Nov. 20, 1909.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
819 
What About the Woodcock? 
At the present time, when in some localities 
the woodcock migration is just over, and in 
others is nearing its close, it seems peculiarly 
appropriate that sportsmen generally should fur¬ 
nish such information as they can on the broad 
question as to whether the woodcock is still 
diminishing in numbers, or is—for whatever 
reason—tending once more to re-establish it¬ 
self. The subject is one of keen interest to all 
upland gunners. A generation or two ago the 
woodcock was unquestionably the favorite game 
bird of the Eastern States, but it has almost 
passed away, and to many of the younger gen¬ 
eration it is an unknown bird. We ask all gun¬ 
ners to reply as fully as they can to the ques¬ 
tions asked below, giving their replies by num¬ 
ber only. 
1. Do woodcock breed in your locality, or do 
you see them only during flight? 
2. If they breed, are they numerous or scarce 
in summer? How many nests have you heard 
of in any one year? Give the year. 
3. If they breed, do the home-bred birds dis¬ 
appear before the flight birds come on, and about 
what time do the home-bred birds disappear? 
4. When does the flight begin? When do 
you see the first of those which you regard as 
flight birds? 
5. How long does the flight last? 
6. When are the flight birds present in great¬ 
est numbers? Give not only date,, but weather 
conditions on which the rush so largely depends. 
7. How late do> you see the birds? 
8. How did the flights of the autumn of 1907, 
1908 and 1909 compare with the flights of the 
three years before 1907? 
9. Please give any views that you may have 
which will throw any light on the problems of 
woodcock breeding and migration, and the ques¬ 
tion of whether they are at the present time in¬ 
creasing or decreasing in numbers. 
3 10. Is the colored man of the South a wood¬ 
cock hunter to an important degree? What are 
his methods of -capture? 
11. Is the open season in most Southern 
States too long considering the scarcity of wood¬ 
cock? 
Does Predominate. 
Utica, N. Y., Nov. 11 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: In connection with the new game law 
permitting two extra weeks of open season for 
bucks, it is interesting to note the preponder¬ 
ance of does which were killed during the regu¬ 
lar season. Here in Utica particularly good 
opportunity was given to observe the propor¬ 
tion of male to female deer shipped out of the 
woods. The greater number of does over bucks 
was observed throughout the season by railroad 
and express men and others. Every train 
brought a lot more does than bucks. The deer 
were in lots from three to a dozen. One train 
brought down sixty-three deer and two small 
bears. The deer were mostly does. I had an 
opportunity to see thirty-three of them before 
they were transferred to other trains; twenty- 
one were does, or about 66 per cent. From 
other lots which I saw, but did not count, and 
•from what the railroad men say, this seems to 
be about the right percentage of the sexes ship¬ 
ped through Utica. 
• This proportion is high in face of the fact 
that hunters prefer to bring out bucks and use 
the does for meat in the woods. Since the 
close season for does only several deer each 
day have been transferred at Utica. It is un¬ 
doubtedly the result of the law, but also be¬ 
cause of the fact that few hunters, compara¬ 
tively, are in the woods. 
Of fifteen does which came under the obser¬ 
vation of a woodsman fourteen were “dry”; 
that is, they had no fawns. E. A. Spears. 
The Canada Buffalo Safe. 
Banff, Can., Nov. 5. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: There is not one particle of truth in 
the statements sent out by the Associated Press 
regarding the burning of the fence round the 
inclosure at Buffalo Park. Not one fence post 
in the whole seventy-three miles of fence was 
burned and not a hoof of the buffalo is at large. 
A large area of country in that vicinity was 
burned by prairie fires, but we had burned with¬ 
in the fire guards round the buffalo inclosure 
and our men were able to head the fire off when 
it came to the fence. We will take additional 
precautions in the spring to avoid any danger 
in the future. 
I might say that we now have about 640 head 
of buffalo in this park and expect to get about 
100 head more from Montana this month. We 
have also fifty head at Elk Island Park and 
fifteen head at Banff; over 700 head in all. Our 
losses last year from natural causes were less' 
than one per cent, and the increase was forty 
per cent, on the cows of breeding age. We ex¬ 
pect next year to have an increase of eighty- 
five per cent., as that is the record of the Banff 
herd for the past ten years. 
It will take a year or two for the Montana 
herd to recover from the hard usage in round¬ 
ing them up and shipping. The buffalo are all 
in prime condition and there is not the slightest 
doubt but that they will succeed here to the 
fullest expectations. 
Howard Douglas, Commissioner. 
A Valuable Setter. 
George Bacon, of Wilmington, Del., a few 
dags ago refused an offer of $200 for his setter 
dog, and is mighty glad that he did so. While 
gunning the other day Mr. Bacon had an at¬ 
tack of vertigo and fell unconscious on the bank 
of the Christiana River close to the water. The 
dog ran to the city and by its actions and bark¬ 
ing attracted the attention of some men, who 
decided to follow the animal. The dog took 
them to where his master was lying, and they 
were none too soon, for the rising tide would 
speedily have drowned Mr. Bacon as he lay un¬ 
conscious.-—Baltimore Sun. 
No Wildfowl in Texas Yef. 
Richmond, Tex., Nov. 7.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: But few geese and ducks are yet to 
be had. The weather is too warm and the lakes 
and bayous have but little water. Ah, me, what 
memories of bygone days crowd in at the 
thought of ducks and geese! T. J. S. 
All the fish laws of the United States and 
Canada, revised to date and now in force, are 
given in the Game Laws in Brief. See ads. 
The Minnesota Deer Season. 
Minneapolis, Minn., Nov. 12.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: Autumn is fast waning and winter 
is laying its grip on the land. The ducks have 
ceased flying save for a flock now and then be¬ 
lated in its trip to Southern climes. The hun¬ 
ters are returning from their excursions and re¬ 
port that there will be very little shooting from 
now on at ducks. Of course that is taking it 
on the average. Some hunters say there is still 
a good chance at getting good shooting, but in 
my opinion the season is well over with. I saw 
several nice flocks winging over some nights ago 
and regretted that I did not have my gun along. 
The trees are bare save for the oaks and cer¬ 
tain other kinds. There has been an unusual 
amount of acorns this year, especially from the 
white or burr oaks. This is a sign of a mild 
winter, says an old hunter acquaintance, and I 
am of the same opinion. The muskrats are put¬ 
ting up fair sized houses, but nothing can be 
told in that line this year. Some old observers 
of wild life and the open say that when the 
’rats build large houses, a mild winter can be 
expected, for the reason that if the water rises 
the ’rats will be safe in the upper stories of the 
abode. I have watched for such occurrences 
many times and have found that there is some 
truth in the assertion. That the animals can 
plan 'ahead in this manner is something that is 
worthy of more than passing thought. Certainly 
they must have some premonition of what is to 
be expected. 
The season for lawfully killing deer and 
moose opened on the tenth. Already local hun¬ 
ters are looking up locations where there will be 
advantage in the getting of big and small game. 
That much more interest than in former years 
will be manifested in the hunting of big game 
in the vicinity of Bermidgi is shown by the 
large number of inquiries which are being re¬ 
ceived by inhabitants of the place from resi¬ 
dents in other parts of Minnesota as to the pros¬ 
pects for good shooting. Reports from the far¬ 
mers in the wooded sections, lumbermen and 
timber cruisers are to the effect that this sec¬ 
tion was never so plentifully supplied with deer 
as at the present time, refuting the prediction 
that the deer had disappeared with the coming 
of the settlers into that country. While this is 
true to cleared communities, yet the wooded sec¬ 
tions are still inhabited by deer in large num¬ 
bers. That good hunting in this district will be 
good is assured. 
There has been some conflict of opinion as 
to whether the law requires all hunters, whether 
hunting in their own counties or elsewhere, to 
procure licenses. The law states in one section 
that the license provision shall not apply to any 
resident of that county. In another section it 
provides that all persons shall procure licenses. 
It is generally believed that no license is re¬ 
quired to hunt in one’s own county. The law 
this season covers the same grounds as last 
year. When the proper license is procured each 
hunter is allowed to kill and ship two deer of 
either sex and one moose, and the moose must 
be a male with antlers. 
Reports from other sections of Minnesota 
show that good sport is to be expected during 
the season. It is to the northern part of the 
State that a majority of the sportsmen flock. 
Robert Page Lincoln. 
