Oct. 27, 1900.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
329 
"Sixth. — In all probability four or five of the Chicago members 
will be in Wheatfield to commence shooting the morning of Nov. 
10, and it is hoped our Dayton and Cincinnati friends will join us, 
so we Oftn get acqviainted as a club. Yours very truly, 
"John V. Clarke, Chairman, 
"Chas. S. Dennis, * 
"J. J- Flanders, 
"W. ,L, Wells, 
"Acting Committee." 
Tardy and Scattering Duck Flight. 
Our duck flight in the middle west of this latitude is 
very tardy and very scattering, and it begins to look as 
though we aren't going to have so very much of a duck 
flight after all. A gentleman who spends a winter now 
and then in Texas says that he this week got word 
from Rockport that the redheads are already down there, 
and are offering very heavy shooting. These redheads 
came somewhere up North, and it maybe there are 
others which have skipped this part of the worhd in 
their southbound flight. Probably they went down some 
of the western flyways, which are distinct from the course 
of our flight here. 
A few members of the Swan Lake Club have returned 
from a trip to that famous ground in the Illinois Valley, 
but at last accounts they could report no very heavy 
shooting. Hon. Hempstead Washburne got about a 
dozen birds a day during his stay, and others did not do 
so well as that. He was there just too late, for last 
Monday and Tuesday there had been a very heavy flight 
in. There are near the Swan Lake property ' some 
marshes that have been heavily baited, and these were 
drawing most of the birds, the Swan Lake marsh not 
having been b'aited. 
At Hennepin Club, in the Illinois Valley also, the 
highest bag of the season to any one gun is this week 
reported, 59 birds, killed by Mr. W. W. McFarland. 
This was a bit of luck, for Mr. McFarland happened to 
strike in on about the only piece of marsh where there 
were any birds moving. Others on the sajftfe day got 
only a half dozen birds or so apiece. 
Ho ricon Club, in Wisconsin, is this week having better ■ 
shooting than any other club in which Chicago men are 
interested. The Horicon marsh is full of water, and 
there are a good many birds in. There is a lot of snail 
feed on that marsh always, and that is why the mallards 
like it so well. Mr. F. A, Howe, one of our oldest and 
best Chicago sportsmen, long president of Tolleston 
Club, of this city, once said to me that he considered the 
foods of the mallard duck, in order of its preferences, 
were as follows: First snails, next acorns, next corn. 
Sinartweed, as I remember it, Mr. Howe did not men- 
tion, though it is a very A^aluable feed for mallards. The 
Horicon m.en are trying to get a good stand of wild rice 
on their marsh, and I would suggest that they also try 
smartweed there, for it will thrive in dryer times and 
dryer spots than the wild rice, and would be apt to 
retain its hold better in that capricious region, where a 
dry year may come any minute, as an Irishman would 
say. "I 11 ■ . ■f\-ii.^iM^\ 
A party of Chicago;;^shooters were up' at Horicon this 
week, returning earlv in the week, among these Messrs. 
T. A. Haggerty, Jack Scully, Victor Borne, Julius 
Behnke. the three Wolf boys, of Garfield Gun Club, Mr. 
Freistedt, etc. They had but ordinary sport, 12 mal- 
lards to Mr. Freistedt's gun one day, "being about the 
best, others not getting over half a dozen birds, among 
ther.e Mr. Haggerty, who had six different species of 
duck ;n h's bag of six. They report lots of water, and a 
good many jacksnipe too, though the la<^«r are much 
scattered, owing io the abundance of wet marsh for 
them this fall._ The later reports from Horicon say the 
mallards are just beginning to come in. and the Fond 
du Lac men who belong to the club all say that there 
is going to be as good shooting there this fall as there 
has been for ten years. At this ivriting the weather 
remains verv mild and pleasant, and avc have had only 
one little cold flurry above here this past week. It was 
this little drop up North that gave us what little flight 
we have had. 
Grouse and Deer in North Dakota. I 
Nearly all the reports which come from the upper 
Northwest this fall say that the flight of ducks and geese 
is good or will be good. This week Dick Merrill wan- 
dered into the office here, just back from a month up in 
North Dakota. He was located at Williston, N. D., near 
the western part of the State, and was shooting grouse 
in the rosebud thickets of the Missouri bottoms much 
of the time. He says the birds were there all right and 
he had good fun, but the country was very hard on dogs. 
The briers of the heavy thickets cut his heavy leather 
leggings into strips, and it treated the hides of the dogs 
much the same way. 1 
Mr. Merrill says that there are lots of deer in that 
locality. He saw very many deer liOrns and deer sign, 
also elk horns, which were now almost crumbling away. 
They made up a party of four or five and went out deer 
hmiting, driving the thickets on foot, and got five deer, 
Mr. Merrill getting a nice spike buck to his share. By 
the way, Dick must have started for the high timber 
about as soon as he got hotne, for he only landed from 
Paris on Sept. 8. He was very dangerously ill of typhoid 
while at Paris, and for six weeks lay in bed, not quite 
sure whether he was going to get up again or not; but he 
says a few weeks of North Dakota is better than a cycle of 
Paree, and he is now looking pretty fit again. He talks 
about a bear hunt in the Williston region. While he was 
there a T5-year-old boy killed a big cinnamon henr, and 
two grizzlies and two black bear were seen not far away 
this fall. i\ J. .i-u.iii.-; 
For Love of the MuscaUunge. 
A very interesting matter comes up to-day in the form 
of a press despatch froin Milwaukee, reporting a suit 
brought against the wardens of Wisconsin by a Chicago 
man, the despatch reading as below: 
"J)ouglass Dyrenforth, of ChiK:a.go, recently caught 
two muscallunge at Tucker Lake, Price county, and, ac- 
cording to a complaint filed in the Federal Court to-day, 
he valued the fish at $5,000. He says there were only 
twenty poimds of fish. Mr. Dyrenforth did not get his 
fish out of the State; they were seized by Deputy Game 
Warden August Zinn and sold. 
"He claims the seizure was illegal, as he was only taking 
out of the State what the law allows him to carry avJray. 
"If the coit't upholds the ,game warden in the seizure, 
then an action will be brought raising the question of the 
constitutionality of the Wisconsin game law. The case 
is of great interest to fishermen and hunters from outside 
Wisconsin who cotne here for their favorite sport." 
An interview could not be obtained with Mr. Dyren- 
forth to-day in time to include with fhis writing. There 
is, however, a kernel of great interest in the above news. 
All this summer the vigilant wardens at Mihvaukee 
have been keeping mighty clos'e tab on the boxes of fish 
that go down to Chicago, and not orfe, but very many, 
seizures have been made, includin,g the fish of several 
fishers of the sort we are apt to call prominen(t citizens. 
There are two sides to the stories which come up about 
this mattw. The sportsmen say that the wardens seize 
any box of fish they can get hold of, lake the fish to the 
nearest fish market, sell them, and put the cash in their 
clothes. The wardens say, and it is upon the face of 
things much more apt to be true, that they act cwily 
within the limits of the law; that it is the exception when 
s party of Chicago fishers go up to the museallung^e 
country and do not bring out more than 20 pounds of 
fish, muscallunge, bass and pike all counted. The law 
says two muscallunge may be brought, and of course it 
" would be two very small muscallunge which would not 
weigh over 20 pounds.. Legally they might weigh a 
hundred pounds, and if Bill Haskell, Eddie Price or 
some of our other standbys caught them, I don't doubt 
they would v/eigh that much; but if the dispatch reports 
Mr. Dyrenforth correctly, and if his two 'lunge really 
weighed less than 20 pounds, he must have had an in- 
tense personal affection for them if he thinks they were 
worth $5,000. The end is not yet, and we shall s.ee what 
w^e shall 'see. 
These laws prohibiting a man from bringing home 
with him a reasonable amount of fish or game that he 
has killed in a sportsmanhke manner, are among the 
most distasteful ef any to sportsmen, and we should be 
all the better off withoiJt them, if the world had only 
sportsmen in it, and no one who would evade the law 
.for mercantile purposes. The Milwaukee wardens have 
put their own construction on the law. This attack 
upon its constitutionality is the first of similar nature 
since the suits brought against the Indiana law by the 
late Judge Knickerbocker and Mr. F. A. Howe, of the 
old Tolleston Club, many years ago. It is to be hoped 
this test case will not be dismissed, but wfll go to the 
uppermost courts and get a final settlememt. It affects 
very closely rnany Chicago shooters and anglers, for 
whom Wisconsin is one of the most popular and accessi- 
ble sporting grounds of the day. 
Deer. 
If anybody has lost a deer, he can very likely find him 
this fall up along the railroad of Mr. J. D. Hawks, our 
trout fishing host of last spring, in the Thunder' Bay 
region. The Detroit & Mackinac Railroad has near it 
some of the best deer country in Michigan. Its head- 
quarters are in Detroit, and inquirers can get information 
by asking for it there. 1 observe that there is a three 
years' close season now on in the following counties: 
Alcona, Lapeer, Huron,, Sanilac, Tuscola, Macomb, 
Allegan, Ottawa and St. Clair. 
Quail. 
Thousands of quail everywhere this fall. Tlja-t is the 
common report, and let us hope it will be true after the 
opening of the season, as it seems to be now. 
. „ .„ ^, . E. Hough. 
Hartford BurtDiNG, Chicago, 111. 
Caution in the Woods. 
Walkerville, Ont., Oct. 20.~Editor Forest and 
Stream: In your issue of this date I notice a very in- 
teresting letter from Mr. W. E. Wolcott, of Utica, N. Y., 
on the subject of "Adirondack Deer," and his reference 
to the dangers that beset hunters in the woods leads me 
to inclose herewith a little set of suggestions which we 
have had printed for the guidance of our party, which 
leaves about the end of this week fo*- the Parry Sound 
District. Our hunting shanty is situated upon a small 
island in one of the many rivers that Avater that part of 
the country, and therefore some of the rules would not 
be appropriate for general adoption. Fortisnatelv, there 
have been few accidents in the Canadian woods, but the 
ever-increasing number of fatalities in the woods of 
Michigan during the hunting season force tls to con- 
template with some tnisgivings the time when our shoot- 
ing grounds wil! also be overcrowded with a vast army of 
hunters, a great majority of whom are inexperienced 
and prove an everln sting meinac.e to themselves as well as 
their friends. C. C. Ambers. 
To the credit of the South be it said that it has always 
instinctively rebelled at this market shooting idea, and it 
has stopped it far more generally than was ever done in 
the North. It was in the South that the Forest and 
Stream Plank found more than two-thirds of its support. 
The South is a great country, and it is the only American 
part of America. They shoot more black powder in the 
South than they do anywhere else in the world, and they 
raise more sportsmen to the square inch, and are further 
m advance of the times in gaine protection and in real 
sportsmanship. It was therefore a bit gratifying to find 
so well planned and well worked out a preserve idea in 
this Southern State. I put the iiiatter before some North- 
ern shooting friends, and in November of this fall it is 
very likely they will make a pilgrimniage to this preserve 
and' perhaps take it into charge, furnishing the small 
amount of capital required to hold it together in good 
shape, and allowing Capt. Spears plenty of time to go 
fox hunting with Bobo the bear hunter, which is tlie 
chief end of man in that precinct. , 
Now, as it happens, there was some talk here this sum- 
mer among a number of Chicago sportsmen of starting a 
little quail club down at Wheatfield, Ind., not far from 
the Kankakee bottoms, and on the "Three I" Railway. 
M.T. Chas. S. Dennis was among those active in getting 
up this club, and it was the first intention to preserve a 
good-sized body of land and perhaps to put up a club 
house, besides employing a keeper or warden. The cost 
for such an enterprise as this, for a club of twenty to 
forty tnen, usually runs somewhere near $100 each for a 
starter, with annual dues of perhaps $25 or more. It was 
thought by some of the proposed members that perhaps 
the undertaking might prove less sure and profitable than 
it . seemed at first sight, and so the club did not progress 
very rapidly. At a little meeting of some of the faithful 
on "this project, a few questions were asked of the writer 
regarding Capt. Spears' Mississippi preserve, and I told 
them what I knew of it. As a result, partly perhaps on 
account of the knowdedge of this Southern farmers' pre- 
serve, the original plans for this club were discarded. 
The members resolved upon a simpler and more flexible 
plan. I present this plan below, feeling sure that it may 
prove of further use somewhere in this big country of 
ours. There may be other little bodies of friends who 
shoot together, who would like to feel sure that they can 
get a few birds when they go out upon their infrequent 
little shooting trips, and who will be willing to pay a small 
sum for the purpose of controlling a little preserve of 
their own. The plan seems to recommend itself distinctly 
to such persons at this stage of the shooting situation in 
the West, where farmers are yearly growing more chary 
of shooters and are more and more restricting the open 
shooting. It is all right to pay the farmer something. 
Pay him. Yott will get full value received. For instance, 
1 am disposed to think that this very vicinity of Mt. Car- 
roll and Savanna, where these long lists of trespassers' 
notices are printed, would be one of the best and easiest 
places in the world to start a splendid farmers' preserve, 
which would afford really good shooting. The plan of 
the Chicago gentlemen above referred to, who are now 
organized under the name of the Jasper County Club, may 
be seen from the correspondence which follows, first com- 
ing the letter of the farmer, making his definite proposal 
to the club. men and stating the acreage he proposes to 
reserve and protect for them. 
"Chicago, Oct. 12. 
"To Members of the Jasper County Club: 
"Commencing from to-day and ending Jan. 1, 1901, T will tender 
exclusive shooting privilege on land, amounting to 5,000 acres in 
all, including my property. 
"By sliooting privilege is meant that no one outside of the gentle- 
men specified as members of your club will be allowed to shoot on 
the properly; that the owners and their famihes will do no shoot- 
ing, and that the services of Mr. Edw. Seidler will be engaged to 
insure sucl;, as well as to reduce, as far as possible, the number 
of hawks, etc., which may destroy quail. 
"It is further understood that members of the club will, at least 
until next session, November, 190t, stop at the hotel in Wheatfield, 
Jiaying their own expenses, wagon hire and services of man in the 
field when shooting. Another season it is hoped arrangements can 
be made for a suitable and satisfactory club house; also that more 
acreage can be seciu-ed, the purpose of this preliminary arrange- 
ment being to start the club and for botla interests to be assured 
that the game will be ijrotectcd on the one hand, and members pf 
tlie chib live up to their obligations as far as payment of dues is 
ccncerned on the other. 
"In consideration of the above, for the sum of ? , to be paid 
within five days, the members of the club W'il! be given all priv- 
ileges as stated; a new arrangement to be made some time during 
the month of January, 1901, on a basis that I feel confident will be 
c(|uitable to all. 
(Signed), "II. Marble." 
On receipt of the above the Committee were able to 
report to the gentlemen who had been earher interested 
in the proposed club, and their communication may 
suggest to others an easy way of solving the problems 
(if club house, board, care of dogs, etc. 
"Chica.go, Oct. 17. 
"To Members of the Jasper County Club: 
"Pursuant with action t.iken at meeting on the 12tli inst., Wc 
heg to advise you of results, viz. : 
"First. — Inclosed please find copy of understanding with Mr. H. 
Marble, Wheatfield, Ind. Mr. Marble, in guaranteeing shooting 
privilege on 5,000 acres, includes 3,000 of his own, which have not 
been shot over for a few years past. He is a thorough sportsman 
himself, knows what we want, and if everything goes harmoniously 
We can depend upon his support for the future. 
"Second. — At the meeting to be held next January arrangements 
for the following year will be made with Mr. Marble, giving the 
club exclusive privilege on same territory or more if desired, and 
we are in hopes the annual dues, payable semi-annually, will be 
from S25 to $35 apiece — that is, for a membership of ten "or twelve. 
"Mr. Seidler reports that the prospects are better than ever, and 
with the experience of this season, the present members will know 
next January just what they want to do. Now as to the condition 
•and standing of the club at this date: 
"First, — There will he no further assessment; all our 'obligations 
are paid in full, and the following named members are entitled to 
all privileges to Jan. 1, 1901: 
"Membership: John V. Clarke, Chicago; Chas. S. Dennis, Chi- 
cago; J. J. Flanders, Chicago; Col. F. T. Huffman, Dayton, O.; 
W. M. Kinnard, Dayton, O.; Frank J. Loesch, Chicago; C. E. 
Pope, Chicago; J. V. B. Scarborough, Cincinnati; Vf. L. Wells, 
Chicago. 
"Second. — For this season privileges to be confined to above- 
jilentioned nine members, with the exception of minors under 
sixteen yeats of age, sons or in the family of a member, no mpTn- 
ber being authorized to invite any guc^t. 
"Third. — Shooting season will begin Saturday morning, Nov. 10, 
lasting until Jan. 1, 19M, 
"Fourth, — Our superintendent's address is: Ed SeHiler, Wheat- 
field, Ind. Members will please address all correspondence to him 
relative to day they will arrive and length of their stay. Should 
they wish to send their dogs in advance, they m^y feel certain of 
good care at the hands of Mr. Seidler. 
"Fifth.— It has been left with Mr. Marhle to make up and pub- 
lish shooting and ground rules, of which members will be duly 
advised. I 
I DON'T 'SHOOT | 
I Until "you see your game/'and t 
I see that it is game and | 
1 not a man. I 
Suggestions for Ihe Bettej- ' Proff cffon of MerofeeJ-E— 
Camefon Island. 
Inasmuch as the yearly hunting trip is undertaken in 
search of health and pleasure, and the killing of deer is 
not so essential as to warrant placing human lives in 
jeopardy, through excessive anxiety to obtain the legal 
complement, it seems well to formulate rules for the better 
protection ©f the members of the party. 
With this end in view it has been thought wise to 
suiggest: 
T. That no rifles he loaded rnitil the members of the 
