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[Feb. x, 1908. 
A Brief Hunt. 
Everett, N. B., Jan. 16. —Editor Forest and 
Stream: It was Sunday, the 15th of September; 
open season for moose commenced on that date. 
A party of hunters from New York with Whit 
Bishop for driver arrived at my house for din¬ 
ner, and after a pressing invitation I joined the 
party in a twelve mile ride to Riley Brook. Here 
we put up our four horses; here the hunters 
had other conveyances to convey them and their 
baggage to their camp. 
Bishop and I borrowed a canoe from a friend 
and paddled down the river four miles by which 
time it was dark, but we managed to find the 
entrance to the Bogin, where we intended to get 
our moose. It was so dark we could not tell 
where to place ourselves to pass the night, but 
a large fir tree with wide spread boughs, reach¬ 
ing near to the ground, looked good, and here 
we piled down our stuff. First we had a lunch 
which we had brought with us. We made no 
fire, for the night was not cold, and after lunch 
we arranged our bed. I never remember to 
have spent a more comfortable night. It was 
nice and warm and nothing disturbed us, and 
it seemed but a moment we had lain down when 
some noise woke us. We had our heads cov¬ 
ered, when we threw off the clothes and sat 
up in our bed and found it was broad daylight. 
Looking up the Bogin, there clumping, splashing 
along, came a large cow moose, and directly be¬ 
hind her was a very handsome bull. The cow 
came down within about sixty yards when she 
turned square off and went into the woods. The 
bull came along slowly until he reached to where 
the cow' had turned. I whispered to Whit, 
“Fire,” which he did. The bull did not move. 
Whit shot again; the moose did not shift his 
position. I was afraid he had missed, and Whit 
and I fired almost together. Down he fell and 
never kicked. We got into the canoe, paddled 
up to him, towed him ashore, dressed the car¬ 
cass, placed the whole of it into our canoe, drop¬ 
ped over to our sleeping place, washed up and 
had our breakfast. Whit went out to the main 
road where a man had his team in which he 
drove down to my place. I paddled down home, 
reaching there before Bishop. He stopped to 
dinner with me, and taking half the moose with 
him drove down home. Quite an easy moose 
hunt. S. J. Raymond. 
About Guns. 
Editor forest and Stream: 
There seems to be no end of inquiries in the 
sporting papers as to the shooting qualities of 
10, 12 and 16 gauge guns for ducks. I have used 
them all during my sixty years’ shooting. I 
doubt if many of your readers have had the 
varied experiences which these sixty years have 
given me. One of the bitterest was when a 
single pellet of No. 9 shot was deflected from a 
stone wall to the white of my left eye. Agony 
for ten weeks was the result besides a lost eye. 
A dozen years ago I kept two guns for my 
shooting, one a io-bore io-pound 32-inch barrels 
for ducks, and the other a 7-pound 12-bore 28- 
inch barrels for quail, rabbits, etc. These guns 
were as good as the best for the work I used 
them for, but I sold them and sent for two others 
which I knew nothing of except by hearsay. One 
was a big io-bore and the other a light 7-pound 
28-inch 12-bore hammerless. I targeted the guns 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
and was amazed to find that the little gun could 
shoot all day with the big ones before refeiied 
to. This being so 1 concluded I had no use for 
the big gun anyway, so 1 returned it to the fac¬ 
tory and ordered another light one in its place. 
I targeted the gun, and the pattern at 35 y ard ’ 
was 131 No. 4 shot evenly spread over a 24-inch 
circle. 
An old duck hunter came along just then and 
wanted some shells. 1 showed the target to 
him and asked what he thought of that for a 
7-pound gun ? He shook his head and said, All 
right, suppose 1 try mine alongside of it. I 
have never fired mine at a target. Well, he 
made a pattern four feet to the left of mine. It 
is there now and it is the last pattern ever made 
in his hands, for he sold the gun before he got 
home. It was a new io-pound io-bore just from 
New York. After he had made his shot we ex¬ 
amined and compared the performance of# the 
two guns. Mine, as above stated, showed 131 
and the big gun 47. The next day he ordered 
a 12-bore 8-pouiid gun like mine. 
I have' used several 16-bore guns. Some of 
them were good killers, but could not compaie 
with the 10- and 12-bores I have used. For 
quail and other small birds the 16 is good enough 
as to killing qualities and better than either a 10 
or 12 on account of its lightness and comfort in 
handling. I do not claim to “know it all, bin 
I do claim to have had a good bit of costly ex¬ 
perience. I once took up my double hammer 
gun which had not been in my hands for months 
and pulled back the right hammer. Seeing no 
cap on the nipple I pulled the trigger. Loom! 
went the gun. I. never yet killed a man, but 
I came near it then. I found that when I raised 
the hammer the cap had stuck to it and left the 
nipple looking innocent enough, but when the 
hammer fell the cap fell too, and of course the 
gun went off. 
In some cases the word “safe” on a gun is 
a cheat. Most hammerless guns made in this 
country have this safe on them and it blocks the 
triggers only. One safe ought to be better than 
no safe, but two safes are better than one. Each 
firing pin ought to be blocked independently so 
that both barrels cannot possibly be fired by 
pulling one trigger. In years gone by I often 
got a fearful kick when two barrels were un¬ 
loaded by the pull of one trigger because the 
sears were worn. The gun I have ’now never 
plays such pranks. It has two safes and no gun 
'can be too safe. Uncle Dan. 
New York Legislature. 
Mr. Milt.s has introduced a bill for the pro¬ 
tection of the forests, fish and game of the State 
of New York, constituting Chapter 31 of the 
General Laws, to be known as the forest, fish 
and game law; a revision of the existing law. 
It lias been referred to the Committee on Fish¬ 
eries and Game. 
Mr. Hart’s hunting license bill has been 
amended and recommitted. 
Mr. McGratfi has introduced a bill intended 
to protect owners of rowboats on lakes; also a 
bill providing for a close season on trout from 
Sept. 20 to May x, both inclusive; also a bill 
relating to minnow traps. 
Mr. M. Smith has introduced a bill relating to 
a close season for hares and rabbits in Dutchess 
county; also one relating to fishing in winter. 
Sportsmen’s Shows. 
The Motor Boat and Sportsman’s Show will 
be held in Madison Square Garden, New York 
city, commencing Thursday, Feb. 20, and clos¬ 
ing Saturday, March 7. The coming show is 
the fourteenth annual one, and like its predeces¬ 
sors it bristles with many'new features, still re¬ 
taining Hts original favorites. Hunting camps, 
exhibits by far-away railroads through the 
medium of their guides, hunters, fishers and 
trappers, will of course be the main features oi 
the show, and all that is best and latest in prac¬ 
tical motor boats, engines and their accessories, 
will be on view. The seeker after guns, ammu¬ 
nition, fishing tackle and camp outfits will find 
much to interest him in the displays. That 
classic feature of all sportsman’s shows, the 
anglers’ fly-casting tournament, has been re¬ 
tained, and in addition to the regular prizes, sev¬ 
eral special ones will be given. 
Philadelphia will this year have a Sportsman'.' 
Show. It will be held in the big armory of the 
First Regiment at Broad and Callowhill street: 
and will open March 9, lasting one week. I 
is the intention of the managers to have the show 
cover every branch of outdoor sport, and de 
partments will be set off for motor boats, moto 
bicycles, row and sail boats, canoes, guns, fish 
ing tackle, and in fact everything pertaining t< 
all branches of sport. In addition to this then 
will be displays of trophies of the hunting fieh 
in the shape of mounted animals and birds. Ai 
effort will be made to have Pennsylvania make ; 
display of the game birds «nd fishes of the State 
and it is also expected that there will be an ex 
hibition of fish hatching from the State fis! 
hatcheries on the upper Delaware River. I: 
connection with the show the association is plan 
ning a three days’ shoot which will be held 01 
the grounds of the Keystone Shooting League a 
Holmesburg. This shoot is expected to be on 
of the greatest affairs of the kind that has eve 
been held in Pennsylvania. The trophies whic 
will be offered will be attractive. 
Breeding Preserves for California. 
San Francisco, Cal., Jan. 17 . — Editor Fore . 
and Stream: Chief Deputy Charles A. Voge 
sang, of the California Fish and Game Commi: 
sion, who is now on his way to Washington t 
be present at the meeting of the American Breet 
ers’ Association, will on his way back stop ; 
the Illinois State Breeding Preserves at Sprint 
field to get data and information with a view < 
assisting in the establishment of similar pr 
serves in California. He will also visit a gan 
farm in Pennsylvania now under contract to d 
liver a number of Hungarian partridges to tl 
California commission during the coming seaso 
A. P. B. 
A Relic of the Past. 
Washington, D. C., Jan. 8.— Editor Forest at 
Stream: The following was received sever 
years ago by one of my wardens when I w; 
State fish and game commissioner of Vermon 
Death warnt off Orvis Cross the dog Killer 
be ware while upon the sod if my gun £oes off yo 
gon by god. 
This was left near my place for my benefit, so you s 
I have created a little disturbance among them. 
Sentiment has so changed in Vermont th 
I doubt if such a squib would now be receiv' 
by anv warden in the State. 
J. W. Titcomb. 
