782 
FOREST AND STREAM 
June 21, 1913 
to be shot with gun. Gray squirrels, Sept. iS 
to Dec. I. Gray squirrels, Sept. 15 to Dec. i. 
Not more than five gray squirrels in a day. 
FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. 
Marten, mink, raccoon, fisher and muskrats, 
Nov. I to May i. Muskrat houses not to be 
disturbed. Muskrats: No open season in Grand 
Isle county until Nov. i, 1914. In Addison 
county, except during months of March and 
April. Fox and skunk, Nov. i to May i. 
Beaver, protected at all times. Otter, Nov. i 
to March i. Trappers must have a hunting 
license. Persons may kill noxious animals at 
any time for the protection of their property. 
GAME BIRDS. 
Ruffed grouse (partridges), quail and wood¬ 
cock, Sept. IS to Dec. i. Not more than four 
of any of the above birds in one day, nor 
more than twenty-five woodcock or partridges 
during the open season for same. English 
snipe, plover (other than upland plover) and 
shore birds. Sept. 15 to Dec. i. Wild ducks and 
geese. Sept, i to Jan. i. Not more than twenty 
wild ducks in a day. Not to be hunted with 
torch or boats propelled otherwise than by hand. 
Pheasants or European partridge, upland plover 
and woodduck, no open season. Game birds not 
to be sold for traffic or gain. Eggs of above 
birds not to be taken, destroyed or possessed. 
INSECTIVOROUS OR SONG BIRDS. 
Wild and undomesticated birds, except the 
game birds specified above, are protected at all 
times, and it is unlawful to have in possession 
the plumage of any protected birds. Birds not 
protected are the English sparrow, crow black¬ 
bird, crow, starling, hawk, snow owl, great 
horned owl and kingfisher. All game quadru¬ 
peds and all game birds shall be taken only in 
the day time after sunrise and before sunset. It 
is unlawful to hunt any wild animal, wildfowl 
or bird in this State at any time without first 
procuring a hunting license from a town clerk. 
Fee for residents and certain owners of real 
estate, seventy-five cents. Fee for non-residents, 
$10.50. It is unlawful to take any protected 
game (except fur-bearing animals in the open 
season) by means of a snare, trap or net; to 
expose salt licks or other bait for protected 
game, or for any common carrier to transport 
fish or game in close season. 
The Cowards. 
BY C. BURNHAM MADDOCK. 
“Cowardly! that’s what you are! 
’Tain’t so dark, see, there’s a star! 
An’ right through the trees ahead, 
I can see the sunset’s red!’’ 
“Here, you take the chestnuts quick! 
Look, I’ll take this great big stick. 
Hurry up! it hain’t so far, 
Cowardly! that’s what you are!’’ 
“Hang on to them chestnuts tight! 
Next time, you won’t go alright, 
Careful now, you’ll have a spill! 
What could hurt us on this hill?’’ 
“Such a ’fraid-cat as you be! 
(What’s that black thing ’gainst the tree?) 
O, go on, old poky-slow! 
Cowardly! that’s—O! O! O!’’ 
From Wyoming there comes an estimate that 
in all that State outside the Yellowstone Park 
there are at this time not more than 100 moun¬ 
tain sheep! 
What Kind of a Gun Shall 1 Get. 
BY THE OLD MAROONER. 
Aguan, Spanish Honduras, May 14. —Editor 
Forest and Stream: Gun manufacturers’ cata¬ 
logues generally say that they receive many in¬ 
quiries like the above title, which I would prefer 
to change to “What Kinds of Guns,” and their 
general reply is that it depends upon what you 
want it for, which anyone knows, and then pro¬ 
ceed to recommend their own products, so I will 
give you something more to the point. You must 
first decide upon smokeless or black powder, as 
it requires some work to keep the bore from rust¬ 
ing when used with black powder under condi¬ 
tions of boat, camp and frontier, and a very in¬ 
dustrious man to keep a gun in shooting condi¬ 
tion when using smokeless anywhere. I recom¬ 
mend to those who are not built for steady work 
and don’t buy a gun to increase the amount al¬ 
ready imposed upon them, the old-fashioned 
black powder such as I use myself. Eliminating 
target practice, I will answer for prospective 
hunters and settlers, as there is something in 
knowing before you go to distant wilds to find 
yourself on the ground with a defective outfit 
for its game. 
For those who cannot afford to spend much 
on gun, ammunition and outfit and want a gen¬ 
eral purpose gun to cover as many uses as pos¬ 
sible, a .32 caliber or 8mm. is undoubtedly the 
best. The sights should be white for the great 
semi-dark tropical woods, cloudy days and field 
hunting. For birds, squirrels, lizards, etc., at 
close range use a very light (50 grains) charge 
and a very sharp-pointed hollow slug which may 
be set down upon a light charge (15 grains) of 
black powder. This will not be carrying or 
wasting more of either than is necessary nor 
will it ruin such small game, and you will 
hardly ever need to take a wing shot in the 
tropics. 
For raccoons, bush dogs, guatusos, kinkajous, 
monkeys, etc., use 20 grains of powder and a 
100 grain full-faced cupped bolt. If not set firm 
on powder, fill space with solid wood or sawdust 
to prevent excessive fouling. For monkeys the 
gun should be a repeater, for though you may 
want but one, it takes nearly a dozen bullets 
to settle that one, and he may hang by his tail 
long after he is dead. 
Hunting the active kinds is jolly fun, and 
they are the choicest table dish of the tropics. 
For deer, felines, ant bears, capibaras, manatees, 
porpoises and big fish, us full charge of 40 grains 
and 150 grain slug. This gun would not be 
adapted to tapirs and the great land and sea 
game of the North and Arctics. Its caliber may 
be, but it requires an interchangeable barrel with 
high velocity charges. Alligators and crocodiles 
do not need a bullet at usual ranges and height 
of gun, but I would use a good charge and hold 
gun low. The same of big fish if you can get 
near them. I think an alligator’s ears should be 
below the surface, but have not experimented. 
Hook the critter’s head up on to the boat’s rail 
and give a chop back of it, or he may knock 
you overboard an hour or two later and perhaps 
swallow you. 
Long range guns of the above caliber may 
be obtained very cheaply of the large gun deal¬ 
ers and lightened by cutting down to a sufficient 
length for hunting. They will stand rough 
usage and accidents beyond reach of repair shops 
and last you and your heirs long after a sport¬ 
ing arm is buried and forgotten. I use no others 
when in distant lands as far as practicable. 
If a gun only for water birds is desired, 
which is the only kind required on our Southern 
coasts, a heavy single - .22 breechloader like the 
Winchester single shot, musket model, makes a 
good boat gun. Such a gun is the kind used by 
skin collectors, but it must be made by a reliable 
maker or you can hit nothing at fifty feet. The 
rule is to get near enough to see the bird’s eye 
and fire at his head, which is afterward cut off. 
and the skin having neither shot holes nor blood 
brings a better price. Birds for natural history 
specimens may be shot through the body. BB’s 
and CB’s are the ammunition used which at 
about $2 per thousand should represent the total 
cost of meat to the frontiersman or coast settler 
for every meal in the year. The short cartridge 
is better for fifty yards, costs but $2.67, and you 
need no stronger ones. Where birds occur in 
bunches like whistling hens or flushed coveys as 
at the North, a short 20-gauge is necessary, and 
a full bird gun for economy of ammunition 
would be a combination .22-20-gauge. You may 
say if cylinder-bored, it will take ball or buck¬ 
shot for animals. But you can't change car¬ 
tridges quickly enough for animals as you can 
for birds. A deer gun should be a combination 
for ball and buckshot to take them standing or 
running, as they are most always in com¬ 
pany. 
A full general purpose gun covering all 
points would be a .22-45-20-gauge, but I don’t 
know where you can get one unless you have 
it made to order. The revolver should be .45 
caliber also; then both will take .44 or .45 car¬ 
tridges. Whether shotgun, rifle or combination, 
the barrel and breech work should be of one 
piece, “solid frame” for strength and dura¬ 
bility. 
The explorer on foot cannot carry shotgun 
ammunition, and in Spanish-American countries 
it is very expensive, but he needs a light gun for 
provisions rather than defense. A double rifle 
carrying a .22 bullet and a heavy charge behind 
a .38 or .40 full-faced cupped slug will do all 
the execution he expects, or he may carry some 
solid long bone-smashers for the very large ani¬ 
mals if in their country. The Hudson Bay trap¬ 
pers used to start out with a pound of round 
bullets and half a pound of powder for the sea¬ 
son's provisions, but whether that amount would 
last everyone depends upon the size of the ani¬ 
mals killed. 
I am opposed to repeaters, breechloaders, 
take-downs and tip-ups, yet each has its 
proper sphere. What we really need is an as¬ 
sorted battery to choose from including light and 
heavy guns, single and double muzzleloaders, 
flint-lock and set-gun, according to conditions 
and needs each time that we use one. The old 
kinds are not to be despised. The old natu¬ 
ralists, scouts and our revolutionary liberators 
did their best work with them. They still have 
their place and will do as good work as ever 
if appreciated and not sneered at. 
To the boy who likes a lot of action and 
noise, the little Maynard will give him a chance 
to work its machinery, but to him who will carry 
a shotgun, let me commend a single muzzle- 
loader for' its lightness.' It will not make his 
back ache, but teach the boy and older beginner 
coolness, calmness, care and accuracy. 
