590 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Nov. 8, 1913. 
Newfoundland Notes. 
St. Johns, N. F., Oct. 21. —Editor Forest and 
Stream: There are many sportsmen along the 
line hunting caribou, but it is noticeable, that 
there are not as many American hunters this 
fall as usual. Supervisor Pennell, in his last 
report to the Game Commissioner, tells that he 
saw 200 caribou on the reservation, working 
south. 
As the weather during the last two months 
has been balmy and summer-like—and present 
indications are, that it will remain so for some 
time—the herds have not yet begun to migrate 
in large numbers. With plenty caribou re¬ 
ported, ideal weather and few hunters on the 
grounds, it ought to be easy for any sportsman 
to secure good sport and the legal number of 
heads within the next few weeks. 
It will be remembered that some years ago 
the Government imported some moose from 
Canada. Local sportsmen had great hopes that 
these would prove an invaluable addition to our 
big game. They have been reported from time 
to time in Humber county and elsewhere, but 
no very definite information reached the com¬ 
mission. 
Last year a resident in the Gander country 
shot a splendid animal—a stag about four years 
old. Great indignation was felt locally, but the 
culprit gave himself up to justice and swore he 
shot the animal in self-defence, and was let go 
on suspended sentence. The head has been 
mounted and now occupies a prominent position 
in the. meeting chamber of the commission. 
An encouraging report to the effect that 
they have not been all slaughtered, comes from 
Supervisor Pennell. Last week he heard one 
calling on the Reserve, and he is making further 
investigation to find out how many of them are 
really there. 
Bears are reported very plentiful near Bay 
of Islands, several having been seen in that 
neighborhood of late. 
Talking about bears, reminds me of a story 
told by Mr. Dillon Wallace in last night’s 
Herald, which shows the ferocity of the Arctic 
bear when hungry, and which may interest read¬ 
ers who are always on the lookout for authentic 
bear stories. Here is the clipping: 
“Dear Sir—Here is an item of news that E. 
J. Wornell, purser on the Stella Maris, gave 
me at Davis Inlet the other day: 
“On Sept. 25, Jonas Korah, aged 14, an 
Eskimo boy of Hebron, was devoured by a 
white bear at Napartuck, known to the New¬ 
foundland fishermen as Black Duck Bay. In 
company wit George Metcalf and Met¬ 
calf’s son, a youth of 19, young Korah ran 
down in a small boat from Hebron, reaching 
their destination in the evening. George Met¬ 
calf went ashore and put up for the night in 
John Lush’s cabin, while the two boys spread 
seal skins in the boat, undressed, and covering 
themselves with blankets and the boats’s sail, 
slept on the skins. During the night young 
Metcalf was awakened by a huge bear, which 
had climbed aboard the boat and was sniffing 
at the boys. Metcalf in fear lay perfectly quiet. 
The bear left the boat but immediately returned. 
Again it left the boat, to return at once, and 
seizing Korah, who had apparently not awak¬ 
ened, left the boat and took the boy ashore. 
Young Metcalf, immediately the bear had gone, 
sprang into the water on the opposite side of 
the boat, waded ashore, ran to Lush’s cabin and 
roused his father who found the bear feeding 
upon the body of Korah. Metcalf killed the 
animal, which proved to be an exceedingly large 
bear. It was discovered that it had returned to 
the boat evidently in search of young Metcalf, 
but failing to find him, had carried ashore the 
skins upon which the boys had been lying, and a 
pair of skin boots. These were found at the 
side of the remains of the nearly devoured body 
of Korah. The bear, due to the scarcity of seal 
at this season, was evidently famished, and in 
this condition was usually bold. 
“Dillon Wallace.” 
Hunting in California. 
BY GOLDEN GATE. 
In two of the game districts of the State 
duck hunting will be in order commencing Oct. 
1, and two weeks later will be general through¬ 
out California. The outlook is that early sport 
will be excellent, provided cooler weather is ex¬ 
perienced, as many sprig, teal and mallard ducks 
are already to be found wherever there is water. 
Most of these are home-bred birds, although a 
few may now be making their way here from 
the North. A very dry year has been experi¬ 
enced in California, and the web-footed tribe 
is making its home along the bay marshes and 
the few streams that have a flow of water. 
There is no overflowed land as yet, and the 
birds will not scatter until there is a heavy rain. 
That the duck shooting season opens fully 
a month too early is the opinion that is, and 
for many seasons has been, freely expressed by 
many sportsmen. Hot weather is always ex¬ 
perienced in October, and many of the birds that 
are killed spoil before they can be made ready 
for the table, especially when they have to be 
brought any distance. The open season in South¬ 
ern California commences on Oct. 1, and less 
than two weeks prior to that date the hottest 
weather ever recorded in that section was ex¬ 
perienced. The officially reported temperatures 
for one day showed no degrees for San Diego, 
108 for Los Angeles, no for Riverside, in for 
Santa Ana, and even higher for some secluded 
places. One can easily imagine how long ducks 
could be kept after killing when such heat as 
this prevailed. Even in the San Francisco Bay 
region the thermometer mounted toward the cen¬ 
tury mark, but had shooting been allowed this 
fact would not have kept many gunners from 
the marshes. Cool weather commences to make 
itself felt about the first of November, and the 
rainy season often sets in about that time, and 
this date is suggested by thoughtful sportsmen 
as being a proper one for the opening of the 
duck shooting season. 
The epidemic that appeared recently among 
the ducks of Tulare Lake continues unabated, 
and the birds in that section are dying by the 
thousand. Chief Deputy Andy Ferguson, of 
Fresno, has been making an investigation of the 
disease, and the Fish and Game Commission has 
also sent Frank C. Clarke, of the State Univer¬ 
sity, to make a study of the epidemic that seems 
to be making periodical visits to that district. 
Mr. Clarke has had much experience in work 
of this kind, having made an investigation a year 
ago for the commission of the epidemic that 
affected the deer in Trinity county. In case this 
disease is still raging when the shooting season 
opens, something will probably be done to pro¬ 
hibit hunting in that section in order to keep the 
affected birds off the market. 
Ducks are very plentiful in the vicinity of 
Biggs and Gridley where a large acreage is being 
devoted to rice culture this season. The farmers 
are finding them a great nuisance and have re¬ 
sorted to the use of blank cartridges and fire¬ 
works to protect their crops. Applications were 
made to the Fish and Game Commission to per¬ 
mit them to kill ducks out of season, but official 
sanction could not be granted. 
Tulare county sportsmen are reporting that 
many deer in that section are being killed in 
the power ditches that have been constructed by 
the electric power companies. Many of these 
have very steep banks, and the deer that fall 
into them are either drowned or crippled. The 
soldiers in the National Park have secured a 
large amount of venison by killing the crippled 
animals. It is claimed that in the ditches of one 
company more than fifty deer have been drowned 
this season. 
The third annual buck barbecue of the North 
Fork Game Protective Association was held at 
Auburn, Sept. 21, and was attended by many 
sportsmen from the mountain country and other 
invited guests. In addition to the venison din¬ 
ner there was a splendid program of entertain¬ 
ment, and the day was rounded out with a blue 
rock shoot. 
Deputy State Game Commissioner Henry 
Lencioni, who makes his headquarters at Santa 
Rosa, declares that less than half as many deer 
were killed in that section this year, as has been 
the case in former years, and attributes this to 
the fact that the deer are getting scarcer very 
rapidly. The scarcity of deer is also noticeable 
in Mendocino county, and those that are being 
killed are smaller in size than formerly. 
Justice of the Peace Clark Howard, of 
Placerville, recently fined William C. Dietrich 
and William Kennedy, of Sacramento, $50 each 
for killing does in El Dorado county. Two 
others have been fined by this justice for this 
offense earlier in the season. 
Returns are commencing to be received from 
various counties of the State in regard to the 
number of deer killed this season, and it is con¬ 
sidered likely that last season’s record will he 
exceeded. About the usual number have been 
killed in Southern California, but in some sec¬ 
tions, notably in Monterey county, there has been 
an increase. This is not because of any increase 
in the size of the deer herd, but because of the 
extremely dry conditions which forced the deer 
to seek food and water in places where they 
were an easy mark for hunters. 
County Clerk IT P. McBeth, of Quincy, re¬ 
cently received from Mellen Williamson, of Big 
Meadows, an application for a hunting license, 
the application being unique in that Mr. Wil¬ 
liamson is the oldest man in Northern California 
to apply for a hunting license, his age being 
given as eighty-eight years. Doubtless Mr. Wil¬ 
liamson is of the opinion that while there may 
be a bag limit for game, there is no age limit 
for hunters. 
Canada cuts about two million cords of 
pujp wood annually, about half of which is ex¬ 
ported for manufacture in the United States. 
