Dec. 2, 1899.1 
FOREST AND STHfiAM. 
44s 
told them I remembered turning one deer back. "We soon 
rame to the field of action, where I had m.et with such a 
defeat so short a while before. On looking around we 
lound my guu 8 or 10 yards from my former stand. Of 
course the old deer hunters wanted to see where I was 
standing and where I had shot. We searched ah the tree 
trunks in the direction the deer had come, but the scars 
we were unable to find, and finally gave it up as a bad 
job and started out to see if we could not find the deer 
I had turned back. 
I was given a stand about 50 yard's down the road from 
my former stand and the others were put on stands three- 
quarters of a mile away. We were hardly in position be- 
fore we could hear the dogs filling the woods with their 
sweet music. It was not long before I was fully under 
the claws of the buck fever again, standing behind a bush 
with my teeth chattering as if they w-ould break off; but to 
my great delight I heard in the distance the report of a 
gun, and in a few seconds the sweet strains of music from 
the horn wafting to me on the gentle breezes the intelli- 
gence that the hunt was over and the deer was bagged. 
Like a wild man I was soon on tlie scene, standing over 
the noblest animal that roams the forest, but now dead 
as a rock. 
The custom in a deer hunt is to award the hide to the 
owner of the dogs, so you see my friends on Tidewater 
never got the venison, nor did I get the skin to rest my 
weary feet on. 
But if you don't think I can shoot, just give me another 
chance. Ellis C. Richardson. 
Quail Shooting in Cuba. 
Havana, Nov. 21. — Editor Forest and Stream: Yester- 
day I took my third outing among the colins, which I 
found at home to me, and they entertained me with a 
good day's sport. In fact, eighteen came home with me 
to stay. Dash was in good form and also greatly en- 
joyed our suburban visit. A half hour on the 5 o'clock 
train took us to the fields, and our first reception was by a 
single bird, which came to bag just as the orb of day was 
peering above the horizon. A quarter of an hour later 
Dash located a bevy that flushed wild, but I marked some 
of them down, and after some skillful perseverance of the 
dog we persuaded three of them to come with us, to the 
evident delight of my four-footed companion, manifested 
in lively thanks for my expressed satisfaction for his good 
half-hour's work. 
Several fields were then examined with negative results ; 
but 8 o'clock discovered to us a covey running in the clear 
that flushed wild and went into a thick cover of guava 
bushy trees. We however invaded their cover and flushed 
several of them, taking a snapshot at one as it passed a 
small opening between the trees. I was unable to see if 
it was down, but calling in the dog, I went in the direc- 
tion taken and Dash soon announced game in the out- 
skirts of the thicket in tall thick grass, interwoven in 
prickly rat-pine hedgerow. Here Dash got in some of 
his fine work, now plunging under the tangled growth, 
now backing out and changing his point some distance 
away until I wished to give up the bird as lost; but Dash 
insisted that it was his bird, until finally in changing its 
hiding place to another the dog was too vigilant and 
quick for it, and thus it came to bag. We had marked 
down at least the direction the birds had taken, and we 
now turned our attention to finding them. 
After nearly half an hour spent in their pursuit, Dash 
at last came to a stand. I flushed a single bird in com- 
paratively open field and missed with both barrels. 
The dog looked up at me as if scornful, but this one 
bird indicated that we were on the right track of them, 
and after diligent work we struck a trail and finally the 
dog came to another stand. I flushed the covey, which 
seemed to have got together again. This time I scored a 
right and left, but retrieved only one bird, and^as they 
fell among bushes and prickly hedges we abandoned the 
other. We then commenced working in the direction of 
a small hamlet, where in a grocery store we expected to 
breakfast from 10 to 11 o'clock. On our way we flushed 
and bagged a galluela or meadow hen, and in a bushy 
pasture the dog made another stand. I flushed a large 
covev'of quail and scored a right and left and followed 
theni up, making several very mortifying misses but 
bringing three more to bag, or rather to my string, for 
I use here a leather belt strung over my right shoulder 
■and left arm with leather strings about Vo mch wide and 
I inch apart, so that my birds hang in the air by the necks 
I inch apart, so that they are thus better preserved m this 
climate; also smoother to look at. 
After a comfortable breakfast and a two hours rest i 
again took to the fields in slow stages, stopping frequently 
to cool off under the shade of trees and enjoy the cool 
breezes and give rest to the dog. Thus we gradually 
worked back to our starting point and returned on the 
S o'clock train to Havana with a bag of seventeen quail 
and one meadow hen. which, carried strung out as before 
described made a verv handsome showing to admiring 
spectators. " Dr.. Erastus Wilson. 
The Thousand Islands Park. 
The New York State Fisheries, Game and Forest Com- 
mission will erect pavilions on the sites selected as public 
reser^'ations on the St. Lawrence River, where angling 
parties and pleasure seekers may find sheher from storms. 
The sites chosen are Burnham Point, near Cape Vincent ; 
Cedar Point, opposite Clavton ; Picnic Point, near the foot 
of Grand Island; Canoe Point, at foot of Grand island; 
Watterson's Point, on the Canadian side of Wellesley 
Island; Dewolf Point, near the middle of Lake of Isles; 
Mary's Island, opposite Alexandria Bay ; King's Point, at 
the end of Goose Bay, and at the foot of Cedar Island. 
The Cttvier Banquet. 
The annual game dinner of the Cuvier Club, of Cincinr 
nati, brought together a goodly company of members and 
guests in the handsome banqueting hall of the club house 
on Nov. 22. President Alex. Starbuck and his comtnittees 
had arranged everything so perfectly that the otcasion 
was without suggestion of mar. State Game Warden L. 
H, Reutinger was the evening's guest of honor. 
A Hunting Trip in Eastern Maine. 
Aftkr innumerable pipefiils had been consumed, rail.- 
road guides consulted, a goodly number of sma' wee 
hours used up, we had almost decided on spending our 
hunting trip in the vicinity of Kingfield, Me., when an 
unexpected invitation from our friend Will S., of Med- 
dybemps, changed all our plans. 
The morning of Oct. 14 found us— my friend Chas.. Y 
and myself — bag and baggage aAvaiting the eastbound 
train to land us in Boston in time to catch the St. John.s 
boat, a twenty-nine hour trip. 
At Eastport we changed to the Rose Standish with 
fom- inore hours of travel up the St. Croix. We found 
our friend Will S. and team awaiting us at Calais; and 
a drive of two and one-half hours throiigh a blinding 
snow storm landed us at the comfortable farmhouse of our 
friend. 
After a good night's rest, we were up bright and early 
the following morning in quest of any game that might 
be rustling for its morning meal. A two-hour hunt 
brought to bag one lone rabbit. Returning to the house 
and dispatching a substantial breakfast, we shouldered 
our rifles and started in search of deer. A steady all- 
day tramp scored us- one rabbit and one partridge. 
In the week following we found rabbits and partridges 
in abundance and plenty of deer nooks, but owing to 
the dryness of the leaves we were unable to hunt them 
successfully. Saturday evening we held a council of war 
and came to the depision that if we returned with deer 
meat we must penetrate further back into the country. 
Packing the buckboard with fixings for a week's so- 
journ in the wilds was the work of but a few hours. We 
.trtrned in in good season Sunday night to assure an early 
start th(? following morning, and the stm rising over the 
neighboring tamaracks found us well on our way to 
Fletcher Mountain, forty-three miles distant. Before 
starting, we made one addition to the company in the 
personage of Otis B., a capital story-teller, a good guide 
and cook, and who on an all-day tramp could give a 
fair handicap to an ordinary locomotive. After two days' 
drive we went into permanent camp on the site of the 
old Hemmenway farm, at the foot of Fletcher Mountain, 
within a half-mile of the spot Avhere was enacted the slay- 
ing of two game wardens by Graves. 
In the following four days of hunting we saw innumer- 
able tracks of both deer and bear, sighted thirteen deer, 
obtained five shots and secured one doe and kept the 
table well supplied with partridges and rabbits. Had we 
been able to spend one more week, we could easily have 
bagged our full quota of deer each. 
We were obliged to build our own camp, as some un- 
scrupulous person or persons made it their particular 
business to burn all the old lumbering camps in this 
section of the country. On our return we met a party 
from Machias. who, on their way up, had killed one doe 
and a wildcat, the largest specimen either party had ever 
seen in all their hunting career. Its weight was esti^ 
mated between 85 and go pounds; extreme length, 4^4 
feet. It had been met in a crouching posture in the road 
and dispatched with a well-directed shot in the head. 
We secured a goodly number of partridges by the road- 
side while walking ahead of the team, but found them 
Only at sundown and sunrise. 
Arriving at Meddybemps, we had one day remaining 
of our vacation, and all hands put in a full day's hunting 
in the surrounding country. It fell to my lot to score 
the biggest miss of the party, which happened in this 
wise. Arising at 4, I went to a stand in the meadow, 
where .1 waited till sunrise, but did not sight any game. 
Then I started for the house, and I fairly stumbled upon 
a doe quietly feeding. I am still at a loss to know which 
was the more surprised. 
I made a hasty snap-shot, and scored a clean miss, 
which, by the way, not infrequently happens when I am 
at the butt plate and pointing the gun at big game. 
I stood in a meditative moode, watching the graceful 
bounds, and wished for a gun which would enable me to 
fill a ten-acre field chuck full of leaden missies at one 
pull of the trigger. Then I espied three other deer, 
which immediately bunched within 60 yards, including 
the doe fired at, making in the whole three does and 
one magnificent buck, all four of which could have easily 
been covered by a good-sized blanket. 
I hastily ptiUy myself together and tried hard to sup- 
press an ice-water feeling which was slowly buj surely- 
creeping up m.v spinal column. Dropping on one knee, 
I pictured in my mind's eye my carving his lordship 
with my (tr-r-r-u-s-t-y) knife, and the shade of green 
which would steal over the boys' faces when their optics 
rested on those antlers. 
Slowly I brought the ivory bead to bear just back of 
the foreshoulder (but forgot the back sight), caught 
my breath and pressed the crescent-like piece of steel 
on which so much hung in suspense. Two hundred and 
fifty-five grains of lead were immediately started at an 
angle which would surely have placed them in the right 
spot, providing that the deer had had 4 feet added on their 
pedal extremities. 
As the smoke cleared I saw the meadow filled with 
white flags, and not a single thing damaged but the 
feelings of the shooter, whose chin had dropped and was 
now resting on the top button of his vest, in which po- 
sition it remained the following twenty-four hours. 
I reluctanth'- shouldered my rifle and returned to the 
house, and with a George Washington expression o'er- 
spreading my face related the story to the boys. But it 
was there and then decided that the buck was our 
particular piece of venison, and the antlers of course 
were to fall to me. The plans made for his capture 
were based on the following facts: He would return at 
sundown (this was assured by a full vote), we would go 
down just before, secrete ourselves, and when he showed 
up all Ave had to do was to punch him full of holes, dress 
him, go up and get the team, drive down, tote him back 
to the house, ami the deed would be finished. To further 
assure success, Otis procured a .4.'5-9o Winchester from 
one of the neighbors deetr ing it a more fit weapon for 
this size of game, and preceded us to the meadow, we 
following one-half hour afterward. When crossing the 
particular strip referred to above, we saw the buck, ac- 
companied by one doe, quietly feeding at a distance of 
150 yards. As the position of Otis warranted a better 
-shot, and as he was armed with the deadly .4,5-go, we 
stood perfectly still, with the expectation of hearing the 
aforesaid weapon pour forth her death-dealing missiles. 
We looked at the deer, the deer returned the gaze, turned 
broadside, blew twice, waved their flags and disappeared 
in a neighboring thicket without one grain of powder 
being burned. We congregated and returned home- 
ward with feelings better imagined than described. 
We were up at 3 A. M. the day following, in time to 
catch the down boat from Calais. When within one- 
half mile of Baring and just as day was breaking, w^e saw 
a buck quietly es'eing us from a neighboring field. We 
immediatel,v dismounted from the team, unpacked our 
rifle, and added one more clean miss to our score. At 
the report three does juinped from the grass and dis- 
appeared in the woods. 
In ten days' hunting we saw twenty-three deer and one 
fox, large numbers of rabbits and partridges, and returned 
with a satisfied feeling of a vacation well spent, a vora-. 
cious appetite and enough reminiscences to last us 365 
more days. * Sharps. 
Sixteen Days in Wisconsin. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
As my partner and I had a good time in the Wisconsin 
woods, we thought some brother sportsmen would like 
to hear of our trip and will relate it. 
After many days of planning and a good bit of map- 
Tooking, we decided upon Wisconsin and made our ob- 
jective point Phillips, in Price county. Arrived there we 
made inquiries of several parties, among whom we were 
fortunate in forming the acquaintance of a Mr. Fish and 
a Mr. Sperry, gentlemen in every sense of the word and 
not afraid to help a brother if found worthy. Securing a 
team, we started on what proved to be an awful ride of 
twenty miles over the worst roads I ever saw. I have 
seen some bad roads in my time, but this took the prize. 
We had a light platform spring wagon and a tolerably 
good team of horses and got through some bad places 
that looked to a city man impossible. However, we pro- 
gressed until finally the road we were supposed to be 
loUoAving lost itself and we had to back-track a piece, 
where we found an admirable camping place. The tent 
was up in short order, with the sheet-iron stove, and we 
made things snug for the night. The next day we got 
up wood and fixed up camp in fine shape. 
The following day we took a stroll through the timber 
south of camp and saw one deer, which I took sight at 
but did not shoot, as we were out for fun and not to kill 
all the deer we saw. For several days we rambled around 
to get acquainted with the country and saw deer every 
day. Red squirrels, hares an^ grouse were abundant; 
also porcupines. On Nov. 3 I told Dick that the dishes 
(tin pans) had to be washed and that I would stay at camp 
and clean up. At about 9 o'clock I heard several shots 
fired to the east of us, and as we were camped on a run- 
way I took my rifle and steppod out of the tent. I had 
gone not more than 50 feet when I saw a streak of gray 
coming up through the trees. I picked out the most open 
space in the small trees, and when the deer showed 
through the sig:hts let go, and over the deer went. It 
was on its feet in an instant, when I shot it through the 
head. Then I dressed it out and dragged it to the tent 
and hung it up between two big hemlocks. About 4 
o'clock Dick came in hungry and tired. Putting his hand 
in his pocket he took out some bone and said: 
''What are these?" 
"Bone of a deer's foreleg, and high up," said L - 
"Yes. Had four shots at a deer and broke a front leg, 
and lost it in the swamp. I will get one yet." 
The following Wednesday we started early for a big 
runway south of camp, agreeing that if either one of us 
got a shot and made a kill we would signal to the other 
one. In about an hour Dick shot four times in rapid suc- 
cession. After waiting for several minutes and hearing' 
no signal, I thought Dick had missed, so I walked over 
to him. Just as I got to hinj: he was shaking like a man 
with the ague. He said: 
"Don't go near her! There she is!" 
And there on the ground lay a nice foUr-pronged buck, 
and Dick's rifle shaking in his hand and his teeth rattling 
like an end-man's rattle bones. I ofifered Dick my knife 
to cut the deer's throat, and he said: "You do it; I can- 
not." So I dressed his deer and smeared him with blood, 
telling him this was a part of the regular initiation in deer 
killing. Dick wanted me to take the rifles and he would 
carry the deer; but he was soon convinced that he could 
not carry a big deer on his back. We dragged it to camp. 
The people we met in the deer country were obliging 
and seemed to try to make our stay pleasant. The coun- 
try where we hunted is where the great fire a few years 
ago wiped out so much timber land and destroyed the 
town of Phillips. My rifle is a Marlin .40-60-260, '81 
model— a heavy gun, but a killer. My deer was killed 
after the bullet had gone diagonally 3 inches through a 
maple limb: then went through the deer and went 8 
inches into the sand. 
After staying in the woods and waiting for snow which 
did not come, we pulled out for home. A four-horse team 
going out for stipplies came over and took our stuff to 
the railroad. We had a most enjoyable time and hope 
to try again some day. Hughes, 
Toledo, Ohio. 
North Carolina Quail, 
KiTTRELL, N. C, Nov. 31. — Mr. Wm. Mcllvaine, of 
Philadelphia, who has been making quite a stay with us, 
has been finding a good many quail, averaging eight coveys 
per day, out of which lie brings in his share of the birds. 
Another of our guest.s, Mr. R. P. McNeely, also of 
Philadelphia, is aA^eraging ten coveys of quail per 'day. 
He is a new hand at quail, having shot larger game. One 
of the crack shots of Kittrell is Mr. Olmstead Capehart, 
who. on Nov. 14, found eleven coveys. On Nov. 15 he 
started fifteen coveys. On Nov. 17 he, with a friend, 
started twelve coveys. Don't think they are easy to kill ; 
those who have been in the habit of hunting them know 
what a game little bird they are, and this is the kind of 
sport the true lover of the gun is looking for. 
BUNCJE. 
