FOREST AND STREAM. 
GAM Ib RAG ANID GUN) 


Camps of the Buckskin Club. 
(Contiuned from page 54.) 
Monpay, Nov. 6.—T. M. H. decides to run 
the cross-bred dogs. These are the best, they 
will run a track for a mile or two and come 
back. A thoroughbred eee will run as long 
as he can keep on his feet, unless baffled by the 
deer taking to the water. The day we had the 
big hounds out, three bucks and a doe crossed 
the lake in sight of camp. The smaller dogs 
were owned by Fred. Storms and Mart. Fenton. 
They had their feet case hardened by being 
worked in harness, drawing wood, etc., and 
could stand the traveling over rocks and in the 
swamps better. They were good dogs of a good 
kind; one of them, Bowser, a youngster, broke 
his tether one night and ate part of a hide; his 
appetite was about two sizes too large for him, 
but being generously provided with digestion, 
he showed not a sign of indisposition at break- 
fast time, the next morning. The other two 
Jack and Fide, were seasoned, had hunted before 
and were expected to make the running— 
Bowser was there for his education. The south 
side was selected, the runways were better de- 
fined on that side of the lake. Mart, Fred and 
Clate took the dogs, and the rest of us scat- 
tered along the south shore in canoes and bore 
straight into our appointed places. In a very 
short time, after we were all located, the dogs 
started a buck and tongued very much like a 
Pennsylvania rabbit dog. Bowser, being very 
eager, forged ahead of the older dogs and bayed 
as loud as any of them. A snow rabbit, hearing 
what he presumed was a runaway automobile 
bearing down on him, took a side step over 
a couple of rods of thimble berry bushes. 
Bowser saw him, mistook him for the buck, 
redoubled his pace and his vocalization, the other 
hounds hearing the “running-by-sight” tone, 
cut across lots ‘and all took up the rabbit trail. 
I was located near a swale among a thick 
growth of tamaracks, the chase was coming 
down on my runway, my heart was thumping 
like a Silsby fire engine. I heard the splash! 
splash! and the crack of small twigs; a scared 
rabbit almost ran over me, but the splash was 
coming nearer. Oh! where was it Bill Annis 
told me to shoot them? Was it in the neck? 
Or in the lungs, or. paunch, or not? Fudge, 
or something stronger, here came that fool 
Bowser chasing that dinkey rabbit. Well, I 
tried to stop the dogs, but their lives evidently 
depended on getting closer to the bunny, and 
the hare was just ambling along; if it had ex- 
tended its strides, the pup would think he was 
tied to a tree. Three guides came out of the 
bush, hurrying along in an endeavor to head off 
the rabbit hunt, and blamed me for not shoot- 
ing the rabbit or the dog. I did not tell them 
that I almost shot a deer before it came in sight, 
and they went on to outflank the chase. I moved 
back and crossed from the ridge. I was on to 
another that looked better. In crossing, I 
used a small rise separating two swamps and 
connecting two higher ridges. 
I noted an upturned pine tree, and a hole 
under the roots; a light snow the night before 
covered everything, no tracks about the old 
roots, and I passed on. After locating on the 
other side, I saw the boys coming back with 
the dogs on leads. I directed them to the way 
to get over dry-shod: they each had. trouble 
getting the dogs past the pine root, Bowser 
insisting on an immediate investigation. Mart 
pulled, “hauled, and at last got mad and kicked 
the pup a tap, and the pup yelped; and when I 
looked, I saw three strong men pulling at three 
strong dogs, who were pulling the other way, 
and a small black bear rollicking down through 
the bushes as if he had an engagement and was 
somewhat late. They tell me I yelled some- 
thing. I know I could not shoot, for the men 
wrere in line. Storms saw me raise my gun and 
ducked. Then he untied Jack; Clate and Mart 
let go the tether of Fide and Bowser, and the 
chase was'on. Jack went into the hole first 
to see that they were all out, and it was a 
splendid thing for his peace of mind that they 
were. When Bruin topped the ridge I had just 
left, I shot and singed him, changing his course; 
over the ridge he went, out of sight, but the 
dogs had a hot trail, so we played bv ear and 
note. 
After six hundred yards of as hard, fast and 
rough going as I have ever indulged in, we met 
Bowser coming back trying to figure out the 
trail. The other dogs had gone on, but had 
stopped tonguing. Bowser got the scent again 
and ran it a short distance and came _ back. 
Then Clate sighted the game up in a pine tree 
and insisted that I shoot him. I shot, so did 
Storms and Fenton; only one ball hit, and I 
am willing to. swear that it was not mine. I 
had come the last quarter mile in eighteen sec- 
onds by my own count, over fallen trees, through 
a tamarack swamp, around granite rocks, birch 
thickets—I could not hit a barn if I had been 
inside and the door shut. 
The bear came down and began to cry; now, 
this time I did hit him. I walked up to within 
a respectiul distance (never crowd the in- 
jured) and shot him through the head. We all 
went back to the lake, taking the bear with 
us, and I felt so big and heavy that I wanted to 
wait for the scow to take me over to camp. We 
had heard some shooting, and were not sur- 
prised to find Fred had brought in a doe. Bill 
also got one that was hung up in the bush. 
Tuesday.—Snow in the night; wet and sott; 
ev erything soggy. It does not get muddy where 
there is no soil. Eom, Clate and I started out 
with the avowed intention of keeping together, 
or.at least within whistle call of each other, and, 
as usual, the explorer got back into No-man’s- 
Jand and never was seen until dark. I stuck 
to Clate for fear of getting lost. We worked 
back carefully south and west, but did not see 
a tail How about it? Hunting hard-for six 
days early and late and never sighted a deer. 
Sign thick, fresh, but nary a hoofed critter to 
gladden our hearts with a look at it. About 2 
o'clock we heard a shot, a short pause and four 
more shots in as many seconds—Sam’s auto- 
matic. Then a yell and three toots on a police- 
man’s whistle. Wants help. We answer two 
toots—I am coming; and Clate and I start on 
the jump in the direction the whistle sounded, 
running and whistling. An answering toot off 
to the left proved to be Bill. After going sev- 
eral hundred yards, we met Sam, out of breath, 
and pointing to a.slough, he gasped, “A big 
buck in there! I hit him, but I do not know 
how hard.” Into the swamp we went, and out 
came the buck, bleeding but running well and 
pointed toward camp. We were following the 
blood trail, and it was plain that the deer was 
hard hit. After jumping the game out of the 
swamp, he ran two hundred yards and laid. down. 
We put him up again, and Clate shot at him, 
using buckshot out of a 12-gauge shotgun. 
I knelt again, thinking I would just pile up a 
few deer on that moss-covered rock while I was 
at it. The dogs were still running, and the deer 
came up at the same spot as the other, but 
swung over a little, got behind two pine trees, 
and stopped to look back toward the sound of 
the dogs. I could see not a bit of it but one 
ear and part of its nose; I wondered why Clate 
did not shoot it—it was in plain sight to him, and 
I had two tree trunks to get around. I waited 
as long as I could stand it, and then let go at 
the waving ear. Well, the way that animal faded 
away into the distance was astounding. I shot 
after it, but the bullet never caught up. Clate 
could have emptied his magazine into it while 
it was standing on the ridge; but he was show- 
ing me the hunting and he figured I had the 
first chance. There are few guides so con- 
siderate and thoughtful in matters of this kind. 
We went back to camp after loafing around 
some time, viewing my first deer as it hung on 
a pine tree nicely cleaned. 
We heard the reports of the other hunters. 
William Annis bagged a doe; Sam had some 
fresh wolf tracks, and Fred had followed bear 
tracks until he routed a doe and fawn, shot 
the fawn, broke its back, and ran to get a shot 
at the doe-as she circled—he got bewildered and 
could not find his way back to the slough where 
he left the wounded fawn. 
That evening was welcomed; we were all tired 
and glad to get to bed early. 
The next morning it was snowing hard and 
not good hunting. We brushed around camp 
and gathered in some grouse. The weather 
eased off a litle about noon, and Tom, Clate and 
I made a sortie ove rtoward the Badlands due 
north. We did not go very far. After we came 
back, we loafed around camp, greased our guns, 
boots, knives and a good part of the bedding 
with bear’s oil. Every one told some wornout 
stories, and we turned in, feeling that the day 
was not fraught with accomplished ends. 
MIKE. 
[TO BE CONCLUDED. | 
Quebec Non-Resident Licenses. 
PEMBROKE, Ont., May 30.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Mr. Alfred Pelland’s letter has just been 
brought to my notice, and I ask the privilege of 
replying to it. 
From Mr. Pelland’s opening remarks I pre- 
sume he wishes your readers to infer that I have 
been guilty of discourtesy to the Minister in, as 
he says, “attacking the Hon. Mr. Prevost dur- 
ing his absence from the country.” Those who 
know me best will acquit me, I think, of any 
wish to attack any one under a disadvantage. 
I was not aware of the Minister’s absence, and 
I was not attacking him personally, but simply 
criticising a piece of Quebec legislation, for 
which, no doubt, he was primarily responsible, 
but for which the Quebec Government and 
Legislature are now equally responsible. 
I discussed the question publicly with the 
Minister, both at Montreal and Ottawa, and I 
wrote him at least two letters on the subject, 
to which he did not reply, but afterwards gave 
me permission to publish. 
I have the highest respect for both the Hon. 
gentleman and his office, but where legislation 
that adversely affects my private rights is in- 
itiated and carried through by him, despite my 
protests, I know of no tribunal before which I 
can cite him to appear except before the bar 
of public opinion; nor do I know of any divinity 
that doth hedge the Minister, or prevent his 
actions from being publicly criticised by the 
meanest subject in the land. I therefore hope 
I may be adjudged “not guilty’ of the high 
crime and misdemeanor of being discourteous 
to a Minister of the Crown. Having said this 
much in personal explanation, let me _ briefly 
reply to Mr. Pelland’s letter, and the extracts 
given by him from the Minister’s speech. 
To the argument based unon the high licenses 
charged in some of the States of the Union, 
and in the Province of the Dominion, I can 
only say, as I have said more than once before, 
that the cases are not at all analogous. 
The Province of Quebec leases rivers, lakes 
and lands for fishing and hunting, and has done 
so for years; none of these States or Provinces 
do so. The Province of Quebec received as 
rental from these leases during 1905, $66,037.27, 
