FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Oct. II, 1902. 
Adventures with Bull and Buck. 
Adolph, Minn., Oct. 2. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
The Duluth News-Tribiine of yesterday relates that 
John Gunn, a Duluth timber cruiser, has just returned 
from northern St. Louis County, where he had prob- 
abl}^ the most remarkable experience with a moose on 
record. He mounted and rode a bull moose at light- 
ning speed for nearly a mile. 
■"I was 'working in the vicinitj- of White Birch Lake, 
southeast of Tower," said John Gunn, in explaining 
the incident: "Last week I had the most exciting ex- 
perience of my career. Moose are pretty thick up that 
way, and the male animals are very bold and saucy if 
one happens to get in their way. 
"About II o'clock in the forenoon of Sept. 23, I was 
sitting near the camp behind a jackpine writing up my 
minutes of some land that I had explored. I heard the 
brush crack several times nearby, but did not look up 
immediately, supposing that it was Dennis Keegan. my 
helper, getting ready to prepare dinner. I got up from 
the ground and turned around, intending to speak to him 
about something, when to my -astonishment there was 
a huge bull moose right beside me. I thought sure he 
was on the point of attacking me and quick as thought 
I grabbed his antlers on the left side of the head with 
my right hand and threw my right arm over his shoul- 
ders so that he could not swing his body around and 
rush me. 
"But the moose was just as much surprised as I, and 
every bit as frightened. Quick as a flash that mighty 
head went up and he simply left tlie ground and seemed 
to shoot through space like a comet. At least that is 
the way it seemed to me. I don't know how it hap- 
pened, but I found m}-self astride the moose and going 
through the woods so fast that I could scarcely catch 
my breath. 
"It seemed to me for all the world that I was aboard 
a runaway locomotive. I was afraid the moose would 
collide with a tree or something else that would fetch 
him up short, but the trees just seemed to open up ahead 
of him as if they were glad to get out of the way. I 
don't know how far that moose would have carried me, 
or where, if I had not fallen off. I did not get oft very 
gracefully, but the dismount was a success. The ani- 
mal came to a fallen tree, which was held up about three 
feet from the ground by the stmup, and then he made 
a leap that would, as it seemed to me, just as well have 
carried him over the tree if it had been standing upright. 
The moose simply shot out from under me and let me 
fall to the ground. Verj' happily for me I did not light 
on an;' rocks, or hit the log that the moose cleared, and 
merely sustained a few bruises. I was so excited that 
my nerves were badly shaken and I cculd scarcely 
walk. I met Keegan in hot pursuit. He was approach- 
ing the camp at the time I mounted the moose, and 
had seen my surprising and exciting adventure at the 
siart. I thought he would never quit laughing when I 
told him how I dismounted." 
The Cook County Herald in last week's issue con- 
tains a story of how a moose pursued a man in a buggy 
in that ccunty a short time ago. Andrew Hedstrom 
was returning from the West Side district and he passed 
a bull moose hear the Mayhew farm. The animal was 
beside the road. The road turns at right angles near 
there, going around one side of the farm. Mr. Hed- 
strom looked back after making the turn and saw the 
moose vault over the fence and run across the field 
after him. He whipped up and later saw the moose 
clear the other fence and get into the road. Mr. Hed- 
strom stirred his horse to faster speed, when the moose 
abandoned the pursuit and turned into the wood. 
So much for the Press-Tribune stories. Now I will 
give 3'ou mj' own experience with a large buck deer, 
which will tend to encourage belief of Mr. Gunn's verac- 
ity. It happened two years ago; it all comes back to 
me, and I marvel at what peril we will put ourselves 
into, either thoughtlessly or, as Mr. Gunn says or inti- 
mates, 'for self-protection, in his case. It was on the 
morning the law w-as out that I shouldered my .32-40. 
having previously had the displeasure of seeing several 
fine deer cross my path, as I was wont to travel going 
to work at 6 in the mornings. But this morning I 
started a little earlier than usual, so that I could take 
a birdseye view of some other places Avhere we could 
later on secure our usual allotted number of deer with- 
out much trouble. It had snowed about inches the 
evening before, and so having things about right to suit 
my fancy, I took my oldest son Claude with me, a lad 
of 16 summers. We had come to the runway about 
a mile from home, just at good, fair daylight, but saw 
no fresh tracks and heard no noise save of the usual 
cottontail rabbit on his homeward bound after his first 
trial of snow wet feet. We stood, perhaps, 20 minutes 
and saw nothing, and as the chilly November air was itot 
exactly congenial to our unused custom yet, the lad 
said, "Pa, I'll take the rifle and walk slowly home and 
you can go on to the depot." Being a telegraph opera- 
tor, I had to answer roll call promptly at 7 A. M. But 
I was hardly satisfied with the result of our early watch, 
so I said, "Let's go down the track a little further, as 
that is on my road, anyhow, and you will then take the 
gun." I was walking along very slowly, when off to 
my right by chance, I heard some shell ice that had 
formed, and being covered with snow sort of fooled the 
wary deer. It gave a sharp crack, but only once, for 
deer are very cautious about the racket they make. I 
stood motionless for three or four minutes, when I got 
my optics spotted on the buck, about 110 yards down 
the track, preparing to jump the five- wire fence, so he 
could cross the track. In an instant he got his peepers 
on my frame, but stood perfectly still, as they always do 
until you make any move in such cases. I raised my 
gun exceptionally quick, saw his neck through the Ly- 
man sights and turned on the necessary pressure to the 
trigger, and that deer went 20 feet into space, if he went 
an inch. I sent another bullet after him, where he lit; 
but shot too high. He then disappeared in the woods. 
"Well, well. Pa!" says the lad, "And you missed him. 
But what made him make such an unusual high leap?" 
We lost no time except the usual formal scrap and blue 
air getting over and through that five-wire railroad 
fence; and just where he lit with his first jump we saw 
^1op4, ^nd i^ 9f iQ-\^^ more jumps pleiity of blood. 
We forgot all about roll call and went after our morn- 
ing visitor. I was in some way watching for blood in 
the snow when the lad said, "Pa. there he is again." I 
raised the gun to shoot, when I saw he was bleeding 
profusely by spurts. "I guess I'll not cut you up with 
bullets and spoil the best of your meat," I decided; for 
he was standing tail toward us and 50 yards ahead. 
Right here is where I have since been educated not to 
monkey with a deer until you're sure he is dead. I 
stood only half a minute and advanced. He stood 
perfectly quiet till I got within 10 feet of him, when he 
turned tail end the other way, but staggering. Then I 
thought surely he was safe. I set my gun down and 
pulled my knife and walked up closer. He acted as if 
ready to fall any second. Thinks I, "Old fellow, I'll 
just give you a push over." He had a very heavy set 
of horns and with my left hand I took hold quite strong 
of his antler and tried to push him oyer. Well, say, 
here is where I learned a good deal. The buck pro- 
posed then to show us tenderfeet a trick of riding 
through the air without anj^ of Professor Darius's con- 
traptional wings. I hated to let go, of course, and didn't 
for a long half-minute, tmtil I felt I wanted the 
"earth," and I came to the conclusion that the dispatcher 
might be calling me for a train order; and as my antag- 
onist was not headed in the right direction to land me 
where I could get to the red flag, I let go. I found my- 
self in a heap all covered with hair, and was red enough 
with blood to flag any old train. The lad came running 
with the gun and caught up, half out of breath; and 
to beat all, he said, "Well, Pa, I wanted to tell you to 
stop for postage stamps, so you could get back, but 
3'ou didn't give me time." 
To cut this short, we followed that buck just 35° 
yards more and saw him standing 60 yards ahead 
broadside. I concluded that he had the best of me on 
the second round and no chances of mine would go on 
third. I saw him one better again, through the Lyman 
sights. There was a sharp crack, another big jump, 
and Ave had the pleasure of calling the buck ours. We 
dressed the game, left him to cool, and got to office 
thirty minutes late for roll call. A letter came from the 
chict' dispatcher as to why, etc., but my usual prompt 
deportment cut me out of necessary hookey reply,, and 
saved my job. 
Last, but by no means least, my son's motlrer, the 
best woman I ever knew, said that that deer must have 
been the one Noah had in the ark. or else it had prac- 
ticed jumping that five-wire fence so long thai it was 
as tough and elastic as whalebone. It dressed 217 
pounds. I have killed many a deer s'nce and but few 
before: but am more careful of the close company I 
keep with them until I get them into the frying-pan. 
J. W. Russell. 
From Curfitttcfc* 
Currituck, N. C. Sept. 26. — Editor Forest and Stream : 
We have had some excellent bay bird shooting during 
the past ten days, principally large yellowlegs. with a 
sprinkling of golden plover. I heard of one bag of 160 
of the former to one gun. English snipe have just begun 
to drop in during the past day or two. 
Teal, pintails and widgeon are not so abundant as 
usual at this time. A few came very early, but the num- 
bers do not seem to increase. A flock of five Canada 
geese came over my house on Sept. 10. which is sooner 
than I ever remember to have seen them before. About 
2CO to 300 ruddy ducks remained at Currituck all sum- 
mer. Tnever knew them to do this before, but I think it 
was because the market-hunters quit shooting a month 
sooner than usual last spring. 
I think quail are unusually plentiful. It was exceed- 
ingly dry during the breeding season, and many of them 
have raised two broods. 
The club men and other sportsmen who visit Currituck 
will be glad to learn that all kinds of duck food is abun- 
dant, and in fine condition, so they may expect keen sport 
when the season opens Nov. 10. 
Gentlemen who have private shooting grounds, but no 
natural food, will find by using white Indian corn they 
can keep ducks and geese on their grounds when nothing 
else will keep them. The corn must be soaked until it 
swells. Th s is especially desirable for canvasbacks, red- 
heads and blackheads; but is also good for black ducks, 
mallards, pintails and widgeon. I write from experience 
and have been abundantly rewarded in every case where 
I have tried it. Black, black-eyed and brown peas are 
also excellent food, but white corn attracts attention more 
quickly, being about the size of the roots of wild celery 
seed, of which all ducks are fond. More Anon. 
The Hyposcope. 
A RECENTLY dcviscd instrument, for aiming a rifle with- 
out exposing to view any part of the person of the shooter, 
possesses a certain interest for all riflemen. Such a clc- 
vice is useful chiefly in war, because by it the soldier 
can fire at the eneiny without danger of being hit himself. 
Its use to big-game hunters is very doubtful. Yet cir- 
cumstances may be imagined where such a device — either 
as an attachment for the rifle or as an instrument for 
observing country without alarming any game that might 
be in the neighborhood — might profitably be employed. 
The implement in question is called the hyposcope. It 
is a combination of mirrors by which the observer, while 
still perfectly concealed, may look over the cover be- 
hind which he rests, and sight his rifle. 
Apparatus acting by means of mirrors has been used 
for heavy guns by a number of nations, but Mr, Wm. 
Loulten is the first who has devised an attachment, which 
can be adapted to any rifle, by which _ the act of aiming 
may be performed from a point considerably below the 
tiigger guard. 
Four mirrors are employed, and the sights of the rifles 
are seen and may be used just about as well with the 
instrument as under ordinary circumstances. In another 
form of hyposcope only two mirrors are used. The Brit- 
ish National Rifle Association, at its meet at Bisley this 
year, offered prizes for shooting at a 200-yard range, 
using the hyposcope in sighting. The bullseye was seven 
inches and each man shooting was allowed seven shots; 
35 points was the highest possible score, and the average 
for thirteen tnen cp^npeting, was 3?4|i The inst^ur 
ments used are said to be strong and not likely to get out 
of order. It is probable that we shall hear more of this 
device in the future. 
Wisconsin Game, 
Green Bay, Wis., Oct. 3. — Thought I would give you 
a little news to go with your Western notes. Redhead 
ducks have come from the north, and also the smaller 
bluebills, with a few widgeon and larger bluebills. One 
market-shooter brought in thirty-one redheads and blue- 
bills yesterday. The weather is getting cool, with frosty 
nights, and we should get a great many birds within the 
next twenty days. 
Snipe are not here for some unaccountable reason. 
There have been quite a few prairie chicken in this sec- 
tion this season, and reports of a large crop of ruffed 
grouse are also vouched for. A. G. H. 
mid ^iv^r ^ist(ing. 
Pro^rieiors of fishing resorts will find it profitabk to advertise 
them iQ FoKEST and Stsxau. 
Fish and Fishing. 
Salmon and Ouananicbe in Laitcdor. 
Mr. W. F.. McCormick, of Biscayne Bay, Florida, 
has returned here from a visit to the far north of the 
Newfoundland Labrador, in the course of which he pro- 
ceeded sorne- distance further north than Nain, which is 
the usual ' nor- hern terminus of passenger steamship 
travel. Some cf the photographs which he brought back 
with him were obtained by sunlight exposure at mid- 
night. During his travels he fell in with General Rich- 
ard Dashwood and several other well-known sports- 
men. He corroborates all that General Dashwood has 
said relative to the wholesale destruction of fish by cod 
traps, declaring that they will destroy anything from a 
capelin to a whale. He was shown, as a matter of fact, 
a small whale which had become suflFocated after being 
entangled in one of these traps. 
American sportsmen were found to have penetrated 
to all the far northern waters visited by Mr, McCor- 
mick. One of his companions on shipboard was Dr. 
Hedges, of Charlotteville, Virginia, who landed with him 
at Nain and fished some of the waters that looked 1 ke 
promising salmon pools. The doctor started in to fish 
with three flies, which had no sooner touched the water 
than it and the angler alike were troubled. There was 
furious lashing of the surface of the pool, and two or 
three fish at a time up in the a'r, but the commotion 
was short-lived, for the strain was more than the tackle 
could endure, and the ouananiche had broken away, 
taking the angler's flies with them. These fish are in 
xQry great abundatice, not only in the waters of the 
streams round about Nain, but in all of the rivers of 
far northern Labrador. They seem to be even more 
plentiful than salmon are in these cold water streams. 
The doctor tried the single fly on his trout tackle and 
was rewarded with splendid sport among the ouan- 
aniche. Mr. McCormick soon saw that there was no 
use in casting for salmon upon water where the ouan- 
aniche were waiting to seize the fly as soon as t touched 
the surface, and so moved a short distance up stream. 
There he was not long in hooking and killing a salmon 
of nineteen pounds and several grilse. It appears that 
on this coast the small salmon and ounaniche al ke are 
called grilse by the natives and fishermen, and some- 
times the name "slend" is applied to them, which, it 
will be remembered, is also reported by M. de Puyjalon, 
to be that applied by the fishermen on the north shore 
of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the white flesh salmon 
found in some of the rivers of that locality. 
Some sixteen miles above Cartwright, on Sandwich 
Bay, Mr. Duggan, of Philadedlphia. has a summer camp, 
where he was recently visited by Mr. and Mrs. J. B. 
Thomas. This party has enjoyed splendid grilse and 
salmon fishing, their biggest fish of the season having 
weighed 41 pounds. 
Newfoundland Salmon. 
After my experience of a few years ago upon some of 
the Newfoundland salmon rivers, I was naturally aston- 
ished at the surprised tone of a recent writer in an 
English sporting paper, who related some of his own 
sport in the island, adding that the experience com- 
pletely disposed of the prevailing supposition that the 
salmon of Newfoundland would not rise to the fly. This 
is certainly the very first time that I ever heard of 
anybody supposing such an utter lack of gameness on 
the part of Newfoundland salmon. Most sportsmen who 
have fished upon the island will agree with me that in 
no waters do the salmon rise more freely to the fly, 
considering their numbers, than in those of the island 
colony. Is it not probable, as my good friend. Colonel 
Haggard, has already suggested, that the writer to 
whom I have referred, had in his mind an altog.iher 
different fish from the Salvia salar, or salmon of New- 
foundland and Canada, namely the salmon of the Pa- 
c fic coast? The temperature of the water in the New- 
foundland rivers is much lower than that of some of the 
Canadian salmon streams, and it is not, therefore, to be 
wondered at that the fish in the former are less shy 
about taking the fly. 
Killing Salmon at NJght, 
The recent reference in this column to the success of 
night casting for salmon on the Grand Cascapedia, has 
brought me a good deal of correspondence. One ang- 
ling friend directs my attention to the fact that Mr. W. 
P. Campbell recently claimed to have killed two good 
fish at midnight on a Scotch river. The strange part of 
th's angler's experience is that he was not fishing with 
a bright fly, like the silver-graj', or something of that 
kind as they do late in the evening on the Cascapedia, 
but with a large black-dosc. I can qiiiti understand the 
claim that the tackle need not be fine for this night 
fishing, and that the flies must be large to attract the 
