FOREST AND STREAM. 

[SEPT. 21, 1907. 



PACKING THE SLED. 
From a photograph by Fred W. Osgood. 
head was nearly symmetrically perfect, a forty- 
two inch spread with twenty-three points, twelve- 
inch palms, and six perfect brow points. After 
the measuring, a few photographs, then the skin- 
ning out, and the head, hide with one quarter 
of meat were packed to camp. Our provisions 
were getting very low, so we dispatched Jimmie 
that afternoon to the base of supplies, ten miles 
down the river. We had left our supplies packed 
in bags, tied to the ridge poles of the tents. 
Jimmie arrived in time to save the outfit. Cattle 
had broken down both tents and were mixing 
things up generally. These cattle roam all 
through the big woods in summer and fall and 
are often seen twenty miles from the settlement, 
following tote roads or the rivers. We had not 
taken the necessary precaution of building a 
fence around our tents. 
After Jimmie’s departure Fred and I spent 
the greater part of the afternoon cleaning the 
head of the moose. The following day we 
hunted over a great section of country and sev- 
eral times were forced to consult our compass 
in order to keep our course, for the day was 
fogey and rain fell at intervals. That evening 
Jimmie came in with a knapsack full of groceries. 
We had delayed supper awaiting his return, and 
what a feast we had. Our new rations with the 
addition of moose steak made a meal “fit for 
the gods.” 
We lingered several days at this camp. Fred 
put in many hours with his camera, watching 
the deadwater and barrens to get pictures of 
live game, while Jimmie and I tramped over 
the surrounding country for moose. One morn- 
ing we were finally rewarded by calling a bull 
to an old lumber road just back of camp and 
killing it. The head was not so perfect or so 
large as the first, having only a thirty-two inch 
spread. We now had our limit of moose. Fred 
thought he needed a caribou. Jimmie advised 
returning to the barrens called the “meadows,” 
near the settlement, believing our chances to be 
better there. He left camp the next morning 
for the team to haul out our game. Dan re- 
turned with him the following night to again 
take out the team with its load of heads, etc. 
The horses were hitched to a wooden-shod sled, 
and their progress was slow owing to the time 
taken in slashing a road. Arriving within five 
miles of the settlement, we unloaded what sup- 
plies were needed for a week and sent Dan 
out with the balance of our outfit. We packed 
our duffle about two hundred yards to a ravine 
and set up the lean-to for the last time, naming 
the place in honor of Jimmie, “Camp Storey.” 
Nearby a nice cold stream came tumbling down 
from ont the dark woods. A little further down 
the valley it was interrupted in its course by 
a beaver dam, cansine it to set back and forming 
deadwater for a half mile or more, making a 
favorite place for moose, deer and caribou. 
We hunted the meadows diligently for a cari- 
bou carrying a good head and spent many hours 
watching at the deadwater for a chance to get 
pictures of game. In this we had no success, as 
the game did not come out to the barrens or 
deadwater during the daylight hours. Fred had 
two cameras, a tele-photo lens and outfit espec- 
ially fitted for this kind of work. Often we 
lay in ambush, listening to the voices of the 
wind in the trees and watching the many colored 
and ever-changing sky with the cloud reflections 
in the water before us, until the sun went down 
beyond the fringe of fir and spruces and the 
chil of the October evening warned us to get 
back to camp. Once at sunset a doe and a 
fawn came down to the deadwater, and after 
drinking crossed over into the woods beyond. 
The light was too dim for the lens to catch the 
picture they made as they stood there drinking, 
but in memory the scene will be with us for 
many a day. 
One of the surprises of the cruise came while 
at Camp Storey, and that, too, on the day before 
we broke camp. Jimmie and I were going down 
to the deadwater about 4 P. M. to watch. We 
were following a game trail that led through 
in alder swamp when my attention was attracted 

by the sound of some animal approaching. We 
stopped at the edge of a small opening. I 
nodded my head in the direction of the sound 
and Jimmie whispered, ‘Deer.’ Instantly a bear 
stood up on the further edge of the little open- 
ing and wisely looked us over. “A bear—shoot 
quick,” said Jimmie. Here was the chance of 
a lifetime. Should I improve it? I steadily 
centered the .33 on the hollow spot in the bear’s 
throat and pressed the trigger. At the report 
the bear dropped from sight and was gone. I 
at once started in pursuit to intercept him, while 
Jimmie shouted for me to return, fearing I would 
set into close quarters. He did not even have 
his axe, which he invariably carried during a 
hunt. In a few moments I returned to where 
the bear first stood and we took up the trail of 
blood, following it about fifty yards to the tim- 
ber, where we found bruin down, but struggling 
to regain his feet. He was a beautiful specimen 
and would have weighed about two hundred 
pounds. The bear was but eighteen steps from 
me when I fired, and owing to the close range. 
with the high-power cartridge, I was fearful of 
making a wide shot. 
It was long after dark when we returned to 
camp. Fred had had supper and retired. The 
fire was burning low, as we cautiously ap- 
proached, and taking the bear from our shoul- 
ders we quietly laid it down near Fred’s sleep- 
ing bag. From within the folds of the bag he 
sleepily inquired as to our luck. Jimmie com- 
menced poking the fire together while I was 
ebout. 
to hoe. 
any 
supply you regularly. 

rummaging for the kettle, and of course coul: 
not hear the question. Getting no answer, Fre 
lazily poked his head out from under the hoo: 
of his sleeping bag, and raising himself on hi 
elbows, squinted at the fire now burning brightly 
There was a moment’s pause, and then, “Grea 
Scott! Where did you get that bear?” Wha 
fun we had. Perhaps we were foolish, but w 
killed that bear over again a dozen times tha 
night before we turned in. 
In the morning we broke camp and packe 
out to the settlement, having spent seventeei 
days in the woods. This was the most success 
ful and enjoyable trip ever taken by either o 
us. We were thrown practically on our ow 
resources, doing the cooking, making camp an) 
our share of the packing. The trip was planne: 
and run according to our ideas and not thos 
of a professional guide. The expenses were re 
duced to a minimum, former experience guide 
us in selecting provisions and outfit, and ther 
were very few pounds of useless duffle packed} 
Jimmie proved his worth and we were fortunati 
in securing so companionable and able a woods 
man on our cruise in New Brunswick. 
B. A. EASTMAN. 

























































































Small Game Prospects. | 
Mituurst, N. J., Sept. 9—Editor Forest ani 
Stream: Last Saturday morning early, with ; 
lunch in the pocket of my old hunting coat, 
started off to put in the day tramping and loaf 
ing in the fields and woods and to see what thi 
game prospects are in this section. I also tool! 
along the latest number of Forest AND STREAM 
since I could have a good time perusing its page: 
when I felt in the right mood to do so, whicl 
proved to be after lunch time in the deep wood: 
beside a little purling brook. 
So far as the weather was concerned the day 
was a red letter one. Sun warm and bright, ai 
still, and often the most beautiful of silver 
clouds floating in the sky; just exactly the righ| 
sort of a day for one to get the best out of life| 
During my thirty-five years’ residence in thi:| 
State I have never before seen so heavy a leaf 
age and of such a dark lustrous green, anc| 
scarcely a sign of autumn yet. One may truly 
say that the verdure and growth in the wood: 
and swamps in this part of the State this yea; 
are almost tropical. 
Now about game. Judging by what I saw that : 
day and others, and also from what I can learr 
from sportsmen and farmers in this vicinity 
quail are much scarcer than usual. Compara 
tively few have been seen or heard during the 
summer. Rabbits seem to be as abundant a:|. 
usual and look as if they would afford consider- 
able sport for the gunners. 
There are but a few partridges (pheasants)|: 
in this section. I saw two and others report 
but very few, but southeast of us, in the edge| 
of the pines, the reports are that they are quite] 
plentiful. 
There are lots of squirrels; in fact, they were|' 
all about me, running up and down the trunk:| 
of the trees or burying their stores of what 1]! 
could not well make out, but seemed to be|| 
acorns, as there are scarcely any hickory nuts|’ 
or chestnuts this year. It is astonishing how| 
tame and companionable game will get to be i 
one is careful not to molest it. The squirrels 
did not seem to be disturbed much even when! 
I turned the leaves of Forest AND STREAM. They}| 
would just stop a moment cr so and then go 
on with their work or play as if no one was 
I do not know what the little fellows will 
live on during the coming winter, no nuts of 
any kind and but a few acorns. During the fall} 
and early winter in lieu of nuts they will live 
well by raiding the farmer’s cornfields and grain 
stacks, but later on they will have a hard row 
\ 

So taking all into consideration the prospects 
for gunning this fall in this part of the State 
will be fairly good, but nothing to brag of. 
Jaane. bs 
















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