Oor. 17, 1903.T 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
The corn stalks were all broken down next to the fence 
for nearly the whole length of the field. The corn was 
hardly ripe enough for roasting ears yet, but it was just 
right for him, the farmer said. 
"I had a sow and eight young pigs this spring," he 
added. "I have the sow and three of the pigs yet; but if 
I had not missed the others and then taken the sow and 
what was left of her family out of this timber, I would 
not have either sow nor pigs now. That bear even fol- 
lowed her down to the barnyard after more pigs. The 
dogs got after him then and he never came back." 
"Why, M'ill he eat pigs?" Ed asked. 
"He would rather eat honey if he could get it; but if 
there is anything he won't eat I don't know what it is." 
"I'll get you that bear," Ed assured him. "I am 
going to hunt hira until I do get him." 
Ed put in the next forenoon up in this timber watch- 
ing the cornfield; but the bear did not call; nor had he 
been there the night before. He may have been hanging 
around when they were talking about him and heard of 
Ed's intention to get him. The boy had taken his .44 
Winchester to hunt tlie bear, and at dinner time the 
farmer sent his boy to bring Ed down to his dinner. 
Then going home Ed exchanged his rifle for his shotgun, 
a boy's 16 gauge gun, but a good one; I had used it the 
year before. Going back into the timber he put in the 
afternoon hunting for squirrels, but found none. The 
game warden is not very busy up there or it would not 
pay Ed to find many just then. He started home about 
an hour before sunset, and had got to within 200 yards 
of the cabin, when, hearing a noise behind hira, he looked 
back and found the bear. 
There was here a large clump of blackberry bushes that 
grew close together, and when passing them Ed had gone 
around them._ The bear had been in among them and 
probably hearing that Ed wanted him was coming now. 
He may have been in there all the afternoon getting the 
blackberries, and that was why he did not want any 
corn. H there was a wild plum or a berry patch in the 
country, that is just where the bear could be found; I 
had forgot to tell Ed so. 
Ed said that the bear seemed to want to come down 
knd play with him ; he was lumbering along after Ed and 
was not over forty yards away. Ed turning around gave 
him both barrels ; then made a dash for the cabin. H he 
hit the bear, and he most likely did, his gun was good 
for at least 70 yards, he would only sting with that bird 
shot. It was lucky that he did not have far to go to 
get home; the bear would not do any playing with him 
now. Ed dashed into the cabin, and, throwing down his 
shotgun, grabbed up his rifle. 
"What is after you now?" his father wanted to know. 
"The bear, sir. He chased me clear to the cabin; 
that is, he did if I have not shot him. I did not stop to 
see." 
"I guess you did not shoot him with a shotgun," his 
father said, and taking up his own rifle he and Ed started 
to hunt the bear some more. 
The animal was not in Sight from the Cabin. Going 
to where Ed had seen him TaSt, they did not find him. 
He had not followed Ed after getting the dose of shot, 
hut had turned back; the tracks led mto the bushes he 
had come out of. Ed was about to plunge in after him, 
but his father stopped him. "If you hit him with any of 
that shot, and I don't see how you could_ have missed 
him, you want to See just where that bear is now before 
you step on hinl. It might be safe to hunt him with a 
ball bat when he is in a good humor ; he is not in one 
now. A good deal of that information you were given 
by Mr. B. about hunting bears with baseball bats was 
meant for boys only; if he were here hunting that bear 
now he would take a gun himself to do the hunting 
with." 
They kept around the outside of the bushes, and got to 
the further side without seeing the bear, then found that 
he had not stopped there at all, but had gone on home. 
Ed looked for blood, but found none. 
"You won't find any," his father said ; " your shot, if 
\ie got any of it, onlj' made him angry; it would not hurt 
him unless he got it in his eyes, and he did not. This 
trail is going straight enough. W'hen you next find him 
you will need a rifle; he won't frot along behind you like 
81 dog next time." 
It was nearly dark now, and the bear would have to be 
let go until to-morrow. Ed got a piece of brush and 
stuck it in the ground where tlaey had stopped following 
the trail; he did not want to lose any time in picking up 
this trail to-morrow. 
Ed and his father slept in the small bunks in the cabin ; 
one was on each side, half way between the door and 
fireplace. The door was fastened at night on the inside 
by a pin pushed in to an auger hole in the end of one of 
the logs. Some time in the night Ed heard from his 
bear again. This time the bear had come to the door, 
and finding that they had him locked out, was pushing 
and clawing away on the outside. Ed went to the door, 
and, after listening a while, shook his father and told him 
that the bear was there again. It was dark in the cabin, 
and outside as well ; there was no moon. They could 
hear the bear still scratching somewhere, but he was not 
at the door. Ed felt around until he had found his and 
his father's rifles; then the pin was taken out quietly and 
the door opened a part of the way while Ed stood ready 
to shoot; but there was no sign of a bear there now. 
They opened the door altogether then, and now the bear 
(it was too dark to see whether it was a bear or a cow) 
or what looked like Ed's bear was out at a place where 
some bread crusts, fish heads and kitchen slops had been 
thrown on the ground; he was pawing them around. 
Ed fired, and the bear was off before he could gJve him 
a second shot. 
"I think I hit him," he said. 
"Yes, and if you keep on hitting him twice a day until 
we start for home in a month from now you may get 
your bear after all." 
"Why. don't you think he was out there now?" 
"Oh, I know he was; but you did not come within a 
mile of him, shooting the way you did. Why did you 
not take your time to it, or else let me shoot him? You 
have only scared him off again; the report of your gun 
was what sent him off." 
At daylight next morning Ed buried out to the slop 
pile. "Come out here, father," he called out, "and see if 
I did not come within a mile of him. He has left a trail 
of blood here, if I did not." _ 
There were several spots of blood and they followed 
to where the bear had lain down and there was more 
blood. 
After breakfast they took up the trail, which led to 
the cornfield and past the corner of it ; he had not stopped 
there to-day. 
The ground so far had been soft and the trail plain, 
but now It led into timber, and here the only trail to be 
seen was of small spots of blood every once in a while. 
After following these for over a mile, they began to 
climb a small hill, having a ravine on the left; and Ed 
was half way up the hill while his father was still near 
the foot, when Ed saw the bear again. Down in the bot- 
tom of the ravine a fallen tree lay with its roots up hill, 
and just as Ed had got opposite the tree the bear stuck 
his head up from behind the trunk near the roots. This 
was where he lived when at home, as they found out 
after the bear had ceased to live anywhere. Had he kept 
his head down he might have escaped again, as Ed was 
not going down there at all, and for some time they had 
been going it blind; they could not find even blood spots 
up here. 
Ed dropped on one knee, then began shooting, and the 
bear now tried to climb up on the log to make a better 
mark for him probably; but every time he tried to climb 
the log he would slip back again. 
Before Mr. had got up to where he could fire, 
Ed's magazine was about empty; it held eleven cartridges, 
and after his father had given the order to cease firing 
only one remained in it, and that one would not have 
been in it a moment later if he had not been told to 
quit firing. 
The bear lay across the log, and was about as near dead 
now as he ever would be until he was cut up. He looked 
to be two or three years old and would weigh about 350 
pounds they thought; he was not very fat, but was just 
right, the farmer said, after he had come to get him. 
Ed's first shot, the one he had fired through the door in 
the night, had gone through the neck near the shoulder, 
going clear through; he had not quite made a sieve of 
him to-day, but had put five balls in him as he lay on the 
log there, one of the balls going into his head. 
"I aimed all of them at his head," he said, "and if I 
fired ten times, and I must have fired that often, where 
are the other five?" 
"In that log, I guess, the most of them," explained 
his father. "But you have done very well. I could not 
do better myself. Only I would not keep blazing away 
after the bear was dead. That shot you put in his head 
was all he needed." 
Ed went over to the farm. The farmer put saddles on 
two horses and they rode them over and brought in the 
bear, leaving the most of it with the farmer to pay him 
for the pigs and corn the bear had eaten, Ed said. 
"We are square now," said the farmer. "I would as 
soon have him to eat as the pigs." Ed claimed the skin, 
and since then has had it tanned. 
They put in the whole six weeks here, not going any 
higher up the river. The cabin made a first rate camp, 
and they did not want to leave it. Ed kept up the hunt 
for bears, but found no more of them. 
A good part of the time was put in fishing. I had fished 
about there on the river but could catch nothing but cat- 
fish, which are there yet, it seems, but they got suckers 
and one large sturgeon as well. Ed got him, of course. 
He sends me an invitation to camp with them next year 
and hunt bears with a ball bat. May be I will. 
Cabia Blanco. 
Down in Maine. 
Bangor, Me., Oct. 10. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
The past week has been one of a good deal of interest 
to those who watch the game shipments, since it was 
looked to, in a measure, to indicate the actual attitude 
of the non-residents toward the new law. Still, it is 
yet too early to tell with definiteness the actual deter- 
rent effect it will have; but indications are that the fall- 
ing off from previous seasons will be considerable. 
The shipments of deer through this city to date are 
largely to points within the State, although the last few 
days have shown an increase in the percentage of deer 
shipped to non-residents. 
In this connection an interestig point came up with 
the wardens on duty at the Maine Central Station here 
this week. A sportsman from another State killed his 
two deer, but not wishing to ship both to his home, 
shipped but one, and sent the head of the other, under 
a taxidermist's tag, to the taxidermist who was to 
mount it. He then started for home with the feet and 
some other unimportant parts of his second deer in 
his hands, in a bundle. The latter being plainly open 
to view was, of course, clearly within the law. Still, 
as he had not expressed his second deer, the second 
set of coupons was still attached to his license, un- 
cancelled, and if he so desired, he might readily come 
into the State later and kill and ship out a second deer, 
or rather a third. The wardens finally decided that the 
coupons must be detached from his license, and the 
proper one attached to the parts which he carried of 
his second deer, that there might be a proper record 
at Augusta of the number of deer killed, and to prevent 
abuse of the license. As the rules provide that the 
coupons must be detached by the express agent at 
whose office or station the game is shipped, this con- 
tingency evidently never occurred to the framers of the 
rules. 
The astonishing record for bears, of which mention 
was made last week, continues to hold gopd, and still 
more members of the numerous bruin family are com- 
ing in, almost an average of one a day since the open- 
ing of the season. J. N. Barnes, of this cit3^ left the 
other day for a hunting trip at Amherst, a town about 
35 miles "from this city, and within an hour of his ar- 
rival at that place had shot a bear, and the following 
morning the stage brought it in to be converted into 
a rug. 
While, of course, the moose season does not open 
until Thursday of next week, and no moose heads can 
ht shipped from Maine territory before then, the 
sportsmen who are in simply for deer, are finding them 
in abundance, even more numerous than most of them 
would have believed possible. S. L. Preble, of Watcr- 
ville, who was at Pickerel Pond, a few miles out of 
Oldtown, with two friends from the same city, saw 
one day ten deer, which is the largest number, he 
says, that he ever saw in one day, practically together, 
in open season. 
One jolly party of residents has just returned home 
after a most enjoyable and successful deer hunt at 
Askwith, some 20 miles west of Greenville, on the 
line of the Canadian Pacific Railway. In the party 
were E. T. Wyman, A. F. Drummond. Robert H. 
Stobie, J. H. Bennett, J. A. Davison, W. A. Hagcr, 
S. A. Green, E. S. Jepson and M. J. Roderick, of 
Waterville, and their express bills called for two deer 
apiece for all but Hager, Green, Jepson and Roderick, 
who had but one each. 
Landlord J. N. Berry, of the Lakewood Hotel, at 
Lakewood, N. J., who has been at Moosehead Lake 
for an outing, took out two deer as his share of 
Maine-raised venison for this year. 
F. S. Snyder, owner of Camp Caribou, on Williams 
stream, a tributary of Moosehead Lake, who has been 
entertaining a party of friends there for the early 
hunting, sent home three bears the other day, and his 
brother, J. S. Snyder, has his full complement of deer. 
F, H. Hayes, B. L. Call, W. L. Fay, of Dexter, and 
R. A. Kimball, of Bangor, who have been at Houston 
Pond, three miles from Katahdin Iron Works, have 
returned home with one deer apiece to their credit. 
C. E. Brett and J. A. Thurlow, of South Paris, passed 
through this city this week on their return from a stay 
at Molunkus Lake, reached via Mattawamkeag, with 
two bucks and two does. 
Rt. Rev. Wm. H. O'Connell, of Portland, Bishop of 
M aine for the Catholic Church, and his secretary. Rev. 
C. W; Collins, came near losing their deer a day or 
two since. They had been on an official visit to Winn 
ana were taking home two nice deer. Having occa- 
sion to stop off at Oldtown, they let their deer go 
ahead of them, and the wardens seized the game, as 
it was not accompanied, the law providing that resi- 
dents must accompany their game to its destination. 
As the weather has been too warm for real safe trans- 
portation of venison ever since October came in, the 
two deer must have been sold to keep it from spoiling, 
had not the reverend gentlemen put in an appearance 
that afternoon and claimed it. 
Vvard Campbell and R. M. Barker, of Newark, N. 
J., have been on a trip to the Grant Farm, beyond 
Roach . River, and secured a handsome buck apiece. 
R. G. Miller, of New York City, who went to 
Nesowadnehunk Lake for his hunting trip, has sent to 
a taxidermist in this city two fine deer heads, and 
doubtless will add a moose to his record as soon as the 
law permits him to shoot one. 
A Bangor taxidermist thinks that two Cambridge, 
Mass., sportsmen ought to be satisfied with their trip 
into New Brunswick, proof of which was in the shape 
of specimens sent here for mounting. The men in 
question are Francis T. Colby and P. Oakes, and they 
shot a bear, two caribou and a moose. 
Herbert W. Rowe. 
In New England. 
Boston, Oct. 10. — Editor Forest and Stream: It is too 
early yet to say much about the success of our gunners, 
or what sort of a season v.'e are to have for shooting 
upland birds this year. Dr. C. F. Berry, of Boston, writes 
that he went out once for quail without securing any 
birds. He says he "never saw a fall when the trees had 
changed so little by October i. They are just as green 
and as thick with leaves as they were two months ago. 
Birds are therefore well protected, and you might walk 
over a quail and not know it." 
He also reports that talking with several sportsmen he 
learned that a few partridges had been killed in Dover, 
and a good many quail have .been seen in Medford. He 
also heard of a pheasant or two in Needham. He will 
start to-day for a week of bird shooting in New Hamp- 
shire. Mr. Charles Fowie, a taxidermist living in Bur- 
lington, reported to-day that he has seen several gun- 
ners in his section, especially on Sunday. He says he 
has seen a brood of seven young pheasants several times 
in one of the neighboring towns this s^eason, and he ex- 
pects to hear that they have been shot. Mr. George F. 
Gaines, president of the Klondike Gun Club, of Rock- 
land, Mass., writes that sportsmen in his vicinity have 
not secured many birds, and some of them are of the 
opinion that the great amount of rain that fell during the 
spring months was disastrous to the young birds His 
club, he says, has put out a large number of while rab- 
bits, and would be glad if a law could be passed to pro- 
tect them. The members have a club house on one of the 
large ponds in the town of Hanson. 
Your readers Avill be pleased to learn that the two 
Fall River men who handled the consignment of short 
lobsters from Boston, of which I wrote in my last letter, 
have been convicted and fined. 
Shore birds thus far have been in small supply in the 
Boston market and most of the gunners report light 
bags, but the easterly storm now raging with great 
severity along our coast will undoubtedly drive in a grcft 
number of birds, to the delight of the hunters. In con- 
versation with Vice-President Wiggin, of the State 
Association, last evening, I was surprised to learn from 
him that last year 100 deer were killed in his native town. 
Sandwich, N. H. In the town of Canaan, only 17 miles 
from the seat of Dartmouth College, three deer were 
killed the first week of the open season this year. A fine 
hunting region is easily reached frc;m Littleton, and it is 
reported that sportsmen are revelling in the condition 
now existing in that section. Almost .daily someone re- 
turns with deer, bear or other game. 
Two Littleton sportsmen recently killed two 300-pound 
deer at Nash Stream. Mr. Daniel Glincs saw three bears 
near his house in Landaff, and succeeded in capturing 
one of them. Similar reports come from Crlcbrook anti 
from the camps at Connecticut Lake. 
One may go into any part of the three northern coun- 
ties of New Hampshire, and by going a few miles from 
the centers of population into the forests, return well 
laden with spoils. 
Vermont, too, is making a bid for sportsmen, and (here 
are- several counties in that State where farmers and 
travelers have seen herds of deer alonp the highways 
