Nov. 17, 1906.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
775 
All the fish laws of the United States and Can¬ 
ada, revised to date and now in force, are given 
in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
Black Game and Capercailzie in 
British Columbia. 
Vancouver, B. C., Oct. 29.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: At the commencement of the present 
year a subscription list was opened for the im¬ 
portation of black game and capercailzie into 
British Columbia. The experiment having been 
carried out successfully, a short description may 
be of interest to your readers. Forty-six black 
game and thirty capercailzie were purchased in 
Copenhagen through the agency of Mr. G. 
Lindesay of that city. They were shipped by the 
Scandinavian American steamer United States 
from Copenhagen on the 20th of September. On 
arrival at New York they were taken over by 
the American Express Company and forwarded 
to Montreal and thence by the Dominion Express 
Company to Vancouver, where they arrived on 
the 10th of October. 
Only two casualties (one of those due to ac¬ 
cident) occurred en route, leaving 74 birds alive 
out of a possible 76. A percentage of loss which 
I think you will agree is exceptionally small. 
The birds were uncrated and put into pens at 
Stanley Park. On the 12th of October, seven 
blackcock, twelve gray hens, and five cock and 
nine hen capercailzie were taken up and sent to 
Vancouver island. These birds were received by 
Mr. J. Musgrave at Victoria in good condition, 
with exception of one blackcock which had died 
on the way. The black game were divided and 
given their freedom at Duncas on Vancouver 
island and on Saturna island. The capercailzie 
were liberated near Cowichan lake, all birds 
being strong and in good condition. The re¬ 
mainder were held at Vancouver for a few days, 
until the weaker ones gained strength. Unfortu¬ 
nately an epidemic of diarrhea carried off a 
number of them before the nature of the malady 
was discovered. The weather was also extremely 
wet and much against the weak birds. The loss, 
however, was not as large as it might have been. 
Of the black game left, twelve gray hens and 
four blackcock were turned out at Dewdney 
mountain on the north bank of the Fraser river 
near Nicomen, about fifty miles from Vancouver. 
And the remainder of the capercailzie, three 
cocks and five hens, were liberated at Trout lake 
(now called Lake Buntzen) on the north arm 
of Burrard Inlet, about fourteen miles up the 
harbor from Vancouver. All these birds were 
in splendid condition. Our total loss from all 
causes was nineteen birds out of seventy-six, much 
of which was due to the extremely wet weather 
coupled with the malady which broke out among 
the birds. On the whole the experiment can be 
called a great success; all the birds liberated 
were strong and healthy and should thrive if 
they are suited to the country, which we have 
every reason to believe is the case. Great credit 
is due to the officials and employees of the Dom¬ 
inion and American Express Companies for the 
splendid way the birds were handled and the 
condition they arrived in after a trip of so many 
thousand miles. 
My committee desire me to express their 
thanks to all subscribers and to notify them that 
a statement of account will be prepared and 
audited as soon as the accounts and vouchers are 
sent in, when same will be printed and a copy 
sent to each subscriber with a short account of 
the details of the experiment. Among the sub¬ 
scribers from the United States and eastern 
Canada, were the Winchester Repeating Arms 
Co., Union Metallic Cartridge Co., Remington 
Anns Co.. Hunter Arms Co., Phil. P. Beckheart 
& Co., Parker Bros., Dominion Cartridge Co., 
Hamilton Powder Works, and Ely Bros., all of 
which firms subscribed liberally and will be in¬ 
terested to hear of the success of the experiment. 
F. M. Chaldecott, 
Hon. Treas. of Fund for Importation of Game 
Birds into British Columbia. 
[Although from time to time a number of 
capercailzie have been imported and turned loose 
in America, it is not certain that they have se¬ 
cured a foothold anywhere. A number of years 
ago, a few were turned loose in Maine, through 
the efforts of Mr. W. W. Thomas, but were never 
heard of. Long ago, black game were set free in 
Newfoundland, but we believe disappeared. More 
recently some capercailzie were turned out in 
the Algonquin National Park in Canada, were 
seen from time to time and are believed to have 
bred. 
Within the past two years, the Cleveland Cliffs 
Iron Co. has imported a number of capercailzie, 
black game, hazel grouse and Dal Rypa, which 
were turned loose on their island in Lake 
Superior and are apparently doing well. Four 
broods of forty-five capercailzie chicks have been 
seen, and some of these were so young that the 
game keeper caught them, and thus made sure 
of their identity. It is quite certain, in the opin¬ 
ion of the authorities of this company, that there 
are many more birds there than were originally 
turned out. The showing' for the company is 
very encouraging. 
We believe that there is a place in America 
for these splendid exotic grouse and it may be 
hoped that the effort of importing them will be 
thoroughly tried.] 
Butchery of the Moose. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I file a protest against the extermination of the 
noblest animal of North America—the moose. 
I know of no greater medium to carry the pro¬ 
test to those to whom it should interest than the 
Forest and Stream. It is with indignation and 
sorrow that I read only recently in one of your 
issues a detailed description of a moose and deer 
hunt, entitled “Big Game Hunting in New Bruns¬ 
wick,” in which the writer says, (italics mine). 
* * * “The bull ( moose) stood in the ivater 
feeding on lily pads, when Row shot him through 
the heart, etc. * * * We skinned out the head 
and neck and took it to camp.” 
Of one of two deer killed the same day by 
these hunters he says, putting the onus on Row 
again: 
“Row killed this (the second) one by knocking 
out one of its eyes.” I extract from the same 
article the following description of the killing of 
the second bull moose by this same party on the 
same trip, for the reason, that while well written, 
it is very much like the usual experiences that 
I have read in the sporting papers and magazines 
of moose hunting since I was a boy. 
“To call a bull moose airny from a cow in the 
rutting season, requires the highest skill of the 
moose hunter. 
“When we discovered the bull at the head.of 
the lake, heading toward the calling cow, Bersing 
put his horn to his lips and gave one call; the 
bull stopped in his tracks, turned round and 
looked in our direction; another call, accompanied 
by the snapping of a dead twig, turned the bull 
round and headed him toward us; but about 
every thirty seconds we could hear him roar as 
he came toward us: at. a distance of about 150 
yards he appeared in sight, stopped and looked 
in our direction. Standing as he did on the 
shore of the lake, in the early morning sunlight, 
with his head and antlers high in the air, he pre¬ 
sented a magnificant sight. As the distance was 
a long one, and the sun shining in my face, I 
knew it required careful shooting lest the moose 
should escape in the woods, which were but a 
few feet distant. I raised my rifle and fired, 
taking careful aim at his breast; when the gun 
cracked, I saw the blood gush out of his nostrils, 
and the only move he made was to turn around 
and give me a better opportunity. I shot him 
four times in the breast and neck, when he fell 
in his tracks. We photographed him where he 
lay, and found that he had a spread of antlers 
48 inches and 18 points, the finest head that T 
have secured. 
“Our hunting was over; we had killed about all 
the law permitted us to kill of big game, and we 
were satisfied.” 
In another article in one of the November 
magazines, the writer of a descriptive moose 
hunting experience says: 
“The guide informed us that the season was 
rather late for ‘calling’ the moose and that we 
must watch the lakes and moose bogans at night. 
* * * We were not favorably impressed with 
this form of hunting, but decided our guides 
knew best.” * * * “These animals are ex¬ 
ceedingly wary, the sense of smell very acute, and 
they are approached with the greatest difficulty.” 
* * * “The following night Mr.- and 
Henry were rewarded by three moose coming 
to the lake about 2 A. M.” * * * “Did it pay 
to be a hunter, and was this really sport? 
Silently awaiting the approach of a poor dumb 
beast that I might deprive it of a life, as sweet 
to it perhaps, as mine to myself.” 
For nearly thirty years I have spent a part of 
each year in the woods, but up to three years ago 
I never saw a moose either tame or wild. I 
was edified by graphic stories that I had read from 
time to time. These stories sounded to me like 
tales of prowess of mighty hunters. I longed 
for a moose hunt. My deer, antelope, elk and 
buffalo experiences seemed dwarfed in compari¬ 
son. Wild goat and big horn sheep seemed mild. 
I strove for that I had not. The last three years 
I have spent in the “moose country,” and like 
the writer above am “satisfied.” Satisfied of one 
matter particularly, that all I had ever read of 
the sport of hunting the moose was simply in 
the writer’s imagination. The “moose country” 
is far away! hard to reach ! Expensive, and the 
journey takes more time than the average busi¬ 
ness man can allow. Those who go, are anxious 
to bring back an evidence of their veracity. A 
big moose head with enormous antlers is the 
evidence. To those who know little of the habits 
of this animal, the enormity of size of the head 
and antlers fits well with a story of prowess, in¬ 
cluding as it does something like the above in¬ 
teresting description. 
I know I will surprise some of my readers who 
know no more of the habits of the moose now, 
than I did three years ago, and I will not sur¬ 
prise those who have hunted the moose by mak¬ 
ing the statement that there is little or no sport 
in it! 
The moose are great magnificent animals with 
not the same degree of “ferociousness’ as is to 
be found in a little red bull on a Connecticut 
pasture. Hunting western plains cattle on horse¬ 
back would be sport in comparison. After my 
three years’ experience in the “moose country” 
I assert: 
I can kill as many bull moose with an ax or 
revolver as “Row” can with his rifle! 
It is about as much of a trick to “call” a moose 
in the rutting season as to call home the cows 
in the evening! They are so far from being 
“ferocious” and “wary” and “approached with 
the greatest difficulty” that I have ridden on the 
back of a wild bull moose, only recently, in a 
lake at least 500 miles north of the line! That 
is far enough in the “moose country” to presume 
he was not tame or domesticated. 
I have passed within fifty feet of a cow moose 
“feeding on lily pads” when she actually did not 
