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J-ane 5 
LETTERS FROi« S'PORTSMEW. 
Bear Shootinq m Minnesota 
Editor Rod and Gus: 
Long Prairie. M«t 26. 
Fellow sportsmen, did yon eTer come across a genuine, veritable 
bear den? and did the den at the time of your discovery contain 
the oivner and maker thereof? Sow I propose to relate a little inci- 
dent of that nature, in which I was an active participant, and in 
which there was plenty of fnn, lots of fur and some fury. 
It occurred late in the hunting season of 1870. and. I may as well 
confess, 1 was green on bear. I had seen several, found any num- 
ber of old dens, but had never as yet obtained a shot; and my great 
ambition at that particular period was to shoot a hear. I, for one, 
hal lost a bear, and was very anxious to find him. Two of my 
neighbors, hunting com;)anions of mine, C. and H. call to my 
mmd many pleasant day’s sport spent in their company, together 
with myself concluded to have one more crack at the v white tads’ 
before we laid our trusty rifles by for the season. The day was a 
pleasant one fer the lateness of the season; that is for this latitude, 
the snow about one foot deep in the woods, and everything loo'sed 
favorable for a got. 1 day’s sport. The deer at this time had left the 
open timber, and taken to the thick poplar brush and heevy wind- 
falls. rendering still-hnnting almost impossible; our only recourse 
then was in driving. One of the party taking a common cow be 1 
would push directly into one of the numerons windfalls, and follow- 
ing any of the fresher tracks would, on starting the deer, allow the 
bell to ring and follow steadily npon the trail of the startled deer. 
The other hnnt ers, hearing the sound of the bell, could tell by it 
the direction the deer was taking, and with fair knowledge of the 
runways and crossings from one pi.int or cover to another, would 
very often succeed in entting the game off and getting a shot. e 
continued driving in this manner until nearly noon, when my com- 
panions succeeded in each getting a shot. I having driven three deer 
directly across their track. They, however, only wennded tlietr 
game: and being only a short distance from home, we omcluded 
to go baek, get our dinner and continue the pursuit in the afternoon. 
When we again started, I took the be 1 and followed directly upon 
the trail of the wounded deer, H. striking off to the left and C. to 
right, and keeping as near as possible parallel with my course, 
at the distance of some three or four hundred yards. I had been 
traveling in this minner for pornaps .some fifteen or twenty minu es 
when I heard a low vhistle from my left, in the direction that H. 
should be. I immediately turned in thai direction, and had only 
moved a few feet when 1 heard the whistle repeated, and then 1 an- 
swered it, and also took the clapper of the bell in my hand and 
stopped tlie sound of that: the instant afteiward 1 came in sight of 
H ., and saw at once that there was "music in the air." Ue seemed 
by his actions to be slightly agitated, in fact he was dancing frantic- 
ally around taking ci.re. however, to light softly each lime, and * ail- 
ing in a .ttage whisper, ‘'Bearl bear! I bear! ! 1" That word ope- 
rated upon my senses 1 ke magic, and I immediately csst my eyes 
into the top of all the old stubs in the immediate v.ciuity expecting 
to see the bear occupying an elevated po»ition. Ob.-erving this ac 
lion on my i>art, H. instantly called out, “No, no. n.>, be is in a 
hole.’’ I at once unstrapped the bell, l.aid it at the root of a small 
tree and proceeded to the scene of action. 
The ground at that imint was slightly descending, and at a place 
comparatively clear of heavy brush there was a mound perhaps 
eight feet long by fonr broad, aud probably two feet high. We 
both approached the mound from the upper side, and U , pointing 
to a small hole, exclaimed, excitedly, "rhare! there! ” At first 1 
could see nothing, bat finally could make ont a black object at the 
bottom aud coul^also hear a law breathing. Onr plan of battle wa- 
aoon formed; 1 was armed with a heavy Spencer carbine, cal bar 
56-inO. while H. carried a light Wesson of only 38-100. I took my 
stand a little hack and to the left of the ho e as a reserve while H 
w 16 to irv and shoot him in the eye; if he succeeded, w* 1 and good: 
if not and the bear essayed battle, then trust to the shot from ttie 
heavv gun a-s he emerged from the hoi*. I confess to a hltle excite- 
ment about this time, while it was manifest from the actions of 11. 
that his nerves were not altogether steady. Old hunters w bo look 
upon this statement with derision will pi. a»e remcmbir that it wae 
our first bear; and alse that it was no "fool of a job" to shoot a 
bear through the head, or in fact, any viul part while the animal 
was in that dark hole, where yon could not diatingnish one part of 
the body from another except for an ir.stsnt, as it would be n.oveil. 
and in consideration of the-e facts will please “draw it mild." 11 
stepped close up to the hol». placed his rifle to bis shoulder and 
watched his chance. He stoo,1 in that manner forpntbablv two sec 
onds. his eye glancing along the barrel, w hen the bear made a slight 
movement and the crack of the rifle instantly followed; a fierce 
growl and low snort from the dea was the only rt-iilt. II was s«on 
peering into the den. and to my anxious query ’ Did you fix him! ” 
returned the answer of "By thunder! there is two of them in there!" 
And in fact so there was. 
The thing by this time was becoming decidedly interesting, tak 
ing hasty sight. H. again pulled trigger, and the report was followed 
as before by a savage gv.wl, and loud snort, but “ lender, clearei, 
deadlier than 'oefore." and now comes the fun of the business, the 
click of the barrel forced into position, just indicated t’nat H. had 
another cartridge in aud was ready for action, when all at once like 
potatoes boiling out of a pot, three bears appeared upon the scene 
of action, and they came not from the hole that II, had discovered, 
wnich was merely a cave in from the top of the den, but from the 
true entrance on the 1 wer side of the monnd, down hill, that hav- 
ing esc.vped ns in our excit' nient. Now. altbou:;h we were mere 
tyros at hunting and shooting bear, we understood very well how to 
handle a rifle, and no sooner had the bears permitted broad daylight 
to shine upon them than two of them dropped within four feel of 
the entrance at the simultaneous crack of our rifles: the oid bear, 
(the occupants of the den were an old she bear and two yearlings. ■ 
now occupied my attention, and 1 was about (lulling trigger on her. 
when H. shouted. “ let her go, she has a bullet through her head." 
Thinks I, old lady, yon travel remarkably well for an animal with a 
ball through iu bead, but never’heless turned my attention to the 
nearest yearling and finished him with another shot. By this t me, 
H., who was frantically endeavoring to shoot the other yearling with 
what he declared to be a bad cartridge, but which I am firmly per- 
su ided W;.s an empty shell -iiii h he had rorgi.lleii to le ;'o- e in Ins 
hurry, changed his m n 1 about t e mor at -hot ibe o d ’near had re 
ceived. and begun yelling to me to shoot her before she escaped. 
She was by this time some sixty or seventy yards distant and run- 
ning like a deer, but a heavy Spencer ball in the shoulder laid her 
out in a hurry. 
And now, hurrah! boy<. “we hive met the enemy and they are 
ours." Three bears in less than a minute wa-ii something to brag 
of. and we felt proud and happy over i . On examiiutiou wc found 
that the shots H . had fired while the an’mal.i were still in the den. 
had takei. effect on the old bear, and one of the yearlings: the ball 
in each instance striking the animal about two inches below the 
eye, and passing down t!. rough the j iw. 
Of onr long hard pull in getting our game ont of thewiiidfill.it 
is hardly worth while to speak, suffice it to say th.-it we got it safe 
home that night and rested content from enr labor. J. 
Grayling in the Missouri 
Fort BfFORii, D. T., May 9. 
Editor Rod and Grx: 
I re-ide on the muddiest and mightiest of riv. rs. the Mis*onri. and 
two miles below the mouth of Yellowstone river In headwaters ol 
both rivers the Grayling. (T Montnna.> is fonnd a» yon know; and 
these headw.tters are several hundred miles beyond here; yet this 
spring I found a fish on the broken ice on the Miss luri, before the ice 
had broken up above the Fort, which I am sure from description of 
the fish in the American Sportsmun. and elsewhere, wa.- the Grayling. 
A few days ago. a soldier caught a fish which he showed to -ome of 
the ofiicers of ihe garri-on. and they decided it was a grayling 1 
did not see the fi-h, but judged from the description of it, thai they 
were right in their decision. It seems a great distance lor a clear 
water fish to stray. There are few streams emptying into the Mi 
souri between here and Fort Benton, Montana, a d'stanee of about 
eight hundred miles by wat-r. and they are muddy end alkaline. Nea- 
Benton the Teton and Marias rivers empty together in the Missouri, 
and t.iey contain near their sources inmi. aud I should think gray- 
ling. I should judge it to be about seven hun.lied miles by water 
I rum here to any clear wate:. w liieh w ould be the habi at of the 
rayling in Ihe Yellowstone, or its trbiitaries. Our fishing here i 
attended with very little sport, and consists in catching silver cat 
fish. Our only bird, except gee-e and ducks, whi' h are not plenty, 
is the sharp-tail grouse, i T /'/.-tsi.i/isffv.- i which will not lie for 
dogs, longer than from August I'lU loOeioberl-t 
I enjoy my pai>er exeee.Iingly in this far off dcstdate place, and I 
think the new name a giKwl and appr ipriaie one. My paper reaches 
me pretty regular’y, notwithstanding that it comes overland in 
winter fi-e hundred miles, and this spring ;t ha- come wet but 
niacl. My last number was lo-t ovirboaial in the bag from Ihe niai. 
wagon, w hilc crossing a swollen ream, and n. niaintd iti .soak for a 
week, when it w -s fished ont and dried with the contents of the 
bag. T. G. T 
Diltmar’s Sporlinq Powder- 
Belmf >ntaise. Ind.» Mat 10 
Editor Rod akd Grx: 
I hjve n«'w te>tt d :he new «p rting p* wdor I' oron^jhlr and em 
$ati«fied lha" it not infer or in strenmh to any oi U*e biack pow 
der. excepfiojj the bos*l grades of iht* bla* k. It iakt*« ju'*i the Fame 
quHnittr t»f nvw powder to sho«»t an ounce of ^hot that it doe^ of 
Hazard da kin?. 
The m iFl -ariFfactory shooting I had on quail la<t winter wis 
with thr e and a quar.er drachms of Haz ir 1 duckir*;: Xo 2. and one 
oance of No. 9 shot, Q>in:; my Pa-kvr jun with paper 
•vhells. I loaded my c-nrirul^’es this sprinj for snipe with the same 
proportion of powder )iiid shot, iisin? the Dittin.r in-trad of the 
Hazard, aod find the re*sult of .xho iiin;; the same, i; ihare is any dif 
fareuce, it is in favor of the Diumar. I may be thoujjht a little vij* 
iouary, but it d« ae «e»*in to me th t it kill> raoie frequently— I mean 
you have fewer crippled birds. It does m.t soil the ?iiii. and there 
is no smoke. Another adv.mta^e the new ]>owder ha* over 
thecld is that it i< no: aff« ted by damp or wet, ?o wo can load a* 
many car’ridscs .i» we want ro and put them away and find them al 
way» in order when vre want t » use them. 
it cannot be a-ed out of any fiask. but the scoop is net much more 
troable, but the best implement of all to load with the new powder 
it ••£r*kine pateat loadvr." which loads ibirij cartridge* at a time 
the cost of the loader is hi^h. heio? thirty doiUra. but any »poru 
man can have one made at a much le.>** coat: mine wuly coat me four 
dollars, and lt»ads twcnty-foar at a time. The new powder doe? ao> 
injiii e the barrels at al), no matter how Ion;,' ma.< be left withoa 
wiping out. JoHX I l*aLllER. 
Close Time- 
Hostox, Mass.. May 23. 
EnrroE Rod axd Grx: 
Mr. Aldrich of Mil'on. in a re^vnt article Rays “a'l laws for wood 
cock that 1 have seen pru^sed are for the benefit of the rich man; for 
instance, a fine is inipos<d for any p*'rs.sn aho^-timr or bavins in hi: 
possession these bir< s. etc. Becau.**** he says the rich man can pay 
the fine without feelins it. while a poor man for lack of lucre must 
go to jail. Therefore he and his class feel trosely insulted, and con 
Rider the laws an onirafe. He then tells ns a story of the dishon 
orable conduct of a mau in Rhodi l^-land. which strikingly illusirate! 
bis point. 
But though I belong to tr.e aame cliss as Mr. Aldrich, in respeci 
of the fact that I cau’i afford to pay ^2.5 a bird for woodcock shoot- 
ing, I cannot a ajn'ee with h‘m. The theory may be right, bni th 
facts do not jus'ify him It is now five year? since the law imposed 
a fine of S25 for each bird killed, hut I am v« tv coniideni there h: 
ni ver been iu Ma^saehl:b»•lls curing that time a case whtre a man 
has been imprisoned for non-payment of fine in breaking the game 
laws. Di-es he know of om , or did he cv^r know of any case, cv 
in Rhode I^land7 Should sneh a case ever have occurred, or a? soon 
as it does occur, it nr 2 ^t be well to limit the time of imprisouiuent 
By the present 'aw it seems to la>t till the fine is paid. 
It has i-ome to be generally aijders:ood in the world that wealth 
gives advantages, a*;d that these advantages can not be got lid of 
by any laws that were evi r devi^ed In order to make the rich and 
the poor feel the penalty alike, the only way would be to make the 
punishment banging. That would be perhaps perfectly impartial 
al) around. Suppose a man is rich enough to pay $o0U for a first 
rate.day'e ehootiog, and is willing to.do it; is williog to pay at the 
ra'e of $25 »*acb fo- twenty bird?. In order to put a st ‘p to this yon 
chatiifc the law and make the penalty imprisonment. The man 
ma-t bo ad mred to bail, and then pays the forfeit. If is a matter 
f dollars and cents any way one puts it. It is to be regretted, too, 
that a spirit of animosity should exist and be so insisted on. From 
persona! knowledi e of the circumstances and coDsiderations un- 
der which the ^ucce5sive laws bare been passed, I know that no 
such class fueling, a? for instance between “gentlemen «port.«meD,'* 
•io-called, and “market shooters" existed in j»ny such way as to af- 
fect the law. Half of the former are for a July law, half for a later 
clo*ve day. and it is the same with the market shots. 
Mr. Aldrich ’s also qui’e mistaken that as a class those who do 
not shoot for the market want to wait till October. This may be 
tise of some, but there are veiyfew* persons in this part of the 
State who have not business occupation!. Their lei^aIc comes 
n summer, and it is then they want amusement. This is 
my own case; October is almost my busiest month; I 
not either a bit afraid of hot weather or hard work; 
bur I know and unless Mr. Aldrich is much less ii tel igcui 
aud obs4TviDg than I know him to be, he also knows that woodcock 
are decreasing, and with yearly increasing r:.pidi!y. Whether the 
dog and ^nn htve notbine to do w ith it, «s he seems lo think, or 
has. is a question I do not think it necessa<y to arjae with him. I 
feel the necessity of increa sing the w^rodcocks' chances by at least 
half, though I know I shal! not gt t so n any birds in a reason as I do 
now. Mr. .Mdrich s oi fonr bird* i.» a certain cover, on ihe 4th of 
Iniy, 1875; 1 doubt whether he rot more than two or throe more 
tha* d’iv twenty year* ago within a ihi d of a mile of that spot in 
covers which extat to-day. A friend of mine, no iK'ttar. if -o good 
hot a- .Vr. Aldn h. killed 21 birvis on the same d.Tv of the year. 
Vfr. .Aldrich is well aloftg in life— can not »*lw»«)t many yeat> longer, 
and so it is nothing to h’m w hether woodcock are exte minated or 
not. For my part. I hop^- r.iy funs aftar me will be able l<» pursue 
'hat particular form ofinnoconl sp<irt wliict lomy mind 1 *^ pt ctlvts 
n the world, and ^hall always ende irur lo do all 1 can for this end. 
W. 
Shells 
Rr.ipr.rwKT, C'osx.. May 29, 
Editor Rod and <tL s: 
Ycur correspondent II., • f Q iincy, 111 . ti-lls a sad ^lo^y about 
paper shelN missing fire. The following «*siracl from ;t b tier dated 
l*orti*moiilh. X. II . -May 19ih. sa>>: “I use ihe (trciitt priineis 
illogeiher now, and no longe:* hay any of Eng’i-li Kiev*? caps or 
primers. I al-<(» iis** the American wh u* pa|K*r -ht IN in^lrad of any 
English p.vpiT shells. 1 am i ow on iiiy sixth hundredth without a 
Xo greater f«vi rcan be done to manufacinri-rs of ammnni- 
tio: s ami sporting materials, than U-r -porl^nien lo inf- rm them of 
ny defects ihvy ma» discover in articles of their manufacture. Th«* 
Co. on Mchilltc Cartridge C<»mp ny I ave been at very gie..l cx; en.*^* 
in getting tip su'tahle maciiinerv to make iwiihali othi r kinds i f 
Hinniunition for breecn-l 'aders; good paper shells as can be 
ftinnd in the market. The difii ulti.s in getting iuitahle materials 
have not been few nor small, and in iho course of toting and in- 
specting, thousand* of paper shells have hien fi.ed, using for that 
purpos«* two gnrs of Scott A* Son* make, not an nvciage of oi e 
-hell in five thoiiMu I that ha.e been^ri-d have mis.*‘-d fire. Ai.d 
the only reasonable explanation of the different results as siatid 
above must be a difference in :l:e guns Both or all ih*- gun* may be 
equmly good, hut there is stiM a difference that must be disiovend 
and pritvided for by the maker? of the shrlN and primers. If 11. 
will take the tTOublc to draw the charge!, >vjthoui removing the pri- 
mers from tbc shelii that failed to expl >de, and .send them to Bridge 
t per express, l.e will confer n favor and be fully compensated 
for the trouble. The object to b** ob'aimd W il possible lo aseerttiin 
wherein the defect lie? for tJic purpose of remedying u ir. fiitii e. 
A. C. H. 
Sportsmen our Benefit- 
Xew' Kixgstox. Pa., May £9. 
Editor Rod axd Grx: 
It ha.* been roy disgust to see that tlurc a e some foreigners, 
namely, i.ords and their attendants with thitn. t > the United States, 
on a hoDiiiig C'Xnedition. rather a slaughter of the American game. 
Mr. Editor and sp' rismeu of Americi, why should we suffer such 
wholesale destruction and slaughter m this? Sportsmen, why 
shonld wc not advance the ideas and caa*e of the Xatior al Spor r- 
inen's .Association, so that we can protect our game of the United 
States, or rather America? Sportsmen, next June is the time to 
advance your idea! and you should carry them to effect. Ido not 
envy those Lord? their vNii to America, but 1 envy the ramethat 
they ir.t. nd to slaogb e ', for the mere salNfacti^m of killing gam : 
for sport, not even fo profit, ueiiher for their hides nor their food, 
for they will cot consume the one fifth part of ihe g;imc that they 
intend to kill, iherefo e. gentlemen, and sportsnii n. why are they 
any more benefit to our couuiry, iban the hide aud tongue hunteis 
of the western plain-. 
Sportsmen, w hy should we not advance a sportsmen's association, 
Xationa), 1 mean, and stop foreigners killing onr most sought after 
game. And more so, destroying the game when it is not fit for food 
nor for their hides. Sportsmen, a {>oiiod of prevention is worth 
a hundred weight of cure. Xow is the time to trample these 
things under our feet and prevent p.rsons from bnntiug ont of 
season. 
I \^i^h that some energetic gentleman would talk the subject be- 
fore the National Convention, on June 8th, and hope that it will 
have some effect for the benefit of onr country's game, so that we 
can limit them lo seasons when to carry on ♦heir whol* s«le slaugh- 
tering of our game and fi^h. G<^i.th men. I suppose that I am tr*ad- 
iug on sonie of our American loi-s, as well as on the foreigners* Uh;?, 
If 1 have, Id them tramp and kee p step, for I would not want to be 
along vith such a set of wholesale slaughterers of game. If thev 
(the foreigners; do have game laws to protect the<r game and fi?b. 
why should we not have proi*-crion; even a? much as to charge a 
person so much a bead or forfeit the game; even if you carry a gun 
or shoot one off. you arc fined and as much as having to deliver up 
of joiir gun. So Sportsmen, let us make game laws so that we can 
govern these men of authority and of higher rank which t heir blood 
makes, not their ability, and make it imprisonment not just pen* 
ally, and al?o let these men of high blood, know that they can not 
kill all the game they please if they can ihie time. More anon 
from Kxviors» 
