Feb. is, igoi.] 
;ands of miles with no connection Other thatl the air. 
In the time to come, when moose have been practically 
•xterminated, with perhaps the exception of a few orl 
Braithwaite's and his neighbor, Moore's, reservations, 
< ,vhich few have been so repeatedly wounded by the 
small-bore of to-day, that they are death proof, the ideal 
I mnting rifle will appear. No matter what the caliber, it 
will be a truly meat gun. Nitro powder will be too 
I veak. Something a hundred times more propelling will 
Oe used. As for the bullet, it will be on the principle 
•if a live wire. Pcrsibly it will be so charged that it will 
pot be necessary to hit what is shot at. It will shed 
ruch an ever-increasing radius of death in its flight, that 
he future sportsman can tell of wiping out a whole 
lock of moose at one shot at a thousand yards — only 
here will be no flocks of moose then. When such 
l rifle appears, Braithwaite's moose gun will be called 
t good one for gorbies. I predict that in spite of 
Vlr. Irland's "registered oath.'' the gorby will survive 
he moose. 
My moose hunting ended, as I thought, some years 
iince. I worked harder for the last one I killed than 
or any of its predecessors. Yet, as I stood over the 
alien moose I was sorry that I had killed it. I had no 
^se for it. Mr, Irland's account, however, revives the 
jld spirit. I would like to go to New Brunswick with 
ktr. lrland. I would like to see and talk with Braith- 
Ivaite (perhaps not on the merits of the small-bore 
line) ; simply to sit in camp and hear Braithwaite talk, 
laid to see Mr. lrland shoot gorbies, would be the main 
j performance and side show combined. 
[ To return to the small-bore rifle. I had but little 
Haith at first in its killing power, as compared with my 
bid and tried Winchester. Anything that the small 
bullet would kill when , hit in certain places, I felt sure, 
Ivould be killed fully as quickly with my old rifle, and 
llso that the latter would kill when the former would 
lail. I have not got this idea out of my head yet, al- 
Ihough I think better of the small-bore. My practical 
Experience with the latter as a killer is limited to deer 
Ind some domestic animals. I have a Savage .303 which 
I think well of. The first game I tried it on was the 
fergest and handsomest buck I ever saw in the woods, 
[hit this deer just back of the jaw on the under side, the 
luillet coming out on top of neck, with never a bone 
fcuched; yet the buck dropped in its tracks. Braith- 
Laite's mocse gun would not have done the work better 
■or more quickly, and that .577 bullet might have 
Ipoiled the deer's neck. As I write, that buck's head 
IT looking at me. If I did kill and set it up, I think it 
fee handsomest head of the kind in this State. I had to 
Ilave one of my horses killed. A single bullet from the 
Ravage killed the horse instantly, with never a quiver. 
m. wild heifer in the woods came next. At 60 yards I 
Ihought I could hit it fair between the eyes. I failed, 
Ind the bullet struck just over the eye. The heifer 
Iropped as though struck by lightning. Now comes a 
failure. A neighbor who had some experience in such 
kfork had a horse to kill. My Savage and three car- 
ridges were loaned for the work. Every care was taken 
0 make the first shot fatal. Yet when that horse re- 
vived that soft-nosed bullet fair between the eyes he 
eared, broke the halter and started for home. A 
econd bullet just under the ear and also a third through 
he neck failed to stop him. After reaching the road the 
lorse was headed and a shotgun was used. The first 
Jiot blew a hole the size of a broom stick straight 
hrough the head. It took two more shots from the 
hotgun to finish the job. Now, this. I think, was an 
rtstance of unusual vitality. Is it unreasonable to sup- 
>ose that occasionally a moose or a deer is built on 
he same principle? What would kill almost instantly 
lineteen times might fail on the twentieth. I have 
uund it so on animals no larger than a fox. The modern 
hie as a game killer may not be anywhere near per- 
ection. I think the man behind it oftentimes does his 
>art to make it a failure. C. M. Stark. 
Dunbarton, N. H., Feb. 7. 
The Maine Man-Shooting Law. 
Boston, Jan. 25. — The first case before the Maine 
ourts under the new law, imposing a heavy fine or im- 
irisonment, for accidental or negligent shooting _of 
luman beings, mistaken for game, has been put on trial 
;t Skowhegan. The case is that of State vs. Henry Hil- 
on. The indictment sets forth that Hilton, while hunt- 
rig for deer last fall, carelessly mistook Nathaniel Gerald 
or one of those animals, and discharged a rifle at him, 
rounding him badly below the knee. The defendant 
tilton admits the shooting, but denies that he was care- 
assly or criminally negligent. County Attorney Gower 
jrosecuted for the State, and Forrest Goodwin appeared 
pr the respondent. 
I The statute under which this action was brought reads 
Isee Game Laws in Brief): •"Chap. 263, Laws 1901. — 
fee. 1. Whoever, while on a hunting trip, or in the pur- 
luit of wild game or game birds, negligently or carelessly 
Ihoots and wounds, or kills any human being, shall be 
punished by imprisonment not exceeding ten years, or 
ly fine not exceeding $1,000." 
The case was given to the jury on Tuesday last. After 
everal hours of deliberation they reported that they 
rere unable to agree. Judge Powers instructed them 
hat they had nothing to do with sentiment in the case; 
hat they must find their verdict under the law, purely 
•11 the evidence. Hilton admitted the shooting; they 
■fere to find whether he was criminally careless or negli- 
gent. The jury retired again, and soon brought in a ver- 
lict of guilty. The judge himself seems to have had 
tome doubts as to the amount of blame to be attached to 
liilton, the respondent, for he imposed a fine of only 
)rty days in the county jail. 
The law against the careless or negligent shooting of 
;uman beings in Maine will amount to nothing if the 
bove is a sample of the punishment to be administered. 
Confinement in the jail in that county for Hilton simply 
.leans that he will board there, and pass his time in re- 
eiving visits from his friends or in playing cards with 
he county officers. I have in mind a young man, shut 
ip in the same jail for some light offense, who now 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
boasts that he had a rather fine time playing cards, etc., 
etc. 
Feb. 8.— The New- York State Forest, Fish and Game 
Commission seems bound to restock the Adirondacks 
with moose. An Auburndale, Mass., man is in charge 
of capturing these animals. His name is John T, Ben- 
son, and he has had considerable experience in work 
of this nature. He does not like to state just where his 
woodsmen are at work capturing moose and getting 
ready to transport them to the nearest railroad stations. 
But hunters understand that he has permission to take a 
certain number of moose from Maine and as many more 
from the Provinces. The method of capture is not quite 
as difficult as might at first be supposed,, provided the 
snow is deep enough, for a moose can stand no chance at 
all against guides on snowshoes The moose is soon ex- 
hausted and stands buried up to his legs in the snow. It 
is then not much of a task to pass ropes around his head, 
legs and body in such shape that he is powerless to es- 
cape. The next thing is to build a crate around the ani- 
mal, and then begins the work of dragging the captive to 
the nearest, railway station or to lumber roads, where 
help can be had from teams. The captors carry practi- 
cally nothing with them except their axes, and these 
they use for cutting wood to burn and in making tem- 
porary sleds for drawing the moose out of the woods. 
Mr. Benson expects to set at liberty in the, Adirondacks 
region at least twenty moose by the middle of April. 
Great pains will be taken in liberating the animals where 
their natural food is most abundant. They will not be 
liberated all together, according to Mr. Benson, but at 
considerable distance apart, for each family of a bull and 
a cow, and possibly a calf or two. The commission has 
great expectations concerning this restocking. 
Special. 
New York Game Interests. 
From the annual report of the Commissioners of Forest, 
Fisheries and Game we take the following paragraphs re- 
viewing the game interests and the work of protection: 
Adirondack Deer. 
From the returns made to this office by the American 
and National Express companies it appears that the num- 
ber of deer shipped out during the hunting season of 1001 
exceeded that of the previous year, the shipments between 
Sept. 1 and Nov. 15 amounting to 1,062 carcasses, 103 
saddles and 121 heads. As compared with the previous 
year, the figures are: 
Carcasses. Saddles. Heads. Total. 
1900.. 1,020 89 95 1,204 
1901 ....1,062 103 121 1,286 
Reports received from each locality indicate that for 
every deer shipped by express four more are killed which 
are eaten in camp, consumed by the residents, or hauled 
out on wagons to the numerous towns and villages near 
the outskirts of the forest. 
As in previous years, the weights entered on the ship- 
ping bills of the express companies show that the Adiron- 
dack deer compare favorably in size with -those of other 
hunting grounds. The deer this season, so far as ob- 
served, were larger and in better condition than usual, 
which may be due in some extent to the fact that 190T 
was a beechnut year. 
A buck was shipped from Big Moose to Charles Phil- 
more, Remsen, N. Y., which weighed, on the scales of 
the station agent. 267 pounds, dressed weight. By adding 
one-fourth, according to the usual well-attested rule, we 
have 333M pounds, as the live weight. 
The shipments from Dolgeville included a deer that 
weighed, dressed, 237 pounds. This would indicate 296 
pounds, as the live weight, or over 300 if the carcass 
had dried out by hanging on the pole at camp for a few 
days. This deer was consigned to F. Shaad, Little Falls, 
N. Y. 
From Mountain View a deer was shipped to J. Robb, 
Malone, N. Y., whose dressed weight indicated a live 
weight of 281 pounds or more; and the express agent's 
returns^ from North Creek include a carcass of 230 
pounds dressed weight (live weight estimated at 288 
pounds), which was shipped to L. Stadaro, Albany," N. Y. 
Mr. Frank S. Partridge, of Oneonta, N. Y., shot a deer 
near Goldsmith's, in Franklin county, that weighed, ac- 
cording to report, 310 pounds before it was dressed. 
Only a part of this animal was shipped out by express. 
The statistics furnished by the express companies are 
interesting and valuable so far as they go. But the deer 
which are killed and not shipped out are so much more 
numerous than those which are transported by rail that 
some definite information is also needed regarding the 
former. In order to legislate intelligently for the pro- 
tection of this kind of game, some specific statement is 
necessary as to when, where, and how many are killed. 
It would be well to ascertain also the proportion of does. 
Elk and Moose. 
Through the generosity of Mr. William C. Whitney a- 
carload of live elk was brought into the Adirondacks and 
liberated in Township 40, Hamilton county, on the carry 
leading from Raquette to Forked Lake. Early in June 
last I went to Mr. Whitney's preserve, situated on October 
Mountain, a few miles from Lenox, Mass., and made the 
necessary arrangements for the shipment. Mr. Whitney 
has over 120 elk on^his preserve, and from this number a 
small herd containing five bulls and seventeen 
cows were set aside for shipment to the Adirondacks, 
As the animals were very wild, considerable difficulty 
was experienced in driving them into the wagon vans for 
transportation to the railway station, six miles distant. 
When the elk were safely on board the cars, they were 
left in charge of Game Protectors Courtney and Winslow, 
who accompanied them to Raquette Lake, where the ani- 
mals arrived in good condition and none the worse for 
their journey. The car containing them was run upon one 
of the railroad scows of the Raquette Lake Transporta- 
tion Company and towed to the Forked Lake carry, where 
the elk were turned loose into the woods. 
The general character and feeding grounds of the 
Adirondack forests are so different from the usual habitat 
of these animals that their introduction is largely a matter 
125 
— . - — .. — , — _ - 
of experiment. . Thefe have been no elk in the Adiron- 
dacks within the memory of any one now living; neither 
is it claimed by naturalists that the species was ever 
found there. But, so far as heard from, these elk seem 
to be doing well, and will probably increase in number. 
Unfortunately, the cows resemble the deer greatly in 
their general appearance, and so may be killed by hunters 
who mistake them for does. True, they differ in color 
and are of a much greater size, but these differences would 
not be apparent when the animal was standing breast high 
in the underbrush. 
About one year ago an association of sportsmen was 
formed in the city of New York for the restoration of 
moose to the Adirondack forests, its organization being 
due largely to the efforts of Mr. H. V. Radford, editor 
of Woods and Waters. The association, in furtherance 
of its objects, prepared a bill which was introduced in the 
Legislature by Hon. Frank J. Price. This bill, which be- 
came a law, carried an appropriation of $5,000 for the 
purchase of moose, and provided for their protection by a 
penalty of $250 fine and imprisonment of not less than 
three months nor more than one year. The expenditure 
of this appropriation having been entrusted to the Forest, 
Fish and Game Commission, contracts have been entered 
into with persons who deal in this kind of game to furnish 
moose at prices varying from $100 to $150, delivered free 
of freight at such railway stations within the Adirondack 
region as the Commission may designate. 
Wm. F. Fox, Supt. State Forests. 
Report of the Chief Game Protector. 
My report for the year might properly include a de- 
tailed account of many actions brought and many suits 
won in the interest of the State, of thousands of letters 
written in explanation of mooted questions about the 
game law, or of statements of many raids made upon 
persistent violators of the law in various parts of the 
State. These details would, however, be cumbersome, and 
the results show for themselves to an extent that would 
seem to make such a review unnecessary. 
The work of this Department is increasing steadily, and 
the money turned into the State Treasury shows for itself 
in the monthly reports. 
The notable events of the past year were the, suits 
brought against the Arctic Refrigerating Company, which 
stands practically convicted of having game out of season 
in its possession amounting in value to many thousands of 
dollars. It is suggested that if game is found in the close 
season outside of warehouses where a record is had of 
the same, or illegally possessed, a law should be enacted 
declaring that when a seizure is made, after the game 
has served its purpose as evidence, it should be turned 
over to some charitable institution instead of being 
allowed to go to waste, thereby benefiting some one with- 
out laying any one liable, and last but not least giving the 
officer making the seizure something definite under which 
to act. 
Several large trespass cases have also been prosecuted 
dur ing the year, notably that of ..the Moose River Lumber 
Company, which h still pending. 
Very many smaller cases, mentioned collectively in the 
accompanying detailed report, attest the vigilance of the 
Department. I submit them with the other matters for 
your consideration and make the recommendations here- 
after stated. 
During the year the protectors seized and destroyed 
many nets and devices that were being illegally operated. 
The total of the individual seizures was 803 fyke nets, 
443 trap nets. 416 gill nets, 76 squat nets, 20 seines, 33S 
set lines, 7 spears, 16 eel weirs, 8 wire nets and 2,637 tip- 
ups. The total number of illegal devices destroyed was 
4.761, which represented a total money value of $25,820. 
Actions were begun against 348 persons. Of these 317 
were convicted or judgments taken, and the total sum 
imposed as fines and penalties amounted to $9,856.75. Of 
this amount the sum of $8,526.70 was collected and de- 
posited with the State Treasurer as the law provides. The 
remaining $1,330.05 was retained by attorneys, justices 
and constables in cases where their fees were deducted 
before remitting to this Department. There were also 
fines imposed to the amount of $938 where to recovery was 
had. and the persons upon whom these fines were imposed 
served time either in penitentiaries or jails, one day for 
each dollar, which amounted to 938 days served. The 
remaining 38 cases resulted as follows: 19 acquitted, 
either by court or jury; 6 cases on appeal; 4 actions 
withdrawn, and 2 where there was insufficient evidence 
to hold the accused. 
Too much cannot be said in favor of the Law of 1899, 
which prohibited for a term of years the hounding of 
deer. It was an undisputed fact that, with the advan- 
tages of numerous railroads penetrating the Adirondacks 
about that time .and the many people becoming interested 
in hunting, the deer of the State would surely become 
exterminated. The Legislature of 1901 should be com- 
mended for its legislation along this line, as a law was 
enacted which forbids for all time the hounding of deer. 
There is not a question, from the best information ob- 
tainable, but that deer have increased in the last five 
years fully fifty per cent., and they can be found in 
abundance through the main woods, and also in all the 
little detached parcels of forest land in every county ad- 
joining the Adirondacks. If this law can remain on the 
statute books together with the Act of 1888. which limited 
the number one could kill or transport, there is no pros- 
pect of the deer becoming exterminated, although the 
advantages of reaching nearly every portion of the 
Adirondacks are much greater. With the increase yearly 
in the number of people who are desirous of hunting, it 
might be well to shorten the season, making the close sea- 
son Oct. 31 instead of Nov. 15. The past two years have 
shown .that more deer are killed during the last ten days 
of the open season than in the two months prior to that, 
on account of the snow which facilitates still-hunting 
ten fold. 
I would respectfully suggest that while it is not advis- 
able to make too many alterations in our game law, for 
fear of confusing the public mind, it would be both ad- 
visable and expedient that the following changes in the 
law as it now stands should be made during the present 
session of the Legislature:. 
1. Increasing the force of protectors to fifty as against 
the present thirty-eight. Several localities are now prac-* 
