288 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[Oct. 13, 1900. 
boomers of hunting resorts. The truth to come out this 
time is that the first week of the open season on big 
game in Maine has proevd a good deal of a failure. More 
than the usual number of hunters have been in the 
woods, many of them staying over from ihe fishing sea- 
son, with the hope of getting a deer to take out. But 
they have generally failed. I have seen a number of 
hunters who have returned from Maine, but have failed 
CO meet one yet who has shot his deer. They say that 
they tried hard ; had good guides, but the deer were not to 
be found. Not more than one deer a day has yet been 
received at the railroads here, where ten or a dozen were 
received for tlie same days of the open season last year. 
A special from Bangor reports the- largest day's record 
there at twenty-seven deer, against sixty-seven for the 
largest day of the first week of the season last year. The 
total result of the first week of the season this year has 
been seventy-nine deer, passing through Bangor, against 
121 for the same week a year agoi 
Game Warden C. C. Nichols is out with an explanation 
of this fact. He does not expect that as many deer will 
be killed this year in Maine as last. He is reported to^ 
have said that he expects the number to fall off 200 or 
300. His reason is that many sportsmen have already 
killed their deer and convinced their friends of their skill 
as mighty hunters, and that this year they will be in- 
different about killing. Some of the guides do not agree 
with him. On the contrary, they believe that the number 
of new hunters will be great, and that the old ones will 
take all the deer they can legally take under the law. The 
true reason is doubtless the fact that the number of deer 
left in Maine is smaller than a year ago. The September 
license law has set loose a crowd of hunters and guides, 
and they have invaded the ponds and lakes where the 
deer come down, and have either shot them or driven them 
away. 1 have it from a gentleman who spent the whole 
of September in a good deer section of Maine that the 
struggle for deer has been almost terrific. He says that 
the law is a sad farce. One license is made to answer for 
a vast amount of hunting by both guides and sports- 
men. A registered guide, a man who tells the truth, has 
told me of a case where one license has been made to do 
the duty of four deer killed at one camp, during the past 
September. I have visited one hunting region m3'self, 
where the deer were very plenty in July and August. A 
good deal of September license shooting has been done in 
that section. I hunted one day, faithfully, over exactly the 
same ground I hunted over on a day of about the same 
dale a year ago. This day not a deer did I start; not 
seeing a sign of one. Last year,- under almost the same 
weather conditions, I started seven deer. The experience 
of other deer hunters, so far this October, is be'ng equally 
unsatisfactory. A great number of sportsmen passed 
through Bingham, Me., another gateway to a good sport- 
ing region, on the last days of September, not to return 
till they had tried for deer in October. But some of 
them have returned with most unsatisfactory reports. 
They shot no deer and started very few that were seen. 
It is possible that all this poor luck may be changed later, 
but I do not believe it will. I fear that the supply of 
deer has been sadly drawn upon, under the September 
license system. Some of the best deer hunters I am 
acquainted with are outspoken in declaring that Maine 
deer cannot stand up under September hunting. Early 
the weather is hot and the deer come to water every day, 
especially when the woods are as dry as they were almost 
all of September this j'car. Hunters only have to lie in 
ambush, and the very last deer may be killed. In October 
the rains have come, and the deer do not have to go to 
water. The weather is cool, and they take to the ridges, 
where it takes a smart hunter to find them. It now looks 
as tliough September deer hunting in Maine especially 
early September, is likely to prove a bad mistake. 
The attempt of the Commissioners to shut ofT licenses 
and keep hunters out of the woods during the dryest part 
of September was "a farce of considerable dignity," says 
a gentleman who wt;s on the hunting grounds during the 
whole of September. He thinks it should be compared to 
"issuing orders to captains and seamen already gone to 
sea." The guides and hunters kept right on. If deer 
were killed they were not brought in- during the dry 
weather. If they spoiled in the woods, it was the fault of 
the law and the Aveather. Special. 
Care of Shotguns. 
Without effort, but with a modicum of negligence, one 
can in a brief period substantially ruin the finest pair 
of shotgun barrels turned out from the factory of a foreign 
or domestic gun maker. There are several ways to accom- 
plish this result, among which I may mention the loaning 
of your gun to a friend; another is to leave your gun 
unclean after a day's use at game or the traps, and still 
another to toss it in or out of your wagon or boat as you 
might your hitching block or boat anchor — "there are 
others." I have owned some fine guns in my day, and 
have at times loaned guns to friends, which, when re- 
turned, were, if returned at all, sure to be in bad condi- 
tion. I became tired of that, so I purchased two double 
guns for the use of friends, succeeded in loaning both, 
neither of which has been, or ever will be, returned. I 
am just ont of loanable guns ; no borro-wers need apply. 
More effort is required, but not much more, to keep 
your guns in good condition than to ruin them. In the 
days of cap lock tnuzzleloaders we could never inspect 
the interior of the gun's bore without removing the breech 
pins. This was rarely done. We removed the n'pples or 
cap cones, inserted the breech of the barrels in a vessel of 
water, then with a pledget of tow or other substance 
wrapped on the end of a cleaning rod we inserted the 
end of the rod so equipped in the muzzle of either barrel 
and pumped away, changing water from time to time, un- 
til the pumped water became clear; after which we poured 
through a funnel boiling water into the barrels until Ihcy 
became hot to the hand ; then we drained, wiped dry, in- 
serted the cones, mounted the barrels and the work was 
complete, except that to guard against a hang fire we 
might at times test our work by discharging a light powder 
load. The b.irrels might be leaded, ntsled or pitted; if 
so we were not unhappy; we did not know it. 
The advent of breecliloadcrs changc<l to a great degree 
the cleaning process. We can readily detect rust, pits and 
leading, but most of us adhere to the use of water for 
clcauiug. It is some years since 1 have practiced at the 
traps. Another gentleman and myself in those years were 
credited with having our guns always in the best pos- 
sible condition internally and externally. I was asked 
how I managed to do this. My answer was a surprise to 
my interrogator. I never clean my guns with watet>— 
they are never leaded, pitted or rusted, always clean and 
bright inside and clean outside. I use high test alcohol, 
spirits of turpentine or coal oil, generally the latter. After 
using my gun, with a swab moistened with one of the 
above named fluids I wipe out the barrels; then I search 
for lead. This, if found at all, will be apparent a few 
inches from the top of the shell chambers. If I discover 
any or suspect its presence, I attach to my cleaning rod a 
brush which I have had constructed of fine brass wire, and 
with this brush scour the gun bores thoroughly, until I 
am sure every particle of lead has been removed. Then I 
wipe the barrels internally with a clean swab moistened 
with one of those fluids, after which I oil with animal 
oil. I treat the barrels externally with similar care, as 
well as all the metal and woodwork, and finally with a 
piece of oiled chamois wipe all the gun externally, when 
you may, without touching any of the metal parts with 
the naked hand, lay it in its case, assured it will come 
out when called for in good condition and ready for 
service. 
SfiPTUAGfiNARiAN. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Backward Season in the West. 
Chicago, 111., Oct. 6. — Our season still continues back- 
ward in the West, the unusually hot weather over much 
of the Northwest preventing any general southern flight 
of the ducks. While any day may make a great change 
in these matters, at this writing there has been no flight 
of Northern birds within 200 miles to the north of this 
point, and such shooting as we have had in this latitude 
has been merely of a chance sort and of no great 
extent. The week current should see the flight down 
over much of North Dakota and upper Minnesota, but 
we will no doubt hav'e to wait till later in the month for 
such sport as we may naturally expect on the grounds of 
'this section of the middle West. 
With respect to the jacksnipe the above does not apply. 
These birds have been with us now three weeks, and the 
moist, warm weather has seemed to suit them, so that 
they have not pulled out for the south, and are not apt to 
do so for some days or weeks. The grounds at Koutts and 
other old-time favorite localities are now in very fair 
shape, and a decent bag is not out of the question to-day 
at any one of a score of points on the Kankakee marsh. 
Bill Haskell, of this city, was last week down on the 
Maksawba marsh with the veteran snipe shooter, John 
Watson, and they found quite a lot of birds in, though at a 
point some miles from the club house. Mr. Watson 
bagged twenty-one jacks and Bill got fourteen, a very 
nice little shoot. They report that a few days before 
their trip the birds were even more abundant, and it was 
on this same ground that there was made the biggest bag 
of this fall, seventy-two birds, which were killed by a 
local man whose name they did not learn. This bag was 
made last Saturday, a week ago, and on Firday, a week 
ago yesterda3^ there was another heavy bag made, fiftj^- 
two Ijirds, killed by a man fbtrni Grahd Crossing, Cook 
county, whose name Mr. Haskell did not know. This 
hea^O^ shooting had driven out the birds to a great ex- 
tent from this countrj' where Mr. Haskell and Mr. Wat- 
son were shooting, but as snipe luck goes, the very next 
man in there after a rest of a couple of days is apt to 
meet almost as good sport. Mr. Hoyt, a Maksawba mem- 
ber who lives in Chicago, hunted close about the club 
house at the same time the two gentlemen above men- 
tioned were down, and he got thus close to home twelve 
jacks and three woodcock, the latter the first woodcock 
seen in that part of the world for some time. 
There seems little reason to doubt that a very good body 
of jacksnipe is now in over the Kankakee marsh region, 
.and it is a good tip to try Hanna, Koutts, Water Valley 
or any one of the old stand-b3^ localities as soon as pos- 
sible, and before the cold wave strikes us, which is due 
at almost any time thus late in the fall. 
Early Birds. 
Those who want to know where the game is going 
might perhaps to some advantage ask the deputies at 
Milwaukee, who are keeping an eye peeled a good deal 
of the lime on shipments headed out of their State 
for the Chicago markets. This past week the deputies 
seized at Milwaukee 700 partridges and three saddles of 
venison, all of the same slightly early so far as the legal 
season is concerned. The owner of the game was not 
discovered, but he will probabh? have a sore spot in his 
heart for the wardens. 
For a Sportsmen's Exposition. 
Mr. R. E. Follett, mentioned some months ago in these 
colnmns as in Chicago for the purpose of enlisting support 
for an establishment in this city similar to those of New 
York and Boston, returned to this city during the past 
week, and now reports that he has received pledges of 
Chicago capital sufficient to warrant calling the under- 
taking a certainty and a success. The place of the ex- 
position will be the Coliseum building, and the date Feb. 
12 and week following. Some of the wealthier Chicago 
bus'ness men have subscribed to the stock, and the good 
folk of this burg will give the enterprise the support 
which they are wont to accord to anything they want 
and whicli is really good. The organization of the com- 
pany was completed to-day, and the following officers 
were elected: President, ex-Comptroller of the U. S. 
Treasurv James H. Eckels; Treasurer, Harold McCor- 
mick ; First Vice-President. F. C. Donald, chairman of the 
Central Traffic Association; Second Vice-President and 
Manager, Richard E. FoUett. 
Successful Rocky Mountain Trip, 
^Tr John G. Mott, of Michigan City, Tnd., whom I 
referred la=t summer to Wm. Wells, of Wells P. O,, Uinta 
county. Wyo., for a big-game trip, went out there a 
month or more ago and is to-day just back, and is a very 
much pleased man. He was accompanied by his son, Rus- 
sell Molt, and eadi was successful in getting some good 
heads of elk and antelope. On the first day out from their 
first camp Mr. Mott killed a blacktail, and on his next 
hunting day killed a grand bull elk. They then moved 
camp, but for the next five days did not see any heads 
that they, cared to kill. On the eleventh day Mr. Mott got 
his second bull elk, another fine specimen. Mr. Russell 
Mott found nothing to suit him till his sixth day, when 
he got his first elk, a fine bull. On his ninth day he 
killed his second bull. The party was out nineteen days 
and moved camp five times. On the sixteenth day they 
got three antelope — one a doe killed by mistake for a 
buck — and on the following day they got three more nice 
buck antelope, making eleven head of big game. They 
got all the grouse they wanted, but were a bit disappointed 
in the trout fishing, for Mr. Mott says the mountain trout 
out there are wilder and warier than they are in Michigan 
or Wisconsin. He is skeptical about there being such a 
thing as an unsophisticated trout. They, however, got all 
they needed to eat. They were only about forty miles 
from Mr. Wells' place. They say that both their guides 
were good, and the outfit all they could ask. They had 
along sixteen horses in all, four riding horses, three extras 
and the rest pack horses, which shows the customary man- 
ner of making these mountain trips to-day. Mr. Mott 
says that Mr. Wells has nearly lost all his old bear pack 
that used to make so much history in Routt county, Colo., 
and later in the Wind River range, only two or three of 
the old dogs being left. He does not think there are so 
very many bear or cats left in that range, but says that 
for elk it cannot be beaten. For a wonder, Mr. Mott 
comes back entirely satisfied and sure that he was sent to 
the right place, which is comforting, since in these days it 
is not always sure what luck a hunter is to have in even 
the best of our remaining big-game range. 
At the time Mr. Mott left, there was considerable snow 
falling in the mountains, and they had freezing weather 
nearly every night, of course. They met on their trip 
Adjutant-General V^^'illiams, of New York, and his friend, 
Mr. Prime, of New York city, both of whom were going 
far in and high up after sheep, and Avho are hardly yet 
ready to come out. 
Mr. Mott said that he enjoyed immensely his first 
hunting trip in the Rockies, and he seems certainly to 
have taken to it mighty kindly. He was surprised alike 
to find how cold it was and how little some of the men 
he met seemed to care for the cold. One of his guides 
went about apparently half-clad, but was warm as toast 
all the time. "That's nothing," said the guide. "You 
ought to have seen Capt. McI^Teil. of the Ninety-third 
Highlanders. That Scotchman who was out here not long 
ago. He was right from India, and we thought that he 
would freeze to death, coming from so warm a country, 
but what does he do but take off all his underwear and say 
it was too hot for him. He Avould sit for an hour out on 
top of a ridge with a big telescope looking for game, when 
the wind was cold enough to drive us all away, but that 
man — whj', he'd melt out the frozen ground for 10 feet all 
around him where he had been sitting, he was that 
warm blooded. He was sure a warm sport." 
All About Navajo Blankets, 
Speaking of cold weather in camp reminds one naturally 
of blankets, and chance brings up at this time a few 
facts about the best of all camp blankets, the Navajc) 
brand, known to all the real old-timers of the West as un- 
questionably one of the finest fabrics that ever came from 
a native loom in any quarter of the globe, and good in 
their way as any weave of the Orient. The ownership 
of a genuine "old-weave" Navajo nowadays is something 
of which one may well be almost as proud as of a real 
buffalo bull hide war shield of the old plains days. In 
the one case or the other, there is only too much likelihood 
of disappointment when the article is put under the 
scrutiny of one who really knows what it should be. 
I am tempted to mention of the Navajo blanket pritnarily 
from seeing this week Mr. Edward Kemeys, who is re- 
cently back from a long trip among the Arizona In- 
dians, taken for the purpose of seeing the historic snake 
dances of the Moquis and of coming in touch with the 
ways of the far Southwest, as he already was with the 
old-time Northwest. Mr. Kemeys has all his life been 
much devoted to the Navajo blanket, and has many speci- 
mens of the old weave, and he added to this collection a 
couple of dozen more of the more modern sort, to say 
nothing of one or two of the rare old patterns whose 
age is their guaranty. 
More than this, I met this week also Mr. H. J. Maratta, 
an artist of this city, who has been out painting things in 
the Southwest, and who knows many things about that 
country which are not vouchsafed to any transient to 
learn. Mr. Maratta has some blankets also, and he 
knows a good one when he sees it. The dry goods stores 
now ask $75 to $125 for a genuine oldr weave Navajo. 
When I used to live down in New Mexico we thought 
$25 too much for the best one in the world, and the regu- 
lar price was a dollar a pound, and furnish your own 
wool, a genuine Navajo squaw being a treasure for a 
community. > am ♦ • 1 4) ( 
Times have changed in the Navajo industry, and the 
old-time fabric has become commercialized — indeed, com- 
mercialized to the point of counterfeiting. I presume it will 
be news, perhaps not very welcome news, to just every- 
body who has bought a "genuine Navajo," to learn that 
"genuine Navajos" are made in very large quantities out- 
side of Arizona. Located on the lake shore not very far 
to the north of this city, in the city of Racine, a citizen of 
that city runs a factory there which makes "Indian 
blankets," though not calling them Navajos. I doubt 
if one of these blankets would hold a bucket of water 
over night without leaking, as our New Mexico blankets 
did, or If the colors would not run a bit if exposed to the 
rain. 
The original Navajo robe was no doubt made of un- 
dyed woof, and the colored blankets date back only to 
the Spanish times. The natives used to take the old red 
cloth, known as Bayeta cloth, which they got in trade 
from the Spaniards, and unravel it, then reweaving it 
after their own fashion. It was this old red cloth whirh 
furnished the color scheme which was handed down in 
the Navajo tribe. The old blankets were not very thick, 
but were unspeakably dense and im.pevious, and showed 
a hard, fine grain. The modem blankets that one buys 
along tlie railroad now are soft, wtjolly looking things, and 
