^26 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
very well for the biggest game with a lo-bore double, 
weighing I0j4 pounds, or even with a i2-bore weighing 
8J4 pounds. 
"The late Mr. Oswell was certainly one of the best 
big-game shots who ever pulled a trigger in Africa, and 
he always used a heavy smooth bore Purdey of lo bore, 
and several of the verj"- best Boer hunters, whose per- 
formances I have witnessed, more than held their own 
with smooth bores at all sorts and sizes of game against 
their comrades armed with rifles. One of these used an 
old Manton duck gun cut down to convenient length. 
Another, named Knootze, who was the best game shot I 
ever saw, never carried any other weapon than oue com- 
posed of a Brown Bess musket barrel of the 1845 issue, 
fitted with a rough but well-bent home-made stock, and a 
hair trigger. The accuracy of good smooth boreK seems 
to depend very much on the fit and perfect rotundity of 
the hardest possible bitllet. seated on a thick, soft wad. 
With a soft lead, good shooting is unobtainable. 
"Most sportsmen who ha^'e tried bustard stalking know 
the difficulty of getting within 80 or 100 yards of them. 
I have, however, killed a goodly number with my favorite 
weapon, and in one month, some years ago, fifty-four 
fell to bullets of my smooth bore, with much other and 
bigger game to boot. When a miss occurred I believe T 
was personally responsible, and not the gun." 
I imagine that few, if any, of the specially built smooth 
bores above alluded to wottld quite equal, in long range 
accuracy, the guns built on what is generally called the 
"Paradox" principle. Some of these are rifled for about 
3 inches from the muzzle, and others have "invisible" 
rifling the whole lengtli of the barrel. In the Badminton 
Library work on "Shooting," a diagram is given of 
targets made by one of these guns in 1886. Six shots 
from a rest at 50 yards made a group 1J/2 inches wide by 
■2% inches deep; and six at 100 yards a group i^^ inches 
deep by 4^^ inches wide, all in the center of the Isullseyes. 
The patterns with small shot were evenly distributed and 
equal to those of a modified choke bore. 
Several makers in this country advertise guns on this 
principle as equal to express rifles in accuracy at 
lOo yards, and the reports of trials, made in presence of 
the editors of our sporting papers, prove this to be cor- 
rect. The only drawback they have is that when of ordi- 
nary weight and 12 bore the trajectory is rather high, ow- 
ing to the impossibility of using a sufficient quantity of 
powder without violent recoil. This defect could be 
remedied by increasing the weight of a 12-bore to 8j-'2 or 
a i6-bore to 8 pounds. The latter would, I think, be a 
delightful weapon for all-round sport in the American 
bush. 
One gunmaker in this country states that his rifled 
shotguns perform as well with spherical as with conical 
bullets. This would allow of an increased powder charge 
and consequent flatter trajectory without extra recoil. 
J. J. Meyrick. 
Devonshire;, England. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
The Indiana Game Law. 
Chicago, III., March 14. — There are dozens of Chicago 
shooters anxiotisly inquiring to-day whether or not Gov. 
Mount of Indiana has signed the game bill known as Sen- 
ate Bill No. 73, which was printed in Forest and Stream 
last week with the qualifying telegram sent late last Tues- 
day, that the Governor had vetoed the bill. The confusion 
is owing to diverse information sent out from the office of 
the authorities of Indianapolis. I am in receipt of a 
telegram from Secretary of State Hunt saying that the game 
bill became law by Governor's signature March li. As 
it has an emergency clause, it is a law which takes imme- 
mediate effect. Hence if you are going shooting in In- 
diana this spring go prepared to pay $25 license or to run 
up against the stiffest penalties which have eA^er been at- 
tached to any Western game law. 
The ffect of this Indiana measure has been instanta- 
neous so far as the Chicago shooters are concerned. A 
number of members of shooting clubs with grounds in 
Indiana to-day expressed their intention of forfeiting 
their membership. Another evidence of the effect of the 
law is in the drift of the spring shooting travel. The 
time-honored trails to the Kankankee are to-day practically 
abandoned, and every one is going to the Illinois River or 
to Fox Lake. There is especially heavy travel this spring 
to the Illinois River. 
The Flight. 
The spring shooters have something to induce them to 
go afield this week. For the past four days there has 
been a tremendous flight all over this latitude. The 
Kankatikee marshes have been full of ducks and the flight 
yesterday was in on Fox Lake and Grass Lake, following 
up the Fox River Valley. 
The heaviest shooting has been on the Illinois River 
marshes, especially near Chillicothe. A railway conductor 
who came through there this morning says he has never 
in his life seen more ducks than he did on the cornfields 
near the latter point. These birds were principally mal- 
lards and pintails. One gun yesterday bagged thirty- 
seven mallards near Chillicothe. and I have heard from 
another bag of thirty-six ducks at that point. Yet an- 
other man to meet good shooting there is Mr. W. G. Mc- 
Carthy, who reports good sport, and says that on Tuesday 
last a local gunner killed thirty-four big ducks. 
There reports are sending numbers of shooters down 
into the lucky country. One party to start to-night will 
be a band of hardy newspaper men including Mr. W. L. 
Wells of the Tribune, Mr. William Schmergten of the 
Record, Mr. H. Billman of the News, and Mr. H. Field 
of the Tribune. These gentlemen expect to wreak great 
havoc ttpon the wastrel wildfowl of the Illinois marshes. 
They have advices that a considerable body of birds are 
in to-day on that country. Some numbers of shooters 
will take the night train for Fox Lake to the north of 
here. 
The burning down of the Swan Lake Club house on 
Lake Senachwine last week came at an inopportune time 
for those of the club who wished spring shooting, and 
who will have no accommodations at the old quarters for 
a while. It is the intention to rebuild the club house at 
an early date. The insurance only partially covered the 
loss. 
Cause of the Stir. 
One iuunediate cause of this stir in the Indiana Legisla- 
ture this spring was the activity shown by non-resident 
shooters in acquiring leases on shooting properties. The 
widely heralded action of the Tonti Club in attempting to 
get hold of the John Brown tract on the Kankakee marsh 
near .Shelby was perhaps the most immediate cause of the 
Indiana revolt against shooting preserves. What the ac- 
tion of the members of the proposed club may be, now 
that there has been established a .$25 shooting license, is 
something Avhich remains to be seen. The Tonti Club 
option on this tract does not expire until July i, after 
which date the club may or may not go on. The general 
opinion seems to be that $25 is too mtich to pay for the 
sort of shooting a city man can get in Indiana. It is not 
a bad prophecy to predict that this gun license will be cut 
down to $10 at the next session of the Legislature. The 
non-resident license has come to stay, but $25 seems to be 
considered too much for a bird license, when Wisconsin 
asks only $10 for such license. 
Minnesota Law* 
Minnesota is also taking a heavy fall out of the game 
laws this spring. A bill this week has passed both houses 
of the Legislature which absolutely prohibits the sale of 
all feathered game and requires that any game killed by 
a shooter can only be taken out in actual company with 
such shooter. Minnesota is getting tired of having her 
game shipped to Chicago. This bill was not signed by 
the Governor at last accotmts, but his signature was ex- 
pected, and the result will be reported as soon as ac- 
curately known. 
All these complications in our Western game laws have 
one very desirable cifect. They stir i*p, agitate and ad- 
vertise the question of game protection. The old difii- 
culty was simply one of apathy and indifference. Poke 
tip these Western men and get them to thinking about the 
matter, and they will wind up by passing sensible and 
efficient game laws. One Chicago shooter wants the sport- 
ing press to take up the question of getting a uniform non- 
residence license law for all these Western States. This 
would be a highly desirable thing, but the sporting press 
is too wise to undertake any quest of that sort. We 
may see uniform game laws when the millennium comes. A 
wild rumor is out to-day that the Arkansas Legislature is 
going to establish a $500 non-resident license. Doubtless 
this is a canard, but it shows the tendency of legislation in 
the West this year. At last it seems that our people are 
waking up to the value of their game and they intend to 
do something to preserve it. ' If they would, all of these 
States, pass a law stopping spring shooting, and if Texas 
would pass a law stopping shooting at Jan. i, we would 
have abundance of wildfowl all over the United States, 
and this might once more become a shooter's country. 
Michigan's Attitude. 
A well-known sportsman of Saginaw, Mich., takes up 
the question of spring shooting in the following form, 
writing in a personal communication: 
"About this spring shooting business in Michigan, I 
wish you would, right off, write me a letter that I can use, 
giving just what the conditions are in adjoining States. 
The argument that these pon-hunters use — and it is no ar- 
gument at all — is that adjoining States allow shooting in 
the spring, consequently Michigan should do the same. 
It is the same old story that we have heard before. Most 
of them admit that spring shooting ought to be stopped, 
but their selfishness gets the better of them ; they would be 
willing to see spring shooting stopped if the other States 
would do the same thing. I do not take much stock in 
this, for as I understand it, an agreement was entered into 
with Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan some four years 
ago. Michigan kept her promise, and I think some of the 
other States did, and two years ago went back on it and 
repealed the law. I want to be sure I am right in this 
thing. Now, I understand that the Ontario government 
has recently passed a law prohibiting spring shooting; 
New York State is making a strong fight to do the same 
thing. What is the condition in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois 
and Wisconsin? I hope you can give me something defi- 
nite and encouraging quickly." 
There was a quasi-agreement about four years ago at 
the meeting held in Chicago by representatives of different 
States for the purposes of drafting a uniform game law. 
Tlie movement came to general grief, as such movements 
seem always to do, though the result was on the whole 
beneficial. Reference to the Game Laws in Brief shows 
that the opening season on wildfowl in Ohio is March 10 
to April 10, and Nov. 10 to Dec. i. Indiana's open season 
is now Sept. I to Oct. i, and Nov. 10 to April 15. 
Illinois has an open season about Sept. i to April 15. 
Wisconsin's open season is from Sept. i to Jan. i, except 
that' wild geese have no protection. Minnesota's open 
season is Sept. I to Jan. i. It may be seen that Minnesota 
and Wisconsin stand in line for good game laws._ Michi- 
gan adways has this fight at every session of the Legisla- 
ture. I hope she will keep in line with our two upper 
States and ntario. Ohio does not make so much differ- 
ence, but Indiana and Illinois are important States in the 
wildfowl proposition, and they ought to be closed in the 
spring. As to the old dog-in-the-manger idea, it is the 
same idea so long entertained by Wisconsin, but now hap- 
pily and intelligently abandoned by that progressive State. 
It is no excuse for btirglary to argue that your neighbor 
burgles. 
Wishininne Entertains. 
On last Tuesday evening the Wishininne Club of Chi- 
cago sportsmen entertained some of the visitors at the 
Sportsmen's Exnosition. The guests present were Joe 
Kipp of Kipp, Mont., Billy Hofer of Gardiner, Mont., 
Jim Patil of New Brunswick, Henry Braithwaite, Adam 
Moore, and Arthur Pringle of the New Brunswick guides, 
who have been present at the Sportsmen's Show. Mr. W. 
T. Chestnut of the latter party had already left for home 
at the time of the meeting. The entertaining sportsmen 
were Messrs. Hempstead Washburne. J. V. Clarke, 
Graham H. Harris, W. L. Wells, C. S. Dennis, R. B. Or- 
gan, H. G. Maratta, William Sheahan. Every hunter and 
guide present was compelled by the president, Mr. Wells, 
to tell a hunting story. The little dinner was one of the 
pleasantest affairs connected with the Sportsmen's Show. 
The Sportsmen's Show. 
The popular inpression regarding the Sportsmen's Show 
here is that it was on the whole successful. The at- 
tendance ran jti^t back of loo.ooo. The ShoW; iva.s a very 
expensive one. Barring inevitable little hitches in the 
management due to short notice, hurry and occasional 
inadequacies, the enterprise moved off well, and Chicago 
is pleased enough with the aft'air to want another show 
next year. 
The Peace River Bulfalo Herd. 
Mr. J. H. Mclllree, assistant commissioner of the North- 
west Mounted Police, Regina, N. W. T.. writes entertain- 
ingly and instructively in a personal communication dated 
Atarch 7, regarding the Peace River buft'alo herd and other 
matters in the for Northwest. It is enough to make an 
American blush to see how they enforce the game laws in 
that remote and trackless country. We are all the time 
complaining that we cannot catch the violators of our law 
in our little, thickly settled communities. They do things 
better across the line in this respect. If we could get an 
executive arm in some of our State governments similar 
to those dinky-hatted, long-legged Northwest police, we 
vvould not be putting up our hands and hollering all the 
time about not being able to catch the law breakers. They 
catch them up there, no matter where they go, just the 
way our own United States marshalls used to catch the 
bad men out in the Rockies. This is what Mr. Mclllree 
says : 
"I saw in issue of Forest and Stre/Vm, Feb. 23 last, 
a mention by Mr. Macrea, who was up in the Peace River 
country last summer, of the buffalo ranging in that sec- 
tion, and I .sincerely trust that there are as many as he 
states. We have a detachment stationed at Chippcnwyan 
which visits the country as far north as Resolution. In 
the winter of 1899-1900 Dr. McKay, in charge of 
Hudson's Bay Company in the district in which 
the buft"alo range, estimated their numbers at 
400, and two well-known traders estimated their 
numbers at 300 and 150 respectively. So you see 
there is much tliversity of opinion. The increase has not 
been great as the country is badly infested with wolves 
which destroy the calves. The H. B. Co. turned out six 
horses near Hay River to winter and the wolves gathered 
them all in. From information received a few days ago 
from Corporal Trotter, who had been up to Resolution and 
returned to Chippenwyan, the buffalo have increased in 
the past year, though the wolves are still very bad. 
"The fur catch this winter has been very poor. Large 
game, rabbits and fish plentiful. As you may know, the 
buffalo are absolutely protected, but the Indians kill a 
few, but our men hear of every sttch case and haul the of- 
fenders up and have them punished. Our government 
gave a permit to a man last year to capture two young 
bulls to bring new blood into the small herd that is now 
in the Banff Park and that came originally from Winni- 
peg, but I have not heard of the capture. 
"Two of the bulls in the Banff' Park some weeks ago 
had a misunderstanding about something, with the result 
that the herd lost one of its brightest ornaments and the 
other chap was badly crippled. Sorry to see that the 
herd in the Yellowstone Park has dwindled to such insig- 
nificant mtmbers, and it appears queer to be keeping track 
of the miserable reitmant after having seen the plains cov- 
ered with them in former years. I send you this meager 
information, as I know yoti are interested in the subject. 
I am one of the early subscribers to Forest and Stream 
and I have always taken a great interest in the paper." 
Some Bear. 
Arthur Pringle, of New Brunswick, told me this week 
that he and two trapping companions, one. of whom I 
think was Henry Braithwaite, got eighty-four bear in the 
course of twenty-seven months up in New Brunswick, 
This covered the best part of three seasons, and it is a 
pretty good trapping record. 
Henry Braithwaite — ^"Uncle Henry," most of the boys 
here got to calling him before he went away — ^told us that 
when he was out trapping bear he never bothered to take 
along a gun, but always killed his bear with an axe. "The 
best way to hold your bear," he said, "is to get a long pole, 
and stick it through the jaws of the trap. If you get one 
end of the pole fast in the brush or roots, you have your 
bear practically helpless, and it is an easy thing to break 
his skull if you hit him just between the ears." Adam 
Moore says that he once tried to kill a big bear with a 
chib in that way, but he found it a pretty hard proposition, 
as the bear could take a good stiff whack on the side of 
the head and always turned up his head in such a way 
that a good blow could not be landed square. 
I have as yet heard no better bear story than that told 
by Joe Kipp of how he and an Indian once killed a 
grizzly bear with rocks. This bear was old and nearly 
toothless. Unable to kill anything to eat, it was prowling 
round an Indian camp and had nearty swallowed a raw 
hide rope. It was too helpless to run very much and Joe 
and his friend actually stoned it too death. 
No Home. 
I saw Charlie Willard here this week and asked him 
where he made his home. He said he didn't have any 
home, and was out on the road pretty steadily now for the 
H. &R. Arms Co. He is just in from an extended trip in 
the South and is working East again. 
From A;;teclan(i. 
The long-time Forest and Stream contributor, Aztec, 
writes me from Santone, Texas, regarding the pugilistic 
habits of an antiquated bird which lives in the good old 
smuggling town of Eagle Pass. 
"Mrs. S., of Eagle Pass, Texas," he says, "has a pet 
thrasher (//. longirostris sennetti?) which was captured 
full grown by flying into the postoffice. then in charge of 
her husband, over eighteen years ago. 'Tom' is a rather 
crabbed old bachelor now. He rarely sings, though he 
was once a famous vocalist. He is not amiable even with' 
the mistress who has cared for him so long, btit nips her 
fingers rudely. When a stranger comes about, he ruffles- 
his feathers in a way he believes to be warlike, but which 
is merely ridiculous. I thought he was sick, he looked sO' 
woebegone. His plumage was unkempt, his tail droopedi,, 
and he moved mopingly about the floor of his cage. But 
he kept his head toward me, and from time to time picked 
up imaginarj'' straws and grain, after the manner of a 
fighting cock. When I found he was challenging me, 1 
was greatly amused. He w^as the most lackadaisical look- 
ing warrior I ever saw. Only ladies live in the house, 
and in the role of protector of the fair, Tom is simply ir- 
resistible." E. Hough. 
Hartford Building, Chicago, III, . 
