May i8, ipoi-l' 
^FORESTjL AND « STREAM? 
888 
variety of land contour within such a short distance as a 
mile or two. 
The whole country is a succession of narrow i^idges and 
narrow valleys. Along all the ravine-like valleys run 
never-failing streams of water of crystal purity. These 
streams wind in and out, and change their direction so 
frequently that their sloping banks have every aspect 
of exposure, north, south, east and west, within a narrow 
boundary. The side slopes of the mountains rise up 
from the creek beds to heights of 500, 1,000, i,Soo, 2,000 
or even 3,000 feet. They thus offer at some point the 
kind of ground suitable for almost any kind of game. 
As regards cover, there exists, too, every variety, from 
the rock bar, and the. laurel and rhododendron thickets 
of the creek banks, to the uncarpeted thin woods of the 
almost barren ridges; from the very dense forest growth 
of the dark north slopes to the open woods of the south 
exposures. Owing to the formation of most of the 
valleys which "lead nowhar," there is always the re- 
tirement which is necessary for the propagation of even 
the shyest game. Running water is so plentiful that in 
almost no place will game have to leave, its favorite 
cover to obtain a drink. 
Some game is to be found at the present time, but 
hunting must be done even more systematically here 
than in the wild regions where a closed season is en- 
forced. A man can shoulder his gun and walk through 
these woods and crawl through the thickets during a 
whole month and not see a tiling to shoot, except, per- 
haps, noisy woodpeckers or chattering squiiTcls. 
In the first place, you must decide upon what you 
wish to hunt, and make your plans accordingly. In al- 
most any case it is necessarj'- to go ten or fifteen miles 
back from the railroad. The hotel keeper at any station 
can easily put the sportsman in touch with some local 
resident who knows the mountains thoroughly, and 
who will take him to the cabin of some mountaineer 
who is always ready to take a hand in arranging a hunt- 
ing trip. The stranger must always carry with him 
tea, coffee and sugar, enough to supply half a dozen 
people three times a day for the time that he expects to 
be out. 
As you approach a mountaineer's cabin you can tell 
what kind of a hunter is to be found there by the kind, 
of dogs that he kee'ps. If you are met by the pell mell 
rush of a miscellaneous gang of mixed breed dogs — 
curs, hounds and shepherd dogs — you may be sure that 
the shiftless owner is content with coon hunting. A 
bark or two from dignified hounds, which slowly rise 
and approach to inspect you, indicates the well-trained 
deer hunter. The savage rush of thin, gaunt, powerful 
jav/ed dogs, with low, menacing growls, shows that you 
have struck the cabin of a bear hunter. 
Deer are scaixe in these mountains. I do not think 
I heard of over half a dozen being seen within an area 
ten miles square in one of the most retired parts of these 
mountains during the whole of the past sumrner. Deer 
hunting is always carried on by driving. This necessi- 
tates the services of men who know the deer runs and 
who have good hounds well broken to the sport. The 
general whereabouts of certain deer becomes known 
by the reports of mountaineers, who are always tramping 
the woods in search of cattle or hogs, or going from 
place to place on business or pleasure, and who in these 
excursions always keep a close lookout for signs of 
game. The people always drive their stock high up into 
the mountains during the summer and fall, and they 
have regular times and places for salting their cattle. 
Deer very often frequent these salting places, which are 
usually little openings in the woods. A fallen log has 
hollowed out on its upper side some basin-like holes, 
where the salt is placed. These "lick logs," as they are 
called, are known by name to all dwellers in the region. 
Thus "Jones' lick log" is referred to just as we might 
say "Jones' corner" in the city. 
A deer drive usually begins near some lick log where 
either the deer or their fresh signs have been seen. One 
man and the dogs do the driving, while the sportsman 
takes up his position at an assigned stand on the deer 
run. The stand is usually in some little gap that the deer 
is bound to run through, in order to get out of his feed- 
ing ground without crossing a creek. When the deer has 
been started, the sportsman in the stand is reasonably 
sure of a flying shot at him, and several deer are likely 
to present themselves 'in rapid succession. 
One must plan to devote a week's time to a deer drive, 
and his expenses will be in the neighborhood of $5 a 
day for food, lodging and hiring hunters and dogs. 
Very frequently one can join, free of all cost, a local 
hunting party, but this cannot be counted on. 
The mountain deer like to be at a high altitude. The 
best hunting is up, say, at and above 4,000 feet above sea 
level; and I have never seen deer in these mountains 
below an altitude of 3,000 feet. It may be that below 
this the valleys are too much frequented; but it is more 
likely that the animals are afraid of getting tangled up 
ii! the thick undergrowth of the lower altitudes. 
I think it no misstatement to say that bears are more 
plentiful than deer among these mountains. I judge 
this from the statements of mountaineers, from the fre- 
quent excellent bear covers, and from the number of trails 
which I have myself examined. The dark north coves, 
with their dense, interlaced growth of laurel and rho- 
dodendron, along the water courses, offer typical hiding 
places for bears. The north coves are seldom disturbed 
by the mountain cowboy in search of his cattle, because 
the latter are kept as much as possible from them, for it ' 
IS in these coves that cattle get that fatal poisoning called 
milk sick. Thus it is that shy game retires to these 
coves. Here one nmst actually crawl to force his way 
through the brush, and hatchet cutting is frequently 
necessary unless he happens upon an indistinct pathway 
made by the bears themselves in their frequent passage. 
Bears may be occasionally surprised in the woods, but 
systematic bear hunting is almost always accomplished 
by tracking with dogs. A fresh bear track is seen in the 
soft earth, and presenting much the appearance of a bare 
footprint. The interest of some neighboring moun- 
taineer who has bear dogs is enlisted, and the trail is 
followed up until the animal is overtaken in the path- 
way or traced to his lair. The bear does his best to 
escape from his pursuers, and the dogs are chiefly useful 
in bringing him to a standstill 30 that the hunter can 
get an opportunity for a shot. The dogs fight savagely, 
but, unaided by the hunter, they cannot bring down their 
game. On the other hand, the bear can scuttle through 
the thickets at a rapid rate, while the hunter can progress 
but slowly. Thus the latter's success depends largely on 
what success the dogs have in holding the bear. A good 
bear dog is the most valued animal that walks the 
mountain trails, and could readily be swapped for a good 
cow or fine horse. 
Certain mountaineers breed these dogs and encourage 
their ferocity from their puppyhood up. Such dogs are 
generally held by a leash when taken about the country. 
Bears are found at much lower altitudes than the deer, 
although their favorite haunts are the laurel under- 
growth along the smaller water courses at aii altitude 
of 3,000 or 4,000 feet above the sea. 
The panther and the large gray wolf are only possibil- 
ities in these woods. A very well informed mountaineer, 
and an excellent hunter, who lives in a very wild part 
of the mountains, told me that he had not heard of a 
wolf being seen for some ten years back; and panthers 
practically disappeared about fifteen years ago. On the. 
other hand, it was only, last summer that a reliable cattle 
herder told me that he had heard the shrill scream of a 
panther as the animal approached his cabin (at an alti- 
tude of 5,000 feet) at night; he then heard a sniffing 
among the bushes where he had cleaned a turkey the 
day before. Shortly after this, he heard the shrill cry 
of the animal as it went down the ridge. I myself saw 
claw marks on both the sides of^ a mule which was 
grazing on this ridge a day or two'before this. A bear 
may have -attempted to seize the mule, but it is more 
hkely that one of the few remaining panthers was passing 
along this ridge, from one high mountain top to an- 
other. The panther always travels the ridges when he 
can; thus he can see down each side and mark his prey 
or evade his foe. 
Wildcats, chiefly of the bobtailed variety, are so com- 
mon as to be a nuisance; they are the chief enemy of 
small game of all kinds, because they eat the young. 
Wild turkey shooting is, however, the most fascinating 
hunting which the mountains can offer. It requires the 
assistance of but one mountain expert and no dogs. If 
the sportsman obtains board in the family of a hunter 
whom he has engaged to help him, a dollar a day for the 
man's pay will be all the expense incurred; but 50 cents 
a day for each person must be added to this if board is 
obtained elsewhere. 
Turkey hunting is done by calls. To imitate the 
turkey call with anything like naturalness, with the usual 
turkey feather quill requires considerable practice. To 
make the call with the mouth alone denotes a skill 
seldom acquired even by the most expert mountaineers. 
The best device that I have seen is a peculiarly fashioned 
piece of dry wood, which, rubbed or rather scraped 
along the gun barrel, produces a very natural turkey call. 
Sufficient skill in the use of this wooden call may be ac- 
quired by an evening's practice. It is an interesting 
lesson for the sportsman to sit at night on one side of the 
great fire, with the turkey hunter on the other side, each 
calling to the other. When the sportsman can imitate 
the other's call tO' suit the acute ear of the latter, the 
lesson is learned. It is amusing to watch a noble hound 
stretched out on the hearth on the occasion of such a 
lesson. At the first call he is all alert witli cocked ear 
and open eye; but after it has been repeated a few times 
he subsides into indifferent contempt and finally into a 
troubled slumber. 
Wild turkeys are such shy birds that one might as well 
hunt for them in his own back yard as to try to shoot 
them without calling. I have ridden through these 
mountains for years, over trail and unpathed hillside, and 
never yet caught a glimpse of a turke}' while on the go. 
The turkey always hears the hunter first. Many a time 
I have seen the bushes closing in where a turkey has 
just disturbed them in its flight, and have seen small 
feathers that have had barely time to reach the ground 
in front of me; but no turkey. Occasionally when sitting 
quietly in the woods, one will sec a drove of turkeys 
stalk silently by, or sometimes at dusk a whole drove 
may be seen flying across a narrow valley a distance of 
several hundred yards. I have never seen the wild turkey 
below 2,500 feet altitude, and the best shooting ground 
that I know of is up at a height of about 5,000 feet above 
sea level. There is unlimited cover for turkeys in these 
mountains, and in some high places the birds are plenti- 
ful. The wildcats, however, catch so many of the yojmg 
turkeys that they do not multiply very rapidly. There 
is no need of dwelling on the difficulties of wild turkey 
shooting. Unless the bird drops in his tracks the sports- 
man rarely gets it, even if badly wounded. It is neces- 
sary to shoot off the turkey's head, to break its neck or 
break its shell — that is, break its back. A turkey that is 
able to flop after it is shot is seldom to be found in the 
underbrush. 
The small game is only fairly plentiful; but with the 
extermination of the wildcats there would be no dearth 
of wood grouse, quail and squirrels. I have seldom heard 
the quail outside of the valleys; and on the other hand 
grouse seem to be the most plentiful on the rocky 
ridges near the mountain "tops," at an altitude of say 
4,000 feet. In riding along the mountain ridges groiise 
are continually flying up just in front of the horse's feet. 
They then offer beautiful opportunities for wing shots; 
but they seldom fly more thaifl a, hunted yards unless 
shot at. 
I have reserved mention of trout fishing to the last, be- 
cause this is not only a possibility but an actuality. Many 
of the streams contain trout, and some of them are 
famous in the annals of local fishermen. The fish are, 
however, smaller than those reported from Northern 
waters; perhaps because the streams are smaller. I have 
never happened to see a trout over 12^ inches long, 
but am told that they are caught up to 16 inches in 
length; and perhaps even an inch or two may be added 
to this to indicate an extreme limit? Trout are, how- 
ever, by no means as plentiful as they once were; al- 
though catches of 150 to 200 are still made in a day by 
expert fisherman in the best streams, most of the fish 
being not over 6 or 8 inches in length. 
( ^^w. .sportsmen have as yet visited these mountains 
tor tishmg purposes, and the average mountaineer does 
very litile fishing after his boyhood years. Most of it is 
done by the Cherokee Indians and a few white men who 
carry the fish to the hotels and taverns of railroad towns 
and to the saw mills to sell to the proprietors. The local 
price for trout is now 15 cents a pound. In addition to 
these, what might be called professional fishermen a 
great many of the men living in the little towns go bark 
into the mountains for a few days' fishing each year 
Ihere is practically no closed season for trout Their 
greatest foe at the present time is the saw mill man. 
irobably one-half of the trout creeks have on their 
waters small saw mills now in active operation The 
saw dust from these mills gets into the water and deals 
death to the trout below. 
If the laws regarding saw mill defilement of the 
streams, and a closed season were enforced these waters 
would in a few years be literally alive with 'trout. Many 
streams m which they have become extinct could be 
restocked, but there is no one to enforce the law 
wL'7fl-'**'^ ^^'t^V'^ ^" these waters. 
When flies are used the hook is also live baited with 
worms, grasshoppers or "stick" bait. The Indians, who 
are the most successful fishermen, use only baited hooks 
It seems somewhat remarkable that some streams sup- 
port many trout while others within a few miles of them 
have none at all; and yet there is apparently no difference 
in the water in the streams. 
I do not know how low down the trout are to be 
iound but I have never caught any below about 2,500 
feet altitude. They seem to be most plentiful between 
this and 3,500 feet. The waters flow veiy swiftly between 
these altitudes, and consequently the streams are rela- 
tively shallow and with comparatively few deep pools. 
1 ne beds are however, rocky, and in many places ledees 
crop out, and falls or rapids are formed. 
One can fish from the open banks and rocks, but the 
mam reason that wading is desirable is that the banks 
are generally so laurel-covered that many of the best 
tishing stretches cannot be reached from them. The 
water is, however, very cold, coming, as much of it does, 
trora altitudes of 4,000 and 5,000 feet, and wet feet are 
<iangerous to persons not inured to this cold. Hip' 
rubber boots will, however, take a fisherman dry-footed 
wherever he may wish to go to cast a fly. Within the 
trout belt the streams are usually not over 2 feet deep, 
ihroughout the whole year they preserve a wonderful 
uniformity of depth, the only exception being that during 
and after a rain they rise very rapidlv; but they fall again 
withm a few hours after it has ceased raining. 
With few exceptions, there are practically no accom- 
modations for sportsmen in this whole section, and the 
hunter or fisherman must trust to being able to find some 
mountaineer who will take him to board, or he must 
provide himself with tent and camp supplies. The wagon 
roads are few and far between, and it is best in most 
cases— and often absolutely necessary— to carry tent and 
supplies on pack horses. In many sections it is im- 
possible to buy any provisions in the mountains; ofttimes 
the mountaineers themselves are compelled to carry their 
own corn meal on their backs a distance of ten or fifteen 
miles from the town or mill. 
Concerning the climate of this region, it must be re- 
marked that the sun is very hot, but in the shade and at 
^night the air is usually cool. In the broad, cleared val- 
leys, and on the southern slopes of the low mountains, 
the day heat is sometimes as intense as in the Southern 
lowlands. On the north slopes and in the narrow shaded 
valleys, one never suffers from the heat. The rain fall 
is excessive. Showers are usually frequent, while the 
vegetation in the lower country is burning up with 
drought. Continuous or but slightly interrupted rains 
frequently interfere with the sportsman's plans, and 
camping under a canvas tent is not always a pleasure. 
One closing remark may be made concerning the de- 
sirability of this region for outing purposes. The color 
question does not arise here, because few negroes live 
among these mountains. 
Frank Waldo, Ph.D. 
The Appalachian National Park. 
AsHEViLLE, N. C, April 30— Editor Forest and Stream: 
In our letters heretofore published in Forest and Stream 
we have pretty well gone over the reasons why we are 
asking for the establishment of the Appalachian National 
Park, and it would be unnecessary to repeat this at this 
time. I inclose you printed matter whic-h covers this 
point fully. 
Since my last letter our Association has turned its at- 
tention to securing the necessary legislation in the 
different States interested, or in which it is puroosed that 
this park might be established. North Carolina on 
Jan. 18 passed a bill ceding to the National Government 
the right to acquire title to such portion of the mountain 
lands as might be desired for national park purposes, 
such lands to be exempt from taxes. The Legislature of 
this State also on the same date passed a resolution ask- 
ing the Congressmen and Representatives from this State 
to use their influence toward the establishment of an 
Appalachian National Park in the South. 
Following the action of North Carolina, South Caro- 
lina, Alabama and Tennessee have passed similar laws 
while Virginia is yet to be heard from. Governor 
McMillan of Tennessee gave it out at first that he 
would veto the bill which was passed by the Senate and 
Legislature of his State, but suffice it to say that he 
signed this bill last Aveek, and it has now become a law, 
being practically the same as the North Carolina law. 
It was necessary to secure this legislation in the dif- 
ferent States interested before anything definite could be 
done by the National Government; in fact, the only 
opposition we have thus far met with in Washington is 
now set at rest by our having secured the consent of 
these States for the establishment of such a preserve. 
You Avill remember that one year ago we secured an 
appropriation of $5,000 by Congress for a preliminary in- 
vestigation of the territory under consideration. This 
investigation was left in the hands of the Secretary of 
Agriculture, who last summer had the mountain section 
from Virginia to South Carolina thoroughly investigated. 
