978 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[Dec. 17, 1910. 
’Possum a la Carolina. 
Linvii.le Falls, N. C., Dec. 10 . —Editor Forest 
and Stream: The bear hunting season in the 
Blue Ridge is near its end, though the boss 
hunter here, John Wiseman, thinks he knows 
where to get one more in a few days. The 
prize for persistency belongs to A. B. Carter, 
of Indianapolis, Ind., who spent three weeks 
here in the determination to get a bear. In 
company with the Wiseman and Wise boys, he 
followed their hounds about every other day, 
sometimes three days at a time. The weather 
was so dry the dogs could not hold the trail 
well, though they had several races, seeing a 
bear each time, but not being able to dispatch 
him. At last, when there had been a little rain 
a good specimen was killed down at the foot 
of Linville Mountain, about half a mile from 
Avery Station, on the C, C. & O. Railway. It 
had been chased almost the entire length of Lin¬ 
ville Mountain and ran several miles and showed 
as much fight as a bear ever does after it had 
been shot in the head with a .44 caliber rifle at 
not more than 150 yards. The toughness of the 
bear’s skull may be understood from the fact 
that this shot struck just below and to the out¬ 
side of an eye, followed the skull around under 
the skin and came out behind the ear. When 
hit, the bear fell as if dead, and the man who 
put the shot in started for him, thinking it the 
end, and not prepared for another shot. Before 
he could reach the animal it sprang up and 
darted into the brush, apparently as good as 
ever. It was finally overtaken by the dogs and 
given such a hot battle that another hunter came 
up and finished it, so Mr. Carter had his bear 
at last. 
The same day another and larger black bear 
weighing 156 pounds the day after killing, with 
its entrails removed, was surprised in its den 
and quickly killed by another party, headed by 
Mitch Burleson, also on Linville Mountain, in 
the canon of Linville River. 
An old hunter sends this recipe for cooking 
a ’possum: “Singe the hair off the ’possum in 
hot wood ashes, because its skin is a delicacy 
and must not be scalded; then parboil him. This 
takes a certain strength away, and makes him 
more tender. Then put him in a pan, with a 
good deal of butter, pepper and salt and a little 
brown flour, leaving the head and tail on. Cut 
little slits along the ribs and haunches and fill 
them with red pepper pods. Baste him with 
gravy while browning, cook sweet potatoes 
around him and then serve him smoking hot, 
though some, to be sure, prefer him cold, like 
roast pork. You must have dodgers very brown 
and very crisp, persimmon pickles, chowchow 
and tomato ketchup, and lastly, pumpkin pie and 
a second cup of coffee. Then a darkey and a 
banjo and a mint julep and be happy.” 
The ’possum crop has been very good here 
this fall and many a fat one has been taken, 
likewise a number of ’coons. One ’possum was 
shot by the light of a lantern with a revolver 
just as he had finished killing a rooster which 
he had selected for his own supper. 
Visitors to this locality next summer will not 
see the ruinous effects of forest fires, as they 
did last summer, for the late fall prevented the 
leaves from getting into condition to burn readi¬ 
ly, and the few little fires started have not 
amounted to anything. One night last week, 
when the wind was very high, some wretch set 
a string of fire on Linville Mountain in a half 
circle around the home of a settler he wanted 
to punish, and if it had not been for the damp¬ 
ness of the leaves, would have been successful. 
As it was, the slow burning fire was discovered 
and put out. 
The old-fashioned shooting match has been 
much in vogue hereabouts this fall, the weapons 
used being the old-time muzzleloading deer rifle, 
or “hog rifle,” as the mountaineers call it, with 
a barrel often forty inches long or a bit longer. 
They have curious ways of shooting at a target, 
of allowing for the variations of the sights or 
the peculiarities of the gun. Having practiced 
until they know what the gun will do, how much 
the sights are off, they shoot at a target made 
of a piece of paper with a hole in it, pinned to 
a dark board. The real target, however, is a 
crossed line, which is covered by the paper, so 
the shooter does not see it. Fie has arranged 
it so that when he shoots at the hole in the 
paper he expects to hit the cross and many 
times he does. The shooting is at forty yards 
with a dead rest. Usually it is for a beef, 
divided into five choices, first choice taking one- 
quarter and so on, the fifth choice getting the 
hide and tallow. The entrance is twelve and 
one-half cents a “shoot,” as they say, and every 
man is expected to take at least eight “shoots.” 
Each man shoots at a separate target arranged 
by himself. Frank W. Bicknell. 
Connecticut Game Birds Scarce. 
New York City, Dec. 5 . —Editor Forest and 
Stream: During October and November last I 
spent nearly every week end on our Connecticut 
farm in the central part of the State. In some 
twenty-two years’ experience I never saw so 
little game as this year. 
Last year when the season closed, I knew of 
a few ruffed grouse, perhaps a dozen all told, 
and one bevy of quail which survived. This 
year in the same covers there are not half that 
number, and yet few were shot. Personally 
after killing one grouse I spared the remaining 
few that flushed. In spite of the fact that I 
possess a fine dog, I did not see a single quail 
and only ten woodcock of which I shot seven. 
Two years ago some fifty pairs of Hungarian 
partridges were liberated in our vicinity. None 
was seen by any hunter this year, so I presume 
they have drifted South. 
The deer have slowly increased in numbers 
in spite of the fact that some have been killed. 
The advent of the motor boat has ruined the 
Connecticut River as a resort for ducks, and 
very few any longer stop with us. 
In my opinion a two years closed season on 
every sort of game is the only thing which will 
prevent the absolute extermination of the small 
remaining breeding stock, and I for one would 
far rather never kill another grouse or quail 
than witness their extinction. 
In former years only well grown trees were 
cut for fire wood and lumber. Now whole hill¬ 
sides are denuded of forest and then ravaged 
by fire. In consequence the refuges for game 
have become fewer and fewer, and the attention 
of the hunters is concentrated upon smaller 
areas. Breeding farms and game refuges may 
help in the future, but for the present at least 
the destruction should stop. Joseph E. Bulkley. 
Massachusetts Game. 
Boston, Mass., Dec. 10. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Protests against the killing and wound¬ 
ing of deer in this State are still coming in. The 
latest from a woman well known in Lynn, who 
speaks of the sufferings of those that were 
wounded and escaped to the woods there to lin¬ 
ger perhaps for days. She incloses a clipping 
from a local paper which declares that the Legis¬ 
lature should change the present law. Its con¬ 
clusion is that “if the State is to continue to pro¬ 
tect deer, there should be a roundup and an 
enumeration and an official slaughtering by 
humane methods to prevent the herds becoming 
too numerous rather than the indiscriminate kill¬ 
ing that recently occurred in the western coun¬ 
ties. * * * The law needs to be overhauled.” 
In this view many sportsmen concur. 
Reports of game conditions are being sent in 
daily by deputies. One from the south shore 
says that deer are plentiful and very tame. He 
reports partridges very scarce, quail quite plenti¬ 
ful. One man shot ten the first day the law 
was off. Fie favors a bag limit for a day’s shoot¬ 
ing, and says “that fellow” would shoot every¬ 
one he saw, and then “wonder why there would 
be none to shoot the next season.” He reports 
Sunday gunning at ducking stands and foxes 
very thick, and thinks until we are rid of these 
pests the small game will have a hard time. A 
local fox hunters’ club got three the first day 
out. 
Poultry raisers in the section cared for by this 
officer have made strenuous efforts to secure a 
law placing a bounty on foxes. The same officer 
complains of the depredations ’ of cats, saying 
that he knows of families that have three or 
four felines and “speak with pleasure of a cat 
bringing in a bird or a rabbit.” He declares 
that the cat is the worst poacher we have and 
thinks all cats above one should be taxed. I am 
not sure that it would not be well to tax every 
cat and require a collar with the owner’s name 
on it. Many sportsmen are in the habit of 
shooting all cats they find roaming the woods 
or fields when they are hunting. An officer in 
Norfolk county speaks of the abundance of 
foxes. He suggests a bounty of $1, and says 
many of the farmers are in favor of it. 
H. H. Kimball. 
“American Game Bird Shooting.” 
The new book, “American Game Bird Shoot¬ 
ing,” by George Bird Grinnell, is now ready for 
delivery, and orders will be filled promptly by 
the Forest and Stream Publishing Company. 
This is a large volume of 538 pages, with colored 
plates of ruffed grouse and bobwhite, and many 
half-tone engravings. It treats exhaustively of 
the habits of our American game birds, and of 
the problems regarding their conservation, which 
are of absorbing interest. Of shooting there is 
much that every beginner may read with profit, 
while old sportsmen will find hints here and 
there which will be welcomed. Books always 
make acceptable Christmas presents, and in send¬ 
ing a copy of this one to a friend, the donor can 
rest assured that it will be appreciated. 
The Forest and Stream may he obtained from 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
