July 17, 1909.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
95 
I voc among the birds. It will take a long 
:ne for them to regain this loss. The cornmis- 
•>n has a big problem before it to better pro- 
:ft these sea birds, but we hope to find some 
vans to prevent the destruction in the future, 
lie storms which we encountered in the Gulf 
>;re the worst I have ever experienced, and it 
^s all we could do to keep our little boat 
lDat -” F. G. G. 
Dove Shooting in California. 
x>s Angeles, Cal., July 8. — Editor Forest and 
ecam: Separated from legal opening of the 
e season by but one week, local sportsmen 
.-e been looking to their guns in the last few 
'S. Whatever one's sentiments against kill- 
i no one of experience can deny that the rapid 
.ht and delicious flavor of the bird are enough 
trank it high in the trigger-knights’ calendar. 
1 must be a field shot of no ordinary ability 
'b can stand at a canyon mouth and average 
1/ per cent, of the fast-flying blue-gray birds 
3. hurtle past, doing easily a mile a minute 
■h hardly appreciable effort. 
popular method is to leave town after busi¬ 
es hours in an automobile for an hour’s shoot- 
1 before dusk. Many take the suburban elec- 
: cars to favored points, 
oves seem to have reared young freely, and 
1 young birds are already well grown. In the 
S Fernando Valley first class sport is in store, 
ove stew, Spanish, is a great favorite with 
‘ returning hunter, and, properly prepared, is 
*tost delicious dish. The addition of Chili 
V>er gives just the required zest. 
'xteen and twenty-bore guns are popular for 
>: shooting and a twenty-eight bore would be 
_r still, for close range is the rule, and shots 
? be selected on any of the flights. The 
IfHess of the arm and compactness of its 
1 mnition are factors in its favor that out- 
f its smaller killing circle. In the wheat 
Ales the services of a good retriever are 
alue, the feathers of the birds harmonizing 
iosely with their environment that one must 
: closely indeed to find them. Small shot, 
: 9 or 10 chilled, in light loads with a fairly 
( powder charge to give velocity, afford the 
y popular combination for the dove hunter’s 
Edwin L. Hedderly. 
Massachusetts Shooting Season. 
Eston, July 10. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
;n sure your Massachusetts readers, and 
L'tless many others, will be glad to be in- 
' ed as to the new deer law which was en- 
1 by the last Legislature and which has 
wed the Governor’s signature. The law re- 
1 Section 17 of Chapter 92 of the revised 
as amended by the acts of 1907, and fur- 
- amended in 1908. 
- the new law the close time on deer, as 
F the old law, extends to November 1, 1910, 
:Vith these provisions: (1) “Provided, that 
sict shall not apply to a tame deer belong- 
■>o any person and kept on his own prem- 
5 and (2) “provided, further, that any 
Lr or other person may pursue, on land 
rd or occupied by him, wound or kill with 
I t gun, but not with a rifle, any deer which 
n prove was found destroying or injuring 
’ ruit tree or any crop, except grass growing 
•■cultivated land; and he may authorize any 
member of his family, or any person employed 
by him to pursue, wound or kill a deer under 
the circumstances above specified.” 
I he person by whom or under whose direc¬ 
tion a deer is wounded or killed is required to 
mail or transmit within twenty-four hours there¬ 
after, a report, in writing, of the facts, to the 
BRANT AT TABUSINTAC. 
commissioners of fisheries and game, stating the 
time and place of the wounding or killing, and 
the kind of tree or crop injured or destroyed 
by the deer. 
The law prohibits the sale of the animal or 
any part thereof but it does not make any pro¬ 
vision for disposing of the carcass. The person 
may use it or give it away, or do what he 
chooses with it, except that he is not allowed 
to sell it or offer it for sale. As regards the 
first proviso the result may not prove disastrous. 
But taking advantage of the privileges allowed 
by the second proviso the owners and occupants 
of the land have lost no time in commencing 
to reap the harvest of venison which is denied 
to the sportsman who is not an owner or occu¬ 
pant of “broad acres.” 
Our fish and game commissioners tell me that 
the number of deer slaughtered up to the pres¬ 
ent time is about fifty. 
The sportsmen of our State have been willing 
that a short open season on deer should be 
allowed. I hey have never opposed any bill pre¬ 
sented by the agriculturists for the payment of 
damages for injuries done to crops by deer. 
The law now on our books for that purpose 
was framed by those who represented the in¬ 
terests of the farmers, and it is “up to them” 
to secure amendments if the law is not satis¬ 
factory. From the sportsman’s standpoint, es¬ 
pecially in view of the wholesale slaughter now 
going on, the deer law of 1909 is far from sat¬ 
isfactory or I am greatly in error. 
The date of opening the season for shoot¬ 
ing “shore, marsh and beach birds” has been 
changed from July 15 to August 1. 
Henry H. Kimball. 
Ruffed Grouse. 
Bennington, Vt., July 3 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: I would like to get in a foreword on 
the condition in this section of the ruffed grouse, 
or my friend, the partridge.” Two years ago 
this month I predicted the scarcity of grouse 
which all gunners realized in the fall, yet at the 
time that I wrote many laughed at my predic¬ 
tion. Now, when the “boys” take down the old 
gun for business next fall, perhaps I may again 
be in a position to say “I told you so.” My pre¬ 
diction is this: Grouse will be plentiful this fall 
not up to the standard of old times, of course, 
but the increase will be surprisingly large. All 
grouse chicks in this section were hatched within 
the last three weeks. I am constantly in the 
woods and while my work keeps me on the 
streams the greater part of the time at this 
season, yet, during the past three weeks—with¬ 
out going out of my way to look for them—I 
have seen seventeen broods of partridges in this 
county, and nearly all of these within a radius 
of twelve miles of the village of Bennington. 
These broods number from eight to fifteen birds 
each, all seemingly healthy chicks. To-day I 
saw four broods of at least ten birds each. They 
are just getting on the wing, and at the call 
from the mother birds they were able to fly 
quickly into the brush and secrete themselves. 
I never get tired watching the cunning maneu¬ 
vers of the mother birds. I saw two old hens 
to-day on perches acting as sentinels. At my 
approach they gave the warning and away went 
the chicks. Then the mothers begin to work 
schemes to lead the intruder away from her 
young. First she will ruffle herself up and make 
a bluff as though she is going to fly right into 
your face. Then she will drop as near you as 
she feels she dares and lead you in the oppo¬ 
site direction from her chicks. I saw one old 
hen to-day fly at a mongrel dog and drive him 
off. She first struck the dog in the face, which 
rather confused the canine, then she circled 
around him and got the dog to follow her. 
Then I came up and drove the dog out of the 
woods. To all lovers of the grouse I say, now 
is the time to study it if you want to see what 
a really game and cunning bird it is. 
I have been much interested in the discussion 
in Forest and Stream in regard to the grouse’s 
enemies. For myself I have long since decided 
in my own mind that its greatest enemy is man 
