March 14, 1903.I 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
211 
game found in the possession of the Arctic Freezing 
Co.j said: "The seizure of a large amount of game in 
cold storage during the past summer and the possible 
conflict of our laws with those governing commerce 
between the States, brings up the question whether, 
while aiming to preserve our game, we should not also 
protect the innocent purchaser thereof. * * * It 
seems that if a system of bonding for such game as 
may remain in possession of a dealer at the close of the 
open season were provided for that we should do more 
for its protection than by any attempt to ferret out 
and destroy it under conditions that are at least ques- 
tionable." (Message, Jan. i, 1902, pp. 20-21.) 
This recommendation resulted in the enactment- of a 
special law at the last session of the Legislature of 
New York, under which dealers may have their game 
bonded hy the Forest, Fish and Game Commission and 
be permitted to hold it during the close season. It 
is too soon as yet to determine precisely how this law 
will operate, but it is doubtful if such a law is suffi- 
ciently broad to fully cover the case. The State has 
no means of knowing whether all the game in the 
hands of dealers has been bonded, nor has it abso- 
lute control over goods stored in a number of ware- 
houses with other goods. 
It has been suggested by A. J. Lovejoj^, game com- 
missioner of Illinois (and it may be added that this 
suggestion seems to be the most practical of any yet 
advanced), that the State, as owner of the game, should 
assume responsibility for its care during the close sea- 
.son: in other words, should reclaim its property dur- 
ing the close season and actualh^ store it. 
If game always remains the property of the State 
and the individual can never acquire absolute right in 
it, and if the State sees fit to prohibit its possession 
during the greater part of the year and to entrust the 
care of this property to officers with extraordinary 
powers, it seems fitting that the State itself should as- 
sume the responsibility and care of its game during 
the season when possession is denied the individual. 
This does not mean that the State shall erect and 
maintain expensive storage plants, nor that all the 
game in a State must be stored in one or two specified 
places, thereby entailing much expense and inconven- 
ience to dealers. It simply means that the State shall 
by contract or otherwise have under its control in con- 
venient places certain storage rgoms to which game 
may be removed, and where it will be not only safe 
but completely under the control of State authorities. 
In return for safe keeping of the game the State may 
require a small fee in addition to the regular storage 
charges, and thereby, without working any undue hard- 
ship on the individual, make the storage service self- 
supporting and even a source of revenue. This is 
merely an enlargement of the New York method, 
which seems not only feasible but practicable, and 
worthy of trial. The details remain to be worked out, 
but doubtless many of the objections which appear at 
first sight can be easily overcome, and will prove to be 
merely questions of method rather than principle. 
In conclusion, it may be stated that while it is prob- 
ably true that game storage is decreasing, and that in 
many cases, particularly where the sale of game is pro- 
hibited, it has already decreased to such a degree as to 
be an insignificant feature in the cold storage business, 
yet in other places it is still an important item and 
is likely to continue so for some time to come. It is 
very desirable, therefore, that steps be taken to place 
the matter on a more satisfactory basis, but it must 
be admitted that the problem is a difficult one, and 
probably will not be solved immediately. 
It may be suggested that from the standpoint of 
game protection the main evils to be corrected are (a) 
handling game in falsely marked packages, and (b) the 
practice of allowing game to be withdrawn from stor- 
age during the close season for use or sale. Two 
methods of bringing about the desired result readily 
suggest themselves: One by voluntary action on the 
part of warehousemen, the other by securing further 
legislation. 
It- is the practice of some companies just before the 
expiration of the open season, to send out notices call- 
ing attention to certain provisions in the game laws, 
and announcing that game will not be received during 
the close season. The practice should be universal. 
Much more could be accomplished if warehousemen 
instead of merely refusing to accept game during the 
close season, would give notice to their patrons: 
(i) That no game placed in storage would be de- 
livered during the close season directly or indirectly. 
(3) That no game would be received except in pack- 
ages marked with the owner's name and a true state- 
ment of contents. If inspection showed that any pack- 
ages were falsely marked the storage charges on such 
packages would be increased to per cent. 
(3) .(By insertion of clause in storage contract or 
otherwise) That all game would be received only at 
owner's risk and subject to all the restrictions of the 
State laws. 
Much could also be accomplished in the way of leg- 
islation if, instead of seeking special exemptions from 
the game laws warehousemen would throw all their in- 
fluence on the side of the State and seek to obtain (i) 
statutes similar to the shipping laws now in force, 
making it a misdemeanor punishable by heavy fine to 
ofTer or deliver falsely marked packages of game for 
storage; (2) statutes defining clearly the status and 
disposition of game held during the close season, and 
drawn in such a way as to be at once equitable to the 
warehouseman and the owner, and comformable to the 
policy of the State. 
In looking over one issue of an exchange we find that 
the editor hopes, is glad, is pained, is pleased, is delighted, 
has regret, and has heartfelt sorrow. No one could stand 
such a combination but the country editor, who generally 
has an elastic conscience and an India rubber stomach. — 
Centralia Journal. 
All communications intended for Foeest avt> Stream should 
always be addressed to the Forest and Stream Publishing Co., 
New York, and not to any individual connected with the paper. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST, 
The Rifle Scabfaafd. 
Chicago, 111., 'March 3. — Mr, George Florence^ 0$. St. 
Joseph, Mo., writes as below regarding rifle scabbards 
and how to carry them : 
"I have got into a dispute here over the proper man- 
ner of making and carrying rifle scabbards, and would 
like to have you settle it. In the first place, is the scab- 
bard worn on the right or left side? Is it worn under 
the rider's leg and under the saddle flap, or does it hang 
loosely at the side? Should the trigger or the hammer of 
the gun be upward when the gun is in the scabbard, and 
in making the scabbard should the seam be on the upper 
or lower edge? 
"By answering theSe inquiries you will greatly oblige 
me, and will settle the dispute on the subject. In con- 
clusion, Avill say I find the catalogues of the various man- 
ufacturers and sporting goods houses are about equally 
divided — some show the scabbards to hang on the left 
side and the others to hang on the right side, but it seems 
to me the left side, with the trigger up and seam down, is 
correct. I know you have been among the cowboys and 
cattle punchers who have used these goods, and will be 
very much interested in your reply." 
In the old times, when I used to live in the cowboy 
country of the West, it was customaiy to wear the rifle 
scabbard on the left side, under the saddle flap. We com- 
monly used in those days cither the Winchester carbine or 
the short Winchester .44, of the 1873 model. Our scab- 
bards in that part of the country, the southwestern range, 
were customarily worn with the seam upward. The rifle 
was thrust into the scabbard with the trigger guard up. 
This brought the hammer and the sights down. The 
weight of the rifle thus rested partly on the foresight. 
The Winchester rifles were nearly all made with strong 
metal sights, so that I presume the shooting of the rifle 
was rarely injured by this practice. In the case of a thin 
foresight, like the Lyman ivory bead on the .30-40 or 
•30-30 rifle, this practice of carrying the rifle with the top 
down does not always make for safety to the sights or 
accuracy in the shooting. Realizing this, the last time I 
was out in the Blackfoot country with Jack Monroe I 
used to carry my rifle with the sights upward in the scab- 
bard. Jack Monroe reproved me for this In-Western 
method. Hence I should suppose that the custom gener- 
ally in the West was to carry the rifle with the sights 
downward, the seam of the scabbard being customarily 
and for reasons of durability, carried upward. The sling 
straps of the scabbard wear better on the rounded leather 
than on the seam. 
Shipment of WiHfowI for Texas* 
Attention was recently called in these columns to the 
efforts of the sportsmen of Texas to get through a game 
law which should stop the shipment of all sorts of game 
from that State. It was predicted that there would be 
an attempt made to nullify this law by exempting a num- 
ber of counties from its action. Precisely this same thing 
in sweeping form has come up, and seeing that their 
efforts to stop the sale of game were rendered of no 
avail by the efforts of those opposed to the prohibition 
of the sale of Texas game, the sportsmen in some of the 
larger cities of the State have rallied and are getting up 
a petition to the Legislature, which is already largely 
signed. This petition asks that the last two lines of the 
game laws of May 27, 1897, Articles 520 B and 520 G 
Penal Code, shall be struck out. They read: "Provided 
that nothing herein contained shall be construed to pro- 
hibit the sale or shipment of wild ducks or wild geese." 
This elision would cut out the clause which permits the 
shipment of wildfowl under the law of 1897, and would 
leave the old law a fairly good one in lieu of a new one 
which_ should embody these principles through more 
sweeping changes. It is much to be hoped that these 
sportsmen of Texas will succeed in their attempts to stop 
the outgo of Texas game. We used to think that when 
we could go nowhere else we could always go to Texas 
and get good shooting. Let not any northern shooter be- 
lieve this to be the case to-day, for it is not. The game 
of Texas is going, and it will disappear if Texas herself 
does not wake up and adopt the proper measures in time. 
The petition above offered points out the very interest- 
ing fact that this sale of Texas game operates to the 
disadvantage of citizens of the State. It states that, "Dur- 
ing the past few 3^ears the slaughter and shipment of wild 
game have increased to such proportions that the absolute 
extinction of wildfowl seems near at hand. Many 
thousands of wild ducks, principally canvasbacks and red- 
heads, are slaugtered annually as a business, and are ex- 
ported to northern States. They are rarely offered for 
sale in Texas. We believe it unfair to all true sportsmen 
and contrary to public policy to permit the extermination 
of this species of game." These are wise words and true 
ones. Did you ever try to buy a canvasback duck to eat 
in San Antonio, in Corpus Christi, in Houston, in Galves- 
ton, in Austin, Dallas or Fort Worth? 
Some Moose Stories. 
Chicago, HI., Feb. 27.— Mr. Frederic W. Jenkins, of 
Binghamton, N. Y., paid the Forest and Stream oflice a 
very pleasant visit during the week, and I had much 
pleasure in talking over matters and things with him. 
Mr. Jenldns is a lawyer and a hard working man, but an 
enthusiast over big-game shooting. I have earlier men- 
tioned one or two of his trips into Canada and the Rocky 
Mountains. Last fall he did not go out West but made a 
trip up into Nova Scotia, his object being moose, and he 
got all that he went for. Mr. Jenkins seemed quite satis- 
fied with the results of his hunt, his party of three getting 
four moose and several caribou, and he killed a magnifi- 
cent bull moose, the best he has ever yet had in any of his 
moose hunts. This moose he told me he killed with one 
shot from a .30-40 Winchester. He has now killed four 
moose and it has taken him just four shots with the .30-40 
to do it. He simply pooh-poohs at anyone who says the 
.30-40 is not as good a moose gun as any man wants. 
I do not recall the measurements of the head which 
Mr. Jenkins got, but think it was 60 inches. He says that 
the Nova Scotia moose antlers do not spread quite so 
wide as the New Brunswick heads, but turn up and back 
more. The blades of this head were tremendous and the 
whole antlers very massive and heavy. Mr. Jenkins says 
it is the best head he has ever yet killed. He has been to 
Nova Scotia two or three times before and speaks with 
great enthusiasm over the trout fishing, caribou shooting, 
etc., as well as of the men who guided him. 
A Lucky Hunter, 
With Mr. Jenkins on this hunt was his friend, Mr. 
Clarence Hotchkiss, of Binghamton. Mr. Hotchkiss is 
one of those lucky fellows who never do any hard work 
on a hunt and who always get what they want without 
the least trouble and much as a matter of fact. Mr. 
Hotchkiss has never been known to Idll a head of game 
more than half a mile from camp. He never bothers him- 
self in the least:, takes it easy, and when finally the spirit 
moves hiin, calmly announces that he is going out to kill 
a moose, or whatever he is after, and then, quite as a 
matter of fact, does so. 
On this particular hunt, Mr. Jenkins and his friend, Mr. 
Phelps, also of Binghomton, the latter a beginner in the 
big-game hunting, were having their usual run of hard- 
ships. At length Mr. Hotchkiss said : "Well, boys, I see 
it's about time for me to go out and get a moose." 
Whereupon he knocked the ashes out of his pipe, called 
to his guide, picked up his rifle and strolled down the 
woods road. He had gone but a little way when, feeling 
the perspiration beginning to start to some extent on his 
somewhat massive form, he suggested to the guide that it 
v/ould be a good thing to stop and "boil the kettle." The 
guide was horrified, for they had, as luck chanced, but a 
few minutes before struck the trail of a tremendous bull, 
which was fresh, and the guide was hoping to get a shot 
within a few minutes. His horrified protest, however, 
produced no effect upon Mr. Hotchkiss, who calmly sat 
down on a log and began to kick together kindling for 
the fire. His guide dutifully obeyed, built the fire, boiled 
the kettle, and they had lunch then and there, Mr. Hotch- 
kiss not in the least forgetting his peaceful pipe of good 
strong tobacco, which well nigh completed the poor 
guide's mental collapse. He had never seen a moose hunt 
conducted on the Clarence Hotchkiss line before. 
"Well," said Mr. Hotchkiss, at length, rising and 
knocking the ashes out of his pipe again, "now we'll go 
kill him." So they took up their moose trail and followed 
on across the country for a little way. In less than ten 
minutes from the lunching place the guide stopped and 
pointed. Mr. Hotchkiss looked and could see the edge of 
a big horn. Finally he made out the moose, lying down 
and taking his ease. He fired one shot which, as usual, 
did its work. Then he walked up to the fallen quarry, 
kicked it with his toe, grunted and said : "I guess I'll 
go back to camp." This, by means of a convenient woods 
road, he did without any trouble. He set his gun down 
by the side of the door, walked in and lit another pipe. 
"Did you get him?" asked one of his friends, derisively. 
Mr. Hotchkiss opened his eyes in wonder. "Get him," 
said he. "Why, of course I got him." And presently the 
guide came in to bear ample confirmation. 
The Other Sort. 
This was not quite the end of the Hotchkiss moose, 
however. This was on Monday, and on the following 
Friday Mr. Jenkins and his guide were hunting in the 
country below camp when they struck what seemed to be a 
tremendous moose trail. They followed on and on for sev- 
eral hours, until finally they became exhausted. "It may be 
24 hours old," said the guide, "maybe more; but I don't 
think it has gone out of the country." Thus encouraged, 
Mr. Jenkins pushed on, looking all the time for fresher 
horn sign. At last the long walk wearied both hunter 
and guide, so that they concluded to stop for a "boiling." 
Just as they were finishing up their noonday repast, Mr. 
Jenkins looked about and saw the ashes of a little fire. 
A sudden light came to him. "Billy," said he, "do you 
suppose it's a possible thing that we have been following 
the trail of that moose which Mr. Hotchkiss killed?" 
Billy's face fell about a foot. He got up, went a little way 
along the trail, came back and looked at the fire. "Mr. 
Jenkins," said he, "don't tell an3^body here in this country 
about this. It would be all my reputation would be 
worth!" It was a fact, however, that they had been on 
the trail of the Hotchkiss moose. It must be pretty hard 
to work nearly a whole day and then come up on the clos- 
ing scenes of a moose hunt made by a man who had 
never been more than a half mile from camp. 
It may be seen that most of this moose himting in 
Nova Scotia is done by still-hunting. Mr. Jenkins is no 
believer at all in the calling of moose. He says that 
there is nothing in it, and will not waste time in night 
calling. He says that he and his party have always gotten 
all the moose they wanted in still-hunting, and he con- 
siders this the greatest form of sport obtainable under 
any circumstances. The Nova Scotia guides, he says, 
arc splendid hunters and perfect woodsmen. Caribou he 
spoke of as being fairly abundant, but I did not discover 
much enthusiasm on his part over the caribou game. Mr. 
Jenkins has often hunted caribou in Newfoundland, but 
he says that the killing of that animal in the big New- 
foundland herds is not to be called genuine sport. He 
did not care sO' much for the Newfoundland guides he 
secured, as he said they were so ignorant as to scarcely 
know how to take the skin off an animal. They look on 
the caribou there more as a beef animal than anything 
else. 
Mr. Jenkins killed his own big moose the next to the 
last day of his hunt, having held the party for two extra 
days over the time they had set for departure. He, seems 
to be much like myself in his hunting, never gets anything 
until the last minute and after doing more work than 
anyone else would have to. His moose he and his guide 
Billy trailed for a long time. The guide caught sight 
of the bull standing on a little eminence among the trees 
about 120 j-ards distant. It was a peculiar shot, as the 
moose stood with his head entirely hid back of a little 
clump of trees. Mr. Jenkins says that he could see two 
big dark bands of hair between the three trees. He could 
not tell which way the moose was pointing, but reasoned 
that naturally his head would be up wind. Hence he 
picked the left band of hair and fired as close to the left 
on it as he dared. At the shot the big moose started out 
into the open, and stood with his head thrown up looking 
