birds as quickly as one could 
snap his finger. Then we went to lunch, came back over 
the same ground, picked up a half dozen more birds, and 
by means" of silver placated some farmers who kept on 
ordering us off the land. Once in a while we sat down 
and rested, and once in a while we got into tlie wagon and 
rode away. We only got out six or eight miles from 
town that dav. 
On the following day we made a long drive, going 
about fifteen miles ^nut across Cranberry Creek. We lo- 
cated some splendid looking country, but got there too 
late. We learned that over 200 chickens had been killed 
in that neighborhood on opening day, and we thought tf 
we were up there next year we would make for that part 
of the country at once. On this second day it was too 
warm to work very hard, so we took a good long noon 
hour, fried some prairie chickens over our camp-fire, 
made a pot of coffee and enjoved ourselves in spite of all. 
We -only killed six birds on this last day. 
The general hostilitv of the citizens of Babcock and 
vicinitv was rather amusingly exemplified at our hotel m 
town ' The landlord was apparently suffering from a 
blighted life, and it was a source of great comfort to me 
to hear him and Mr. Brown argue their respective opm- 
ion=! as to the size and the excellence of the field lunches 
orovided for our party. Next door to ns there was a 
butcher and the butcher kept a dog. and the dog kept 
on howling all night. Mr. Brown told the butcher he 
would shoot the dog if he could get to see him .and the 
butcher told Mr Brown he would shoot him if he shot 
his dog and Mr Brown said he didn't mind about that; 
so we had quite a pleasant time. "T have lived m this 
Northern country too long," said Mr. Brown to nie. to 
pay any attention to people who say they are going to 
shoot me full of holes. You must exoect that sort of 
thing, for it is part of the game. These folks around here 
have just got it in for the rest of the universe. They don t 
mean to be unpleasant. It is just a way they have. 
A Genuine Wild Pigeon. 
There is perhaps some news in this, our chicken hunt at 
Babcock, regarding this northern range of the grouse 
in Wisconsin. Still another bit of news, and rather an 
important one, came out during our little trip. _We killed 
a wild pigeon! We have all read from time to time aboiit 
the occasional appearance of the wild pigeons, but it is 
rather singular that the representative of the Forest and 
Stream should personally fall across one of the few in- 
stances of the actual killing of this bird in recent years. 
Yet this is without doubt true. While we were cleaning 
our birds at lunch time on the first day, our guide Var- 
ney pulled out of his pocket some turtle doves which he 
had innocently been shooting that morning. Among 
these was a bird to which he called our attention, saying 
it was "too big for a dove" and he did not know what it 
was. "Why, that's a pigeon!" cried Mr. Brown. "It's a 
yoimg wild pigeon." And so it proved. The bird was 
about two-thirds grown and the plumage was yet pale 
and devoid of the fine luster of the adult bird. The tail 
feathers were pulled out in the pocket of Varney's hunt- 
ing coat, but I got them and have them now, with the 
skin of the bird, which I secured. I cannot give many de- 
tails regarding the killing of this bird, except that it was 
shot from a tree early in the morning by Varney. There 
were a lot of doves hanging around a buckwheat field 
and some, of these Hghted on a tree. Varney fired at the 
largest bird he saw on the tree, and put it in his pocket, 
thinking that it was a, dove. It was nearly twice as large 
and heavy as a dove when we came to place the two birds 
together. Mr. Brown tells me that he and his wife have 
seen these birds in northern Wisconsin within six years, 
and they were once abundant all over this country where 
we were hiMting. The Forest and Stream has always 
been very anxious to secure any positive proof of the ap- 
pearance of the wild pigeon, and here is proof which is 
direct and unmistakable. It was the last feature needed 
to make my little Babcock experience a curious and en- 
joyable one. 
T have written to Mr. Brown that I am afraid he has 
gotten into trouble, for we have promised to go on all 
sorts of shooting and fishing trips together in the near 
future, and Mr. Brown declares that he knows the best 
trout stream that ever was in the whole wide world. We 
are to look into that next spring, and may possibly visit 
our new-found chicken country again next fall. It seemed 
to me a fine thing to see these grand brown birds once 
more. 
. , E,, Hough. 
480 Caxton Building, Chicago, 111. 
Arkansas and the South. 
St, Louis, Mo., Sept. 15. — From reliable information, I 
am led to infer that the present chicken season is one 
of the very best within recent years. From nearly every 
section the reports are most favorable, and there are yet 
many points where good shooting may be had during the 
next few weeks. Up about Atkinson and Nebraska, and 
in fact in any part of Holt county in that State, I am 
told, the shooting has not been so good for some seasons. 
I understand that at this point one can easily bag twenty- 
five birds a day, notwithstanding that the sooner has been 
very active in tliis locality. It was in this vicinity that 
J. E. Brook and. V. W. McDonald bagged seventy-six 
birds on Sept. 4. Mr. Brook tells me that the coveys are 
very large, and the birds all about matured, so that they 
afford excellent sport. 
Messrs. Kingsbury and Pyper, of Council Bluft"s, went to 
Neligh, Antelope county, Neb., about the same time 
and found the conditions much the same. In connection 
with a local shooter, they killed seventy-five birds. The 
weather was very warm, and for this reason very un- 
favorable. Mr. Johanas, of Omaha, found time to run 
up to Hershey for a day, and here in six hours' shooting 
he bagged eighteen; he too reports evidence of the 
sooner. Mr. M. C. Peters, of Omaha, has for the past 
ten years been doing his shooting in the vicinity of 
Pierce, Neb., and he tells me that the birds were more 
numerous this season than at any time since he has been 
going there; though he adds that they were very wild 
and hard to approach on the open prairie, due to the 
persistent shooting for months previous. His party, con- 
sisting of four me nand two ladies, bagged thirty-five in 
two days, though most of these birds fell to two guns. 
He says the birds were so wild that their dogs — of 
Avhich they had four — were practically useless, and they 
did not secure a half-dozen points during the entire trip. 
The only shooting they got was in the high corn, where 
it was possible to get within range of the birds, but as 
the corn_ vvas iiearly Sft. high, it was mostly snap 
shooting. - ' 
Mr, Al Patrick, his two brothers and one other friend 
did their shooting in the vicinity of Verdigris, Neb., and 
tills party brought back thirty-eight birds. At Inman 
the birds should also be in fair numbers. It was at this 
point that Mr. Jno. A. Kuhn and two others bagged 
forty-one birds. 
Mr. C. C. Herman, of Kansas City, and Dave Han- 
cock and Ed Conway, of Marshall, Mo., went to Wood 
Lalce, Neb., and though they report good success, they 
say this was only accomplished by the hardest of work, 
and that they were compelled to go thirty miles from 
the railroad, owing to the inroads made among tlie birds 
bv market-hunters, who were flocking to this country 
and rapidly diminishing the supply of birds. This party 
also report the teal duck shooting very fine on Marsh 
Lake, Neb., though they gave theni no attention. All 
these points are on the Elkhorn Railroad. 
Good chicken shooting is also to be had on the Bur- 
lington Route in Greeley and Custer counties. Neb. In 
going to the former, Greeley Center is the station to go 
to, and in the latter county Broken Bow is the objective 
point. This line also traverses some of the finest duck 
grounds in the entire West, among which Lakeside, 
Sheridan county, Neb., is one of the best. This is on the 
Sheridan line and right in the heart of a lake country. 
The finest of grouse shooting is to be had along the line 
at Wyola, Mont., on the Crow Indian Reservation, In 
order to shoot on the reservation one must get permission 
from the agent, but this. I am informed, can be readily 
obtained. A party of New York sportsmen were out 
there this week, and they report the shooting superb. 
There are many other points along this line where good 
shooting is to be had, and those interested have but to 
communicate with the passenger agent at Omaha, who 
will cheerfully furnish all information. 
Two members of the Dupont Gun Club could not wait 
for the opening of the chicken season, but had to go out 
the last week in August. Such conduct is hardly to be 
expected from persons who are members of an organiza- 
tion whose object is the protection of the game. For 
personal reasons, I will not give any names, but it be- 
hooves the club to look into this matter and to purge the 
organization of such material. Either practice your 
doctrine or go out of business. 
I also learn that a well-known Kansas City trapshot 
was out in Kansas shooting chickens in August. The 
argument he advances is that the birds were too old and 
too tough in October, and therefore not fit to eat. 
Another party, consisting of E. E. Morris, R. M. 
Rigby and J. H. Starkie, of Kansas City, went to Hayes 
City, Kan., where, in connection with a local shooter, 
they killed quite a bag of- birds. I am not certain that 
these parties knew that they were violating the law, but 
according to the Game Laivs in Brief, it is illegal to kill 
chickens in Kansas until Oct. i. 
Russell Klein Avrites me from Spirit Lake. la., that 
the chicken shooting was very good in Dickinson county, 
and that the duck shooting was also very fine. A great 
many more ducks nested there this season than for 
years past, which he attributes to the very late spring. 
The ducks did not return until after the close season, and 
as they were not molested, many more remained with 
them than heretofore. 
Reports of the Arkatisas chiekens are to the effect. 
that they are by no means plentiful, which makes theii 
extermination practically an assured thing, for it wil' 
be two vears before the Legislature convenes again, and 
by that time the work of destruction will be complete 
Hundreds of shooters were afield on opening day, anc 
as most of the birds are confined to three counties it i 
easy to perceive that it will not take long to carry ou' 
the work of slaughter. Under the present statut" 
chickens can be legally shot during five months of thj 
year, from September to February, so that in the nex 
two years all the good derived from the five years' clos. 
season on these birds will have been more than wipe* 
out. It is possible yet to kill a few birds, and foi 
the benefit of those who want to join in the slaughter, 
would suggest Hazen and Devall Bluft", on the Choc 
taw & Memphis Railroad, or Stuttgart, on the Cottoii 
Belt Railroad, or DeWitt, which is reached by a brancj 
road from the latter place. Of course, it must not h 
expected that the birds are to be found adjacent to th 
towns, but from these points one can get to the bes! 
chicken country. Oct. i would be a good time for suci 
a trip, as then one can legally shoot any game i' 
Arkansas, and as all these places are located in gooi 
quail country, one could easily turn their attention t 
these, if the chickens should not pan out. While, i 
one goes to DeWitt, it is not a great distance to when 
good turkey shooting is to be had. These birds are quit 
plentiful along Bayou Meto Creek and also the WhiJ 
River. Devall Bluff is also on the edge of a big gam 
country. 
While the prospects of the Arkansas chicken are quit 
gloomy, all other game is reported very abundant. Qua: 
fared exceptionally well this season, and from all pari 
of the State the reports are to the effect that this will M 
an exceptionally good year for sport with this bitt; 
Then the turkey and deer should also have done bettc 
this year, because we had no overflow, so that they wer 
not driven from the lowlands, and in consequence t\i 
bottom lands will afford much better shooting tha' 
heretofore. Of course, it is a trifle too early to sa 
definitely just where to go for big game, though there ai 
many places along the Iron Mountain Railroad whei 
one can get good shooting. In one or two localities 
is possible to combine both hunting and fishing, for as 1 
rule bass are readily taken during October and Nc 
vember in the South. 
Reports on the quail from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraslv 
and Iowa are similar to those from Arkansas, so th? 
this fall should be fraught with much pleasure for tho; 
who are fond of such shooting. 
Paul R. Litzke. 
Staples and Novelties, 
Edgewood, la., Sept. 12. — Editor. Forest and Strean 
I am disconsolate, inconsolable, and it is your fault (pe 
haps). Last Christmas my wife made me a present of 
year's subscription to Forest and Stream. I have r 
ceived the paper regularly on Friday till last week. I d 
not receive it then, nor has it come since. Now please ser 
me another copy of last week's issue, as I cannot miss 
single one. My wife says I was cross all day Sunday c 
account of it. (Ladies take notice.) You are doing; 
grand work among sportsmen for moderation, and the ii 
fluence must certainly be productive of good- 
I have a few items which may interest readers of Fo) 
ust and Stream. I will classify them as we do our drei 
goods, viz., staples and novelties. To illustrate: If I g 
out hunting and a bird gets up in front of me and I h 
him, that is a novelty; if I miss him, that is a staple. 
Staples. 
Quail are very plentiful, but occasionally a covey 
very small. I think the. first setting was washed away 1: 
the heavy rains, and the second is late. Under the cot 
ditions this season, the change from Nov. i to Oct. i w. 
an error, although in ordinary seasons it would be ben 
ficial. , 
I have been chicken-shooting twice; got seven the hr 
day and twenty the next. I flushed fully 100 birds the la 
day, a very good showing for a country 'that has been sht 
to a stand'still for the past ten years. 
Last season squirrels were very scarce, and we hunte. 
agreed among ourselves that we would not shoot squi' 
lels. Result: This year they are quite plentiful. Anoth' 
argument in favor of protection and moderation. 
Last winter we had an unlimited number of rabbit 
This year they are very scarce. Will some one please ejl 
plain why? 
Novelties. 
During a hunt last winter, one of the boys shot at an 6^ 
flying over. He did not get the bird, but he got a rabb 
which it dropped that was not quite dead. The boys hai 
said so much about shooting rabbits on the wmg that 
isn't safe to say anything now when Elmer is present. 
A friend of mine near here found a nest of young squx j 
rels last spring which he carried home and placed in 
cage where he still has tliem. One of them is an ordinal 
gray' squirrel and the other is pure white, both in tl 
same nest. Is this a common occurrence? 
Last spring we had a very destructive cyclone, whid 
passed about three miles south of here. It struck a bai 
and other buildings about five miles southeast of here, t(f 
tally destroving them. A friend of mine, searching ii 
ruins the next day, found four eggs, two of which wej 
quail's eggs and the other two unknown to him. Ha^i 
ino- an incubator, he took them home, and upc 
testing them found young birds in the quail 
egg" The other two were fresh, and upon beir 
placed in the incubator, after due time they hatched 01 
two woodcock. These eggs were found right in the mid 
of the ruins, and with no nest anywhere near that w;; 
known of. In mv peregrinations (not exterminator 
however) around this vicinity, extending over a period i 
twenty-five years, I have seen but one woodcock. Whet 
did the eggs come from? H. E. James, 
Oil Dread Disease! — ^"Bickersniffs doetor has oriwed linn 
cease riding in his horseless carriage fbr a while." 
"■What's the trouble?" , , , ^ ^ 
"He's used it so constantly that he has necoinQ .^ut«-r«obil(QU* 
—Philadelphia North AmeriQaa. 
