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Guns and Gunning

Guns and Gunning

By BELLMORE H. BROWNE

Edited by DAN BEARD

Written for and Published by
J. STEVENS ARMS & TOOL CO.
Chicopee Falls, Mass.

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LIBRARY of CONGH Eset
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APR 24 1908

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AD SVE?
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Copyrighted 1908
J. STEVENS ARMS & TOOL CO.
#
April

Press of LORING-AXTELL COMPANY
Springfield, Mass.

HERE is a sprig of balsam on our
desk, and it stifles the sickening odors

from the reeking streets.

‘** Tis the silence of the Forest
Crowding in upon our doors,’

,

and as the associations born of its perfume fill our
brain to the exclusion of everything else, what care
we for musty papers, stocks and bonds, bank books
and checks, bills and duns, or the tiresome ring of
the telephone bell, the monotonous ticking of the
telegraphic instruments, the stupid contents of ledgers,
the columns of interminables figures, the wording of
perfunctory letters, or any of the wheels which com-
pose the senseless artificialities of modern life?
Above the hum of the multitude, the roar of
the elevated trains, the harsh clang of trolley car
bells, the vile oaths of truckmen, and the insane
medley of city noises, there comes to us sweet and

clear, the voice of dear old Mother Nature, bidding

us home, calling us to the wilderness, our old, old
home, the original homestead of the human race,
antedating the pyramids and designed and con-
structed for us by the Divine Architect himself!

It is the soul-stirring call of man primeval now
ringing in our ears, and it causes us to become
restive, to stretch our necks like captive wild geese
when they see the flying wedge of their free
brothers clearing the misty morning air, |
and hear the honk of the wise old leading 7
gander as he bids them come! LU

This book is an answer to "the call of the

wild," and it is our sincere wish that the very prac-

Showing Pitt oh Chete

tical hints and advice here given may be of service
to the novice and not altogether unwelcome to the
veteran.

Our own experience teaches us that no matter
how often we visit the woods we always find some-
thing new to learn and no one man knows it all.

Especially do we wish this book to be of service
to the youth of this country, to those healthy, whole-
some American lads whose normal minds give them
a natural desire to spend their vacation in the open
with their trusty Stevens on their shoulders.

For their benefit we suggest that they organ-
: ize STEVENS RIFLE CLUBS

ere

Pil~beck with foch onin y

from Beards ecllecliaa
Sw

to practice shooting at targets and thus fit themselves
for their vacation trips in the woods, and also to
develop that manly self control and calm resource-
fulness which were the marked characteristics of
their forbears, and which have done so much
to make the American people great and their
country one that is respected by every nation in
the world.

Let each group of boys organize a club, select
a president, treasurer, secretary and a corresponding
secretary, the latter to attend to the correspondence
with other Stevens Rifle clubs.

The J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company will
gladly do all in its power to encourage and help the
organizations in their work of perfecting themselves
in the proper care and use of firearms.

When Mr. I. H. Page of the J. Stevens Arms &
Tool Company suggested to the editor that he should
get up this book, the latter had so much work on hand
that he was in despair until he secured the talented
young artist and arctic explorer, Mr. Bellmore H.
Browne to help him in the task, or rather the work of
love, and he could not have found a more agreeable
gentleman, a more accomplished real wilderness

hunter, or a more practical outdoor man for the work.

The reader is indebted to Mr. Browne for the

whole of this book — the editor's part consisted only
in supervising the practical bookmaking part and
editing the manuscript during the absence of the
author on an exploring expedition to the far ice-
bound Mt. McKinley, from which at the present
writing he is not expected to return until after this
book is published and in the readers’ hands.
EDITOR:

SMC GT LS aN SUED. ane Mi

#

CHAPTER I
Beach Birds - - - - - - 11
Decoys - - - - - - 14
Boats - - - - - - 15
Boots = - : 2 8 s 16
Tides - ‘ Z a : 2 16
Jack Snipe - = 2 e i 2 17
Yellow-Legs, Beetlehead, etc. - - - - 19

CHAPTER Il
Hunting with the Rifle - - - - 23-32

CHAPTER III

The Shotgun - - - - - 33-40
CHAPTER IV
Wild Fowl - 2 : z 2 41
Blinds : : u 3 a i 44
Decoys - : : , ss : 45
Number of Decoys. 2 i E = N 45
Mixed Shooting - 4 s x x 46
Fitting out a Stool : : 4 “ 47
Boats : . s : p i 48
Clothes - - : y : B y 49
Guns and Ammunition 2 u 49
Ammunition - - _ z Ly sb 50
Size of Shot = - : : 4 51
Hunting 2 : 2 M : 52
Shooting over Decoys : 2 : ze yu)
Calling Ducks - oa) : 2 3 t 53
Pass Shooting s E y SG 54
"Jumping" Ducks - 3 : a . a 55
Sink-Box Shooting - 2 : s v 56

Goose Shooting - : ‘ S i z 57

CHAPTER V

Upland Shooting - - -
Grouse and Woodcock = - = &

Quail - 2 z fe

"Prairie Chickens" = 2 2

CHAPTER VI

A Brief History of Firearms - -
Marksmanship = - - X ‘

CHAPTER VII

The Wilderness
Wood and Water
Neatness and Order
Tents - -
Flies -
Fires - -
Stoves -
Baking Fires -
Frying Fires -
Roasting Fires -
Boiling -
Cooking Utensils -
Camp Cooking
Grub - -
Beds -
Packing - -
Packing Horses
Packing Dogs 7
Man Packing
Fording Streams -
Pack Fording

Pole Fording -
Woodcraft -
Hunting -
Stull Hunting -

Carelessness with Firearms

Bulooys yond

CHAPTER I

3

Beach Birds

HEN the beaches begin to warm under
\ X / the Spring sun, and the fresh green of the
new grass changes the salt marshes, the
beach birds sweep northward along our coasts.
There are over 60 species of shore birds found in
North America, and among them are some of our
most highly prized game birds. The flights that
some of these delicate looking birds make are remark-
able. Some of them make the round trip from South
Amenica to the Arctic in the course of a year. The
snipe arrives in our Northern States between the
middle of April and the early part of May, on their
way to the North, where they breed; and return in
the latter part of August, or the beginning of Sep-
tember, making only a short stay. All the birds of
this genus seem to go North to breed, and to return
11

Southward as soon as the young are able to fly.
Single birds are to be met with in summer or at
almost any season, but they are male birds that for
some reason have not mated, and have remained in
the warm Southland.

The flight of the snipe genus is easy and rapid,
and their movements on land are dignified and grace-
ful. If necessary they are good swimmers, and some
species are proficient at diving. Their chief resorts
are the salt marshes along the seacoasts, and at low
tide they are fond of wading on the mud-flats in
pursuit of their food. They live on larvae and
insects. They are, as a family, of a very sociable
disposition; and this fact, added to their habit of
flying in compact flocks, is the chief reason for their
rapid decrease in numbers. A flock of snipe after
being shot at, sometimes return and give the gunner
another chance, and particularly so if some of them
have been wounded by the hunter, and utter their
plaintive whistle.

The smaller varieties often congregate in
immense flocks, and as many as twenty or more
birds have been killed with a single barrel, by pot
hunters. One of the chief pleasures of beach-bird
shooting is the endless varieties of snipe that come
to the hunter’s stool. Each of the species has a
distinctive whistle or call, and the experienced snipe
hunter not only knows the call of each variety, but
can imitate it with remarkable skill.

12

When hunted continually, however, the beach

birds become very wary, and it takes a master to
whistle in an old “Beetlehead” or “tattler.” The
snipe is easily killed, and heavy shot is not needed.
No. 9 shot, and even 10s are usually used.
At low tide the birds are hard to approach, as
they congregate on the great expanses of soft mud
along our coasts. As the tide mises they fly inland
to the large salt marshes. The hunter usually sta-
tions himself in a good blind near a shallow pond,
and as the birds are driven inland by the encroach-
ing water, they offer many good shots to the hidden
gunner.

As beach-bird shooting is at its best in the late
summer, the climatic conditions are far pleasanter
than in duck shooting; besides the mosquitoes and
hot sun there is nothing to worry the hunter. The
salt marshes are thirst-inducing, and the expe-
rienced bayman always stocks his blind with a jug
of cool water.

There is something restful about shore-bird
shooting. Nothing is more soothing than the sound
of the summer wind rustling through the marsh
grass, and of the surf pounding on some hard sea
beach in the distance. Far at sea cat-boats are
circling about a bluefish school, and the hunter
becomes lost in watching the white sails until a yel-
low-leg’s whistle from the blue sky reminds him of
his errand. The most difficult thing to learn in bay-

bird shooting is the whistling or calling. Experience
is the only teacher, and besides, a man must be
especially gifted to acquire the art. Men who are
born and bred near the snipe marshes become
adepts at calling, and there is no feat in bird shoot-
ing more difficult than whistling a wary, black-bellied
plover down from the blue sky.

#

DECOYS
All the beach bird clan decoy readily. Clam

shells, or lumps of mud on sticks will answer some-
times for a stool in out-of-the-way localities. The
best decoys, however, are none too good, and
alas these can be bought in any reliable sporting store.
“anes Decoys of tin can be used, that are folding, and
= rp > — pack snugly in a small box. They are very handy,
~ “a= > and serve their purpose well. In snipe shooting

hens the stool should be placed up wind from, and not

Ske la too close to the blind.
4 qa It isa good plan for the hunter to supply him-

os self with a number of thin sticks before the hunt,
es

<>< |__... as the dead birds can be used as decoys by insert-
es ing one end of the stick under the head, and push-
=~ —_ ing the other end into the mud. This is not really
necessary, however, unless the stool is small. About
==== => 20 decoys make a good stool ; the number depend-
=~ ing largely on the trouble the hunter wishes to take.

ae pore naipfPA

Soa Wns

It is a thrilling sight to see a large flock of yel-
low-legs, or black-bellied plovers, decoying; and
the exchanging of whistles between the flying birds
and the hunter adds greatly to the sport. Flocks
of small sandpipers will often alight among the
decoys, and will prove a great help in decoying
larger birds, if unmolested by the sportsman.

The smaller species seem to realize the intelli-
gence and watchfulness of the big snipe, and rely
on them for warning in case of danger. ‘The yel-
low-leg has been given the name of “ tattler” on
account of its habit of warning other birds on the
approach of a hunter.

&

BOATS

The flat bottom skiff is the best boat to use in
snipe shooting.

The hunter often finds it necessary to follow
winding sloughs for long distances. Sometimes
they are very shallow, or “ peeter out” altogether ;
and then he must drag his boat across the mud
until another channel is found.

Mud is the most unpleasant feature of beach
bird hunting. It gets on the clothes, and gun;
and if the hunter is unlucky enough to slip and fall,
it is doubtful if his best friend would recognize him.
A good pole is often useful, as rowing is tedious in
very shallow water. The boat should be light

15

enough for one man to drag, if necessary, and a long
painter will be helpful in tying the boat at low tide.

cas (ire
| BOOTS

f Good hip boots are a comfort in snipe
H/F. shooting. So much wading and mud-walk-
~ ing must be done, that ordinary shoes would

oN Ww} % be useless. The boots should fit tightly, or
=

the clinging mud will pull them from your
feet. It is an exasperating thing to get stuck
9 in the mud. The harder you pull on one
= foot to get it free, the more firmly planted
= your other foot gets; at last, covered with

—s *““mud and perspiration, you gain the bank,

and make a solemn vow that the snipe marshes will
never see you again. As a flock of snipe usually
choose this inopportune time for decoying, you must
be an enthusiast indeed to remain calm. But it is
the clothes we wear that make us clumsy. A man
can go through the stickiest mud without much
trouble if his legs are bare. When the hunter is
caught in quicksand, or a mud hole, he should pull his
feet out of his boots; then he can move more easily.

&

TIDES

A good knowledge of the tides is of great
importance to the snipe hunter. _ It not only enables

16

him to navigate the net-work of sloughs with more
or less comfort, but it also helps him in hunting. A
stranger on some of our large snipe marshes would
be practically helpless unless he was accompanied
by some one who knew the flats and tides.

The sportsman should be careful in tying his
boat, as it is a common thing in water-fowl shooting
to have it drift away and leave the hunter marooned
on some marshy island.

The writer remembers making a long swim in
November, after an escaped boat; if you ever
experience this kind of adventure, you will tie your
boat securely ever after.

In all large bays and winding water-courses,
where the tides are strong, there are always eddies,
or reaches, where the tide is either favorable or
sluggish. ‘Then again, a knowledge of the tides will
help the hunter, and save him many a long and
weary pull against the swift current.

£

JACK SNIPE

At the head of the snipe family, or scolopaci-
dae, we have the American woodcock, and the
Wilson’s snipe. As the woodcock is an upland
bird in all but family, we will pass him by here, and
speak of the Wilson’s snipe. i

In his class there is no gamer bird than
the Wilson, or, as hunters call him, the
"ack" snipe.

As he is rarely found in thick brush we will not
compare him with the woodcock ; and no other bird
in the snipe family can rival him.

The most successful way of hunting "jacks" is
with a good, steady dog. The jack "lies" well, and
has a strong, erratic flight, that makes him a difficult
mark to inexperienced gunners. After flying 20 or
30 yards the jack settles down and flies more evenly;
and the veteran snipe hunter waits if possible for
this change, before discharging his gun. When
flushed, it utters at intervals a loud "scaip! scaip!"
Its flight is short unless badly frightened, and it can
be marked down and followed by the hunter. The
habits and haunts of the jack snipe are so easily
affected by climatic and other conditions, that an
intimate knowledge of its peculiarities is necessary
to find and approach it.

On windy days the jack is very wild; its senses
are so keen that it is most difficult for the hunter to
approach within gun shot. Leave your dog at home
in bad weather, and hunt down wind. In this way
you can get some good shots; as the jack will rise
against the wind, or toward the hunter.

On warm, sunny days, they lie close, anda good
setter or spaniel is necessary to find and flush them.

As a table bird, the jack snipe has no superior.

18

They begin their northward migration in March,
and by July are scattered throughout the Middle
States, and the far north, for breeding. In their
migrations they are found from South America to
the Arctic Circle; and many winter in our Southern
States.

They are to be found in low, marshy ground.
A flooded cow-pasture is a favorite spot, but they
haunt both fresh and salt water marshes.

¥

YELLOW-LEGS, BEETLEHEAD
Etc.

As the difference between the snipe and plover
family is largely physical, and makes little difference
to the sportsman, | will speak of them as one. The
principal birds that go to make up a shore-bird
hunter’s bag, are the yellow-leg, beetlehead or black-
bellied plover, willet, dowitcher, robin snipe, and
the curlews.

The curlew is rare on the Eastern Coast of
Amenica, but it is still quite plentiful in Central, and
Western North America. There are several species
of curlew; but they can be easily recognized by
their large size and distinctive whistle.

Their whistle is easily imitated, and they decoy
readily. In fact, curlew often become confused
when shot at, and return again to the hunter. They
sometimes congregate in immense flocks during their

'
7 im A
J v AN
NRE, TAN) tM Wwe © we.
ESA: a, eee ee

migrations, and "string out" in the manner of wild
geese.

Beach birds, after frequenting a marsh, usually
fly in compact flocks, while the travelling birds, or
"strangers," are apt to string out in the manner of
ducks. The black-bellied plover, or beetle-head
resemble the golden plover. They are found along
our seacoasts and large inland waters.

The upland plover, as the name implies, is found
as a rule on inland hills and prairies. The best
upland plover shooting in America today is enjoyed
in Texas, during the winter months. Both the
beetle-headed and golden plover are highly prized
as food and game birds. At times the beetle-head
is extremely shy and watchful; whistling in a flock of
these birds is always a difficult feat.

They are found at times in the company of
other beach birds, such as yellow-legs, willet, etc.
They differ from the rest of the plover family in
having a small hind toe.

The yellow-leg snipe is found in North Amer-
ica wherever there is water. ‘This large and grace-
ful beach bird decoys readily, and is highly prized
by epicures. ;

They are found at times in large flocks, and
mingle freely with other aquatic birds.

The writer once saw a solitary yellow-leg
vainly trying to keep up with a flock of green-
winged teal; but his efforts were unavailing, and he
soon gave up the race

20

The pmincipal draw-back to beach-bird shoot-
ing is, that there are comparatively few places
where the birds are numerous enough to make it
worth while.

On the Pacific coast especially, almost all of the
snipe killed are shot by duck hunters. In the
Autumn they alight in large flocks on the "flats"
bordering the northwestern duck marshes. If the
hunter who sees them is not having much success
with ducks, he often attempts a stalk on the snipe,
or plover, and "rakes" them while they are "bunched
up." The Atlantic coast is far better suited for
beach-bird shooting than the Pacific; due to the
greater number of sandy beaches and shallow bays.

The south side of Long Island is justly famous
for its bay-bird shooting and under favorable con-
ditions the sportsman can still get a fair bag.

Beach birds are growing fewer every year, and
good laws, strongly enforced, are necessary to keep
them from being exterminated. Compared to our
upland birds, they are easily killed. Their socia-
ble nature makes them an easy prey to the market
hunter.

The only way to save them is to absolutely pro-
hibit their sale and protect them during the Spring
migration. Due to the rapid growth of our country,
and the speed with which the wilderness is being
settled, our game laws are inadequate. Even the
breeding-grounds of our water-fowl are in danger
unless laws are passed and enforced to protect

21

them. In Northwestern Alaska certain breeding:
grounds of water-fowl are regularly "picked" at
short intervals. This wholesale destruction of eggs
does untold damage. As matters stand now, the
less shooting there is, the better chances we will
have for a bountiful supply of birds in the future.
Every sportsman should limit his bag, and get his
enjoyment from the open air and the beauties of
nature, rather than from the slaughter of these beau-
tiful and useful birds.

E

=

"i

aye eya ym suyunyy

CHAPTER II
#

Hunting
With
the Rifle

HE nifle is pre-eminently a long-range weapon.
ny Throwing a single bullet a great distance, it
at once becomes useful as a military arm, or
to those who hunt big game. America is wonder-
fully adapted to nifle shooting, and for many hundreds
of years the sportsman will find game worthy of
_ his skill. “Two splendid game animals—the deer,
and the black bear—will always be found near
civilization, if well protected; and a host of smaller
animals furnish fine sport to the hunter. ‘The killing
of game is not the most important feature of hunting.
In reviewing the pleasures of by-gone hunts, we find
that the exercise, sunlight, and open air, all have a
place in the sport: ‘There is nothing that gives a
man who is over-worked more solid enjoyment than
a day spent with dog and gun.
The skill that is required in hitting a rapidly
moving target gives more pleasure than the death

of an animal.
23

Target shooting can be enjoyed in almost any
locality, and besides being an interesting pastime, it
is a great benefit to veteran as well as embryo marks-
men. ‘The only danger in target shooting is that
the marksman will become too slow and methodical
in his movements for field shooting. The judging
of distances is of great importance; and the hunter
should never lose an opportunity to improve himself
in this respect.

The average big-game animal killed is shot at
short range.

If it were not for the skill required in approach-
ing them, and the fact that many of the shots are at
rapidly moving targets, the sport would be far less
interesting. “The successful big-game hunter should
be good at snap-shooting. Many people are of the
opinion that small-calibre rifles are fitted only for
target shooting.

They are very useful in the field, however, and
in the hands of a skilled marksman are almost as
deadly as the larger calibres. Even along the
Alantic coast there are animals that make a hunting
trip worth while. A\ll through New England one
finds that alert and interesting animal, the wood-
« chuck. No country could be more pleasant «
than the rolling hills and shady apple orchards
where the woodchuck lives. With a hand-
shooting, small-calibre gun, one can spend many
a pleasant hour stalking these animals. The
target is small, as in woodchuck hunting the head

is the spot to aim for. If a woodchuck is shot
through the body, he often reaches his burrow and
escapes, unless the hunter can find a shovel.

Early in the morning when the sun first strikes
the side hills, the woodchuck comes out of his bur-
row, and suns himself; and this is the time for the
hunter to be afield.

In the lowlands we find the cotton-tail, and the
successful rabbit hunter must exercise all the pa-
tience and care of the big-game hunter. Trailing
rabbits in a fresh snow is fine fun, and the eye must
be keen and the hand steady that brings him to
bag. A rabbit that is not badly frightened will
often stop running if the hunter gives a shrill whistle;
and this habit has cost many a cotton-tail his life.
In the central states, and in certain parts of the
west, rabbits are very numerous. The big jack-
rabbit is also found, and furnishes splendid sport
for the small-calibre enthusiast.

In the western mountains we find the wood-
chuck’s big brother—Mr. Hoary Marmot. These
animals grow to a large size, and living as they do,
in very rugged country, offer many difficulties to the
hunter. Their favorite haunts are the crumbled
piles of debris at the foot of mountain rock-slides,
and the steep mountain meadows where the bear
and deer live. In Northern British Columbia the
writer often ate these " rock-bears," and their flesh
roasted over an open fire, is very palatable. Their
skins are used by the Northem Indians in making

25

blankets, and their fat makes a good gun- or shoe-
grease. Their sweet, long-drawn-out whistle
echoes among the mountains from California to
Behring Sea, during the summer time, and once heard
will never be forgotten. The shrill whistle of a
farm boy is enough to conjure up visions of glaciers
and snow-covered peaks to a Western hunter.

In hunting the marmot the hunter often encoun-
ters larger game. The cougar invades the marmot
country in the summer time, and proceeds to grow
fat. They stalk the marmot among the stunted
balsams until the deer begin to congregate in the
lowlands. The cougar is an arrant coward, and
easily killed; a .22 or .32 calibre bullet well placed,
will prove as effective as a larger calibre.

The writer once hunted marmot in Northern
British Columbia, in a country where that splendid
animal, the mountain sheep, could be seen along
the rugged cliffs.

The Canada lynx, and the bob-cat, also work
towards the mountains in the summer time; and
that savage little animal, the wolverine, roams
among the rock-strewn hills.

Blue grouse feed among the mountain blue-
berries, and offer tempting shots as they alight
among the evergreens.

On the high, wind-swept uplands, among the
grey lichens and glacial dnifts, the hunter finds the
big willow ptarmigan, and the swift-flying " rockers."
Both these ptarmigan are a welcome addition to the

26

camp larder, and lead the hunter among beautiful
surroundings.

In winter and early spring hawks and owls are
often found in the quail covers near civilization.

The sharp shinned hawk in particular does
much damage among our game-birds. In hunting
these birds, the sportsman besides enjoying good
practice with the rifle, can save many bird lives.
There are a few of the hawks, however, who are
not only harmless, but do a great deal of good, as
they destroy quantities of rodents, and that outlaw
among birds, the English sparrow. ‘The man who
wages war on the owl and hawk tnbe, should
thoroughly familiarize himself with their different
characteristics, lest he kill a sheep in a lion’s skin.

The wary fox is still found in good numbers
near civilization, and is an ideal animal to hunt with
the rifle. The fox is so well gifted in speed and
cunning, that it is a hard animal to bring to bay.
In overgrown farming country it is almost impossible
to hunt him successfully. In certain localities, how-
ever, such as the north end of Long Island, or the
far West, cover is scarce, and he sometimes falls a
victim to the hunter’s skill and marksmanship.

The time to still-hunt foxes near civilization is
early in the morning, late in the evening, and on
moonlight nights. A\ll through the Northwest, and
Alaska, foxes are numerous. Besides the red foxes
other more valuable species are found. These
animals are eagerly followed by the Indians, and

27

many are secured by trap and gun. The Indian
who can hunt the black fox successfully, is looked
up to as a great man by his people. The charac-
ter of our country in the Northwestem mountains is
rolling and sparsely timbered. ‘The difficulty is not
in seeing foxes, but in seeing them before they see
you, and approaching within range.

Indians as a class are poor marksmen, but some
of these fox hunters become very good shots. If
the hunter is well concealed, he can with favorable
conditions, sometimes call a fox by imitating the
squeak of a rodent.

Calling, by imitating the squeak of a field mouse,
can be successfully practiced on owls as well as foxes.

The coyote, or prairie-wolf, is another animal
that has withstood the advance of civilization.
Traps, poison and guns have been tried, and yet
the weird call of this prairie-wolf still echoes among
the Western foot-hills.

The coyote is always found in fairly open
country, and is a most interesting animal to hunt.
Under ordinary conditions they are seldom killed with
the fle; but after heavy snows, and when they are
overfed, they sometimes fall a prey to the still-hunter.

Besides holding his own on the Western plains,

the coyote has enlarged his range. In Northern
British Columbia, and the far West, they are found,

“eam where ten years ago they were unknown. Most of

the shots in wolf hunting are at long range,
and of course if the first is a miss, the
28

following shots are at a rapidly moving target.
Sometimes a party of cowboys will surprise a coyote
in some narrow wash-out, or depression, and get very
close to him before they are discovered. In these
cases the cowboys’ pistols come into action, and the
coyote is represented by an indistinct grey streak
headed for the horizon. The prairie-woif is very
fleet of foot. When cattle ranches grew common in
‘the West, a bounty was put on wolves by the different
states. Now-a-days, ranchmen often offer an extra
bounty, and the " wolvers" as professional wolf-
hunters are called, sometimes make a fair living.
But the interest in wolf-hunting is largely due to the
exciting rides across the sage-brush flats, and the
long shots at wolves, where the bullets throw up
white puffs of alkali dust.

The big timber wolf ranges all over the West; but
as most of the country they roam in is brushy or moun-
tainous, hunting them would be a difficult matter.

In the coyote country one is liable to see the
sage-hen. This bird is the largest member of the
grouse family foundin America. They offer splendid
shots to the sportsman armed with a small
calibre rifle, and due to their even High Ly
they are sometimes killed on the Te

wing by expert riflemen.
As a camp weapon

nan work ‘ small calibres (i228.
are the most satisfactory. The ar of ammuni-
tion is quite an item when travelling in the wilderness,

and a .22-calibre for pot shooting is always useful.
It often happens that ptarmigan, grouse, or ducks, are
plentiful in big game country. When armed with
heavy guns, the hunters pass them by, as they are
afraid that big game may be fnghtened from the
vicinity by the loud reports of the large-bore guns.
In a case of this kind the .22-calibre will come in
handy, as its report will carry only a short distance.
The writer used a .22-calibre Stevens in the Cassiare
Mountains of British Columbia. On this trp we
killed all the ptarmigan and grouse we wanted, and
the gun made practically no noise.

Besides keeping the larder full, it keeps a man in
practice. In big-game shooting, the hunter goes for
long periods without firing a shot. Even if successful
he may only fire one or two shots a week, and the
constant practice with the camp gun is of some benefit.

The killing of big game with the .22 rifle is
usually due to chance. ‘There are many cases,
however, where big-game animals have been killed
by this small arm. Even Mr. Moose, the largest
wild animal found in North America, with the
exception of the Alaska brown bear, has frequently
been the victim. A prospector killed a moose
near the Alaska boundary line. I was in the
country at the time, and near the place where the
moose was killed. The prospector came out of
his cabin early one morning, and saw the moose —
a young bull—at a distance. A .22-calibre rifle
was the only gun he had, but after a short stalk, he
placed a bullet behind the moose’s ear and killed it.
30

The writer has met but one man, however,
who has made a practice of hunting big game with
the .22-calibre nfle. He is a citizen of Wrangel,
Alaska, and does all his shooting with this small
arm. He has been very successful, and has killed
both moose and caribou. The hunting method
he follows resembles that of the Indians. He
approaches very close for the first shot, and counts
on his accuracy with the small rifle doing the work
instead of its smashing power. ‘The only draw-
back to this calibre is that in unskilled hands it
would cause much suffering among the animals hit,
as the shot must be admirably placed to cause
instant death or disablement.

The most distressing part of hunting is that
occasionally a wounded animal escapes and dies a
lingering death. The hunter should never allow
an animal to die in this manner. I have seen an
uneducated Indian travel mile after mile in pursuit
of a wounded animal for no other reason than to
end its sufferings.

This crime happens less among real wilderness
hunters than among sportsmen; and it should be
carefully guarded against.

When the hunting days are over, and the old gun
is resting above the fireplace, our ideas on hunting
change. The successful kill becomes merely an
incident of the hunt; not a lasting pleasure. The
living memories are of the long, wild days in the
open, the glare of the Northern sun on ice-coated

31

mountains, and the sound of rushing water.

Every camp we have made comes back
to us; once more we hear the pack-horses
feeding in the dusk, and the trout brook
rippling among the cotton-woods. The
faces of old camp companions return.
Mens are faces of friends grown rough
from the wild life; others, narrow-eyed
and bronzed, are the faces of wilder-
y, Ress men—low-voiced Indians, and
!’.B, Whites with no home but the mountains.
‘°° Once more we feel the pack and
"tump-line," and stagger weary into camp as the
sun dips beyond the ranges.

But there is no sting in an arduous task well
done, and the memory of cold and sleet-numbed
bodies brings no suffering.

The man who has never pressed a rifle-butt to
his cheek, does not know himself. Our wild side,
handed down to us from the stone age, can only be
aroused by warfare or the excitement of the hunt.
Life in the wilderness is arduous, savage, and hard;
but it is free as the mountain wind, and as open as the
sky. The wilderness man is rough; but he does
things with his hands and by the sweat of his brow,

He is a knight of the pack-strap and gun, and
his generosity and courage are as boundless as his
kingdom. And so when our thoughts drift back-
ward towards the old days, they rest lovingly on the
battered rifle—the "open sesame" of the wilder-
ness, and the out-door man’s best friend.

32

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CHAPTER III
&

The Shotgun :

' ‘HE shotgun now-a-days is purely a sporting

arm. Being a short-range weapon it is of

little use in big-game shooting in open coun-
try. By this I do not mean that the shotgun does
not shoot hard; at short ranges it is a powerful
weapon, and loaded with ball or buck-shot, at mod-
erate distances, it is as deadly as the rifle. It is
the extreme long range of the modern rifle that has
relegated the shotgun to the position of a small-
game arm.

The gauges commonly used in shotguns vary
from the light 16-gauge, up to the heavy 10-gauge
duck guns. The 16-gauge is a very light gun, and
it is usually used for quail and snipe shooting; but —
some good duck shots use it. It is a satisfactory
gauge for upland shooting. The | 2-gauge is the
most popular gun used, as it is strong enough for
any game, and is still light enough for quick shoot-
ing.

The 10-gauge is purely a duck or goose gun,
as itis too heavy to use in snap shooting in thick
cover.

Bo)

There has always been a controversy on the
relative merits of the 10, 12 and 16-gauge guns.
While the 10-gauge throws more shot than the |2
or 16, the matter seems to be entirely one of indi-
vidual tastes. Some men can kill more with the
12 or 16-gauge, due to their lightness, and the
ease with which they can be handled.

Personally, I have never seen a 10-gauge out-
shoot a 12-gauge in the field, even at ducks and
geese: and | have been on many hunting trips
where both these gauges were well represented.
Despite the modern use of the shotgun, it is a splen-
did wilderness arm. Its only drawback is the
weight of the ammunition.

As the hunter can use either shot or ball, he
can live off the country with ease when the game
is little hunted. In shooting for the pot a man can
usually kill enough ducks or ptarmigan with a shot-
gun to supply a number of men with food.

The shotgun is accurate up to 80 yards,
when loaded with ball, and will prove satisfactory
in hunting big game.

As our modern shotguns are usually choked,
it is dangerous to ball without first measuring the
size of the barrel. A good way of making your
own bullets is as follows:

Drive a wad through the barrel, until it is
within an inch of the muzzle; then pour in enough
lead to make a distinct mould. Send this piece
to a bullet-mould maker, and have him make a

34

round mould of the same size. Now, as a bullet
the same size of the mould would be heavier than
necessary, you could lighten it in this manner.
File a notch in the jaws of the mould large
enough to fit a pin. When you pour lead into
the mould, insert a pin in the notch, with a small
round piece of cork on the end of it. This will
make the finished ball hollow. When loading the
ballin a cartridge, place the heavy end so that it
will leave the muzzle first.

This load will prove satisfactory on large game.
In our Northwest the small game hunter often sees
large game while hunting, and is at a loss to know
what to do. In a moderately choked gun the
"split Shell" can be used, and will prove a good
charge for deer, black bear, etc. The best feature
of the split shell is the rapidity with which it can
be arranged, and the fact that the hunter needs
nothing but a small knife to change his harmless
shotgun into a big game arm. ‘The way to cut a
shell is to break the divisions through the wads
that separate the powder from the shot. On look-
ing at a shell we can see a slight swelling between
the powder and shot; near the powder end of this
swelling is the place to cut, and a little practice will
be necessary to get the best results. After the
shell is cut in two it is placed in the gun and fred.

The shot end of the shell travels in one piece,
and at a distance of 80 yards will penetrate well
and make a terrible wound.

35

Care should be taken to leave a little piece of
the shell uncut, as it will keep the shot end of the
shell from sliding down the barrel prematurely and
bursting the gun. The first time I tried a split
shell I practiced on a target nailed to a tree, until |
found where to cut the shell to keep it from break-
ing before it hit the mark. A few days afterward
I was duck-shooting, and a large flock of blue-bills
lit about 100 yards from my stool. They proved
so attractive that several single birds that would
have come to my decoys swung off and joined
them. At last I decided to scare them away, and
saeeuseeaan thinking of the "split-shell," I shot one at the flock,
Rec aiming high, and to my great surprise, I killed one.
ee, one et aa oy great santos
treme ‘There is danger, however, in shooting a sphit-
— shell in anything but a moderately choked, or cylin-
der bore barrel. Buckshot are very satisfactory for
big-game hunting; they carry well, and have a fair
penetration; but big game hunting with the shot-
gun will never be popular except in a very bushy
country, as little skill is required to hit a large ani-
mal with shot, at close range. If food is scarce
the shotgun is indeed a valuable possession.

For field shooting the most popular gun is one
that has a cylinder nght, and a moderately choked
left barrel. Ducks are killed at longer ranges than
upland birds, and their feathers are thicker; so a
gun with a moderately choked right, and close
choked left barrel, is used.

Due to modern methods and machinery, there
has been a long step made in the manufacture of
firearms. Besides improving in construction, they

36

are more reasonable in price, and are put through
the hands of experts before leaving the factories.

A great deal has been written on how to shoot
with a rifle or shotgun. Marksmanship isa fasci-
nating study, and is always of interest to the sports-
man; but the writer’s experience has been that
the more you use a shotgun the fewer theories you
have about shooting.

Shooting with a shotgun differs from rifle shoot-
ing in certain particulars. Where rifle shooting is
methodical calculation and precision, shotgun shoot-
ing is guesswork and quickness. When a grouse
thunders upward through the autumn leaves, the
sportsman has a dim blur, occasionally completely
hidden, for a target. Sometimes he knows where
he aims, but usually he pulls the trigger when he
" feels" the gun is pointing correctly.

If a companion "pulls down" a high, strong
flying mallard, and you ask him how much he led
the bird, he will answer: "about six feet;" but he
did not really measure the distance when he shot,
but discharged his gun when he " fe/#" that the gun
was aimed correctly. This guess-work or judg-
ment enters largely into shotgun shooting. Many
men shoot with both eyes open, paying more atten-
tion to the mark than to the gun.

One celebrated Western wildfowler shoots as
easily from the waist, or hip, as he does from the
shoulder.

Shooting, with him, is a " feeling;"_ he has no
theories. When he feels his gun is pointing night,
he "cuts loose."

37

The beginner must "paddle his own canoe" in

learning to shoot. He must practice faithfully, and
trust in his own judgment; as no one ever learned
to shoot from reading books. One thing is abso-
lutely essential for good shooting, and that is a gun
that fits the gunner perfectly. Men are built on so
many different patterns that one gun will not suit
every one.

Your gun should be so balanced that when you
put it to your shoulder it will "come up" exactly
on the mark aimed at. The only good rule in
wing shooting is to keep your gun moving with the
bird until after you shoot.

If you have across shot at a fast-flying bird
you will aim sometimes ahead of it. If you stop
swinging your gun for a fraction of a second, on pull-
ing the trigger the chances are that you will shoot
behind the bird. As ducks are said to attain a
speed of over 75 miles an hour, one can readily
understand the importance of swinging the gun
evenly, and the slightest delay in pressing the trigger
will cause a miss. In upland shooting the hunter
has many quartering, or straight away shots, in the
open. In these cases, he can take his time, and
hold as close as he wants to; but in swift cross
shots, in heavy winds, he will have to rely on a kind
of instinct, that tells him when to pull the trigger.

One of the unexplainable things in duck shoot-
ing is, that at times a good shot will be unable to
hit anything. He gets "hoodoed;" duck after
duck goes by, without one staying behind to warm
the game bag. Usually this "spell" does not last

38

long, and the hunter’s experience begins to tell.
The reverse is also true; sometimes a novice will
"crumple up" bird after bird like a veteran until his
luck changes. The man who has hunted exclu-
sively with a shotgun, always finds it hard to change
to anifle. As a rule he "over shoots" at first, as
he forgets the rear sight; but at running game, his
knowledge of wing shooting comes to his aid.

The writer once hunted big game with a shot-
gun expert who seemed unable to hit anything with
a rifle, until it began to move, and then he would
shoot very well.

Trap shooting is a pleasant sport, and if it is
indulged in during the summer months, will help a
man considerably when he begins to shoot in the
field. While trap shooting differs in many ways
from field shooting, it will help the sportsman in
judging speed and distances.

A. shotgun is comparatively easy to clean.
The barrels are large and smooth on the inside, and
the cleaning rod can be inserted from either end;
but keeping a gun in good condition requires con-
stant watchfulness. ‘The nght time to clean a gun
is immediately after using it. To get a gun properly
clean, it should be thoroughly overhauled at inter-
vals of a day or two, for about a week. This
should be done always when you are putting a gun
away for a long time.

It seems as if there was moisture in the metal
that comes out and rusts, after a gun has been
cleaned. Some men oil their guns thoroughly

before putting them away, but this is risky, unless _ Re."

39

ap

the oil is of the very best quality. It is safer to
have the gun perfectly dry, and the barrels stuffed
at both ends with a clean cloth.

Newspaper is useful in cleaning guns; it removes
rust, when used with oil and lots of elbow grease.

Stevens Odorless Gun Oil is about the best gun
oil made for both metal and wooden parts. It is a
good plan to cover a gun with oil before going
duck shooting, but the gun should be thoroughly
wiped and cleaned after it is used, as it will be
covered with sand and dirt.

The beginner will attribute many of his misses
to defective ammunition. He often begins to load
his own shells, and keeps intricate accounts of the
moneyhe saves. It does not matter how long he works,
so long as he saves ten cents’ worth of powder.

Of course it does him no harm, except the time
wasted, but now-a-days shells are so cheap, and so
much better than the average man can load, that it
does not pay to experiment.

Shooting is a sport that offers untold pleasures
to those who follow it; and as most of us seldom
get a chance to hunt big game, the shotgun becomes
our favorite arm.

With a good dog and gun, a man can wander
off into the country and lose himself in the beauties
of nature; worry drops from his shoulders, and he is
once morea boy. So long as there are trout streams,
and rolling hills where the grouse and quail hide,
there will be men who love far more a day well
spent with nature, than money and the roar
of cities.

40

CHAPTER IV

£

Wild Fowl

HEN the golden leaves of Autumn are
covering Mother Earth for her long sleep;

when the woodchuck and squirrel have
prepared their snug winter homes, and the first cold
winds have warned the wood folks of winter's
approach, the long Vs of water-fowl start for their
warm haunts in the Southland. Of all the move-
ments of wild things, there is none more impressive
_ than this grand, irresistible migration. All summer
the lakes have been deserted, save for the marsh-
wren, and blackbird. But with the approach of
winter a change comes over the land.

4]

From the dark pools at twilight comes the soft
calls of the drake mallards, and from the open
waters the whistle of widgeon. Night by night the
sounds increase, until the air resounds with the
clanging calls of geese, and the hissing of feathered
phalanxes.

This is the time when the devotees of the blind
and decoy hie them to the marshes.

It is possible to give the young hunter going on
his first hunt a few suggestions that will be of value
in a day’s sport. But the really important features
he must lear by experience.

The most vital factor in a successful shoot is a ”
good knowledge of the habits of wild fowl; as here
conditions change so that even the veteran gunner is
sometimes at fault. Every move made in a day’s
duck hunting is based on what the hunter thinks the
game will do on that particular day; and if his
reasoning is sound, a heavy game bag will be his
reward.

When the novice for the first time crawls into
a boat in the wee small hours, to row to the duck
grounds, he usually wishes that he hadn't. It is
pitch dark, of course; he hasn't enjoyed his quickly
cooked breakfast; and the cold makes his teeth
chatter.

If there is any wind, his sorrow is unlimited:
and yet this very wind—unpleasant as it may be—
is what the veteran duck-hunter wishes for above
all things. For it makes the birds fly low; then it

42

brings them from the open water into the flats and
inland ponds; and lastly, it animates the wooden
decoys.

The first thing to be done on reaching the hunt-
ing ground is to decide on a good place for a blind.
Where clubs own large tracts of land that are
reserved for the members, the blinds are quite sub-
stantially built, and the members draw lots for their
positions. But if we are hunting on large, unpro-
tected marshes, the choosing of a blind is most
important.

F irst, we must have water to float the decoys;
and also the boat, it there is no dry land to shoot
from. As duck, though flying high, will usually
follow a waterway, if is a good plan to keep close
to some slough that runs across the marsh. The
blind should be built immediately on arriving at the
chosen spot. It should be low, and not too large,
as of course the less attention it attracts, the better.
After placing all the necessaries in the blind, the
decoys must be put out; and there are many ways
of arranging them. ‘Then if the blind is on land,
the boat must be taken to a distance, and hidden.
All these preparations must be completed before the
break of day, as the early moming and evening
shooting is usually the best.

BLINDS

It is frequently the case, where wild fowl are
numerous, that nature has provided blinds for the
sportsman.

Willows, and other shrubs, often grow near the
ponds and sloughs where ducks congregate; and
these natural blinds, with a little improvement, are
usually very satisfactory. The duck hunter, how-
ever, must be prepared for every emergency; and
often the best shooting will be had where there is
no cover.

There are several ways of making blinds; and
two of them have helped me on many a successful
hunt. By cutting up and sewing together some
gunny sacks; get a piece of sacking about 12x3¥%.
Nail the ends into two sharpened sticks. Then
with heavy twine make many loops in the cloth.
These loops will hold the dry marsh grass or leaves
that you use to cover the blind.

On arriving at the marsh you make a circle of
three or four sticks, according to the size you wish
your blind to be. Then wrap your gunny-sack
blind around them, and fasten it in place by pushing
the sticks that are nailed to it, into the earth. Ar-
range the height and size of blind to suit your pur-
pose, and then pull
handfuls of marsh
grass through the
loops in the blind.

This blind, when folded, makes a good cushion for
a boat seat, and takes up very little room.

Another very simple way of making a blind, is
to take a strip of chicken wire, and after staking it
in the right position, weave dry grass through the
openings.

s

DECOYS.

Hunting without decoys robs duck shooting of
its chief charm. In shooting over a stool the ducks
come of their own free-will, to the hunter.

There is no sight more thrilling in bird shooting
than that of a flock of wary canvas-backs circling
closer and closer to where the hidden sportsman
has placed his stool. Here, again, the knowledge
of the habits of water fowl is necessary.

3

NUMBER OF DECOYS

Men differ radically conceming the correct
number of decoys to use, but if the hunter follows
the hints of the wild birds themselves, he cannot go
far wrong. In the open water where birds congre-
gate in "large rafts" to rest, sink boxes are neces-
sary, and in this kind of shooting a stool of 100 or
more decoys may be used.

Inland, where the ducks fly in separate flocks,
fewer decoys are needed, but there must be enough

A

=< to make a good showing. About 20
decoys is a good number for shooting in
inland ponds, as the number can be easily managed.

In buying or making his decoys, the novice
wonders which of the many types of ducks to take
as a model. And, here, again, the stool depends
on the kind of hunting they are to be used for.

In open water, where diving for food is neces-
sary, canvas-back, red-head, and berat (or blue-bill)
decoys are the best, as any of these species will
decoy freely to each other. Also golden-eye, buffle-
head, and braut, will swing in to a school of diving
ducks.

But inland, in the shallow, fresh-water ponds,
mallard decoys are generally accepted as the best
type, as widgeon, pin-tail shoveller, and teal, will
come to a mallard stool. As a rule, in inland shoot-
ing the sportsman does not see much of the diving
ducks, such as canvas-back, red-head, blue-bill, etc.,
and the same rule holds good in open or salt water
shooting, with the surface or shallow feeders, such
as mallard, widgeon, and pin-tail.

#

MIXED SHOOTING

But in cases where good mixed shooting 1s
enjoyed, it is possible to arrange a stool that will be
attractive to all species.

A very successful method of arranging a stool
for mixed shooting is to use a stool composed of
both diving and surface ducks. The mallard or
teal decoys should be placed along shore, among
the lilypads, or grasses, while the canvas-back stool
should be placed in a compact flock in open water.
I have on one or two occasions had excellent shoot-
ing over a canvas-back stool arranged in the form
of a V; but whether my success was due to this
particular formation, I am unable to say.

In early morning shooting it is a good plan to
spread the stool, placing some of the decoys in shal-
low water as if they were feeding. In the middle
of the day there is not much shooting as a rule, and
a big stool in open water can be seen further, and
often bring in a few birds. In putting out a stool,
always put it up wind from your blind, as in alight-
ing, all ducks fly against the wind, and in swinging
the stool they will pass close to your blind.

#

FITTING OUT A STOOL

In fitting out a stool it is necessary to know
where you are going to use them, as the anchors
and string must be heavy and long enough for any
conditions. The best method of making the anchor
fast, is to take enough fish-line (about half the size
of cod-line) and make it fast to one decoy with a
loop of leather. The leather should be nailed on

47

with some non-corrosive nails. ‘This rig will save
you many days, as the anchor string won't rot.

Any piece of lead will do for an anchor; but
it is better to make miniature mushrooms by pour-
ing hot lead around the ends of a twisted wire, as
this rig will be less liable to tangle.

In salt water wild fowling in the far Northwest,
very long decoy strings are needed, as the fall and
rise of tide is very great.

It is a good thing on buying a stool to brand
your name on the bottom of each decoy, with a hot
iron, as all decoys are much alike, and, like an um-
brella, are often mistaken for public property.

“

BOATS

There are many styles of duck boats, and all of
them are good. The principal necessary features
are lightness, strength, and stability. As most wild-
fowl shooting is done on marshes or flats, the boat
must be shoal draft. It should be large enough to
hold two men, a dog, and a medium stool. As the
best shooting is enjoyed in the autumn, when fierce
storms are apt to spring up at any time, a boat with
a good free board is necessary, or if it is decked
over, a good combing around the cockpit is a factor
of safety. A long painter will often come in handy,
also a small keg of fresh water.

And in inland shooting particularly, a pole
besides the oars, is often useful. Another good
wrinkle is to have the knees of your boat the same
width as the shells you use; for then when shoot-
ing from your craft, you can use the inside strips
for a shell rack.

#£

CLOTHES
The clothes used on a duck hunt should be of

very heavy, warm material, but the outside layer
(and this will save you many a bird) should be of
a protective color. Hip boots are necessary, as
you will often want to kneel in shallow water. If
you want gloves, get them large, so that you can
throw them off by swinging your arm down quickly.

&

GUNS AND AMMUNITION

More is demanded of a shotgun in water-fowl
shooting than in any other kind of hunting. The
birds killed are large and strong; and their feathers
are so thick and evenly grown that they amount
almost to a shot-proof covering. A sound familiar
to all duck hunters is the rattle of shot on the hard
feathers of a high flying bird, which disappears in
the distance none the worse for the lead shower.

49

Men differ as to the correct gauge for a duck
gun. Some use the |0-gauge; others, the 12-, and
occasionally you find a man armed with a | 6-gauge.

The writer’s experience has been that the mid-
dle course is wholly the best, and that a | 2-gauge,
32-inch barrel gun, medium choke night, and close
choke left barrel, will stop any bird that flies under
any ordinary conditions. The 10-gauge is too
clumsy a gun for anything but wild-fowl shooting ;
and the 16-gauge is a little too light for ducks and
geese, though it is an excellent upland gun.

¢

AMMUNITION

When smokeless powder first appeared, many
old, experienced sportsmen continued to use black
powder, claiming that it was superior in a number
of ways to the smokeless. But now things have
changed. The roar of the old drive duck gun no
longer echoes across the marshes, and from far and
near comes the sharp, barking report of the modern
breech-loader. Smokeless is a very quick powder,
and in using it the gunner can hold much closer to
his bird than with the black powder.

As now-a-days ammunition is loaded so cheaply
and evenly, it does not pay (unless one is very par-
ticular) to load one’s own shells. Besides, smoke-
less is more difficult to load than black powder, and
the chance of accident is greater.

50

This is reason enough for a novice to let smoke-
less alone, until he has learned by experience just
what charge he wants.

£

SIZE OF SHOT

Many different sizes of shot are used in duck
shooting, and all are satisfactory, from the market
hunter with his 10-gauge and No. 2s, to the sports-
man with his No. 5s. In fact, the size of shot
depends largely on where you are hunting. If it is
late in the season, and you are hunting on salt
water, you will need heavy shot and strong loads,
something in the neighbornood of 3s or 4s. But
early in the autumn, when the birds are not in full
feather, 5s or 6s will do. The wniter has used 7s
and even 8s with success, early in the year; but
ordinarily, this shot would be too light. Every one
who has been afield, can remember almost impossi-
ble shots they have made. Sometimes you will
"crumple up" a strong flying canvas-back at an impos-
sible range, with a charge of 8s; and again, the
heaviest shot seems too light. It is a good plan
when going on a long hunt to take shells loaded
with several sorts of shot. The smaller sizes will
come in handy for killing cripples or an occasional
yellow-leg, or Wilson’s snipe.

It is remarkable how a load of No. 8s will kill
a cripple, when it is half under water, and at long
range, and yet at flying birds they are unsatisfactory.

5]

HUNTING

One of the most pleasant features of water-
fowling is the great number of methods open to the
hunter.

Ist, there is decoy shooting, where the hunter
lies in wait for the bird with a bunch of decoys.

2nd, there is pass-shooting, where the fowler
stations himself between two large bodies of water,
and shoots the water-fowl as they change their feed-
ing grounds.

3rd, there is point-shooting, where the hunter
kills his birds as they are following the shore of
lake or sea.

4th, is the stalking, or "Walking up" of the
ducks as they are feeding in some marshy lake or
slough. A\ll these methods combine many varia-
tions, and afford unlimited pleasure to the sportsman.

€

SHOOTING OVER DECOYS

There is much to be learned in decoy shooting
besides the putting out of the stool and making the
blind.

One of the most difficult things to master is tell-
ing when a flock of ducks has approached as close
to the blind as they are going to. Often a bunch
will swing around the decoys at long range, and fly
away, only to make a large circle and come sweep-

it 4 |,, ing back close to the hunter. He who can read

AY

52

the minds of ducks by their actions, must spend
many a day on the marshes. At times some birds
will swing in, giving the hunter a long but possible
shot. If he hesitates for a minute, his chance is
gone; and unless they turn again, he must sit sadly
while the flock fades to a dim line in the distance.
The greatest fault committed by beginners, how-
ever, is that of shooting too soon; and many a
splendid shot is lost in this way. ‘There is always
a moment when the decoying birds hang for a frac-
tion of a section above the stool, or waver between
a desire to alight, and a suspicion of their painted
dummys. A wonderful picture they make with
their graceful necks outstretched, wings bowed, and
feet hanging; and this is the time when the hunter
carefully picks out one chosen bird, and swings the
old gun into line.

The beginner will often find to his cost that no
matter how full of birds the air looks, the holes
between them are still more numerous; and that
no matter how large the flock is, each duck shot at
should be singled out clearly as the gun is coming

to the cheek.
&

CALLING DUCKS

It is possible for the hunter to develop some
skill in the use of a duck call. While the call is
not infallible in bringing in birds, when used judi-
ciously, it will sometimes tur a wavering flock to

the stool. Great care should be taken in the use
53

= ED

SSE SSS
SSSSSSS

SSS

SS

—
== 2°

WS

SS
Ss

"We “SSSA
eee aes Pa Sip ae

Ss

SSS
Ss

a

of the call, or it will serve rather to frighten than to
attract the wild birds.

When a flock is at a good distance, a few loud
"quacks" on the call will often start them towards
the stool. As soon as the flock has seen the stool
and started towards it, the calling should stop, or at
least be very subdued. Ducks when feeding often
carry on a low, chattering conversation among them-
selves, and many wild fowlers imitate this guttural
chattering sound up to the time that the birds are
within gun shot. I have often noticed that ducks
are not frightened much by the human voice, when
ifs, decoying; and have even seen them come into the
~ stool when the unprepared hunters were laughing
heartily at some joke. The young sportsman, how-
ever, should take much pains to keep still and well
hidden, as the less done to take the duck’s eyes
from the decoys, the greater the chance of success.

s
PASS SHOOTING

Point and pass shooting are very much in the
same class. In both cases the ducks fly by the hid-
den sportsman on the way to some feeding ground.
In point shooting decoys are used but merely to
attract the attention of the ducks and bring them
a little closer to the hunter. Ducks seldom if ever
come in to the decoys on an exposed point between
feeding grounds. This form of hunting is interest-
ing chiefly on account of the skill needed to stop
the hard flying birds at long range. It is not my

54

purpose to go into the speed attained by flying
ducks, as I have never had a chance to drive a
flight.

However, I have seen our slow flying ducks
pass with ease a train in which I was riding, that
was going at the rate of 60 miles an hour.

Now, in point or pass shooting, the birds are
travelling with a good start, under a full head of
steam, and as the shots are of good length, the man
who can get a fair average must be able to shoot
well.

Sometimes, in the Western States, the ducks
move in such numbers that pass shooting requires
little skill. Where there is a hill between two
large feeding grounds, the ducks will often skim
over it without rising to any extent in the air. And
at dusk the hunter is sometimes afraid to stand on
the crest lest one of the feathered bullets should
strike him.

At times, on good passes at the height of the
evening flight, the wild fowl will be in such num-
bers that their wings make one continuous hiss, as
flock after flock pass to their resting grounds.

#

“JUMPING” DUCKS

Flushing, or "jumping" ducks, is a very pleas-

ant sport. This method of hunting comes as a

relief to the hunter who has been cramped in a

blind all the morning. While the morning flight is
|

on, better success can be had with a blind and
stool ; but as the flight begins to slacken, the hunter
marks down the birds that alight near him, and
goes after them on foot. The two things necessary
for success in this kind of hunting, are: caution in
approaching the birds, and experience in rising
shots at long range; as the birds are easily fright-
ened, and rise so rapidly that the novice invariably
shoots too low. A very successful method of
"walking up" ducks is for two hunters to work
together, about 60 yards apart. In this way many
good shots are secured, and the birds are more
easily found and retrieved.

&

SINK-BOX SHOOTING

Sink-box shooting is the least attractive form
of wild-fowl shooting. In the first place, the hunter,
being marooned in an anchored box, is dependent
on others, and cannot change his hunting ground.
The shooting is also done on one duck’s resting
grounds, in open water, and for this reason is, in
some States, prohibited by law.

Sink-box shooting, however, for men who live
in large cities, is fairly good sport. Due to the
difficulty of handling and keeping this outfit in good
condition, it is usually owned by some professional
hunter, who rents the box and stool to the sports-
man. A certain degree of perseverance and hardi-
56

hood is necessary in this kind of shooting, as a sink-
box ona cold day, with a stiff breeze blowing, is
not very comfortable.

The blind is nothing but a box sunk to the
level of the water by decoys made of metal, and ———
by the weight of the hunter. Around the box are ~*~
wings of canvas that float on the waves and keep
the wash from entering the sink-box.

A large stool is usually used, and in favorable
conditions large bags are made.

The birds killed are retrieved by a hired helper
who waits down tide or wind and picks up the
floating birds.

In case of stormy weather the hunter signals to
his helper, who comes and takes him off, as the box
cannot stand much sea.

Most of the ducks killed in sink-box shooting

are the salt water or diving varieties.

&

GOOSE SHOOTING

Goose shooting stands by itself in the pursuit
of fowl.

Although ducks and geese are often found
together, the best goose shooting is had on the dry,
flat wheat fields of the far West, and Western
Canada, where, due to the lack of water, ducks are
not numerous.

57

While there are several ways of hunting geese,
the most successful is that of digging a hole in some
wheat field where the birds congregate to feed, and
then shooting them over decoys.

As the hole is dug, the earth is removed to a
distance, and scattered about so that it does not
show. The rim of the hole is then lined with a
ridge of wheat stubble, and with the decoys in
place, is ready for use.

The hunter faces in the direction from which
the birds are expected. The geese spend the night
on some large body of water, often at a great dis-
tance from the wheat fields. They fly to the feed-
ing ground, and after getting their fill, return to their
resting grounds. ‘The decoys used in this kind of
shooting are flat, and cut out of sheet metal of some
kind. As the blinds are too small to admit of hold-
ing many dead geese, they are usually staked out as
soon as shot, and answer for decoys.

This method of using dead birds as decoys
may be employed in duck shooting as well as in
goose shooting.

A small stick sharpened or split at one end is
all that is necessary.

Take the sharpened end and push through the
duck’s head from underneath; shove the other end

—into the ground until the duck assumes a natural
pose. If there is water, the stick must be longer ;
and if a split stick is used, the duck’s head is

VR inserted into the opening.

58

Le

ao

i

Blue Grouse Shooting

CHAPTER V

Upland Shooting

A NY one who is fond of nature will appreciate

upland shooting. As the name implies,
it is the hunt of upland game birds, and
it differs in almost every respect from bay shooting.
The principal difference is that in water-fowl shooting,
the gunner sits still and lets the bird come to him;
while in upland shooting he goes after the birds.
Storms and sleet no longer insure a good bag,
Our tramps are over crisp stubble fields, through
old, sweet-scented orchards, and the cool woods,
where the autumn leaves lie thick. Instead of the
long wedges of water-fowl driving steadily south-
ward, we have some solitary grouse whirring away
between the gray tree-trunks, or a bevy of quail
bursting like a miniature bomb-shell from the corner
of an old rail fence. One of the pleasantest
features of upland shooting is watching the dogs
a9

work. [n all other bird shooting dogs are used
principally as retrievers, but in upland shooting they
do most of the work. This sport is at its best
near civilization, as the birds are usually found in
farming country.

Ducks flourish in the bleak, northern wilder-
ness, but not so our upland game birds. Besides
the food they get from the grain fields, their natural
enemies are fewer.

#

GROUSE AND WOODCOCK

Probably no two upland game birds are better
known and appreciated by sportsmen than the
grouse and woodcock. They combine to a high
degree those traits that make them worthy of the
hunter’s skill. The woodcock is a recluse, and his
range is small; but wherever there are trees and
running water, from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
we find the ruffled grouse or his brothers.

Their movements seem shrouded in mystery.
To-day, the alder thickets may be deserted, save
for an occasional grouse ; and to-morrow the hunt-
er’s bag will overflow. In Massachusetts there
are, as a rule, two flights. “The first, coming about
the time of the first frost, is composed of the birds
that have gone far north to breed; the second is
the Northern flight. The birds composing the first
flight are found in the alders and bottoms; but the
second flight birds, strange to relate, seem to prefer
60

the hillsides and oak thickets. The woodcock’s
whereabouts depend Je) largely upon climatic con-
ditions, that the successful hunter must be a careful
student of their habits, and thoroughly familiar with
the country over which he is hunting. A man
might live for years within easy reach of a good
woodcock cover, and not see a bird. The range
of the woodcock is very small compared with that
of our other game birds. The principal flight is
along the Atlantic States; and they are never found
in the West. The woodcock probes for its food

with its long bill, and the holes or "borings" that a
they make while feeding can be seen in the soft ~/ Lf
mud in the bottom lands. a

The woodcock has a very tender skin, and is i nee
easily killed; its flight is short, and it can often be’ Keo
followed and flushed again if it has escaped from
the hunter. The thick brush is what makes suc-
cessful woodcock shooting difficult, and the hunter
must be a good snap-shot. The woodcock is
unsurpassed as a table or game bird. The ruffled
grouse is in the same class as the woodcock. No
sound is dearer to a sportsman’s ear than the drum-
ming of a grouse as it drifts out on the quiet Indian
summer air, across some sheltered valley. No
sight thrills us more than a glimpse of the broad-
tailed, golden bird whirring away through the
leafless alders. With what pleasure we look back
on the days when, accompanied by some faithful
dog, we hunted the coverts.
61

The ruffled grouse, or "partridge," as he is
often called, is a brave and hardy bird. Besides
the danger from hunters, he withstands the hunger
and cold of long winters with fortitude.

Buried underneath the snow, he hears the savage
winter blizzards shrieking by, and when Nature's
mood has softened, he breaks his way to the open
air, and seeks his food. An old New England
cock grouse is a difficult bird to bag. The meth-
ods followed in grouse hunting are similar to those
used in quail or pheasant shooting. The requisites
are, a good dog, and a knowledge of the habits of
the game. The habits of grouse are practically the
same wherever they are found; so from the West-
ern States to New England, the same tactics will
prove successful. Grouse are early feeders, and
rarely come into the open except at dawn or dusk.
Their food consists of larva, insects, and different
kinds of grain. In winter, when hard pressed for
food, | have found them in orchards, pecking the
remains of the apple-crop; they also eat the tender
buds of different trees.

Grouse like the sides of brush-covered hills;
and the head of a brushy, well-watered ravine, is
a favorite spot. In thick cover they are difficult to
hit, and the hunter must be a good snap-shot to be
successful. In fact, all upland shooting is quick
shooting; the slow, methodical duck-hunter stands
a poor chance in the uplands. On the Pacific
slope, where the timber grows to a great height,

62

the grouse lives a good deal in the trees. In little
hunted localities, a covey will remain in a tree
while the hunter shoots them, one by one, provided
he shoots at the bird that is nearest to the ground ;
but they soon learn that a perch is no protection
against firearms.

The most successful grouse hunters are the men
who hunt the same localities every year. They
learn the whereabouts of every covey, and know
where to find them at any time in the day. Some
grouse are domestic birds, and refuse to leave a
certain locality, no matter how much they are
persecuted.

This is a dangerous trait, as sooner or later
they make a mistake and go home in the hunter’s
pocket.

#

QUAIL

Quail shooting in a well-stocked country is
fascinating sport. As quail are usually found in
bevies, there is more dash than in grouse shooting.

Quail, like the grouse, abound in the United
States; and are even more plentiful, as there are
some desert varieties that thrive in the Southwest,
in country where grouse could not live. Along the
Pacific coast there are several species of quail; the
California valley, and mountain quail, the "Bob
White" and a sub-species or two.

63

The Bob White has been planted within the
last few years, and seems to be doing well. ‘The
California valley quail is slightly smaller than the
"Bob White;" it frequents the sides of rugged foot-
hills and the heads of brushy canons.

The California birds, while furnishing fine sport
for the lovers of dog and gun, do not lie as well as
their Eastern brothers, and consequently, the man
who makes a good bag must be sound of wind
and limb.

I have seen an old dog who was well breken
on "Bob White," completely lose his temper and
self-respect, when hunting Western quail for the
first time. After staunchly pointing several coveys
that had "run out of the County" by the time we
arrived, he attempted the tactics of the greyhound,
and tried to run them down, much to the mortifica-
tion of his doting owners.

Quail love farm lands. Any old wheat, oat, or
barley field, with brushy edges, and brier-covered
fences, is a favorite spot.

A good dog, and practice, will make any man
an enthusiastic follower of this delightful sport.

“

“PRAIRIE ‘CHICKENS

The pinnated grouse, or "prairie chicken," is
a splendid game bird. It is found in the greatest
numbers in the wheat country bordering the great
64

plains. As the country is settled the prairie chick-
ens increase in numbers, due to the improved food
supply and added protection from their natural
enemies.

As the prairie chicken is found in open country,
wide-ranging dogs are used, and the hunters often
follow in a wagon. When the dogs "make game"
the hunters alight, and the fun commences.

The prairie chicken is not a difficult bird to
hit, as its flight is even. In fact, it flies in much
the same manner as the meadow lark; beating the
air with its wings, and "sailing" alternately. When
the birds are: fat they do not fly a great distance,
and can be "marked down" easily, and followed.
When unmolested they become quite tame, and
can be approached by a man on foot, and killed
with a rifle.

As the country changes, and wheat gives place
to sage-brush, the prairie chickens are not so plen-
tiful. The sage-brush, however, is the home of our
largest grouse, commonly known as the "sage hen."
The "sage hen" is not very good to eat, as they
are found in the Western deserts, and their food
consists largely of the tender tips of the sage-brush.
This makes them taste sagey, and they are apt to
be tough. A young sage hen is fair eating if it is
drawn immediately after it is shot. As a game
bird the sage hen is not a success, as it is not very
plentiful.

65

They are usually killed by the plainsmen who
stumble on them while hunting or traveling.

As one moves towards the Western mountains,
climbing up from the land of the sage-brush to the
everlasting snow, you at last reach the hunter’s
paradise—the "park lands." The parks usually
lie near timber line, and consist of beautiful glades
and openings in the forest. This is the land of
running water; of grand mountains, and game.
Among the parks the hunter will find bear, wapati,
black-tail deer, and the blue grouse. Blue grouse
are rarely molested. In the mountains where they
are found in great numbers, they are seldom mo-
lested, as big game is also plenty; the hunter desist-
ing from grouse shooting lest he drive larger game
from his neighborhood.

Along the Pacific coast grouse shooting is a
favorite sport. This bird is larger than the ruffled
grouse, and of a dark, blueish-gray color. A cock
blue grouse that the writer killed in the Cascade
Mountains, weighed five pounds.

The blue grouse is a tree loving bird, and
spends most of its time during the winter in the tops
of large trees. This probably accounts for its not
growing a snow-shoe, like the ruffled grouse. It
feeds early in the morning and at dusk. At sunrise
it takes its bath in some sandy spot, where the sun
strikes; and this is the time to be afield. Witha
good dog, these morning tramps through the grassy
glades, where the dogs show white against the dark
hills, will never be forgotten.

66

It seems incredible that in a
country as well suited for wild game
birds as ours, there should be any
danger of their extermination.

With a few simple laws, well
enforced, we would have an unlim-
ited amount of birds for years to ‘WV
come. But, outside of the selling of game, no laws
should be needed. No man who is interested in
birds can indulge in "Spring shooting." No man
who has any self-respect, will load himself down
with more birds than he can use, or sell game.

Now, if all of us refrained from selling game,
from Spring shooting, and unnecessary slaughter, we
would need no game laws. The game butcher is
the enemy of all self-respecting sportsmen, and
should be treated as such. There are two more
enemies of our game birds that we are all familiar
with; the cat and the trap. People who have
never studied cats, or who own them, would not
believe the damage that these animals are guilty of.
The slaughter that they commit among our song
birds is bad enough; but when they destroy our
noble game birds, they are indeed a curse. I have
tracked many a farm cat in winter, and the trail
almost invariably ended in feathers and blood.
Every hunter has surprised cats on good quail
ground, far from any habitation. These cats are
practically wild, and live largely on our song and
game birds.

—*

67

There is only one way to treat cats and traps
when they are in the woods, and that is to destroy
them.

Traps for catching quail are often set by
country boys who do not realize the damage they
are doing. When they find a trap destroyed, it
usually makes an impression on them and stops
their wrong doing. Hardened offenders, however,
need stronger methods; and it is every sportsman’s
duty to see that they are punished.

& AY ¢ We
OANA

= AWW) siti!

4 ny AA Rw
Mavi

68

CHAPTER VI

A Brief History

of Firearms

HEN man first inhabited the earth, and

\ X / wild animals were numerous, very rude

methods of hunting proved successful.

As time passed, and men increased, game was more

difficult to approach and capture, and the need of

a weapon that would kill at a distance, was felt.

Then some pre-historic genius, from a strong staff
and a piece of sinew, made the bow.

Others found that they could hurl rocks to a
great distance by placing them in a shallow pouch
at the end of two thongs; and thus they made the
sling. But it was the discovery of gunpowder in
the XIVth century, that sounded the knell of the
spear and the bow, and made the deadly firearms
of modern times possible.

But as it was with the bow, so it was with the
gun. Game became more difficult to approach,
and wars demanded improved weapons; until to-
day we have guns that kill further than the eye can
sight the mark, and that shoot with unnecessary
rapidity.

69

== When we read the history of the Western

= ==

= —= _ Hemisphere, from the time when Columbus and
his followers broke its long sleep with the roar
of their match-lock, we cannot but notice
what an important part firearms played in
settling the great land. Imagine the stolid
Dutch fighting the treacherous Iroquois
with their own weapons; or the settler, unarmed,
driving westward his plodding ox-team, when the
great plains teemed with buffalo-hunting savages.
Unjust as our dealings with the Indians may seem, the
settling of that wilderness without powder and blood-
shed, would have been a difficult matter. Besides
hating the whites for taking up their land, and slaugh-
oe tering the buffalo herds, the red men, like the knights
of old, looked on war as a pastime, and a means
for gaining advancement and honor. The young
"brave" was not a man until he had scalped an
enemy killed in battle.
<, Since the war of 1812, Americans have won
world-wide fame for their skill in the use of fire-
arms. From the early wars, when our weather-
worn frontiersmen drove back the English, and the
Indians, our success has been the result of splendid
marksmanship.

The gun that made our country what it is, that
gave us our independence, and was the "open —
sesame" of the "dark and bloody ground," was ¢
the old long-barrelled muzzle-loader. This old QF)
gun was as much an American institution as the (//

70

» anne _>

at

IE GA E? ff.

ACA IES,

CLT ER,

log schoolhouse and the "old oaken bucket;" and to
this day, with the bullet-pouch and powder-hom, in
remote communities, it still hangs in the place of
honor, over the old fire-place.

This gun was a splendid arm, and with it the
followers of Boone and Crockett began the advance
that has since spanned the Pacific. Out-door
sports were heartily encouraged by the early pio-
neers. Shooting competitions were very popular,
and the cream of the frontier marksmen gathered
at these times. The match was usually for some
prize, and often remarkable skill was shown by the
competitors.

The improvement in firearms went on slowly,
and the introduction of the cap gun was the first
important step towards the modern metallic car-
tridge.

But before we leave the old muzzle-loader, I
should like to say a word conceming its efficiency.
Even at the present time, there is no firearm better
suited to a wilderness trip than the old percussion-
cap, muzzle-loader. Within reach of civilization,
where ammunition can be secured easily, modern
guns are, of course, far better and more trustworthy.
But when a hunter is making a long trip through
the wilderness, and is dependent for his meat on
what he kills, there is no gun more useful than the
muzzle-loader, because of the lightness of its ammu-
nition, and the variety of charges that may be used.

71

In the old days, when an Indian bought a gun
from a trader, he would stack beaver skins around
the arm until the pile was level with the muzzle.
The gun then belonged to him, and the trader took
the skins. But it is interesting to know that in these
days of invention and science, the flint-lock has held
its own ground ; and that in the great country that
lies along the Arctic ocean, roar of black powder
still startles the caribou herds, and rumbles along
the mountain sides.

After the Civil War, guns underwent another
change. As we are all familiar with modern arms,
it is not necessary to describe the different patterns.
The modern gun has, however, given us two
important points: that single-shot rifles are unsur-
passed for accuracy, and that smokeless powder is
superior to the black powder.

The story of the settling of the West is one
long list of valorous deeds.

The frontiersmen and Indian fighters were a
hard and unruly class of men; but this is true of
every community where "might makes right," and
where the only law is the survival of the fittest.
Even the so-called "bad men" were often men who
killed in self-defence, and who possessed many rude
virtues.

These men were always armed. In serious
work, in the open, they used the rifle, but for close
quarters they preferred the pistol. The pistol is,

of course, a short-range arm, but in the hands of
an expert it is a dangerous weapon.

Some of the feats that the frontiersmen per-
formed with the pistol were truly remarkable. As
the life was free, and the country new, shooting
scrapes were sure to result, and many a desperate
fray was waged in the frontier cattle towns.

As a rule, these fights were between individuals.
Sometimes, however, trouble arose between rival
ranches, or towns, and then, indeed, the fighting
was serious.

As the country became settled, men were
appointed to enforce thelaws. These sheriffs were
chosen for their courage, indomitable will, and
skill in the use of firearms. Sometimes they were
men who had themselves made "records;" and
some even were desperadoes, who, once reformed,
did yeoman’s service in suppressing their unruly
henchmen. It can be easily understood that with
horse thieves, hold-ups, cattle-wars, cowboys and
buffalo-hunters to contend with, the lives of these
peace-promoters were rather uncertain; particu-
larly as their notoriety made them the butt of any
drunken desperado who had confidence in his own
skill with the pistol.

With the coming of railroads the Indians
and game were driven back, and as the
country was settled, enacted law took
place of the gun and lariat. To-day a

73 IG

there is a growing interest in and appreciation of
firearms.

The strength of a nation depends on the
strength of its people. One of the strongest reasons
for our boys and young men becoming skillful in the
> € use of firearms is, that at any time they may be
called upon to protect their flag and homes. A
man who will not fight for his country, if the need
arise, is, of course, to be despised. But a man who
knows nothing of firearms, is, for a time at least,
almost as useless. To-day, an army of sharp-
shooters, even with conditions against them, have
the best chance to win, as modem warfare is car-
ried on at long range. The other advantages to
be obtained by the use of firearms are physical.

There is probably no life more beneficial, phys-
ically, for a man, than the life of a hunter. Besides
building up the muscles and sinews, it produces
those traits of character necessary for success in life.
Frontiersmen, the world over, are noted for their
hardihood, courage, and resourcefulness.

Nature has been lavish in stocking our country
with wild animals. Since the world began, man
__ has been interested in the chase.

§ Originally, the desire to kill came from the neces-

sity of procuring flesh and skins to sustain life. Now,

it is handed down to us in the form of an instinct,

which is accentuated by a longing to escape the

frenzied life of our large cities, and enjoy the beau-

ties of nature. ‘The fascinations of a hunter's life
74

are many, and particularly so to the man who has
to spend a good part of his life in civilization.

Every year finds an increase in the number of
men who go to the wilderness. Some merely spend
their vacation "roughingit;" but there are a few
who return to the wilds as to a magnet, fighting the
faces of nature for the love of it, and penetrating
into rough and unknown ranges. There are many
reasons for this: the instinctive love of adventure
that we are born with, and the desire for action and
excitement.

The physical strength engendered by the chase,
appeals strongly to some men; and the fickle god-
dess of fortune leads others through forest and valley
in pursuit of the yellow metal.

But whatever your purpose is, be it the pursuit
of gold or adventure, the rifle is your surest com-

panion.
£

MARKSMANSHIP

Of course every one who handles firearms is
ambitious to become a good shot. But marksman-
ship is a misleading word, and may have many
different meanings. First, we have the marksman
who devotes himself entirely to the target. Here is
a man who has trained himself in a machine-like
regularity. He knows from the flag where each
bullet hits, and shoots his next shot accordingly.
He shoots at known ranges continually, and knows

75

J to a hair how to sight his gun for each
yj distance. Each individual target is shot at
Pig’ / {rom one position, and under the same
/’* conditions. This enables him to use a wind
gauge. ‘This practice is usually at certain times in
ithe day, and therefore he is used to having the sun
in a certain position. And lastly, he shoots at a
brilliant mark, and can take his time.

The hunter’s marksmanship is totally different.
Instead of having things arranged for his comfort, he
almost invariably has conditions against him.

The sun may be in his eyes, or the gloom of
storm or forest may blur the sight. The savage
mountain winds will blow his front sight half an inch
from the mark, and the cutting sleet will drive into
his face. He must judge every distance under very
difficult conditions, and a miss is a lost shot, as he
can seldom tell where it struck. A wind gauge is
useless, as he is constantly changing his position; and
his hand is often shaky from physical exertion. And
to make matters worse, his mark has a protective
color ; is seldom motionless, and hardly two shots are
ever fired at the same range. The result is that
hunters, as a rule, use the simplest sights, and shoot
quicker than for target shots.

It is a matter of knowledge that good target
shots are frequently poor shots in the field. _ This is
due to the fact that the target shot is unused to
76

adverse conditions, or rapidly moving ranges, and is
in the habit of taking his time.

I have repeatedly seen game killed by field shots,
by snap shooting, where target shots were helpless.
My first experience with a really expert field shot
was in Southern Alaska, and is a good example of
the skill that can be developed in off-hand shooting.
As we were crossing a small glade, a spike-buck
jumped from his bed on the edge of the timber.
He was about a hundred yards away, and was out
of sight in an instant.

My companion took a snapshot at him, and, as I
thought, missed. On reaching him, to my surprise, he
said: "I pulled on his shoulder, but held a little too
high; he'll drop, though, inside of two hundred yards."

It was as he said. The shot was fair in the
shoulder, but about six inches high.

Of course what is true of target shots in the field,
is also true of field shots at targets. “Target shooting
is excellent practice for the beginner, but tends to
make him stale if carried to excess. The boy who
is learning to shoot should familiarize -himself with
all sorts of targets under all conditions. If he is

77

gifted, and shoots infrequently, he will be what is far
better than an expert in one branch of shooting—
" a good all-around shot." Even among one class
of marksmen you often find a marked individuality.

Famous shots are not made; they are born.
Yet it is possible for any man to become a good
marksman.

The sooner one begins, however, the easier it is
to learn to shoot, and to absorb the principles that
render accidents impossible. It is well known that
the majority of "gun accidents" are caused by men
who are inexperienced.

The Boers of South Africa are an example of
men who have developed into splendid marksmen
from constant shooting in the open.

One of the most important factors in good shoot-
ing is a clean gun. This fact should be drilled into
one in early youth, as it then becomes second nature.
Cleaning guns, particularly in the field when one is
tired and sleepy from the day’s sport, is often a
nuisance. ‘The time to clean a gun is immediately
after using it. It is easily cleaned, then, and the
longer you wait the more difficult the task is. There
are many cleaning oils made, and all are fairly satis-
factory; but the best gun-cleaning ingredient yet
discovered, is " elbow-grease."

It is always appropriate to end a yarn about guns
by a warning against carelessness.

78

Care in handling firearms should be taught every
boy as soon as he is old enough to raise a gun to
his shoulder. How to hold a gun, extract shells,
get over a fence, take a gun from a boat, and clean
a gun—all this, and much more, he should know.

Hunting in the open is a more serious proposition.
The ease with which a man can make terrible mis-
takes in the field, is terrifying. In country near
civilization, even an experienced man must use the
greatest caution, lest he mistake a human being for
game.

A ttue story, told me by the chief actor in what
nearly proved to be a tragedy, shows how liable we
all are to this mistake. “Two experienced hunters
left camp early one moming to hunt deer. One
went to due south, the other to due north. The
one who went south, immediately found a fresh
buck’s track, which led him in a large circle to the
north. When about four miles to the north of the
camp, he found he had lost his knife, and back- if
tracked to the place where he thought he had oo)
dropped it. The place was a small
thicket, and he got on his hands and
knees, and followed his trail, looking
for the knife in the soft snow. The
hunter who had gone north, orig-
inally, travelled very slowly. At \ i Mii mena A
last he topped a small ridge and SNC PGCE

79 if

looked over. Ina patch of brush a hundred yards
away, he saw a brown object, shaped like a deer,
moving slowly through the brush. Further on he
saw fresh tracks, and his hunter’s knowledge told
him that the brown object was a young buck tracking
a small band of his own kind. The hunter was a
splendid marksman, and drew a bead on the deer’s
head, and was about to press the trigger, when
something about the deer’s movements made him

stop. At the moment the deer stood up. It was
his friend, and he had just found his knife.

Yeas Ss a |

ran
AX\\
LW IN

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Wy Yy Wy

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oad

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h - +} iA , 7 ; :

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BON Ne ea a gl IP
were hres Ws ak oe yt

e
; ” A

The Wilderness Hunter

CHAPTER VII

The Wilderness

HE trail is the one human artery that beats
a) in the wilderness.

As the life of a man is in the wilderness,
so is the trail. All the human sufferings, hardships,
and dangers, sought and mastered by the advance
guard of civilization—the trail builders—are reflected
in every tortuous curve of the dim path. As the
hunter with the call of the wilderness in his ear,
pushes beyond civilization into the wild land, and
beyond again into the unknown, the trail writes down
in living letters the story of his joys and sorrows.

Take twenty experienced frontiersmen, and send
them one at a time through an untrammelled wilder-
ness to a given point, and on comparing the trails, we
would find that the majority had followed practically
the same route. This route is always the
line of least resistance, and in following it we
take the wild animals as teachers. When
big game animals first enter a country —and
they are always changing their feeding-
grounds—they do not know their surround-
ings, and consequently travel to and fro by

81

instinct. Their movements are also affected by the
character of the country, and they follow the easiest
natural route to their destination. In time they beat
down trails and discover the safest fords, until their
system of roads is complete.

Then come the hunter and prospector. They
do not know the country, and use the trails the wild
animals have made. With the rattle of firearms
comes the "tank-a-tink" of the pack-train bell, and
the trails are widened and flattened by the hoofs of
mules and horses. As the country becomes settled
the trail changes to a road; and at last, where once
the moose and wapiti called and bugled, nature’s
music is drowned by the scream of the locomotive.

This all goes to show that trails are not made
in a night and that the man who can pick out the
best road through an unexplored country must have
a liberal wilderness education.

£

WOOD AND In wilderness travel, three things
WATER are absolutely necessary to ensure
success and comfort,—wood, water, and feed. By
feed, | mean grass for the horses. Pack animals
are used so often in this work, and so much depends
on their ability to travel, that all comfort should be
sacrificed, if necessary, to ensure
their getting good food. The
experienced hunter or explorer
thinks first of his pack animals,

and lastly of himself. However,good camping places
can usually be found, and add largely to the pleas-
ures of wilderness life.

¢

NEATNESS AND The hardships of wilderness

ORDER travel are many, and what small
physical comfort is enjoyed is gained by the sweat
of the brow. For this reason, an orderly camp is
a long step towards comfort. It is not personal neat-
ness that counts, however, but the arrangement of
your camp. Every detail should be carried out
systematically, from the unpacking of your horses to
the arrangement of your beds for the night. I have
been in camp with men whose personal neatness
was a hindrance as they would keep a whole pack
train waiting while they roped up a small pack.
These same men would unblushingly leave all
the pack harness scattered about, and the dishes
unwashed.

After seeing that the horses are comfortable is
the time for arranging camp. As some put up the
tent or fly, others prepare the evening meal. As
long as there is anything to do in camp, keep busy,
and when at last darkness comes, and the pipes glow
around the camp fire, your happiness is complete.

Camp making changes little from day to day,
and by making camp in an orderly way, you will
save time, hard work, and worry.

83

ENTS On long trips your tent is the only

protection you have from the ele-
ments. From north to south men are living in these
light shelters, suffering alike the blizzards of the
north, and the heat of tropic lands. As can be
imagined, a shelter that has so many requirements
must be built on many different patterns. But when
all is said, the best-known type to-day is the common
wall or A tent.

This tent is easy to put up, and is comfortable,
and can be packed into a fairly small space. There
are several varieties of the wall tent, all of which are
satisfactory, and any tent purchased from a good
outfitter, will serve its purpose.

&

The fly is the ideal shelter of the
wilderness hunter, and where a
man must travel light, and at times carry his own
duffel, it is without an equal. A fly properly slung
gives almost as much shelter as a tent, and to my
mind is more cheerful, as one is not completely shut
in, and can see the beauties of nature about him.
With tents, one uses a small stove, but with a fly,
the camp fire is more useful.

There are many ways of putting up a fly, and
the experienced woodsman will see at a glance
which one of the many suits best the camping
place he has chosen. As a rule, it is slung with
the highest part toward the fire, and sloping down
84

FLIES

toward the back in the shape
of a reflector. 1 have spent months in the wilder-
ness with nothing but a fly for shelter; and to my
mind no time is pleasanter than the evening hours,
when, talking with your companions, you lie back
on the bough beds and watch the sparks from the
balsam fire drift off into the night.

The fly is only useful where wood is abundant,
and in sparsely wooded country, such as the Behring
Sea coast, a tent and stove are necessary. The fly
takes up very little space, and can be rolled up to
suit any pack.

Men in the wilderness have used flies suc-
cessfully in making boats when caught without
food, or crossing rivers in flood time.

5

A poor fire, made from punky,
damp wood carelessly thrown
together, is, besides being a strain on the temper, a
source of possible serious trouble. A fire made
like a pile of jackstraws is apt to collapse at any
minute, and precipitate pots, pans, and food into
the flames. Besides, it is a waste of wood.

The first things needed in the making of a good
fire are fire-dogs. To have your wood burn
clearly and evenly, and give out the greatest amount
of heat, you must have it raised from the ground.
Fire-dogs made of rocks, or pieces of green wood,
are easily obtained, and simplify camp cooking.

85

FIRES

ean

There are several kinds of stoves
made for camping, and they all
serve their purpose.

They are practically the same, only differing
slightly in construction. ‘The features necessary are
strength and compactness. The stove-pipe should
be in short lengths, telescope, and fit in the oven.
There should be no legs, or any protruding parts of
any kind, as they would be broken in transporta-
tion. Almost all camp stoves heat up to an extent
that makes baking bread difficult. This feature
may be overcome by placing pebbles on the floor of
the oven and cooking the bread with the door of
the oven slightly open. Some stoves are made with
the oven separate. The oven, in this case, fits on
the stove-pipe, but it is inferior to an oven in the
body of the stove.

Before making a fire in a camp stove, it is always
a good plan to fill the fire-box with an inch or two
of sand. This protects the sheet iron and makes it
last longer.

STOVES

#

In baking bread over a fire, with
either frying-pan, or a reflector,
it is necessary to have the heat high up. To

accomplish this, we use fire-dogs, and build a hot

BAKING FIRE

fire. A log laid on the ground back of the fire,
converts it into an oven, and the heat strikes directly
on the bread. Baking-powder bread should bake
quickly, and a hot fire is necessary. The mixing
of baking-powder bread is given on the outside of
the baking-powder cans, so we will not go into
detail. All is not in the mixing, however, and a
few simple rules, if followed, will prove useful. As
bacon is of great value in the wilderness, we will
naturally economize as much as possible in its use.
Usually the frying-pans are greased with bacon, to
keep the bread from sticking; but this is unnecessary.

After cleaning the frying-pan, powder the bot-
tom evenly with dry flour; place the bannock or
loaf, in the pan, and flatten it out. A hole made
in the middle of the loaf, will render it less liable
to stick. Hold the frying-pan over the fire long
enough to let the loaf harden on the bottom.

This will keep the bannock or loaf from turn-
ing over when the pan is tilted on edge. While
heating the pan, you should shake the bannock,
occasionally, to loosen it from the pan. After the
bottom of the loaf is sufficiently stiff, tilt the pan up
in front of the fire by resting it against a log, or
pushing a sharpened stick into the ground, and rest-
ing the ring in the frying-pan handle on the end of
the stick.

Bread made in this way will not be as brown
as bread that is made in bacon fat, but it goes
just as far.

87

The only things necessary in a
a frying fire are stability and flat-
ness. A great deal of heat is not needed, and it
makes the cook uncomfortable.

For this reason, two good logs, laid side by
side, with a bed of hot coals between, answer
every want, and give lots of room.

&

ROASTING Roasting is a very useful method
FIRES of cooking. In the wilderness,
men often fry all the meat they eat. This necessi-
tates eating a large amount of grease, and is apt to
bring on indigestion. Besides, cold fried meat is
decidedly inferior to cold roast meat, and it does
not keep as well. Roast meat, or "scotacook" as
the Northwestern Indians call it, is easily made.
The fire should be high, and built in a circular
form, so as to throw heat from almost every side.
Then take a strong string that has been thoroughly
soaked in water, and tie one end of it securely to
the meat, and the other to a pole from which it is
suspended over the fire. The meat would burn if
left alone, but the cook winds the string up by turn-
ing the meat around. When the meat is loosened,
it will wind and unwind many times, from its own
weight, and cook well and evenly. Small pieces
of meat may be easily roasted by spitting them on
sticks sharpened at both ends, and stuck up in front
of the blaze.
88

Boiled food is, like roast meat, a
welcome and necessary change
from the frying-pan. A good stew, made from the
rich meat and bones of a big game animal, is food
that will carry a man many weary miles. Adding
a little rice, or a few dumplings, and ‘raisins, gives
the stew a better taste. In boiling anything it is
better to have the pot suspended, either from a pole
resting in two crutches, or a single stick is stuck in
the ground. This keeps the heat on the bottom of
the pot, where it belongs.
Plenty of water, and watch-
fulness, are required, as a stew is
apt to go dry, and burn, or boil
over, and lose its richness. ced

BOILING

b 3

COOKING All that you really need in the

UTENSILS way of cooking utensils for a
camping trip, are pots and frying-pans. What you
do take will depend on the size of your pack-train,
the roughness of the country, and your own ideas
on the subject. The best, in wilderness work, how-
ever, is almost always the simplest; and if you leave
your heavy Dutch ovens, iron pot, etc., behind, the
chances are that you will not be sorry. As usual,
you should economize in space. All your pots,
pans, cups, and frying-pans, should nest. ‘This
makes them less liable to bend or break, and they

89

are more easily packed. It is well to have five
pots ina nest, and your cups, knives, forks, and
spoons fit inside of the smallest pot. The plates fit
snugly on top of the complete nest. This is a very
compact outfit, and is a great time and trouble
saver in camp. ‘Tin lined copper pots are about
the best, as they are less liable to rust.

It is a good habit to use each pot for a certain
food, as it saves time and confusion. The smallest
pot is usually the right size for boiled fruit. No. 2,
is your tea or coffee pot. No. 2: is for beans; and
No. 4, is used for stews on account of the size of
the bones. No. 5 is used for clean water, and kept
near the fire. It is much better not to use this pot
for cooking, as it forms the outside of the nest, and
if used on the fire would blacken everything it
touched.

#

CAMP COOKING The greatest difficulty in camp
cooking is solved by a good
supply of firewood.

It is useless to begin bread baking, or roasting
with a poor lot of fuel. After a good fire is started,
is the time to begin cooking your food.

The next difficulty is to calculate the time it
will take for your different foods to cook, and to
have them ready for the table at the same time.

Lastly, the camp cook should work rapidly, as
there is not much time left for cooking in a day's

90

travel in the wilderness. The cook should be able
to start a fire, boil tea, make or heat bread, and fry
meat, while the rest of the party are bringing in the
horses and breaking camp. After breakfast, he must
wash the dishes, pack up the kitchen box, and pre-
pare the cold lunch, while the others are packing
the horses. The last horse packed, and the first
horse unpacked, is always the animal that carries the
kitchen outfit. “The cook should keep an eye on
the food supply, and decide on the amount of food
to be eaten.

A little economy will often make food last a
long time, where with careless management the party
would have to go without. If game is plentiful, the
cook should stop using bacon, so that when the fresh
meat gives out, the supply of bacon will be undimin-
ished. For the reason that wild meat cooked with
bacon is very palatable, a thoughtless man will often
cook both together, thereby burning his candle at
both ends.

Baking-powder bread, when eaten for a long
time, is not wholesome. As it does not rise as
easily in the open air as in a warm kitchen, some
cooks attempt to make it light by putting in a great
quantity of baking-powder. This is, of course, waste-
ful, and makes an indigestible mess. In fact, it is
only by constant watchfulness and economy, that
the wilderness food supply is made to last.

As to the actual cooking of food, any one can
learn, who has patience. The simplest methods are

used ; boiling, baking, frying, and roasting being done
over the open fire. Of course I am speaking of the
rough life in the wilderness, and for men who are
energetic enough to do their own work. ‘There are
so-called "camps" where people congregate and
enjoy the luxuries of feather beds, modern plumbing,
and lobster a la Newburg. But to these men the
very thought of cooking their own food, or carrying
a pack, would be decidedly unpleasant. Indians,
in the far Northwest, have a way of cooking a
moose head that they relish greatly; and the same
way of cooking can be used effectively in camp for
fish, game, etc.

After cutting the head from the moose, they
plaster it with clay, and cover it with hot coals and
ashes. This bakes the head very slowly, and leaves
the meat juicy and tender.

While I have not cooked a moose’s head in this
way, I have more than once cooked fish, ptarmigan,
and grouse, and the method certainly imparts a
delightful flavor to the food.

Hunters often through thoughtlessness throw
away delicacies that are even rare in civilization.
The best parts of large game animals, such as the
brains, kidneys, heart, liver, and tongue, are often
passed by. Moose-tongue boiled, is one of the
finest foods a man can have. It is tender, easy to
carry, nutritious, and delicious when cold; and yet
I know many men who have killed moose, and
never thought of eating tongue.

we

The brains of a moose, sheep, caribou, and in
fact of all big animals, are extremely good to eat; and
yet they are usually thrown away after the sports-
man has gone to the trouble of packing the head
into camp. ‘There are men living to-day who have
shortened their lives, and suffered the terrors of
starvation in the wilderness, when, had they prac-
ticed iron-bound economy, they would have had
food to spare.

£

The grub proposition depends
upon your own taste, and the
facilities at hand for packing. Flour, beans, tea,
sugar, salt, and bacon, are necessities. Anything
else depends on how much you can carry.

GRUB

#

Bedding suitable for the "bush"
can be secured at any outfitting
store or wilderness post. In very cold weather—
from 10 degrees below zero, down—a sleeping bag
is of course the best kind of bed. The sleeping-
bag habit is, however carried to excess.

Many men will load down an outfit with cumber-
some bags, when two light blankets would be ample
for warmth. And in really serious work, the
horse blankets from the pack animals are plenty
good enough.

BEDS

93

A knowledge of packing is one
of the most useful gifts a man
living in unexplored lands can have. Some men
never learn how to pack. ‘The science of packing
is really based on the ability to bundle up a mass of
duffel neatly, and into the smallest possible space.
In traveling with horses, preparing the loads is com-
plicated by the fact that most of the packs must weigh
evenly. That is, every sidepack must have a mate,
or the load will not ride well on the backs of the
horses. ‘This necessitates good judgment and expe-
rience on the part of the man who first arranges the
outfit for the trail.

The pack-train once under way, the packs are
kept separate, and the worry is to a great extent
done away with. Of course certain packs grow
lighter from day to day, such as those that contain
food. This makes overhauling of all the loads nec-
essary from time to time. As enough could be
written about packing to easily fill a good-sized book,
it is impossible here to go into any detail. But if
the beginner starts out with the idea that packing is
an art, and that it cannot be done too well, he has
made a long stride toward success. As wildemess
work is done as quickly as possible, packing is
\Y{ reduced to a system; and when the packs are unload-
ed at the end of the day, they must be arranged
. immediately into such shape that repacking
“them can be done easily and quickly.

94

PACKING

2A\Y anon et|
mie A | Si
A ee Mier £3

,

Pe gis, EE.

In wilderness work there are three ways of
packing—horse, dog, and man packing.

£

PACKING Before the novice begins his first
HORSES trip with a pack train, he should
make himself familiar with one or two variations of
the hitch. This is absolutely necessary. Next, he
should make himself familiar with pack-saddles, and
their uses, and learn how to "rope-up" packs. All
this knowledge can be found in books. The hitches
he can practice at home, and in a short time he will
think himself capable of packing any animal thatlives.
Then comes the momentous day when the train
is driven in to the little frontier town, and our tender-
foot, with some "old-timer" to help him, begins to
put his "book-larnin'" to practical use. The result
is a disappointment so keen that he remembers it
with shame for many years.

In the first place, the remarks of the loungers
who have turned out of the frontier bar-rooms to
see the sport, are distinctly audible. An old, grizzled
hunter turns to his companions, and says ;— "Durned
if he aint tyin’ a bow-knot"—etc., etc.

The final outcome is that our novice begins all
over again ; but if he perseveres, the time comes at
last when his "book-larnin’ " proves of use.

The difficulty is that from Mexico to the Yukon
men are packing horses, and it is very seldom that

95

you find a number of men together who pack in
exactly the same way.

Learn your hitch well ; test it in all kinds of hard
work ; and you can smile when the other fellows talk.

#

There are many stretches of
country that are so rugged that
penetrating them with horses is impossible.

The Selkirk Mountains, in the "big bend" of
the Columbia River, are a good example. Dogs,
for this kind of work, are unsurpassed. A good
strong dog will carry twenty pounds without diffi-
culty. Take four dogs with you, and they can
transport a little over one hundred pounds of grub—
enough for a long ttme—while you carry your own
pack.

In summer work of this kind, the dogs will
practically feed themselves, and as all the wild coun-
try of our Northwest teems either with big game, or
animals of the marmot family, it is not a difficult
matter to get meat. Salmon is also a favorite dog
food, and can be found in all the water systems that
flow to the Pacific Ocean.

I have used dogs in some of the ruggedest coun-
try in Northern British Columbia, and found them to
be good weight-carriers.

All the harness necessary is a canvas saddle,
built in the shape of two large pockets. After the
96

PACKING DOGS

pockets are filled, the saddle is placed on the dog’s
back, and tied on with a rope that goes around the
pack and across the dog’s chest.

#

When a man is traveling through
an unknown country with a heavy
pack, he is doing to my mind, by far the hardest
labor yet devised.

When a Western man speaks of packing, he
does not necessarily mean packing as it is known
along the Atlantic Coast, or Canada.

This packing is usually done on portages, and
even a man who is not very strong can carry his
hundred pounds a mile or more. In the far North-
west, and Alaska, however, there is not much
canoeing, and men go far into the wilderness with
all their possessions on their backs. In this sort of
work, Western men not only carry what would
amount to a good portage load all day, but keep at
it day in and day out, for long periods.

Of course I do not mean that Canadians or
Eastern frontiersmen are unable to do the same
work; but due to Canada’s splendid facilities for
canoeing, the need for long-distance packing seldom
arises.

Now among frontiersmen there is an expression
that perfectly describes the tender-foot’s first attempt
at carrying a load. The expression is "fighting a
97

MAN PACKING

pack.". The novice when he starts into the wil-
derness with a heavy load, begins by thinking that
it is easy work. He goes up hill quickly, wastes
steps and strength, by stepping on logs instead of
over them, and at the end of his first two miles is
played out. His pack has, like a trained prize-
fighter, banged him over the kidneys until his legs
wabble. Hee is afraid he is going to be left behind,
that the skin is coming away from his shoulders,
and that he is going to die. In other words, he has
been "fighting his pack."

I will not go into detail and describe pack shapes,
asI have used every kind, from the wooden Russian
alints shape of Behring Sea, to the "tump-link" of
Canada, and they are all equally uncomfortable.
The things to learn in packing are these—Arrange
your pack as well as you possibly can; think of

something pleasant ; rest regularly, but not too often,
fang and DON’T worry at your load.

Once I was packing a good load across the
Alaska Peninsula to Behring Sea. The sun was
hot, the snow was deep and soft, and my feet had
chafed in my heavy rubber boots. I was "fighting
my pack" and getting beaten. How it started |
don’t know, but I began thinking of a pleasure trip
I had taken years before. When | "came to," I
found that I had carried my pack over a mile of the
worst part of the trail, and had not thought of it once!
That was my lesson; and since then my back no
longer "aches at the thought of a pack."

98

FORDING A stream in the a
STREAMS — wilderness may 1:3:'

be either a blessing or a death- ———
trap. When the hunter or prospector is payee
by canoe, every stream isa benefit, and the rushing
waters carve for him a broad highway through
mountains and lowlands. In many places, however,
the streams are not navigable and the reason that
makes them difficult to canoe—their swiftness—
makes them a source of danger to the hunter and
prospector.

These men, in their wanderings, must continually
ford them; and in this work they are often threat-
ened with starvation, through the loss of their provi-
sions, or with death, by the fury of the waters.

Ordinanly, there are only two ways of crossing
a stream; wading and swimming. Swimming, of
course, in a rocky, glacial stream, is not fun: so we
come down to wading; and there are two kinds.

£

Suppose the stream 1s thirty yards
wide, and you find a place where
it is swift, but not over waist deep; here your grub
will help; for an eighty-pound pack will hold you
to the bottom, when without it you would be swept
away. This fact is well known, and rocks or gravel
from the bank will help, if your pack is too light
to keep you down.

In this fording your pack must be well up on

Lore 99

PACK FORDING

your shoulders, and ready to drop instantly ; for if
you fall down with a tightly tied or strapped pack,
you will not come up until you have lost all interest
in the undertaking.

#

If there are three or four in the
party, decide on the best ford,
usually the widest stretch. Cut a slender pole,
between eight and twelve feet long, and at least
two and a half inches in diameter at the small end.
You can always find balsams or alders on almost
any glacier stream, except in high altitudes, and
there the streams are small and the fording easy.

It is a good plan to take off your trousers, as
there will be less resistance to the water; but keep
on your footgear or the round glacial boulders will
grind your ankles. When all are ready, stand in a
line and grasp the pole. The lightest man (A)
should be on the up-stream, and the heaviest man
(B) on the down-stream end of the pole. As
pack and clothes should be distributed among the
others, as they need weight, and A will be under
water occasionally.

Now all start across in line, walking down
stream, always keeping the pole parallel with the
current. As the water deepens, A may be swept
from his feet, but he must hold on to the pole, for
he is making an eddy for the others to walk in.

If possible, always pass below rocks. The
100

POLE FORDING

water is deeper there, but less swift than on the up-
stream side. ‘The first time I saw this ford made,
was in Northern British Columbia, where three of
us crossed a dangerous stream with perfect ease.

But in all fords, remember that it is the fool
who never turns back. _If the water feels too strong,
return while you can, for a glacier stream knows
no mercy.

*

It is seldom that you meet a man
really gifted in woodcraft. The
man who can call himself a good "all round" wil-
derness man, must combine much unusual knowl-
edge. He must bea good hunter, which combines
not only the ability to shoot straight, but also a keen
insight into the lives and habits of wilderness ani-
mals. Indians are almost invariably deficient in
marksmanship, but make up for it by a good knowl-
edge of the habits of wild game. White hunters
are usually skillful in the use of firearms, but lack
the patience shown by the best Indian hunters in
stalking big game.

The woodsman must also be a good packer, a
skilled boatman, a carpenter, a good cook, a past-
master in the art of making shelters, and a man who
is developed highly in that rare gift—resource-
fulness.

Probably the wilderness hunters of the "buffalo
days" came nearer combining all these qualities
than any other type ever produced in America, as

101

WOODCRAFT

in their case the fundamental principles of wood-
craft were instilled into them when children. But
while the modern hunter may not be able to acquire
all of the skill of the old-time trapper, he can by

perseverance and hard work, become a man strong,

' self-reliant, reading the beautiful truths of nature as

an open book, and fearlessly facing her anger. But
while nature is a hard mistress, she has no rivals;
once thoroughly in her power, the desires for wealth
and social precedence are forgotten; and the breath
of the woods, and the deep, bass song of the
mountain, hold no secrets from you.

£

Every man who travels in wild
countries, must at times go for
long intervals without seeing any other human
beings except those that compose his own party.
This makes the wild life about him doubly
interesting, whether his object is the hunting of big
game or not. If the lack of food makes hunting a
necessity, then, indeed, the chase becomes a pas-
sion; and given a fresh trail, the hunter will travel
on, suffering cold, hunger, and fatigue, until he meets
with success or failure. Hunting big game suc-
cessfully requires all the characteristics that go to
make a man successful in any branch of life. Deter-
mination, cheerfulness, optimism, physical strength,
and good judgment, are needed, besides a knowl-
edge of the habits of big game.
102

HUNTING

STILL One of the most important fac-
HAUNTING tors in still-hunting, is, as the
name of the sport implies, being quiet. This is a
thing that the city-bred man finds most difficult;
and he will actually insist that his progress is noise-
less, when he is giving a good imitation of a "bull
in a china shop."

Wild animals do not move rapidly; and if the
novice will take them as a model, he will learn
with surprise what real silence means. Go off into
the woods, a mile or more from camp, and lie
down. At first you are not conscious of any feel-
ing in particular; but in half an hour the silence
begins to sink into you. A crow caws far off in
the forest, and at last you begin to realize what
silence is. The sound of singing comes from the
distant camp, and you wonder why Bill persists in
making so much noise. A slender twig, two hun-
dred yards away, breaks with a noise like a toy
pistol.

The next time you go still-hunting, you travel
one foot where before you moved twenty, and see
game where before you only saw tracks, and fresh

beds.

en ae a ES >,
Teo:

103

Carelessness with Firearms
€

One of the reasons that firearms are of use is
that they are dangerous.

Of course we all know that the gun lover is
always a man who spends as much time as he can
in the "open."

We know that hunting is a sport that builds
character, makes strong muscles, red blood, and
instills in us a love of nature. But with his first
gun the boy begins the transformation that ends in
manhood. For the first time his parents show con-
\ fidence in him, and knowingly allow him the use of
a man’s weapon. i

Now, to me, one of the most powerful reasons
for training boys in the use of firearms at an early
age, is, that most of the accidental slaughter com-
mitted with firearms is due to men who have not
‘ been given an opportunity to use guns in their youth.
Tam not going to argue, here, on the "didn’t know
it was loaded" man. He, as a rule, only hurts
himself; and a little early training will soon instill
into boys a fear of every gun. To me, the greatest
crime committed with firearms is the shooting of a
fellow human being in mistake for game. Any man
who has ever committed
this fault, no matter what

the result may have been, should be forbidden by
the laws of the country to ever shoulder a gun again.
The crime is responsible to two things—senseless
excitement, and criminal thoughtlessness or careless-
ness, and a man liable to either of these faults, is a
menace in the "bush," or anywhere.

Let your bearing towards your gun be one of
constant watchfulness. Let your enjoyment of hunt-
ing lie in the pleasure of studying the habits of wild
animals, and in doing well a man’s part in the
dangers and hardships of the wilderness hunt. Let
your desire be to kill what game you do, as a man,
rather than to killa lot, as a butcher. In this way
you will grow younger as you grow old; and the
freshness of the fields, the dignity of the mountains,
and the laughter of the clear streams, will enter into
and be a part of you.

ao LEZ
Kb Laeroot LG

FINIS

105

STEVENS REPEATING
GALLERY RIFLE No. 80

"THE BULL’S-EYE KIND"

Made to take the famous .25 Stevens R. F.
cartridge. The only .25 caliber Rim-Fire Repeat-
ing Rifle on the market.

Stevens Repeaters are the most accurate and
hardest shooting rifles in their class.

If you cannot obtain from your Dealer, we
ship direct, express prepaid, upon receipt of
Catalog Price.

Always insist on STEVENS when ordering.

Send 5 cents in stamps for 160-Page Illustrated
and Descriptive Catalog. Replete with
STEVENS and general fire-
arm information.

J. STEVENS ARMS & TOOL COMPANY

CHICOPEE FALLS, MASS.

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api

When camping, it is at times imperative to put
up with a whole lot. Don’t put up with a firearm

of doubtful efficiency.

Get a STEVENS!

You will wonder why YOU missed doing so

before.

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——=-

E think that possibly a few words
Vf regarding our business may not be
out of place, and might be of
interest to the readers of "Guns and Gunning."
This Company began the manufacture of
FIREARMS in 1864, and from the beginning
our policy has always been to make only a
High-Grade ARM. Since January |, 1896,
our growth has been most marked. At that
time we occupied one factory with a total
floor space of 17,000 square feet and employed
44 people. To-day our plant comprises six
large buildings and several storehouses, over
12% acres of floor space, and we employ
over 1200 people. Our RIFLES, SHOT-
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which will be mailed upon receipt of five
cents in stamps to cover postage.

J. STEVENS ARMS & TOOL COMPANY
CHICOPEE FALLS, MASS.

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