July 2, 1910 ] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
13 
When Pat and I returned to the boat we found 
Cutler and Grant there waiting for us. They 
had seen no goats, nor had they even had the 
consolation of stirring up a deer. Grant felt 
sure that we had gone too far up the river. 
Russell Mott, 
[to be concluded.] 
Dove Prospects Good. 
Los Angeles, Cal., June 17 .—Editor Forest 
and Stream: In different parts of the nation, 
widely varying views are expressed regarding 
the gameness of the dove, or the right of the 
wheat, wild hemp, ragweed, doveweed and 
other seeds, the young dove, whether stewed, 
friend, broiled or roasted, leaves little to be de¬ 
sired. 
It might be said that dove shooting here is 
in great measure, the stimulus that has caused 
the general use of small-bore shotguns among 
experts. Nearly every man that buys a smaller 
gun, first tries it on the doves, and the results 
are so satisfactory that another small-bore con¬ 
vert is made right there. From doves to quail, 
and then to ducks, by easy stages, the move¬ 
ment has gone. There is no reason why a 
A Trust in Spring Shooting. 
Osterville, Mass., June 25 . —Editor Forest 
and Stream: Being a subscriber, I have noted 
several articles on “Spring Shooting,” about 
all of which are, I fear, based not on actual 
experience, but mostly, if not all—-as far as 
read—on theories. In this State we are now 
threatened with a perpetual close season on all 
kinds of birds, both sea and land. At this pres¬ 
ent session of our great and General Court, I 
brought before it a bill for an open season on 
four sea fowls, as follows; the brant, whistler, 
A SHEEP MOUNTAIN IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 
Observe sheep trail following crest cf ridge in foreground. 
gunner to make of it a game bird. It is as in¬ 
offensive here as elsewhere; but the relative 
scarcity of watering places, and the great grain 
areas serve to produce conditions that make 
of the dove a decidedly sporting character, and 
to many, our most popular game bird. Great 
numbers are drawn to Southern California 
every favorable year, when there is a good crop 
of grain and weed-seeds. He who locates a 
corner about sundown when doves are whizzing 
past in a steady stream at skyrocket speed is 
apt to forget everything else but the fast fun 
in hand. The dove at such times flies at ter¬ 
rific speed, but with a darting, dodging motion 
similar to that of the green-winged teal duck, 
and every bit as difficult to connect with, al¬ 
though easier to kill. After a month’s diet of 
properly built and loaded twenty-eight gauge 
should not yield the limit of doves with even 
greater pleasure than the twenty-bore, which 
is rapidly becoming the standard for this work. 
Its charge of five-eighths ounce of No. 10 shot 
is effective at longer range than might be sup¬ 
posed. I expect to use a twenty-eight this 
summer myself. 
The quail seem to be breeding freely. Com¬ 
ing down the canyon a few days ago, an old 
hen and sixteen youngsters about as big as 
sparrows broke from cover and buzzed like 
bumblebees up the sides of the rather steep 
ascent. They alighted soon, and were ap¬ 
proached quite easily, seeming only to have 
been startled at my sudden appearance. 
Edwin L. Hedderly. 
coot and sheldrake, said open season to begin 
on September 15 and end on May 20 in each 
year. The above specified birds are food birds 
only and, save the brant, are hardly ever sold 
in the market, as the prices brought are so low 
it hardly pays for the ammunition expended to 
shoot them. They, however, furnish needed' 
food for the table of the poor man, and the 
fishermen and baymen much appreciate them, 
especially at this time when by high prices all 
meats are debarred from their tables. 
The people fought for this open season as 
best they could, but power and influence car¬ 
ried the House against them, although the Sen¬ 
ate was favorable to their bill. The powers as 
arrayed against the common people consist of 
the combined Audubon societies of this com- 
