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Deer Hunting in Louisiana. 
Editor Forest and Stream: . 
Along the sea marsh of the gulf coast in this 
section, deer were once very plentiful, but not 
easily taken by ordinary methods, and cunning 
had to be resorted to by the hunters. ‘ 
I shall describe three modes of capture in this 
article, each generally successful: 
Many of the hunters in these prairies are 
owners of trained oxen, at the side of which 
they approach the deer. Cattle range these 
marshes winter and summer and the game be- 
comes very familiar with their presence, hence 
when the hunting ox comes sloughing along, tak- 
ing a bite of grass now and then as he goes, the 
deer are not much frightened at his presence 
among them, for they do not see the hunter 
armed with rifle or shotgun concealed by his 
side. Keeping the wind the ox gradually ap- 
proaches the game; the hunter, within good shoot- 
ing distance, then suddenly checks the ox by the 
head rope, raises his gun over the back, takes 
quick aim and fires. He invariably kills one or 
two and often more if up to his work. A boy 
on horseback, a mile away, at the signal of a 
white flag upon a stick or ramrod, rapidly comes 
up and aids to secure the game. 
Another mode of taking deer, invented by 
myself many years ago, I will describe. One 
afternoon my young wife came to me and begged 
to be taken along on a hunt for which I was 
getting ready. She was so eager to go that I 
saddled her pony and we were soon on the way 
to the prairies, chatting gaily, and her eyes 
sparkling with fun and expectation. 
We had ridden a few miles out when I saw 
several deer on a gentle hill in the prairie about 
a mile off from us. I stopped, and after careful 
examination with my field glass, found a fine 
buck and three or four does carelessly repos- 
ing upon the hillock. There was no other animal 
in sight, and as we had followed a hollow or 
depression for several miles back, the deer were 
unaware of our presence. There was a gentle 
breeze blowing toward us from them, and my 
chances of a good shot were very promising. 
We at once dismounted. Drawing my hunting 
knife I began, to the astonishment of my little 
lady, to cut large bunches of the tall broom sedge 
grass which covered the soil. I handed her a 
ball of small twine, told her to unwrap it, and 
instructed her to wrap the grass in long bunches 
around my body from my feet up to the top of 
my head. She at once understood my object, 
soon became an adept, and speedily made of 
my body a rough pillar of grass, laughing quietly 
all the time at my ludicrous appearance. After 
I was ready IJ told her to watch me carefully and 
see 1f my masquerade would deceive the deer, 
I walked a few paces, lay down in the grass 
and crawled a little distance, got off to one side 
and then rose and gently approached my wife. 
who was steadily looking in the direction I had 
taken. I came up almost behind her before she 
saw me. I stood still within ten steps and she 
declared that a deer could not make out what 
I was in reality. 
Telling her to mount her horse and lead mine 
after I had gone half the distance toward the 
deer, and then make a large circuit to attract 
the deer’s attention, but not so close as to 
frighten them, I picked up my gun and moved 
steadily toward the game. When I arrived with- 
in 100 yards I stopped and carefully examined 
them. The buck and two of the larger does 
were standing curiously, watching my wife and 
the horses, and not noticing in the least the 
curious column of grass so stealthily approach- 
ing them. 
I came within thirty yards, and I positively 
believe I could havé gone within. ten yards. [ 
singled out the buck and one of the does stand- 
ing head’and shoulders together, and fired, kill- 
ing both and with the other barrel got a nice 
young doe, as the balance went flying down the 
hill. 
When my wife came up I had the deer already 
dressed and filled with dry grass. Strapping the 
smaller one behind her saddle, the larger one 
behind mine and the other in front, we started 
for home. : 
The Indian mode of killing deer on the prairies 
‘all, foxes. 

FOREST AND STREAM, 
is to suddenly show a red hankerchief over the 
grass and as suddenly withdraw it. Having more 
curiosity than most animals the deer soon Start 
towara the object and the hunter seeing their 
attention attracted starts also toward them, each 
moving in parallel circles to get the wind, until 
they bluff up to each other or in fair range of 
the rifle. The hunter’s head is always covered 
with a bunch of »rass, the more readily to ‘de- 
ceive the game. 
St. Lanpry ParisuH, La. 

Where are the Ruffed Grouse? 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
The grouse season opened in New Jersey 
on Nov. 11, and has been well under way in 
New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and 
other Eastern States. The reports are unani- 
mous that ruffed grouse are scarcer than ever, 
and in certain localities almost extinct. It is 
a well known fact that last year grouse were 
more plentiful than for years past, and that 
more birds were left for seed than for many 
a season past. What has become of them? 
I have facts and theories to account for the 
scarcity of ruffed grouse f some miles 

for 
around Stag Lake in Sussex county, New Jer- 
sey, but it would be interesting to hear from 
other parts of the country. I hope that some 
of your readers will give us their opinions. 
Justus von LENGERKE, 
[The complaint voiced by our correspondent 
is general, and reaches us from New England, 
New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Ac- 
tual testimony in regard to the mattet is 
greatly needed, and we hope that our corre- 
spondents generally will give us at once and 
as concisely as possible the results of their 
observations with the grouse this fall.—Ep- 
ITOR. ] 

Pennsylvania Grouse Peril. 
NEw FLoreEnce, Pa., Nov. 6—Editor Forest and 
Stream: In this section ruffed grouse are very 
scarce, except in a few localities; but this 
scarcity is not due to disease among them, 
but to a bad season for hatching, and worst of 
To show how numerous this latter 
pest is-in this section, it is only necessary to 
say that one trapper in this locality last month 
caught no less than eighty-six foxes, almost 
entirely of the gray variety. 
The destruction that foxes wage among 
grouse is almost beyond belief. Not only is 
the setting hen bird killed on the nest and the 
eggs destroyed, but if she escapes and the 
hatch is brought out, the chances are ten to 
one that the whole brood will disappear down 
the never-satisfied maw of the foxes. 
However, there are a few localities in this 
section where grouse are plenty, and it is due 
almost entirely to the activity of some trappers 
in those sections, who last season nearly wiped 
out the fox, skunk and wildcat pests. 
Just to show there are a few left, one after- 
noon of last week, between 2 and 5 P. M., I 
put up by actual count thirty-five grouse. It 
reminded me of old days and the muzzleloader. 
JEUNE iC 

The Canadian Camp-Fire. 
THE Canadian Camp is an organization of 
which any person may become a member pro- 
vided he has camped on Canadian soil. It has 
no constitution or rules or fees or dues. Two 
dinners are held by it annually, in November and 
February, and at these all sorts of queer “game” 
meats are served and still more queer stories re- 
lated by the members and their guests. 
The first dinner of the present winter was 
held on the night of Nov. 18 in the Hotel Astor, 
New York city. Commander Robert E. Peary 
was the principal speaker, and he told of his ex- 
periences in hunting the musk ox when failure 
meant starvation for himself and the other mem- 
bers of his party. He also declared that dogs 
and sledges would again be depended on in his 
new efforts to reach the North Pole, commenc- 
ing next year. 
[Nov. 23, 1907. 
The Adirondack Animals. 
[From the Twelfth Annual Report of the Forest, Fish and 
Game Commission,] _ 
EVERYBODY interested in the wild animal life 
of New York State, will read with increasing 
satisfaction the annual statistics now trans- 
mitted for your consideration. Although the 
hunters were far from satisfied with the con- 
ditions which prevailed, they secured a much 
larger number of deer than they did during the 
season of 1905. This result is all the more sig- 
nificant when it is remembered that the hunt- 
ing season of 1906 was fully a month shorter 
than that of the previous year. An increase 
of 217 deer shipped out of the Adirondacks by 
express companies during the past season is 
what the record actually shows when compared 
with the figures of 1905, and the records of 
the commission prove that more deer were 
killed and shipped out last year than in any 
season during the past six years. These figures 
again prove the unreliability of the personal 
ideas annually expressed offhand by the hunters 
themselves, which this season were recorded 
in a Utica dispatch, dated Noy. 16, which de- 
clared that “the number of deer killed this year 
and shipped out of the woods was considerably 
less than that of the season a year ago.” 
It may be noticed that the figures given 
officially show some slight decrease in the 
weight of heavy deer shipped out, but there is 
nothing in this that should cause alarm or in- 
dicate anything wrong with the deer of the 
Adirondacks. The heaviest deer 
1905 weighed 265 pounds; the heaviest deer 
shipped during the past season weighed 246 
pounds. The total weight of the carcasses, sad- 
dles and heads of deer taken out of the Adiron- 
dacks by the express companies during the past 
season, as shown by their receipt books, 
amounted to 212,847 ponnds. 
shipped in | 















































As usual the statistics of actual weights and | 
shipments furnished by Supt. J. L. Van Valken- 
burg, of the American Express Co., and Supt. 
C. S. Colvin, of the National Express Co., were 
promptly produced and were prepared in a satis- | 
factory manner. 
No epidemic of any kind has been reported, 
and it has been repeatedly stated that the con- 
dition of the deer killed indicated an ample 
food supply during the past season, as well as 
an excellent condition of health. 
Carcasses. Saddles. Heads. 
1,020 89 95 
1,062 103 121 
1,354 113 193 
,961 145 188 
1,618 124 152 
2,196 108 180 
2,413 108 102 

It will readily be seen from these figures, 
which represent actual shipments, accurately 
recorded by the express companies, that the in- 
crease in the number of deer killed has kept step 
with the increase of protection, and with the 
better understanding of the law and its. better 
observance by the hunters themselves. What is 
much more to the point with the sportsmen is 
the fact that the number of deer they have been 
able to secure has increased steadily each year, 
and that during the past seven years but one 
season has shown a less number killed than the 
year preceding it. The shipments for 1906 
were, as stated, more than 200 greater than the 
shipments for 1905, which was up to that time 
the record year. 
The actual shipments during the past season, 
as reported by the express companies, showing 
the location from which the deer were sent, as 
well as the number of saddles and heads, were 
as follows: 
R. R. Station. 
Carcasses. Saddles. Heads. 
Mohawk & Malone 45 
Sfp orncgsengds 918 46 

New. York. & Ottaway sncbecsccs 206 4 10 
Utica &" BlagkaiRiverss-2.. nee 43 14 4 
Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg 72 6 _ 
Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville 201 ia 12 
Little Falls & Dolgeville........ 24 1 5 
N. Y. Central & Hudson River.. i ae hes 
Cranberry Waker occss verceeametes 33 7 7 
Gouverneur & Edwards ......... 6 2 i 
Lowville & Beaver River....... 33 Se | 
Raquette, Dake sc ccasecccme te 43 7 a, 
Delaware & Hudson ............ 438 21 18 
WLOtal cman tareacnmvainaie titi cassie 2,413 108 102 
(Continued on page 833.) 


