Dec. i, 1906.I 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
865 
Second, what open season, if any, may be safely 
accorded under proper limitations to the sports¬ 
men at large? To the questions should be added 
another, viz.: What will secure the greatest 
good of the greatest number? To a fair and 
square, practical answering of these three ques¬ 
tions my article was directed, and many intelli¬ 
gent sportsmen conversant with the facts have 
given it their approbation. I regret that I could 
not before send this reply, but this is a busy 
world. Juvenal. 
Novemher 21. 
Concerning Regulating Guns. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
l have been interested in game protection 
for many years, and have done my little share 
in saving a great deal of fur and feather from 
the pot-hunter and law-breaker. Game pro¬ 
tection is certainly succeeding in a great many 
localities, as far as I can- find out, and 1 hope 
that the general law to prevent spring duck 
shooting will be adopted one of these days by 
all of the States. 
I received a few days ago a copy of pro¬ 
ceedings before the Congressional Committee on 
Territories, and I thought that certain parts of 
it would prove interesting reading to those 
who read your paper. In this pamphlet, which 
claims to be a copy of a hearing before the 
Committee on Territories at Washington last 
March, Mr. Shields, president of the League of 
American Sportsmen, appeared and attacked 
the new type of guns—the automatic, espe¬ 
cially the shotgun. 
There are many of us who have been mem¬ 
bers of the League of American Sportsmen 
for a good many years, to whom it seems that 
the president of the organization is running 
away with himself and is trying to drag the 
members after him—that is, judging from the 
little booklet 1 have. 
Mr. Shields was asked why any one particu¬ 
lar arm should be prohibited, and he an¬ 
swered, “I will say in answer to that question 
that, personally, 1 would be glad to see a law 
enacted to prevent the use of any gun on God’s 
earth hunting any wild animal or bird, for at 
least five years to come.” That is game pro¬ 
tection with a vengeance, and it seems to me 
that if we join this gentleman in his fight he 
will lead us to a victory which will relegate 
our guns to the junk pile, and force us to shoot 
at a target in the cellar instead of enjoying 
our annual hunt with dog and gun. 
President Shields was pinned right down by 
this question, asked by Mr. Higgins, the mem¬ 
ber of the Committee from Illinois, later in the 
hearing: “So far as you are concerned per¬ 
sonally you are opposed to the use of any 
sort of a gun for the killing of game?” Mr. 
Shields answered, “I am willing to assent to 
that, and personally I am in favor of it." Mr. 
Higgins asked, “That we prohibit what is 
known as the double-barrel shotgun?” Mr. 
Shields answered, “Yes, sir." 
It seems that my double barrel gun is in 
danger, and it is about time that I protested to 
your paper, which I have read for many years. 
In fact, I cannot see why we should tell any 
man what kind of a gun he must use, provided 
he holds it to his shoulder. 
From what one of the witnesses at that 
hearing stated, 1 believe that Mr. Shields is 
against these guns because it is a business 
proposition with him. He seems to be boom¬ 
ing his magazine, in which he asks everybody 
to send him a dollar to push the good work 
along. Of course, the more dollars he gets the 
better for his magazine. 
Now, it seems to me that all this sentimental 
or commercial talk about protecting -our poor 
game-birds does more harm than good. What 
we need is common sense protection. Let us 
shorten Ihe open season when it is necessary 
and control the sale of game so as to cut out 
the market-hunter all we can, and enforce our 
game laws as we have them. I personally be¬ 
lieve that the hawks and owls kill more feath¬ 
ered game than all the guns in' the world. I 
advise my fellow sportsmen to shoo.t these 
pests whenever they come across them. 
I hear that Mr. Shields did not get his bill 
reported by the Congressional Committee, and 
I am glad the Committee were sensible enough 
to vote down anybody who would do away 
with our shooting, or dictate to us the kind’ of 
a gun we must use—that is, tell us whether it 
shall be muzzleloading or breechloading/self- 
ejecting or automatic. Justice. 
Moose Calling is Exciting. 
Nova Scotia, Nov. 21. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: No doubt you were perfectly prepared 
for the avalanche of protests that would be pre¬ 
cipitated upon you after the publication of Mr. 
James Daly’s "Butchery of the Moose,” Now the 
good Mr. Daly means well and we all sympathize 
with his desire for law and decency, but why did 
he slop over so pitifully? And what kind of a 
country must that be where people ride on the 
backs of bull moose and kill more of them with 
axes than others can with rifles-? No, no, Mr. 
Daly, we will not believe any man who indulges 
in such extravagance of language. Calling bull 
moose in the rutting season is as easy as calling 
home the cows, eh? Only for one who has been 
at it but three years, Mr. Daly. Keep at it and 
you will notice that bringing moose within rifle 
shot by calling will get more difficult every year. 
Seme of us have hunted moose longer than three 
years; in fact a good deal longer, and our ex¬ 
perience (in Maine, and the Maritime Provinces) 
is that, in spite of Mr. Dalv, a man may be very 
proud of himself if he has been able to call a 
bull away from a cow after mating, that is, call 
him within gun shot, for nothing is easier than 
to make him answer. Calling moose is a subtle 
and delicate art and is perfectly sportsmanlike, 
while containing some moments of excitement 
that still-hunting cannot rival. 
Let Mr. Daly come down here and we will 
show him moose that cannot be found feeding in 
the streams after the month of August, that he 
cannot bestride with impunity, and the antlers of 
which adorn the homes of only one sportsman 
in three who seek them, showing that it is not 
easy, but extremely difficult, even for experienced 
hunters, to bag them. Edward Breck. 
California Sportsmen’s Convention. 
On Friday evening, Nov. 9, several hundred 
ladies and gentlemen met in Monterey, Cal., and 
listened to speeches on game and fish protec¬ 
tion, and on the 10th the sixth annual conven¬ 
tion of the California Fish and Game Protective 
Association began its deliberations. Out of the 
85 branches of the organization, whose member¬ 
ship is 272, about 35 were represented by 200 
delegates. So enthusiastic were the delegates that 
in ten minutes $1,000 was raised to send mem¬ 
bers to work for fish, and game protection at the 
Legislature. A well known member writes 
Forest and Stream that in Governor-eject Gillett 
the California sportsmen and their cause have a 
friend, and they feel that in the future their 
efforts will bear fruit. 
President H. T. Payne’s address, and the re¬ 
port of the executive committee were largely 
condemnatory of the administration of the State 
Fish Commission’s office and of its executive 
ae-ent. These were followed bv a discussion in 
which Commissioner Gerber, Lieut.-Gov. Ander¬ 
son, Deouty Commissioner Vogelsang, and mem¬ 
bers of the association took Dart. After six 
hours the committee report was adopted, 117 
to 57. 
H. C. Hall presented a resolution declaring- 
that the right to hunt was being rapidly denied 
the people: that the boys had no chance to learn 
the art of woodcraft or hunting, and that the 
President be asked to consider the devoting of 
lands and streams of this State solely to hunt¬ 
ing and fishing, as in the Yellowstone, Yosemite 
and Big Basin. Referred to the Legislative Com¬ 
mittee and a copy will be sent to President 
Roosevelt. 
The following amendments to the fish and 
game laws were adopted and referred to the 
Leoislative Committee: 
Making the bag limit of wild geese and brant 
twenty-five birds. 
Limiting the taking of surf fish, yellow-fin and 
croaker, which are caught in the surf off southern 
California, to hook and line, and prohibiting the 
sale. 
Closing the season for Wilson snipe from Feb. 
15 to Oct. 1. 
Limiting the open season for doves to the 
month of August. 
The bag limit for ducks was reduced from 50 
to- 25, and their sale prohibited. 
The open season for deer is fixed at from Aug. 
IS to Oct. 15. 
A fine of $10 is proposed for each bird killed 
in violation of law. 
The re-enactment of the shrimp law is urged 
and fixing the close season for shrimps during 
the months of May, June, July and August. 
A closed season is proposed for striped bass 
from Feb. 15 to May 15. 
A hunter’s license is urged. It is proposed 
that all hunters must secure a license, the fee to 
be $1 per year for resident citizens of the State, 
$10 for non-resident citizens, and $25 for aliens. 
It is estimated that this will bring into the State 
a yearly revenue of $50,000. 
In Arkansas. 
Hot Srings, Ark., Nov. 12 .—Editor Forest 
and Stream: The fish have practically quit 
striking in the part of the river we frequent, 
although I hear reports of pretty good luck 
from anglers who have fished recently on 
other parts of the same stream. 
Ducks are still scarce. From all I can learn, 
quail shooting has been fine. Some hunters 
who were near camp with good dogs last week 
must have given the birds a warm time, judg¬ 
ing by the amount of shooting they did. 
Two of us hunted squirrels one morning in 
the heavily wooded bottoms, but every squir¬ 
rel we saw was'on a dead run, and we would 
only get an occasional glimpse of him through 
the undergrowth and foliage, which is still 
dense enough to be a hindrance. We were 
armed with .22 rifles when we should have 
had shotguns instead, but the rifles were de¬ 
cided upon because we wanted to still-hunt, a 
method that would not do at that place. 
Frank Connelly. 
West Virginians Organize. 
At a meeting of sportsmen held in Clarksburg, 
W. Va., Nov. 18, the West Virginia Game and 
Fish Protective Association was organized and 
the following officers chosen: President, Andrew 
Price, Marlinton; Vice-President, W. A. Vance, 
Clarksburg; Deputy Game Warden Merrick, 
Cabell county; John Alexander, Pocahontas 
county; Treasurer. Dr. King, Weston; Secre¬ 
tary, L. C. Crile, Clarksburg. 
The constitution provides for a vice-president 
from each county. A suggestion will be sent to 
the next Legislature recommending a change in 
the season for hunting quail from Nov. 15 to Dec. 
31. They will also recommend a light tax on 
resident hunters for protective purposes. The 
association recommends an increase of salary for 
the State game warden and the appointment of a 
field warden to have jurisdiction over all deputies. 
To Brown Gun Barrels. 
Take i ounce muriate tincture of steel; 1 
ounce spirits of wine; Lt ounce muriate of mer¬ 
cury ; x /\ ounce strong nitric acid ; */g ounce blue 
stone; 1 quart water. Mix well, and allow to 
stand thirty days to amalgamate. After the oil 
or grease has been removed from the barrels by 
lime, the mixture is laid on lightly with a sponge 
every ten hours. It should be scratched off with 
a steel wire brush night and morning until the 
barrels are dark enough; and then the acid is 
destroyed by pouring on the barrels boiling- 
water, and continuing to rub them until nearly 
cool. If the barrels are of laminated steel do 
not dilute the acid so much. 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained from 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
