C 14 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[Oct. i 6, 19c 
riving there at 1 .'30 o’clock. We were met at 
the landing by the superintendent, who asked 
each one what he would like to do during the 
afternoon. It was like a wonderful dream to 
hear him say, “Would you like to take the 
hounds out and kill a deer, walk the rice fields 
to kill English snipe, try the quail, shoot a wild 
hog or go to the blinds for wild turkey?” That 
day I chose the turkey killing and soon was in 
a cart behind a mule on my way to one of the 
baited blinds. We drove about two miles 
through the pine woods until we came to the 
edge of a swamp, near which the blind was, 
and my guide deposited me in the thickest and 
most impenetrable blind I ever saw. As I sat 
on a wooden box, I was cautioned to keep a 
sharp lookout for the shy and elusive turkey 
through a tunnel-like opening level with my 
eyes about four inches in diameter and two feet 
long. He explained to me that the narrow strip 
of ground visible through this hole was baited 
with rice and that the birds would suddenly 
appear to me without any warning. His part¬ 
ing injunction was, “T’row ’em. When dey 
come, t’row ’em.” I found out afterward that 
this is the negro’s expression in that country 
for kill them, or shoot them. 
Percy had warned me that it might be a weary 
wait and a fruitless one, for he had tried it sev¬ 
eral times and never had the luck to get one, 
and he insisted on my taking a book from the 
club library to while away the time, cautioning 
me not to smoke. I settled myself comfort¬ 
ably and began to read, glancing up as I turned 
each page to see if my longed for visitors had 
arrived. I had scarcely read ten pages when 
I looked up and saw seven of my callers arrive. 
Through my little tunnel they seemed to be al¬ 
most unreal as they came tripping into view so 
silently, and I have never seen a more beautiful 
sight. I picked out two that seemed to be 
larger than the rest and put my hand on my 
gun. I am pretty quick in my movements, but 
in the fraction of a second it took me to get on 
my feet those birds were six feet off the ground. 
I dropped one that I had picked out with the 
right barrel, and the other had flown as high 
as the top of a tall pine tree when he ran into 
my left barrel and came tumbling down stone 
dead. I have never seen any birds that could 
jump so high and so quickly get in full flight. 
There is a suspicion in my mind that that is 
the reason there are so many fruitless trips 
made to the blinds. I reloaded my gun, crawled 
out of the blind and went to view my game. 
They were both fine large gobblers and the most 
beautiful birds I have ever seen. My guide 
came running up and nearly went into hysterics 
with delight, crying continually, “Lordy, two 
gobblers, two gobblers.” I looked at my watch 
and calculated that I had been in the blind only 
fourteen minutes. We put our game in the 
cart and drove back to the club house. Our 
return was so prompt that the others thought 
my patience had given out, but when I held up 
my two gobblers there was a scene of great joy. 
The next morning we shot near the inlet in 
a territory on the other side of the Santee from 
where we had been the day before, and in the 
afternoon walked the rice fields for English 
snipe, making quite a respectable bag, although 
the birds were not lying close enough to afford 
us a fair chance. The following day being a 
rest day we decided to have a deer drive, and 
at 10 o’clock we all got in a big wagon drawn 
by mules and set out for the woods. The 
colored huntsman, Paul, followed with a pack 
of hounds that were remarkable chiefly for the 
many varieties of dog included therein, and we 
were soon posted in stands in the open woods 
between two long narrow swamps. Paul and 
his motley crew of dogs started in at the edge 
of one swamp and soon had several deer on the 
run toward us. A fine big buck came break¬ 
ing his way through the thicket straight toward 
me and appeared in full view not forty yards 
away. At first I hesitated to fire, as he had 
no horns, but as he turned upon seeing me I 
saw he was a buck and fired. He fell and 
scarcely moved. While bleeding him two of 
the hounds broke through on his trail and two 
or three of my fellow hunters rushed up and 
again I was congratulated for my luck. 
We had luncheon served under the trees and 
it was a beautiful sight, the table set with white 
damask, the dogs lying around with eyes upon 
every mouthful of food that disappeared down 
our throats, and the sun shining through the 
pine trees. After luncheon we drove two other 
swamps, starting several does, but no one got 
a shot at a buck. Edwin Main Post, 
[to be concluded.] 
Game in' North Carolina. 
Raieigh, N. C, Oct. 6. —Editor Forest and 
Stream: Letters sent out to the wardens de¬ 
siring information as to game in their coun¬ 
ties, bring such replies that Secretary Pear¬ 
son, of the Audubon Society, believes there 
is a much larger crop of quail this year than 
last, ten birds where there was one a year 
ago. There never was a more unfavorable 
year for quail in North Carolina than that of 
1908, when floods swept the State, drowning 
nearly all young birds. The chief complaint 
of scarcity during the present year comes 
from the mountain valleys, where high water 
during May and June and part of July flooded 
the nests and drowned the young in a good 
many cases. This has been a wet year, but 
the heaviest rainfall was in the mountain 
region. 
The work of the Audubon Society is pro¬ 
gressing splendidly in the counties under 
State control. On the first of May Mr. Pear¬ 
son was forced to withdraw about thirty war¬ 
dens on account of legislation enacted this 
year, which cut out a number of counties, and 
the majority of the counties so cut out now 
have no warden protection. It was very 
freely said at the time the Legislature enacted 
these laws, taking counties from the protec¬ 
tion of the Audubon law, that the real pur¬ 
pose was to have no law at all. There was a 
pretense that the county commissioners would 
appoint wardens and protect the game; but 
in almost every case the commissioners knew 
little about game protection and cared less. 
The Audubon Society is receiving many com¬ 
plaints from people in these excepted counties, 
but is unable to do anything for them. The 
results in the two sets of counties will furnish 
a striking parallel to those interested in the 
subject. 
The ex-warden for Carteret county, sta¬ 
tioned at Beaufort, says that after he was re¬ 
moved on May 1, the county commissioners 
showed no interest in appointing a war 
and so, there being no one to look aft. 
large colony of herons, near Marshallb: ; 
many of the birds were killed. 
The deer hunters are having good sporj 
the counties of Carteret, Jones, etc., where! 
swamps are numerous. 
Wake county now has the best game 
in the State. No shooting of any kind is 1 
mitted between March 1 and Nov. 1, and ij 
ing a gun in the woods or fields is pn 
facie evidence that the law is being violai 
Farmers like this law immensely. It wasr 
tended for general protection, and was 1 
rected at the cotton mill operatives, who; 
out any time in the year and shoot anyth 
they see. As- a result, game is abundi 
People are quick to inform on violators. 
Fred A. Oli 
Ducks in South California. 
Los Angeles, Cal., Oct. 2.— Editor Forest 1 
Stream: Many new clubs have been organ; 
this summer in Orange county, which is rapl 
becoming the foremost duck shooting coil 
in California. All the best land is taken up, u 
ranches nearby are being put under wateii 
many instances. Some of these are small r 
ganizations with proportionately large mem 1 
ship, which is apt to injure the sport by ci 
tributing unduly to the almost incessant b;g 
ing without adding materially to the expans: 
marsh. 
A recently passed law, making it a mie 
meanor to shoot at ducks from any power h 
while in motion will work a hardship upon ml; 
non-club members who have managed to s 
birds in this manner heretofore, but is agn 
thing, as it prevents the sleeping rafts of bl 
from being disturbed on their only refuge, i 
broad, calm ocean, without which they probil; 
would not remain in the country a week. 
Quail still are numerous. Generally they’; 
come scarce about the day the season op s 
They bred well this season, and the young hi 
made excellent growth; a troop of them !:: 
on the hillsides above my house, and cann 
seen every day; it is impossible to distingil 
the old birds now, although I have approacc 
within fifty feet of them. Dove hunters mo; 
have quit for the season, although some of < 
flights are good for the limit yet, and the bis 
are in the best of condition just now. 
This is a well-populated section, but g;t 
of all sorts is surprisingly plentiful, and a v 
days ago my neighbor Cummings, who Its 
on the hill-crest just north, telephoned meo 
bring a rifle and thin out the deer herd that s 
invading his kitchen garden. Two bucks i 
two does with a yearling, were reported. Ty 
did not show much fear, and had there bee a 
rifle in the house, perhaps my neighbor wed 
have shot first and telephoned after. I did 1 
happen to be at home, and would not have si 
them, probably, if I had. 
Quail and doves are to be seen every me ■ 
ing within a hundred yards; I recently kid 
four rabbits in half an hour’s walk in the e;V 
morning, two within 150 yards of the fr-t 
door. Some nights quite a dove-flight tas 
place over the backyard,- but always when e 
gun is upstairs. 
Edwin L. Hedderl 
