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WHERE TO HUNT 
 AMERICAN GAME 
 
 ^ 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 UNITED STATES CARTRIDGE COMPANY 
 
 LOWELL, MASS. 
 
 1898 
 

 THE RUMFORD PRESS 
 CONCORD, N. H. 
 
 COPYRIGHT 1898 
 
 BY THE 
 UNITED STATES CARTRIDGE COMPANY 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Preface . . 9 
 
 Alabama .... ll 
 
 Arizona ... - 16 
 
 Arkansas ... 2O 
 
 California .... 27 
 
 Colorado .... 39 
 
 Connecticut .... 5 l 
 
 Delaware ...... 5" 
 
 District of Columbia . . 59 
 
 Florida ... 60 
 Georgia ....... 67 
 
 Idaho ... 72 
 
 Illinois 8o 
 
 Indiana 8 7 
 
 Indian Territory ... 9 1 
 
 Iowa .... . 95 
 
 Kansas 99 
 
 Kentucky .... .103 
 
 Louisiana ..... IO 7 
 
 Maine ....... 109 
 
 Maryland ....... .119 
 
 Massachusetts ... .124 
 
 Michigan .... J 37 
 
 Minnesota .... .143 
 
 Mississippi . . . . . . .148 
 
 Missouri ....... .152 
 
 Montana ...... 159 
 
 Nebraska .170 
 
 Nevada 174 
 
 New Hampshire ...... .177 
 
 New Jersey . . . . . . . . .181 
 
 466880 
 
6 Contents 
 
 New Mexico . . . . . . . .185 
 
 New York . . . . . . . . .190 
 
 North Carolina . . . . . . . .198 
 
 North Dakota ........ 205 
 
 Ohio . . . . . . . . . . 210 
 
 Oklahoma . . . . . . . . .217 
 
 Oregon . . . . . . . . .218 
 
 Pennsylvania ........ 222 
 
 Rhode Island ........ 230 
 
 South Carolina ........ 237 
 
 South Dakota 238 
 
 Tennessee ......... 242 
 
 Texas ..... .... 246 
 
 Utah . -253 
 
 Vermont ......... 257 
 
 Virginia . . . . . . . . .270 
 
 Washington ........ 276 
 
 West Virginia . . . . . . . .280 
 
 Wisconsin ......... 283 
 
 Wyoming ......... 287 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Antelope 
 
 247 
 
 Duck, Mallard 
 
 21 
 
 Avocet, American . 
 
 267 
 
 Old-squaw . 
 
 183 
 
 Badger .... 
 
 187 
 
 Red-head . 
 
 85 
 
 Bear, Black . 
 
 73 
 
 Ring- neck 
 
 85 
 
 Grizzly . 
 
 207 
 
 Ruddy . 
 
 183 
 
 Polar . 
 
 219 
 
 Wood . 
 
 149 
 
 Beaver .... 
 
 263 
 
 Elk .... 
 
 255 
 
 Brant .... 
 
 231 
 
 Fisher .... 
 
 195 
 
 Buffalo .... 
 
 285 
 
 Fox, Gray 
 
 223 
 
 Bull -peep 
 
 267 Kid 
 
 223 
 
 Caribou, Barren-ground . 
 
 115 Red 
 
 ! 75 
 
 Cat, Bob-tailed 
 
 227 Silver 
 
 223 
 
 Coot .... 
 
 105 
 
 Godwit .... 
 
 267 
 
 Coyote .... 
 
 89 
 
 Goose, Canada 
 
 T 55 
 
 Crane .... 
 
 239 
 
 Grouse, Canada 
 
 131 
 
 Curlew, Jack . 
 
 61 
 
 Colorado Dusky . 
 
 131 
 
 Deer, Black-tailed . 45, 
 
 171 
 
 Mountain Ptarmi- 
 
 
 Mule . 
 
 45 
 
 gan 
 
 131 
 
 Virginia 
 
 139 
 
 Pinnated . 
 
 I 3 l 
 
 Dough-bird 
 
 61 
 
 Ptarmigan . 
 
 131 
 
 Dove, Carolina 
 
 243 
 
 Ruffed, frontispiece 
 
 I 3 I 
 
 Ground 
 
 243 
 
 Sage . 
 
 131 
 
 White-winged 
 
 243 
 
 Sharp-tailed 
 
 131 
 
 Duck, Black . 
 
 21 ! Hare, Arctic . 
 
 191 
 
 Blue-bill 
 
 85 
 
 Prairie . 
 
 191 
 
 Butterball . 
 
 183 
 
 Jaguar . 
 
 37 
 
 Canvasback . 
 
 121 
 
 Lynx, Bay or Red . 
 
 227 
 
 Eider . . . 
 
 I2 5 
 
 Canada 
 
 259 
 
 Florida 
 
 21 
 
 Mink .... 
 
 199 
 
 King-eider . 
 
 12 5 
 
 Moose .... 
 
 i ii 
 
8 
 
 Illustrations 
 
 Musk-ox . . .215 
 
 Musk-rat . . .211 
 
 Ocelot . . -17 
 
 Opossum ... 69 
 
 Otter . . . . 145 
 
 Panther, American . -41 
 
 Partridge, Spruce . . 131 
 
 Peccary . . .251 
 
 Peep . . . 267 
 
 Phalorope, Northern . 267 
 
 Red . . 267 
 
 Wilson's . 267 
 
 Pigeon, Band-tailed . 243 
 
 Red-billed . . 243 
 
 Wild. . . 243 
 
 Plover, Black-breasted . 81 
 
 Golden . . 81 
 
 Kildeer . .81 
 
 Piping . .81 
 
 Ring-neck . . 81 
 
 Upland . . 61 
 
 Wilson's . . 8 1 
 
 Prairie-chicken . -131 
 
 Prairie-dogs . . .167 
 
 Quail, California Mountain 29 
 
 Valley . 33 
 
 Messina . .281 
 
 Virginia . .271 
 
 Rabbit, Gray . . .191 
 
 Jack . . 97, 191 
 
 Swamp . . 191 
 
 Trowbridge's . 191 
 
 White . .191 
 
 Raccoon . . . 101 
 
 R.ocky Mountain Goat . 161 
 
 Sheep . 193 
 
 Sable .... 77 
 
 Sandpiper, Baird's . . 267 
 
 Curlew . 267 
 
 Purple . .267 
 
 Solitary . 61 
 
 Spotted . 6 1 
 
 Stilt . . 267 
 
 White-rumped 267 
 
 Scooter, Butter-bill . 53 
 
 Skunk-head . 53 
 
 White-winged . 53 
 
 Sickle-bill . . .61 
 
 Snipe, Robin . . . 267 
 
 Red-breasted 267 
 
 Wilson's . . 25 
 
 Squirrel, Chipmunk . 179 
 
 Flying . . 179 
 
 Fox . . 1 79 
 
 Gray . .179 
 
 Missouri Striped 179 
 
 Red . -179 
 
 Swan, Whistling . . 235 
 
 Teal, Blue-winged . . 65 
 
 Cinnamon . . 65 
 
 Green-winged . 65 
 
 Turkey, Wild . . 13 
 
 Water-hen . . .105 
 
 Weasel, Ermine (Stoat) . 49 
 
 Least . . 49 
 
 Long-tailed . 49 
 
 Willet . . . .61 
 
 Wolf, Gray or Timber . 203 
 
 Woodcock . . -57 
 
 Wolverine . . 277 
 
 Yellowlegs, Summer . 61 
 
 Winter 61 
 
PREFACE 
 
 This volume is published with the hope of enlighten- 
 ing sportsmen upon the perplexing question, Where 
 to hunt American game. That such information is 
 sought we have ample proof. 
 
 A few years ago the United States Cartridge Com- 
 pany published and distributed gratuitously a large 
 edition of a work describing the game of several states, 
 with sketches of prominent guides in those states. In 
 less than a week the edition was exhausted, and subse- 
 quent editions were quickly distributed. The calls for 
 copies of this work continued, but rather than publish 
 more editions it was thought best to prepare a new 
 work wider in its scope ; in fact, embracing the whole 
 United States. For about two years data were col- 
 lected for this work. After collecting all available 
 material, each state was fully described, and the 
 sketches were forwarded to the governors of the re- 
 spective states, accompanied by letters asking each 
 governor to read carefully, or hand the matter to the 
 person regarded as the best authority on the subject, 
 to peruse and criticise. It was requested if the mat- 
 ter was incorrect, to point out the error, and if correct, 
 to so state. Most of the states responded promptly. 
 Chapters that were approved as correct were filed 
 ready for press ; those that were incorrect were rewrit- 
 ten and again sent out for approval. Most of the gov- 
 ernors referred the matter to the game commissioners, 
 and it has their approval. 
 
io Preface 
 
 No more thorough method of securing accurate 
 information could be thought of, and it is believed that 
 the book will furnish the most trustworthy information 
 of any yet published on the subject. 
 
 The same care has been taken to present accurate 
 pictures of game, a task far more difficult than most 
 people imagine. Artists of undoubted skill made the 
 illustrations ; they were then submitted to the highest 
 authorities in this country, both zoologists and sports- 
 men, for criticism, and it is felt that the pictures in this 
 work cannot be surpassed for accuracy and beauty. 
 
 The preparation of such a work entailed great 
 expense, which it is thought can be readily understood 
 by those who see the book, and it is believed the slight 
 charge made for it will not be objectionable to those 
 who become possessors of it. 
 
WHERE TO HUNT 
 
 ALABAMA 
 
 LABAMA, with the strip of land between 
 Florida and Mississippi, is 336 miles 
 long. Its breadth east and west is from 
 148 to 200 miles, and the whole state 
 contains an area of 50,722 square miles. 
 The northeastern portion of the state 
 is traversed by several offshoots of the 
 Alleghany Mountains, which terminate in this state. 
 South of this mountainous ridge there is a general 
 declivity toward the Gulf of Mexico, and the extreme 
 southern portion of the state is very level, but a little 
 above the water surface of the ocean. The southern 
 half of the state is made up largely of prairies and 
 pine-barrens, interspersed with some river bottoms 
 which are quite fertile. The middle portion of the 
 state is covered with a rich soil. 
 
 The furred game to be found in Alabama consists of 
 Virginia deer, bear, cougar, lynx rufus or wildcat, rac- 
 coon, beaver, otter, mink, opossum, fox, and squirrel of 
 several species. 
 
 Perhaps the most highly prized game to be found in 
 this state is the wild turkey, which is very plentiful in 
 parts of the state. In point of abundance it is safe to 
 say that wild fowl are first; wild geese are numerous; 
 duck swarm the rivers and lakes literally by the mil- 
 
12 Where to Hunt 
 
 lions ; snipe and woodcock are to be found in great 
 numbers at some seasons of the year. 
 
 Choctaw county, which is in the neighborhood of 
 the Tombigbee river, is mentioned as one of the good 
 game counties of the state. There are to be found in 
 this county deer, bear, raccoon, opossum, and all the 
 feathered game before mentioned. This is a rather 
 rough county, of uneven surface and many hills. 
 
 Lauderdale county in northern Alabama has been, 
 and is still, said to be the best hunting region in the 
 state. During the winter months the ponds and streams 
 are covered with wild duck, and geese, turkey, and 
 deer are found in the adjacent forests. The wild goose 
 shooting on the Tennessee river is said to be exception- 
 ally fine. 
 
 Limestone county, adjoining Lauderdale county, also 
 contains an abundance of game of the same character, 
 and Colbert, Franklin, Marion, and Lamar counties are 
 also well spoken of for game. 
 
 Pike county is largely made up of pine forests, which 
 contain bear, deer, wild turkey, squirrel, and other small 
 game. 
 
 There is a great deal of game throughout the state of 
 Alabama, but the autumn and winter months offer the 
 most attractions for the sportsman. It is said that quail 
 or bob-white are abundant in every county of the state. 
 Migratory birds begin to arrive early, and unless one is 
 familiar with Southern waters it is difficult to believe 
 what is told of the immense number of wild fowl and 
 migratory game-birds to be found in this state. 
 
 The mode of hunting deer is generally with hounds; 
 bear are also hunted with dogs, and the shot-gun is the 
 
WILD TURKEY 
 
American Game 15 
 
 arm usually employed. Wild turkey are hunted by 
 calling with an artificial call; sometimes, however, a 
 decoy turkey is used successfully. Some excellent 
 packs of hounds are owned by resident sportsmen of 
 this state, and the visiting sportsman is fortunate if he 
 enjoys the acquaintance of a typical Southern sportsman 
 who possesses a good pack of hounds. 
 
 Dove shooting is followed to considerable extent 
 during the months of July and August. Wheat-fields 
 are planted, and the wheat is allowed to fall to the 
 ground without being harvested. This attracts count- 
 less doves, and they are shot in large numbers. 
 
 Some ring-necked pheasant have been introduced 
 into this state, and they are protected by law for a term 
 of eight years from the first day of June, 1893. There 
 is no general state law on other game. 
 
ARIZONA 
 
 RIZONA contains an area of 1 13,000 square 
 miles. The general character of the coun- 
 try, particularly in the northern part, 
 is mountainous, but its valleys comprise 
 more than 10,000,000 acres of arable 
 land, and the state has nearly 40,000,- 
 OOO acres of grazing land. The state 
 is noted for its wild mountains and grand canyons. 
 The region above the lowlands is of volcanic origin, and 
 much of it is rugged and sterile. Hunting in many 
 parts of this state is pursued under difficulties ; but 
 besides the game is the grand scenery, which largely 
 compensates for the toil. 
 
 A great deal of game formerly existed in this state ; 
 in fact, it is abundant still, but less than formerly. The 
 various mining enterprises, too, have changed the habitat 
 of game. The elk or wapiti is still abundant; deer, 
 antelope, mountain sheep or big horn, and mountain 
 goat exist in considerable numbers; moose, it is stated, 
 are also found in this state. Of bear there are the 
 grizzly and the black or brown. The large and power- 
 ful jaguar, sometimes called the American tiger, and the 
 sleek ocelot are occasionally found in this state. There 
 are also cougar or mountain-lion, two varieties of 
 lynx, the Canada and the red lynx, the gray or timber- 
 wolf, prairie-wolf or coyote, the peccary, raccoon, 
 opossum, rabbit, both the jack- and the cottontail, and 
 several varieties of squirrel. 
 
American Game 19 
 
 Among the feathered game, the most highly prized 
 is the wild turkey. The Mexican variety is found in 
 this state. There are besides geese, duck of many 
 varieties, grouse, wild pigeon, and Gambel's quail. 
 
 The feathered game is particularly abundant in the 
 northern and central portions of the state, and the 
 southern part of the state is probably best for wild fowl. 
 
ARKANSAS 
 
 RKANSAS has an area of 50,722 
 square miles. Its surface is varied. 
 Adjacent to the Mississippi, and 
 from twenty-five to a hundred 
 miles inland, the country is low 
 and contains many swamps and 
 lakes. To the west of this sec- 
 tion, in the middle of the state, the country is hilly, and 
 still farther west is a mountainous region. Beyond the 
 last named section is a series of gradually rising plains. 
 It is thought that game has considerably diminished 
 in this state, excepting the quail. Want of restrictive 
 laws has had much to do with this. For a number 
 of years many parties have shot for count on wagers in 
 this state, and as a result the game has been slaughtered 
 without regard to the future. 
 
 Virginia deer are still to be found in large numbers 
 in the thinly settled parts of the state ; bear are num- 
 erous ; cougar or panther are occasionally found in 
 the rough country; lynx and wolf are often found. 
 Of other fur-bearing animals there are otter, beaver, 
 mink, opossum, raccoon, rabbit, squirrel black, red, 
 and gray found throughout the state, being very 
 abundant in the swamps. 
 
 Much of the big game hunting in Arkansas is in the 
 swamps in the cane, it is called by the natives. 
 
 Bear hunting is a prominent sport. In the eastern 
 

American Game 23 
 
 part of the state, when hunting in the cane, the sports- 
 man will often have to get within ten feet of his game 
 before he can shoot successfully, and then there is con- 
 siderable danger of shooting dogs. There is consider- 
 able wolf-poisoning done throughout the state, and the 
 poison left about often kills dogs, which is a source of 
 great annoyance to sportsmen. Still-hunting is chiefly 
 pursued in the hills, and is considered the most sports- 
 manlike. It is stated on good authority that deer have 
 increased recently in the eastern part of Arkansas, owing 
 to the fact that there has been no overflow in that dis- 
 trict for about five years ; but they have decreased in the 
 hills, where they are tracked in the snow and slaughtered. 
 Prairie-chicken shooting was once fine in this state, but 
 it is so no more. 
 
 Good deer and turkey shooting must be looked for 
 away from the railroads, although some of this game 
 may be found near settlements ; but to hunt it success- 
 fully one must understand their habits and be an expert 
 in shooting. Eastern Arkansas is best for wild turkey 
 shooting. 
 
 The great number of swamps and bayous in the state 
 make it the home of many aquatic birds. Water-fowl 
 of the duck and geese families are there in myriads, 
 also the snipe, curlew, and the various marsh birds. 
 Snipe are especially abundant on Grand Prairie, in the 
 eastern part of the state. 
 
 Good duck shooting may be found in the northeastern 
 part of the state. The duck are mostly mallard in the 
 autumn, with a good sprinkling of geese, and occasion- 
 ally a swan. Besides these are pintail, widgeon, ball- 
 pat, black duck, blue-bill, spoon-bill, mergansers, blue- 
 
24 Where to Hunt 
 
 and green-winged teal, and wood-duck. Duck shooting 
 is generally good when cypress brakes are plentiful. 
 
 There are a number of duck-shooting clubs through- 
 out the state, the membership being made up of sports- 
 men from all parts of the United States. 
 
 One of the difficulties encountered by sportsmen 
 hunting in Arkansas is securing good guides ; as a rule, 
 they are shiftless, indolent fellows, exerting themselves 
 as little as possible. Most of the sportsmen of the state, 
 when they hunt, select a place and rely upon themselves 
 to find their way about. 
 
 The law provides for close seasons for most game, 
 restricts the shipment of game out of the state, and 
 imposes a tax of $10 a year on all hunters who are non- 
 residents of the state. 
 
CALIFORNIA 
 
 ALIFORNIA, measured diago- 
 nally, is about 750 miles in 
 length ; it extends north and 
 south over ten degrees of lati- 
 tude. It has a mean breadth of 
 about 200 miles, and its whole 
 area is given as 188,981 square 
 miles. The great ranges of mountains, the Sierra 
 Nevadas and the Coast Range, traverse the state north- 
 west and southeast, and between these is the valley of 
 Sacramento and San Joaquin, some 500 miles long and 
 fifty wide. The country east of the Sierra Nevadas is 
 generally level, much of it being sandy and barren. 
 The Coast Range extends along the state near the 
 coast. The northern part of the state is very mountain- 
 ous. In the southern part the climate is semi-tropical 
 in the valleys. 
 
 Game is less abundant than formerly in most parts of 
 the state, but to some extent the great draughts on it 
 have been checked. The principal furred game to be 
 found in California is elk, deer, antelope, grizzly bear, 
 black and brown bear, cougar, lynx, gray or timber- 
 wolf, jack-rabbit and other varieties of rabbit, prairie- 
 wolf or coyote, wolverine, and squirrel. The porcu- 
 pine is also found in this state. 
 
 Elk or wapiti, it is said, still exist in the lower part 
 of the state, but are few in number. There are believed 
 to be a few remaining about the head waters of Eel, 
 
28 Where to Hunt 
 
 Elk, and Trinity rivers in the northern part of the 
 state. 
 
 Antelope have become very scarce ; it is said that 
 the few remaining are chiefly east of the Sierra Nevadas 
 and in the Colorado desert. 
 
 There are a few grizzly bear left in California. 
 Black or brown bear are common ; they are found fre- 
 quently in the Coast Range as well as in the Sierra 
 Nevadas ; there are also a few grizzly bear to be found 
 in the latter range. The neighborhood of Mt. Whitney 
 is believed to be the most promising country for griz- 
 zlies. Formerly the counties of Santa Barbara and 
 San Luis Obispo contained many grizzlies, but they are 
 there no longer, at least they are very scarce. It has 
 been stated recently on good authority that in the coun- 
 ties of Shasta and Siskiyou, in the northern part of the 
 state, black bear are about as plentiful as they ever were. 
 
 Mountain sheep are still abundant on the desert 
 ranges, and especially in Lower California ; they are very 
 wild though, and skill and experience are necessary to 
 hunt them successfully. 
 
 Deer are found in most parts of California, excepting 
 in the large cultivated valleys ; even there they are 
 plentiful in the extensive thickets, particularly along the 
 Sacramento and Feather rivers. They are quite abund- 
 ant in the Coast Range north of San Francisco. While 
 they are not rare in the Sierra Nevadas, they are not so 
 numerous as they were a few years ago. 
 
 Scientists say there are apparently three species of 
 deer found in California, the mule-deer, Cariacus mac- 
 rotis, with a northern and southern sub-species; the 
 Southern California deer, Cariacus macrotis califor- 
 

American Game 31 
 
 nius, and the black-tailed deer, Cariacus cohimbianus. 
 The habitat of the mule-deer is given as northeast Califor- 
 nia to Modoc and Lassen counties, and they are probably 
 to be found on the east slope of the Sierra Nevadas 
 to Mexico. The black-tailed deer is the deer of the 
 Sierra Nevadas ; its habitat is south to Central Califor- 
 nia at least, and in the Coast Range south to San Fran- 
 cisco bay, perhaps farther south. 
 
 Deer are quite plentiful in Siskiyou and Shasta coun- 
 ties, and as far west as the head waters of Pit river. In 
 the southern part of the state they are most abundant 
 in Ventura county, near the head waters of Sispe and 
 Peru ; they are also numerous in Riverside county. 
 The northwestern part of Los Angeles county at the 
 extreme western portion of Antelope valley is also a 
 good deer country. Deer may be found in fair numbers 
 all along the little mountain spurs of the Sierra Nevadas. 
 
 Sportsmen of Los Angeles frequently leave their 
 homes in the morning, and, after a drive of ten miles to 
 a range of hills not more than three miles from the 
 town of Burbank, secure one or more deer, and are 
 back at their homes the same afternoon. 
 
 Panther are often found in the country inhabited by 
 deer, and are occasionally killed. 
 
 Of the feathered game, the most abundant of land 
 birds is the quail. Valley quail are found throughout 
 the state in the valley portions and foot-hills, on the prai- 
 ries and in the grain-fields near sheltering thickets; 
 they avoid the deep forests. Coveys are often found in 
 thickets which border the streams, and during the 
 shooting season these coveys frequently contain hun- 
 dreds of birds. They do not lie well to the dog, and 
 
32 Where to Hunt 
 
 flocks must be broken up to use the dog successfully ; 
 the birds often perch on the limbs of trees. 
 
 Mountain quail are less common than the valley 
 quail. They are found throughout the entire length of 
 the state in the Sierra Nevadas ; not, however, in large 
 flocks. Excepting in very severe weather, mountain 
 quail generally inhabit the higher plateaus or mesas, in 
 southern California, ranging in the Sierra Nevadas in 
 summer from about 2,000 feet altitude up to about 
 9,000. In the Coast Range they are found as far south 
 as Monterey county, breeding there from sea-level up- 
 ward. They avoid the large interior valleys of the 
 state. They are difficult birds to flush, seeking escape 
 by running rather than taking to wing. 
 
 Gambel's quail is another representative of the quail 
 family to be found in California. These birds frequent 
 thick underwood near the mesquite trees, and are usu- 
 ally wilder than the other quail ; they are not found 
 west of the Sierra Nevadas. 
 
 Oregon ruffed grouse are found only in the north- 
 western part of California ; they are common in Hum- 
 boldt county, and become more plentiful northward. 
 
 Sooty grouse are excellent game-birds ; they are 
 found in the mountains north of San Francisco, and in 
 the Sierra Nevadas south to Yosemite valley, probably 
 considerably farther. In the latter half of August and 
 in September they afford fine sport. 
 
 Richardson's grouse, it is stated, may occur in north- 
 eastern California. These birds have been shot about 
 Lake Harney in Oregon, not far from the line. 
 
 Sage-cock or sage-grouse are found in the semi- 
 desert or sage-brush country, east of the Sierra Nevadas 
 
'< 
 
 
American Game 35 
 
 as far south as Mono county. They are the largest of 
 the American grouse, weighing from five to six pounds. 
 Columbian sharp-tailed grouse are found only in the 
 northeastern part of the state. They lie well to dogs. 
 
 Wilson's snipe are found in favored places through- 
 out the low parts of the state in winter, and a few breed 
 in the subalpine marshes of the Sierra Nevadas, north 
 of thirty-eight degrees. 
 
 Band-tailed pigeon are of irregular occurrence in 
 winter in most parts of the state below the snow belt. 
 A few breed in the Sierra Nevadas as far south as the 
 Yosemite valley ; in the Coast Range, as far south as the 
 southern part of Monterey county. Sometimes these 
 birds are very palatable, at other times very unpala- 
 table, according to their food. 
 
 The mourning dove is very abundant in the settled 
 parts of the state ; it is about the only upland game in 
 California in summer. Large flocks spend the winter 
 as far north as Butte county. In all parts of the state 
 they are more abundant in summer than in winter. 
 
 Water-fowl and marsh birds are very abundant along 
 the coast and in the marshes. Geese begin to arrive 
 from the north early in September, but are not abun- 
 dant until about the middle of October. During the 
 last half of October and later, geese may be seen by 
 the million every day in Butte county. When they 
 first arrive they are lean, but they soon become fat 
 from feeding on wheat which was lost in harvesting. 
 
 Black brant shooting was excellent in San Diego bay 
 until recently. 
 
 The duck of California do not differ much from 
 those of the Atlantic coast, though there are two kinds 
 
36 Where to Hunt 
 
 that are not found there, and the East has the black 
 duck which is not found in California. 
 
 There are two species of swan which spend the win- 
 ter in California, the most numerous being the whistling 
 swan. 
 
 The coast-birds of this state are about the same as 
 the coast- or shore-birds of the Atlantic coast. Usually 
 in early winter mountain plover are abundant in many 
 parts of the interior valleys, going as far south as San 
 Diego, but they are so tame that shooting them affords 
 but little sport. Some persons consider their flesh a 
 great delicacy. 
 
 Clubs formed for the purpose of controlling shooting 
 territory are now numerous in this state. They control 
 many wild fowl grounds near cities, and are the cause of 
 much contention between themselves and non-members. 
 
 The Suisun marshes in Solano county, and the San 
 Pablo marshes in Contra Costa county, have long been 
 known for the wild fowl shooting there in the season ; 
 but the best localities are controlled by clubs. 
 
 Good sport with water-fowl may be had in any of the 
 valley counties of California at the proper season. 
 
 Sand-hill crane shooting is generally excellent in the 
 neighborhood of San Jacinto, San Diego county. 
 
 In some parts of the state it is necessary to procure 
 permits from farmers before shooting on their lands. 
 This condition of affairs has been brought about by the 
 damage done to property by some of those who shoot. 
 Farmers often object to sportsmen shooting over their 
 lands during the dry season on account of danger of 
 fire, but give permission as soon as the rainy season 
 begins. 
 
.-".',':! '' 
 
 ./.;..:' 
 
 
COLORADO 
 
 OLORADO has an area of about 
 104,500 square miles. The 
 state is intersected north and 
 south by the Rocky Mountain 
 range. The western portion of 
 the state consists of high table- 
 lands, intersected by ranges of 
 
 mountains and valleys. The great natural parks of the 
 state, consisting of extensive plateaus and basins 
 hemmed in by high mountains, and the vast plains 
 make the state a very favorable one for game, espe- 
 cially for big game. 
 
 The Rio Grande and the Colorado rivers have their 
 sources within the state, and the eastern slope and foot- 
 hills of the Rocky Mountains are drained by the head 
 streams of the Platte, Kansas, and Arkansas rivers. 
 
 The character of the country and the climate enable 
 a portion of the big game to migrate from the moun- 
 tainous regions to the plains and back at different sea- 
 sons, giving them good feed and great protection a por- 
 tion of the time. The country above an altitude of 
 7,000 feet is more or less timbered; below that is 
 largely bad land and desert. Deer and antelope sum- 
 mer above 7,000 feet, and winter below; elk come 
 down to an altitude of about 7,000 feet to winter. 
 
 Of the big game to be found in Colorado, without 
 doubt the most highly prized is the wapiti or elk, still 
 to be found in large numbers. A prominent hunter of 
 
40 Where to Hunt 
 
 this state has stated his belief that if the present laws 
 are enforced the number of elk in the state need not be 
 decreased. They are protected by law throughout the 
 year at the present time. 
 
 Mule-deer are very abundant, the most plentiful of 
 all the large game animals in the state, and they are 
 likely to increase. Virginia deer occupy the southern 
 and southeastern parts of the state chiefly, and are not 
 very abundant. Antelope are very abundant. 
 
 Of bear there are the grizzly or silver tip and the 
 black or brown, all abundant. It has been stated by 
 good authority that bear are on the increase since 
 the bounty was removed. 
 
 Of the cat family there are cougar or panther, some- 
 times known as mountain-lion. Colorado is one of the 
 states where cougar are plentiful enough to hunt spe- 
 cially. They are said to be increasing. Canada lynx 
 are found below an altitude of 7,000 feet. They are 
 increasing and plentiful. The common lynx or bob- 
 cat are found above an altitude of 7,000 feet, where 
 spruce timber grows. They are also plentiful. 
 
 Gray or timber-wolf are abundant, and said to be 
 increasing. They are very destructive to stock. It 
 has been estimated by a trustworthy hunter that there 
 are 500 in Routt and Rio Blanco counties, but ex-Com- 
 missioner Gordon Land thinks there are about half this 
 number. Prairie-wolf or coyote are still plentiful. 
 
 Mountain sheep are not abundant ; perhaps there are 
 IOO in Routt and Rio Blanco counties. They are pro- 
 tected by law. There are some Rocky Mountain goat 
 in the state, but they are not abundant. 
 
 Badger are common throughout the state. Of fox 
 
American Game 43 
 
 there are the red, cross, and silver gray, common, and 
 plentiful in places. 
 
 There are said to be a few bison or buffalo yet in 
 the mountains of Colorado ; but they are very rare, and 
 protected by law. Wolverine are found, but are not 
 common. Otter are uncommon. Of beaver there are 
 a good many left, but they are now protected by law. 
 Mink are abundant. Marten are common, and musk- 
 rat are found along nearly all the streams. 
 
 Rabbit, especially jack-rabbit, are so plentiful in some 
 parts of the state as to be a pest. They are found chiefly 
 on the plains, while the cottontail is found in the 
 mountains and plains below 7,000 feet altitude. 
 
 Squirrel are numerous ; so are woodchuck and other 
 small game, which is dwarfed into insignificance by the 
 nobler game. 
 
 The feathered game of Colorado is abundant. Of the 
 grouse family there are the sharp-tailed grouse, dusky 
 grouse, Richardson's grouse, sage-grouse, some ruffed 
 grouse, and a few prairie-hen or pinnated grouse. All 
 of the varieties of quail .have been introduced into Colo- 
 rado, including the bob-white, but these birds are pro- 
 tected by law at the present time. Some ptarmigan are 
 found. 
 
 Water-fowl are found in great variety, among them 
 being geese, brant, many varieties of duck, snipe, 
 plover, and curlew. Dove shooting is practiced by 
 some in the months of July, August, and September. 
 Colorado is in line of flight between Puget sound and 
 the Gulf coast, and the more northerly flights which 
 migrate to and from the Manitoba region and points as 
 far south as Louisiana, Texas, and old Mexico. Migra- 
 
44 Where to Hunt 
 
 tory birds do not seem to decrease. There are not, 
 however, very extensive shooting-grounds for water-fowl 
 anywhere in the state, the opportunity afforded the 
 sportsman being confined to lakes and reservoirs and 
 marshy sections in the vicinity of the mountain parks 
 and streams leading therefrom. Mallard and teal are 
 most abundant, some remaining in the state throughout 
 the year. 
 
 The counties of Routt, Rio Blanco, Garfield, Mesa, 
 Pitkin, Delta, Montrose, San Miguel, La Plata, Archu- 
 leta, and Conejos are among the best in which all 
 animals of the deer kind are found, as are also the 
 northern counties of Eagle, Grand, and Larimer. Routt 
 county is said to contain the most big game during the 
 hunting season, elk and deer being found there in large 
 numbers during August, September, and October. 
 
 It was estimated that in Routt and Rio Blanco coun- 
 ties there were, in 1896, 10,000 elk (wapiti), 75,000 
 mule-deer, and 50,000 antelope. 
 
 Antelope are abundant in the northwestern part of 
 the state. They are often found in large bands, ranging 
 on the high and broad table-lands and plateaus away 
 back from the railroads and civilization. It is said they 
 are increasing. They were at one time very plentiful 
 on the plains of the eastern part of the state, but are 
 now very scarce there. They were also found in great 
 numbers at one time in the San Luis valley, but of late 
 years have become almost, if not entirely, extinct there. 
 
 Rabbit are very abundant in the San Luis valley, 
 also in the Arkansas valley east of La Junta, and espe- 
 cially in the vicinity of Lamar. The ranchmen invite 
 the sportsmen and ranchmen from the surrounding 
 
American Game 47 
 
 country to join them in ring hunts. They round up a 
 large section of the country and slaughter rabbits. 
 Thousands of these animals are killed off each winter by 
 this unsportsmanlike method, but it is excused on the 
 ground of being necessary for the protection of crops. 
 Although the slaughter is great at these ring hunts, the 
 rabbits become as numerous as ever in a few months. 
 
 Mountain grouse are usually to be found in great 
 numbers in the principal mountain ranges of the state, 
 high up at the heads of small running streams, or where 
 water is to be found. 
 
 The only part of the state where the prairie-hen 
 (pinnated grouse) are to be found is in the Wet moun- 
 tain valleys (Fremont and Custer counties). They are 
 undoubtedly the genuine pinnated grouse, and how they 
 got there is a great mystery. They are not found in 
 any great numbers. A few years ago a number of Vir- 
 ginia quail were turned out in the Gunnison valley in 
 the vicinity of Delta, and have recently become quite 
 plentiful, but, as previously stated, they are at present 
 protected by law. Quail are also found in the vicinity 
 of Denver. 
 
 Along the Platte river within easy access of Denver, 
 and in the many lakes within a radius of fifty miles, a 
 good bag of ducks can be made by using blinds and 
 decoys. The varieties here found consist of mallard, 
 canvasback, redhead, butterball, blue- and green- 
 winged teal, widgeon, and all the migratory ducks. 
 Snipe are plentiful here, also plover and curlew 
 There are many geese. Some are killed on the Platte, 
 but the best hunting for them is near the foothills of 
 Boulder and Larimer counties. 
 
48 Where to Hunt 
 
 Good localities for wild fowl shooting are the San 
 Luis valley (Saguache, Conejo^ and Costilla counties), 
 and the valleys of the Platte, Arkansas, and Gunnison 
 rivers. For the past four years wild fowl have not been 
 so plentiful in the San Luis valley as formerly, owing to 
 the scarcity of water, but in the spring of 1896 the 
 lakes, ponds, sloughs, and small streams were full of 
 water, and the ducks of all varieties, and geese, crane, 
 brant, and other migratory game, came in in countless 
 thousands. Not for several years had wild fowl been 
 so plentiful in this valley. 
 
 Sportsmen contemplating a trip to Colorado need 
 apprehend no difficulty in getting accommodations or 
 guides, as there are always ranches to be found where 
 strangers are welcomed. A trustworthy sportsman 
 writing on this subject says: "I have hunted a good 
 deal over this state, and have never yet come to a ranch- 
 man's or miner's cabin where I was not welcome and 
 given the best they had.' 3 
 
 By the laws of Colorado, bison or buffalo, elk or 
 wapiti, and mountain sheep are protected by law 
 throughout the year. 
 

CONNECTICUT 
 
 ONNECTICUT, measured east 
 and west, is about ninety 
 miles in length by fiom 
 sixty to seventy miles north 
 and south; it has an area 
 of about 4,750 square miles. 
 The surface of the state is 
 
 rugged, being diversified by hills and valleys. The 
 Housatonic Mountains enter the state in the north- 
 west, extending through the state southward to the 
 coast The Green Mountain range also extends 
 through the state, terminating near New Haven. 
 There is also the Mt. Tom range of mountains. 
 
 The principal rivers are the Connecticut, the Tunxis, 
 the Housatonic, and the Thames. The coast of Con- 
 necticut lies upon Long Island Sound, which is 140 
 miles long and twenty-four miles across at the broadest 
 part. 
 
 Considerable furred game is to be found in Connecti- 
 cut. Deer are occasionally seen, but are protected. 
 Lynx, both the Canada and the red variety, are found 
 in the ledges and pine swamps. Red lynx or bob- 
 cat are surprisingly plentiful in parts of the state. 
 Otter have been killed so often as to cause them to be 
 regarded as common. Mink are plentiful, and musk- 
 rat almost a pest. Rabbit and fox are numerous, as 
 are weasel and skunk. 
 
 A few years ago it was no uncommon thing for a 
 
52 Where to Hunt 
 
 party of hunters here to go out and obtain from fifty to 
 one hundred gray squirrels in a day ; they brimstoned 
 them in their holes, and used other unsportsmanlike tac- 
 tics to a great degree. Then came the steam sawmills 
 and the cutting down of much of the woods, which 
 caused countless numbers of the squirrels to migrate 
 elsewhere. They are still to be found in the state in 
 fair numbers, but nowadays a bag of from fifteen to 
 twenty is equal to the fifty or one hundred of a few 
 years ago. 
 
 Of feathered game to be found are ruffed grouse, 
 quail, woodcock, Wilson's snipe, rail-birds of the differ- 
 ent varieties, duck of a great variety of kinds, and 
 geese. Ruffed grouse are plentiful, and it is believed 
 if it were not for the snares they would soon be wonder- 
 fully abundant. Quail were very abundant until the 
 winter of '91 and '92, when they were almost entirely 
 exterminated, and they were scarce until the season of 
 1895. They were spared, generally speaking, by 
 sportsmen, and most of them left to breed. A good 
 deal of stocking with quail has been done in the state. 
 
 During the month of October Wilson's snipe are 
 plentiful along the river marshes and lowlands. They 
 are also found in large numbers from the 8th to the 
 2Oth of April. 
 
 Up to a few years ago flight woodcock were very 
 plentiful in Connecticut during the last of October and 
 most of November, but of late years they have not 
 been plentiful. 
 
 Rail shooting is one of the attractions of this state. 
 It has been excellent for several years past. The legal 
 season for shooting this bird begins September i. The 
 
American Game 55 
 
 shooting is done almost wholly from a boat, and the 
 services of a pusher with his boat can be procured 
 for $2.50 a tide. 
 
 Along the Connecticut river from Essex to East 
 Haddam is an excellent place for this sport. 
 
 Duck in their season are very plentiful, especially 
 black, wood, and blue-winged teal ; there is also a good 
 sprinkling of mallard, sprigtail, sheldrake, whistler, etc. 
 Some excellent duck shooting may be secured on the 
 ponds of the state, while the Sound draws many gun- 
 ners to its waters. 
 
 During the past few seasons gray squirrel, ruffed 
 grouse, rabbit, and quail have been found plentiful 
 throughout the state. 
 
DELAWARE 
 
 ELAWARE has an area of 2,120 
 square miles; it is about ninety- 
 three miles in length from north 
 to south, and thirty-seven miles 
 in width at the widest part. Al- 
 though the surface of the state is 
 hilly, it is said there is no hill in 
 
 the state exceeding 500 feet in height above the ocean. 
 The rivers of the state are small ; there are many 
 swamps throughout the state containing game, and the 
 low, marshy shore attracts shore-birds. 
 
 The list of furred game of Delaware is short; the 
 rabbit is the most abundant ; there are some squirrel, 
 and occasionally a raccoon ; mink and muskrat are 
 common. 
 
 Of game-birds, there are ruffed grouse, which are not 
 very abundant. Quail are found in fair numbers at 
 times, and woodcock vary from season to season. Wild 
 fowl are plentiful, black duck being perhaps the most 
 highly esteemed of the duck family. There are some 
 mallard and teal. 
 
 Of the salt-water duck, there are the usual varieties 
 found along the Atlantic coast. Sussex county is 
 believed to contain the best upland shooting. The 
 best known shore-bird shooting resorts are near Lewis 
 and Milford. 
 
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 
 
 ISTRICT OF COLUMBIA covers 
 an area of about sixty miles. 
 Its surface is diversified by hills 
 and valleys ; its largest river is 
 the Potomac, which extends 
 along its western boundary. 
 
 There is far more game to be found in this territory 
 than is generally believed. The furred game consists 
 of deer, which are occasionally killed, raccoon, rabbit, 
 opossum, and squirrel ; the latter are quite abundant 
 some seasons. Of the feathered game, perhaps the most 
 highly prized is the wild turkey; there are also to be 
 found ruffed grouse, quail, woodcock, snipe, duck of 
 many varieties, and geese. Rail shooting is a sport 
 much indulged in, and the reed-bird here is elevated to 
 the game-bird class. 
 
 The usual climate of District of Columbia is quite 
 favorable to game and were it not for the great drain 
 on it by the market shooter the sportsman would here 
 find satisfactory sport. The existing game laws at this 
 writing are not very stringent: woodcock may be shot 
 as early as July; the open season on ruffed grouse 
 begins on August I ; quail or bob-white shooting 
 begins November I and continues until February I . 
 
 The character of the furred game is such as to make 
 a rifle unnecessary, except in a small bore, but if one 
 is expert in the use of such an arm there may be found 
 excellent sport in squirrel hunting. 
 
FLORIDA 
 
 LORIDA is an interesting state to sports- 
 men. It has with its adjacent islands an 
 area of 59,268 square miles. A glance 
 at a map of the state will show a long line 
 of coast washed by the Atlantic ocean ; 
 a still longer line is on the Gulf of Mex- 
 ico, while its northern borders join Geor- 
 gia and Alabama. The northern portion 
 of Florida is level or undulating ; the western neck of 
 the peninsula is somewhat rugged, while the southern 
 portion of the state is made up of extensive marshlands, 
 in which are prairies, hummocks, and pine-barrens. 
 
 The game of Florida is varied and abundant. For 
 furred game, the most highly prized are the deer. 
 They are somewhat smaller than specimens found in 
 the North ; they are found in most parts of the state 
 where it is not too thickly settled. There are many 
 bear; the cougar is rather plentiful, and the lynx 
 rufus is common; wolf are also found. There are 
 also raccoon, opossum, fox, squirrel, both gray and 
 fox-squirrel, which are abundant in the hummocks, the 
 latter species being the most abundant, rabbit, and 
 other small game which is little sought. 
 
 The feathered game of Florida is also abundant. The 
 wild turkey, the largest and probably the most highly 
 prized feathered game-bird in America, is found in 
 abundance in unfrequented sections. Of the upland 
 game-birds perhaps none are hunted more than the 
 

 3 * 
 
 - i 
 i 
 
 i! 
 

American Game 63 
 
 quail. This bird is more abundant near the settlements, 
 and rather scarce in the wilder parts of the state. 
 There are a great many quail in Florida at the present 
 time, notwithstanding the heavy draughts made each 
 year on the covers. Writers have asserted that the 
 woodcock was not to be found in Florida. This is 
 incorrect. The bird is among the game-birds of this 
 state, but is not common. Wilson's snipe, which is 
 always a favorite bird with sportsmen, is very plentiful 
 during the winter months and in favored places. Some 
 grand sport may be secured by the snipe shooter, Octo- 
 ber to January being the best months to hunt these 
 birds, and in the interior of the state they are most 
 abundant. 
 
 Plover, curlew, and nearly all the shore-birds are to 
 be found in myriads ; they are most abundant on the 
 gulf coast. Duck and geese are also present in 
 countless flocks; among the duck are the mallard, 
 black duck, pintail, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, 
 cinnamon teal, and butterball. In addition to the 
 water-birds named are plume-birds of great variety. All 
 the feathered game but turkey and quail is migratory. 
 
 Dove shooting is recognized as a legitimate sport in 
 Florida. While the alligator is not classed among the 
 best of game, yet it receives the attention of sports- 
 men, and it requires considerable skill to kill one of 
 these saurians. 
 
 Wild geese are common from Cedar Keys to the 
 Alabama line on the gulf coast. These, birds are less 
 abundant in the northern section of the east coast. 
 
 The Indian and St. John rivers are two points most 
 of the non-resident sportsmen visit when hunting in 
 
64 Where to Hunt 
 
 Florida. Much game is still to be found there, though 
 these rivers are so much sailed over by house-boats 
 containing sportsmen that the draught on the game is 
 felt. 
 
 On the east coast of Florida, adjacent to the Banana 
 and Indian rivers, is a great place for wild fowl, Mer- 
 ritt's island in that neighborhood and the peninsula 
 opposite being especially good duck-shooting grounds. 
 
 Escambia is a good place for sportsmen to visit, 
 deer, bear, turkey, and quail being abundant. The 
 quail here, however, do not lie well to the dogs after 
 being much shot at, but take to the thickets, making 
 shooting difficult. 
 
 Levy county has afforded excellent sport for the past 
 few seasons. Turkey are abundant. Four or five 
 have been killed in a day by a native hunter. 
 
 Lake county contains much game; turkey, squir- 
 rel, and duck are plentiful. Minneola in this county 
 is a good place for game. 
 
 Monticello in Jefferson county is a good quail coun- 
 try, though some of the land there is posted. Visiting 
 sportsmen can usually obtain permission to shoot over 
 these grounds ; in some cases the privilege must be 
 purchased. 
 
 Much of the land about Miccosukee lake affords 
 good quail shooting. In the southern part of the 
 county are extensive wild, flat woods, which are free to 
 all. There is considerable big game there, and some 
 quail. 
 
 In the neighborhood of Warrington in Escambia 
 county, and about Jackson's bayou, is said to be a 
 good place for wild turkey. 
 
GEORGIA 
 
 EORGIA is 322 miles in length, north 
 and south, and about 224 miles in width. 
 Its area is 52,000 square miles. The 
 northern part of the state is wild and 
 rugged. The central and southern 
 portions are characterized by a rolling 
 country, while the coast portion is 
 fringed with islands, separated from the 
 mainland by narrow lagoons. Along the coast are 
 numerous swamps and marshes. 
 
 Of the furred game to be found in the state of 
 Georgia, the deer is the most highly prized. In a few 
 localities they are still quite plentiful; they are most 
 abundant in the southeastern part of the state. Deer 
 hunting is nearly always done with dogs, and thanks to 
 two natural protectors that the deer have, they will 
 probably never become quite extinct. We refer to the 
 rattlesnake and the alligator. Woe to the dog that 
 hunts deer in the summer. The snake kills the dog on 
 land, and when the deer take to water, as they nearly 
 always do, the alligator is there. The deer being too 
 quick for the alligator, it awaits the dog, and when the 
 dog is in the water the alligator will swim alongside of 
 him ; one snap, and the dog sinks to rise no more. 
 
 Bear are found in the swamps along the Altamaha 
 and also in Okefanokee swamp ; the latter is partly in 
 Georgia. 
 
 Fox are abundant in the southwestern and in the 
 
68 Where to Hunt 
 
 interior parts of the state. They are hunted for sport 
 only, and it is done often at night. The hunters are 
 mounted, and while they do not follow the hounds ex- 
 actly, they keep close to them, but utilizing the roads, 
 and where practicable riding through woods and fields. 
 About sunrise is a good time for this sport ; but even at 
 night, with a bright moon overhead, a good horse under 
 you, and ten or a dozen dogs on a warm trail, the 
 chase will make a sportsman feel young again, if any- 
 thing will. 
 
 Squirrel are scattered pretty generally over the state. 
 There are two varieties, the fox and the Carolina gray 
 squirrel. The former are fast disappearing. 
 
 Hare, or rabbit as they are called in this state, are 
 abundant. There are two varieties, the common rabbit 
 or cottontail, found in all parts of the state, and the 
 marsh-hare, found only on the Sea Islands. The latter 
 are smaller than the former, have no white on their 
 tails, and cannot run as fast. 
 
 Of the feathered game found in Georgia, there are 
 wild turkey, quail, woodcock, snipe, several varieties of 
 plover, geese, and duck. All but the first two are 
 migratory. Turkey are found in nearly all swamps 
 bordering the rivers, being most numerous on the 
 lower Savannah and Altamaha. 
 
 Quail are well distributed over the state, being gen- 
 erally more abundant in localities most distant from 
 railroads. 
 
 Duck and geese are found along the marshes and in 
 ponds. Their numbers vary according as the season is 
 severe or not. When the winters are mild they are not 
 usually as plentiful. Large flocks of geese annually 
 
OPOSSUM 
 
American Game 71 
 
 winter in the Savannah river above Augusta, feeding on 
 the young wheat and oats in fields bordering the river. 
 A favorite way of shooting them is to use a horse. The 
 sportsman rides quietly toward the flock until he judges 
 by their actions that they are about to rise ; he then 
 dashes forward at full speed until the geese are up, 
 when he springs to the ground and shoots. A good 
 rider with a fast horse can generally secure a goose, 
 but he will not get another shot at that flock. 
 
 Woodcock are not abundant, except in a very few 
 localities. In the swamps near Savannah is one of 
 their favorite resorts. During the month of January 
 good sport and a fair bag may be secured almost any 
 day within a few miles of that city. 
 
 Snipe can be found in almost any open swampy 
 ground during the winter and early spring. They 
 sometimes remain in the state as late as the middle of 
 April. 
 
 Along the beaches a great many plover can be 
 found, also curlew and other waders. It is nothing 
 unusual for a sportsman in a forenoon to secure ten or 
 a dozen varieties. 
 
 While dove are not, strictly speaking, game-birds, 
 they afford good sport in Georgia. They are quite 
 abundant wherever large fields of corn or pease are 
 grown. The most successful way of killing them is to 
 bait a field, namely, scatter small grain for a few days, 
 then shoot from blinds. A great number of these 
 birds are killed annually. 
 
IDAHO 
 
 DAHO possesses an area of 86,294 
 square miles. The character of the 
 country generally is mountainous, 
 but near the rivers are fertile val- 
 leys. The country is favorable for 
 maintaining a good game supply, 
 and by checking the unreasonable 
 killing of game by Indians it is thought the state will 
 always contain an abundant supply. 
 
 Of the big game found in Idaho, there are the silver 
 tip or grizzly bear, and the black and brown bear ; elk 
 are found in considerable numbers, though less numer- 
 ous than formerly. The deer of the several kinds are 
 still abundant. Moose exist probably in greater numbers 
 than is generally supposed ; some of the specimens of 
 this animal which have been killed have been noble ones. 
 There are, too, cougar, lynx, mountain goat, big- 
 horn, wolf both the gray or timber-wolf and the 
 prairie-wolf or coyote fox, wolverine, fisher, marten, 
 muskrat, beaver, otter, mink, squirrel red, silver gray, 
 and fox badger, jack-rabbit, and other small furred 
 animals. Beaver are becoming scarce. 
 
 There are many varieties of game-birds to be found 
 in Idaho. The grouse family is well represented. The 
 blue grouse are to be found in great numbers during 
 the winter in the mountains. In the spring they come 
 down to the foot-hills to nest. Ruffed grouse are 
 found to some extent, the spruce swamps and aspen 
 
American Game 75 
 
 groves being their usual resorts. Sharp-tailed grouse 
 are very abundant. They are generally found along 
 the banks of streams. Sage-hen are found in large 
 flocks in most of the valleys. The latter birds are 
 said to be on the increase. Small mountain grouse, 
 commonly called fool-hen, are common. Grouse are 
 thought to be decreasing slightly in Idaho, but not to 
 any serious extent. They are at the present time 
 abundant in almost all of their former haunts, especially 
 so along the Salmon river and all its tributaries; also 
 along the Clearwater and Snake rivers, and in the 
 barren sage-brush valleys and foot-hills. 
 
 The trumpeter swan breeds in Idaho, and remains 
 there all winter. Quail or bob-white are believed to 
 be increasing in Weiser and Salubria valleys. They 
 are also found in abundance in the Boise and Pay- 
 ette valleys. These birds were propagated success- 
 fully from a. few pairs from Illinois. 
 
 As nearly all the streams have their sources in the 
 mountains bordering the Yellowstone Park, and as the 
 waters coming from large springs do not freeze, the 
 rivers remain open for many miles from their sources, 
 which makes them good feeding-grounds for water-fowl. 
 Among the duck the most numerous are mallard, red- 
 head, and teal, but there are many spoonbills, wood- 
 duck, butterballs, and others less esteemed. There are 
 many Canada geese and some brant in the rivers during 
 the spring and autumn. 
 
 There are small game-birds of the snipe family found 
 throughout the state, which are not hunted to any great 
 extent on account of the abundance of larger game. 
 
 Of late years many sportsmen have visited Idaho 
 
76 Where to Hunt 
 
 solely for bear-hunting, and there are many inquiries as 
 to the best country for bear. In the country between 
 Montpelier and Snake river, taking in the Teton basin 
 and Jackson's Hole, bear are abundant. A good guide 
 can take a sportsman into the mountains adjacent to 
 Montpelier within a radius of one hundred miles, and 
 find plenty of bear. In Star valley, fifty miles from 
 Montpelier, there are plenty of grizzly bears or silver 
 tips, and many are killed there every autumn, just pre- 
 vious to their annual hibernation. They are said to be 
 most abundant north of Clark's fork of the Columbia 
 river, along the Bitterroot range and head waters of 
 Clearwater river, along the Salmon river and tributaries, 
 and in the Sawtooth and Seven Devil mountains. One 
 hunter in Bear Lake county, who makes a specialty of 
 bear, killed sixty in 1895. During the past few years 
 a great many bear have been killed near Lake Idaho. 
 While there are many bear still in Idaho, the great 
 number killed has made a perceptible decrease. 
 
 Deer (black-tailed) are found throughout the state. 
 They are most numerous at the head waters of Clear- 
 water river and on the middle fork of Salmon river. 
 There are a few white-tailed deer in Idaho. Deer are 
 believed to be fast decreasing, principally owing to their 
 systematic butchery by the various Indian tribes, who 
 hunt them persistently in and out of season, principally 
 for their hides. 
 
 Bighorn are scarce, and are now found in Sawtooth 
 and Seven Devil mountains, on the south fork of Salmon 
 river, and along the Bitterroot range. 
 
 Mountain-goat are also scarce. Elk, like the deer, 
 are disappearing, mostly owing to Indian butchery. 
 
American Game 79 
 
 They now inhabit about the same range as the moun- 
 tain-sheep, and on the middle fork of Salmon river. 
 
 Moose are nowhere abundant. A few are found on 
 the head waters of the Clearwater river and near mid- 
 dle fork of Salmon river. 
 
 The Sawtooth range of mountains in the western part 
 of Idaho is thought to be the best place for Rocky 
 Mountain goat. 
 
 There are some bison (buffalo) still to be found in 
 Idaho, but they are stragglers from the National Park 
 and should not be shot. 
 
 Rabbit are on the increase in Idaho, which is 
 believed to be caused by the killing off of the prairie- 
 wolf or coyote. The varieties consist of jack-rabbit, 
 black-tailed rabbit, common cottontail, little, coney, 
 and the snowshoe or mountain-rabbit, the latter turn- 
 ing white in winter. The jack-rabbit is regarded as a 
 pest along the valleys of the Snake river and the Boise 
 and Payette basins. 
 
 Hailey, Idaho, is a good point for a sportsman to 
 visit. There are good hotel accommodations, and the 
 surrounding country is good for game ; blue grouse 
 are very numerous among the hills. 
 
 Camas prairie, thirty miles distant, is a good game- 
 bird region; there are pinnated grouse or prairie- 
 chicken, blue grouse, and sage-hen there, and deer in 
 the hills. 
 
 The Sawtooth Mountains, at the head of Salmon 
 river, is a good game country. Back in this range of 
 mountains Rocky Mountain goat are found. Over the 
 trail from Montpelier to Jackson's Hole one is likely 
 to meet much large and small game. 
 
ILLINOIS 
 
 LLINOIS is one of the states of this 
 country that has suffered severely from 
 the immense draughts upon its game. 
 It is, however, recovering from this 
 depletion, and good authorities assert 
 that game of some varieties is now 
 on the increase. The state has an 
 area of 55,405 square miles; it is 
 one of the most level states in this country, the ex- 
 treme elevation being but 800 feet above tide-water; 
 the mean height is given as 550 feet. The southern 
 part of the state is hilly and the northern portion is 
 unbroken, but the general surface is made up of rolling 
 prairies. 
 
 The climate of Illinois is changeable ; the summers 
 are hot and long and the winters severe, which limits 
 the varieties of game. The heavy snows and severe 
 winters have often proved destructive to the non-migra- 
 tory birds. 
 
 Of the large game, there are bear, deer, wolf, an 
 occasional lynx, and sometimes a panther. Deer are 
 still to be found, but are not numerous; the same may 
 be said of the wild turkey. Both are most likely to be 
 found near the Wabash and Okaw rivers. 
 
 Wolf are still found in considerable numbers, and 
 are believed to do much in depleting the game. Fox 
 are believed to be on the increase. Coon are still 
 
rl 
 
 ill 
 
 i 
 
American Game 83 
 
 abundant, and woodchuck are increasing; opossum 
 are common ; mink are on the increase. 
 
 While duck, geese, and brant are still abundant as 
 compared with some other parts of the country, yet 
 the state commissioners report that they are decreasing 
 in numbers. These birds begin to wend their way south 
 on the approach of cold weather in the autumn. Dur- 
 ing mild winters these migrations do not extend very 
 far south, but when severe winters come the Gulf coast 
 is their winter quarters. Nearly all the shoal-water 
 species of duck to be found in the United States pass 
 through the state in autumn and return in the spring 
 on their way to their breeding-grounds in British 
 America ; the wood-duck remains. 
 
 The most common duck are mallard, blue- and 
 green-winged teal, pintail, widgeon, and whistlers; red- 
 heads are killed in good numbers ; canvasbacks are 
 occasionally killed. 
 
 The Canada goose is the most common of its family ; 
 there are brant, and some white-fronted geese and 
 snowy geese. 
 
 The sloughs of Illinois are very attractive to snipe, 
 and fine shooting may be secured in the season. 
 
 The ruffed grouse is found in fair numbers through- 
 out the state, holding its own very well. 
 
 Woodcock are not especially abundant, though in 
 some favored places good bags are secured each year. 
 
 Quail are said to have been increasing for the past 
 three years. Pinnated grouse or prairie-hen, it was 
 thought by most sportsmen, were decreasing rapidly, 
 but State Game Warden Blow reports that these birds 
 are now increasing, and that in April, 1897, they were 
 
84 Where to Hunt 
 
 more abundant than at any previous time for the past 
 fifteen years. 
 
 The Mississippi valley, and American bottom without 
 any special location, are visited by all the migratory 
 birds of the duck and snipe families. Of the latter 
 family there are Wilson's snipe and the yellowlegs, 
 perhaps the most abundant. Golden plover are also 
 abundant in the season. 
 
 Spring lake, near Pekin on the Illinois river, is a 
 good place for wild fowl shooting 
 
 Fox, Nippersink, and Grass lakes, in McHenry 
 county, and Duck island, near Canton in Peoria 
 county, are also good places for wild fowl shooting. 
 
 The central part of the state is believed to be the 
 best country for quail shooting. Good duck grounds 
 are found along the Illinois river. Fox lake, McHenry 
 county, is given as a good place for migratory birds. 
 
 There is a variety of game to be found in the neigh- 
 borhood of Lewiston, the quail shooting there being 
 very good ; there is no good prairie-hen shooting 
 there, but these birds are reported plentiful fifteen or 
 twenty miles west and north of this place. 
 
 There should be good prairie-hen shooting about 
 Solomon, in Dewitt county. A good many birds are 
 killed each year near Sycamore, in DeKalb county. 
 
 In the neighborhood of Kewanee is good chicken 
 and quail shooting. 
 
 The visiting sportsman is likely to ask in vain for 
 guides. There are, however, many gunners who will 
 consent to take sportsmen out for shooting. 
 
INDIANA 
 
 NDIANA has more in the line of 
 feathered game than furred game. 
 The state has an area of 33,809 
 square miles. Almost two thirds 
 of the state is level ; some por- 
 tions are undulating, but no very 
 great elevation of land is found. 
 
 Of furred game there are some 
 deer; fox arc common; rabbit 
 and squirrel are abundant; mink 
 and muskrat are numerous. 
 
 Of the feathered game, duck and geese are most 
 prominent; nearly all the species of shoal-water duck 
 found in the United States migrate through this state. 
 The snipe family is well represented, and there are 
 plover, rail, and other aquatic birds. 
 
 Of upland game-birds there are pinnated grouse or 
 prairie-hen, some ruffed grouse, quail, woodcock, and 
 dove. 
 
 Birds are somewhat scarce in the central part of the 
 state, but are quite plentiful in the extreme southern 
 portion. Among the places where the sportsman is 
 likely to secure good shooting are the following : Bed- 
 ford, Lawrence county, good quail shooting; Bicknell, 
 Knox county, quail shooting; near Columbia City, 
 good quail shooting, also fox-squirrel. This part of 
 the state is comparatively free from underbrush, and is a 
 
88 Where to Hunt 
 
 good place for fox-squirrel. Economy is reported to 
 be a good place for quail. 
 
 There are many small lakes and swamps within a 
 few miles of Lafayette, which duck frequent. The 
 Wabash river and Erie canal are both good places for 
 duck; near by quail are found, also rabbit, squirrel, 
 and geese, 
 
INDIAN TERRITORY 
 
 * ^f NDIAN TERRITORY possesses an area 
 of 64,090 square miles. The San Bois, 
 Washita, and Boston mountains and 
 spurs are conspicuous, and occupy 
 about one third of the area. There 
 are also extensive prairies sloping 
 gradually toward the Mississippi. 
 Along the river valleys the land is 
 fertile, but much of the land in this 
 territory is barren. This territory has five separate 
 nations or governments, which are independent of each 
 other and known as the five civilized tribes. Each has 
 its chief or governor and council. The tribes are 
 Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Cherokee. 
 The Osage is also another important tribe. 
 
 The Arkansas river flows through the northeastern 
 section, and the Red river' makes the southern boundary 
 of the territory. 
 
 Deer are abundant throughout the territory ; there 
 are also moose, bear, lynx, squirrel, raccoon, opos- 
 sum, and other varieties of small game. 
 
 For many years sportsmen who could choose their 
 places to hunt sought Indian Territory for the wild tur- 
 key shooting. This highly esteemed game was con- 
 spicuously abundant there. The great number of wild 
 turkey killed within this territory has perceptibly less- 
 ened them; still they are now to be found more 
 numerous among the hills than in most parts of this 
 
p2 Where to Hunt 
 
 country, and there it is believed they will remain plen- 
 tiful. 
 
 Pinnated grouse or prairie-hen are reported abund- 
 ant in the northern part of the Cherokee reservation. 
 
 Wild pigeon or passenger-pigeon were formerly 
 plentiful within this territory, but have become almost 
 exterminated. 
 
 Vinita has proved a satisfactory place to those who 
 have hunted there, on account of the variety of feath- 
 ered and furred game. 
 
 Near Tahlequah the sportsman is likely to find 
 excellent deer and turkey shooting. 
 
IOWA 
 
 [OWA has maintained its game supply to a 
 surprising extent. Great drafts have 
 been made upon it, but while its supply 
 has been lessened it has not been depleted 
 irrecoverably. It is believed that game is 
 now increasing in this state. The area of 
 Iowa is 55,045 square miles. Its surface 
 is undulating. There are no mountains; 
 even high hills are unknown. Along the river banks 
 there are frequent bluffs, intersected by ravines. 
 Prairies, covered with a growth of coarse grass and 
 interspersed with groves, constitute about four fifths of 
 the state. The timber growth is principally along the 
 river banks. 
 
 Deer are found in various parts of the state. Bear 
 are few, and the panther has been seen, but it is 
 thought was merely passing through from the north 
 to the south, and vice versa. 
 
 The timber-wolf is yet found in the wooded regions 
 along the big rivers. The prairie-wolf or coyote is 
 scattered over the state ; in some places plenty. 
 
 The Canada lynx is found occasionally in various 
 localities. The bob cat is quite common in the 
 river bottoms. The fox, common red, is every- 
 where abundant. The swift fox, about two thirds the 
 size of the common fox, is about gone. The jack- 
 rabbit is gaining ground all over the state. . They are 
 very plentiful in the northern part, making fine sport. 
 
96 Where to Hunt 
 
 The small cottontail is very plentiful all over the 
 state. 
 
 The badger is also found scattered throughout the 
 state ; the opossum is found only in the southern part, 
 and not very plenty there. 
 
 The raccoon is found all over the state, and in some 
 places quite plentiful. The beaver and otter are still 
 found in most parts of the state, but are growing quite 
 scarce. 
 
 Muskrat are found in all parts of the state, and some 
 seasons are quite a source of profit to the trapper. 
 Mink, and gray, black, and fox-squirrel, are quite plen- 
 tiful in places, especially along the wooded streams. 
 
 Woodchuck are found everywhere. 
 
 Of the game-birds there are the sand-hill and trum- 
 pet crane. They are scattered all over the state, but 
 found principally in the northwestern part. Swan are 
 only seen passing over. The mallard duck are found 
 throughout the state. They breed here, as do the 
 wood-duck and also the spoonbill. The canvas-back is 
 found in the northern part and quite plentiful. The blue- 
 and the green-winged teal are numerous all over the 
 state. The blue-billed duck are found in large numbers. 
 
 Brant and geese are plentiful, especially in the fields 
 in the autumn. The redhead duck is common ; it is 
 generally found with the canvasback. The prairie- 
 hen is still to be found throughout the state. Quail 
 (bob-white), pheasant, and ruffed grouse are scattered 
 over the state in wooded parts. Upland plover are 
 very common. Yellowlegs and jack-snipe and a few 
 woodcock are scattered over the state. Curlew are 
 found throughout the state quite plentiful in wet seasons. 
 
I 
 
KANSAS 
 
 ANSAS, with an area of 81,318 square 
 miles has a surface which is a slightly in- 
 clined plain, gradually sloping toward the 
 Missouri river. The eastern portion of 
 the state is made up of rolling prairie, 
 undulating country, with a rich soil, 
 and well timbered. The western portion is more level, 
 with a scanty growth of timber and a less number of 
 streams. 
 
 The furred game of this state is limited. Deer are 
 to be found, but they are not abundant ; antelope are 
 scarce ; occasional specimens of the lynx family are 
 found ; opossum, raccoon, and squirrel are numerous. 
 Rabbit, both the jack- and the cottontail, are very 
 abundant, amounting to a pest in some portions of the 
 state. 
 
 Feathered game is abundant, and is reported to be 
 on the increase on account of the stringent game laws. 
 The grouse family is fairly well represented ; quail 
 are fairly plentiful ; geese, duck, plover, snipe, and 
 crane are found in great numbers. 
 
 Quail shooting is generally good near Topeka, but it 
 is frequently necessary to obtain permission to shoot 
 from the landowners. Opossum and raccoon are also 
 found in good numbers near this place. 
 
 Western Kansas is a good place to hunt jack-rabbit. 
 Sportsmen annually kill them by thousands, the kill- 
 
ioo Where to Hunt 
 
 ing of so many being favored on account of the great 
 damage they do to the crops. 
 
 Coursing-meetings have been held near Cottonwood 
 Falls, Chase county, on account of the abundance of 
 rabbit there. 
 
 Rabbit, both jack- and cottontail, are very abundant 
 in the vicinity of Kiowa, 
 
RACCOON 
 
KENTUCKY 
 
 ENTUCKY possesses an area of 37,680 
 square miles. The face of the country is 
 generally level or slightly undulating. The 
 Cumberland Mountains form the bound- 
 ary of the state toward Virginia, but are 
 only moderate elevations. The middle 
 portion of the state is broken and hilly, 
 and westward the country is undulating. 
 
 The big game list of Kentucky is not extensive. 
 There are deer, an occasional lynx, raccoon, opossum, 
 fox, rabbit, squirrel, and other varieties of small game. 
 The deer are chiefly found in the mountains. 
 
 There are some wild turkey in the state, but they 
 are not abundant. Quail and ruffed grouse are the 
 principal upland game-birds, and duck, snipe, and 
 plover are the most prominent aquatic birds. 
 
 Carroll county is reported as being good for quail 
 and rabbit shooting. 
 
 McLean county has furnished good upland shooting 
 for several years. 
 
 Hickman county contains probably the greatest vari- 
 ety of shooting. 
 
 The counties joining Tennessee are the most prolific 
 in game. Quail, which were formerly abundant, and 
 the pride of the sportsman in the counties bordering 
 the Ohio river a few seasons ago, are now almost a 
 thing of the past. A great number of western (Kan- 
 sas) quail were turned loose in Franklin county two 
 
104 
 
 seasons ago, but the pot-hunters have played the game 
 of extermination well. The local sportsmen of Wood- 
 ford county have organized for the protection of game. 
 The club will import about 1,500 quail from the South. 
 The season for quail shooting in Kentucky opens 
 November 15 and closes December 31. The game 
 laws are poorly enforced. In the central portion of the 
 state the bird-dogs outnumber the coveys of quail. 
 
 Fox hunting is indulged in to some extent, but the 
 equipment for the chase is wanting in many respects. 
 
LOUISIANA 
 
 HE state of Louisiana, with an 
 area of 46,43 1 square miles, 
 possesses a surface generally level, 
 but somewhat hilly in the western 
 part. About one fourth of its area 
 is included in the great delta of the 
 Mississippi, which seldom attains 
 an elevation of more than ten feet 
 
 above the level of the sea. This delta is inundated 
 every spring. It is composed of sea marshes. North 
 of this delta are level prairies. A good portion of 
 the state is covered with forests of pitch-pine, inter- 
 spersed with cypress, oak, elm, and honey-locust. 
 
 The amount of game in the state is probably far 
 beyond the belief of most persons, and the list is prob- 
 ably as great as that of any other. Deer are numerous ; 
 bear are common ; lynx, fox, raccoon, and opossum 
 are numerous. The character of the country makes 
 hunting at times quite difficult, and affords protection 
 to the game, the extensive swamps making fastnesses 
 almost impenetrable. 
 
 The furred game is abundant, and the feathered 
 game is surprisingly plentiful to a stranger visiting the 
 state. 
 
 Water-fowl in great variety are to be seen by mill- 
 ions ; cranes and plume-birds abound at every turn ; 
 and jack-snipe furnish sport until the hunter is sur- 
 feited with the fun. 
 
io8 Where to Hunt 
 
 Quail and woodcock also abound, so the sportsman 
 may vary his shooting. Shot-guns are generally used 
 for hunting furred and feathered game. 
 
 There is a place known as Greydan's pasture, about 
 twenty miles from Crowley, on the Southern Pacific 
 Railroad, where the snipe shooting has been exception- 
 ally fine for many years. The shooting there, how- 
 ever, is pursued under difficulties, as it is necessary to 
 tramp over vast rice-fields which are soft and muddy. 
 
 Good woodcock, snipe, and duck shooting is. gener- 
 ally secured at Rayne in Acadia county. Near Jeaner- 
 ette the snipe shooting is good. 
 
 Quail shooting is generally good at Opelousas; 
 there is also good duck shooting there, and by way of 
 diversion wildcat hunting with hounds, or coon hunt- 
 ing, may be indulged in. 
 
 Quail shooting may be found at Tangipahoa. Near 
 Shreveport the duck shooting is excellent; bags of 
 seventy have been secured from nine in the morning 
 until three in the afternoon. 
 
 Near Baton Rouge the shooting is varied, there 
 being an abundance of large and small game. 
 
MAINE 
 
 AINE has an area of 31,766 square miles. 
 It is bounded on the north and the north- 
 west by the Dominion of Canada, on the 
 east by New Brunswick, on the south and 
 southeast by the Atlantic ocean, and on the 
 west by New Hampshire. 
 
 This state possesses unusual attractions for the 
 sportsman. It has a great abundance of game at the 
 present time, and bids fair to retain its supply and even 
 to increase it. This bountiful stock of game has been 
 brought about by a naturally favorable country, and by 
 wise protective legislation before the game was 
 depleted. Its future supply is insured, for the citizens 
 of Maine insist on its proper protection in the close 
 season ; they also limit the amount permitted to be 
 killed, and restrict in the manner of killing. 
 
 The largest game found in the state is the moose. 
 A few years ago it was thought this highly prized game 
 was decreasing rapidly, and it was prophesied that in 
 a brief time it would be exterminated. This led to a 
 better enforcement of the laws, and to prohibiting the 
 killing of the cow and the calf-moose at any time in the 
 year. In a surprisingly short time the benefit of these 
 acts became apparent. It was stated by the. game com- 
 missioners and trustworthy woodsmen that moose were 
 holding their own ; later the commissioners were con- 
 vinced that moose were on the increase. 
 
 The caribou is believed to be the animal next in 
 
no Where to Hunt 
 
 esteem to the moose, a roving, errant animal, abun- 
 dant one season and perhaps scarce the next. It fre- 
 quents about the same country as the moose, but is so 
 restless it may be found at one place to-day and many 
 miles away to-morrow. 
 
 The Virginia deer is found in every county in the 
 state. It has been asserted by Col. E. C. Farrington, 
 secretary of the Maine Sportsmen's Association, that 
 10,000 deer a year could be spared, and the condition 
 of the deer be benefited by the killing of that number. 
 Unless one is familiar with the resources of this state, it 
 is difficult to imagine the great number of deer which 
 may be found in Maine. It is no uncommon sight 
 during the warm weather to see fifteen or twenty of 
 these animals during a paddle of a few miles along 
 some of the rivers in the morning or evening. 
 
 Every sportsman who visits Maine, and secures a 
 competent guide, can with considerable certainty 
 count on securing the legal number of deer. 
 
 Black bear are numerous in Maine. It is said they 
 are increasing in numbers since the lumbering opera- 
 tions have been carried on extensively, the reason 
 for this being that there is a great growth of rasp- 
 berry and blueberry bushes on land from which the 
 timber is cut, making rich food for bruin. They, how- 
 ever, are nowhere in Maine so numerous as to make it 
 worth while to hunt them solely. Most of the bear 
 killed are shot while hunting other game. 
 
 Of the lynx there are two ; they are found through- 
 out the state, but in no particular place abundantly 
 enough to warrant hunting them exclusively. There is 
 the Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis, and the red lynx, 
 
MOOSE 
 
American Game 113 
 
 lynx rufus, the latter being somewhat smaller. For 
 many years the writer has endeavored to learn of the 
 presence of the cougar or panther in Maine. Several 
 times the killing of the animal has been reported, but 
 upon investigation it has been found that a Canada 
 lynx or a red lynx was the animal shot. It is believed 
 that no cougar exist in Maine at the present time. 
 
 In addition to the big game already mentioned are 
 the following : An occasional gray or timber-wolf, 
 although this animal is nearly, if not wholly, extinct in 
 the state. The fox is abundant, but only hunted in the 
 more settled portions of the state, where it is pursued 
 with hounds. The otter, which is generally trapped, 
 though sometimes shot with a small bore rifle, is found 
 most abundant in the northern part of the state. Of 
 the smaller furred game, there are the fisher, the sable, 
 the marten, the mink, some beaver, which are now pro- 
 tected by law at all seasons and consequently are 
 increasing, the raccoon, squirrel, woodchuck, porcu- 
 pine, skunk, muskrat, hare, and rabbit. Some of these 
 animals would not be regarded by sportsmen as game, 
 but at the present time there is the inclination to class 
 as game all animals which are hunted for sport, for 
 meat, or for fur. 
 
 The big game of Maine is its chief attraction for 
 non-resident sportsmen. There is, however, grand 
 sport in hunting the game-birds of Maine. This sport 
 is pursued mainly in the settled portions of the state. 
 Of the feathered game to be found are the geese of 
 several varieties, chiefly the Canada goose, the Canada 
 grouse or spruce-partridge, the ruffed grouse, which is 
 often shot with a small bore rifle when found in the 
 
ii4 Where to Hunt 
 
 portions of the state occupied by big game, while in 
 the eastern part of the state it is hunted with dogs. 
 
 Comparatively few sportsmen know of the excellent 
 woodcock shooting in the state. Even the natives of 
 Maine do not, as a rule, know of the rich covers, many 
 of which have never been disturbed. From the data 
 collected from time to time it would seem that the 
 woodcock in their migrations follow largely a belt of 
 country near the coast-line. 
 
 Many upland plover breed on the hills of Maine. 
 These birds migrate early, and comparatively few 
 sportsmen know of their excellence, and the rare sport 
 they miss in not hunting them. 
 
 Snipe shooting is found in the meadows and marshes 
 along the coast. Undoubtedly these birds are found 
 in other portions, but are not hunted to any great 
 extent in the middle or northern portions of the state. 
 Many of the inland waters furnish fine black duck 
 shooting, and a few lakes are preserved and baited by 
 clubs solely for this purpose. 
 
 The coast-line of Maine is over 300 miles in length, 
 and the numerous bays and inlets make wild fowl 
 shooting excellent all along the coast, but the water- 
 fowl are largely of the coarser varieties. This shooting 
 begins in early autumn with coot. Teal and black duck 
 shooting is chiefly in the inlets ; eider duck shooting 
 is followed in the winter, and sheldrake and whistler 
 shooting in early spring. 
 
 Some fine shore-bird shooting is secured along the 
 coast and on the adjacent islands. This shooting 
 begins in July and lasts until November I . 
 
 The best country for moose and caribou is in the 
 
t : % 
 I 
 
American Game 117 
 
 northern part of the state. This section would include 
 the northern portions of Somerset, Piscataquis, and 
 Penobscot counties and Aroostook county. 
 
 In Somerset county, for a number of years, moose, 
 caribou, and deer have been killed in fair numbers in 
 the neighborhood of The Forks ; northeast from that 
 point is the Moosehead Lake country, which has for 
 many years yielded many moose and caribou. This is 
 still a good country for these animals, and bids fair to 
 continue so. 
 
 The Katahdin Iron Works is a good place for the 
 big-game hunter to start from, for the country adjacent 
 to this place still contains many moose, and caribou 
 are likely to be found there. The country about 
 Schoodic, Jo Mary, and Upper Bemis pond is the home 
 of the moose. North of Bemis pond to the Aroostook 
 county line, from the east branch of the Penobscot and 
 west to the Canadian line, is good big-game country. 
 This includes Milinoket, Pamadumcook, Chesuncook, 
 Chamberlain, and Cancomgomoc lakes. In the neigh- 
 borhood of all these lakes, as well as in the streams 
 adjacent thereto, moose are to be found. It was near 
 Chesuncook lake, in 1895, that a moose with horns 
 spreading sixty-two inches was killed, this exceeding at 
 that time the best previously known spread by two 
 inches. 
 
 Aroostook county contains many moose at the 
 present time, and caribou are generally found there. 
 Qx Bow is a good place from which to start on a hunt. 
 There are a number of excellent guides at this place, 
 who will take sportsmen to outlying camps with good 
 prospects of success. 
 
n8 Where to Hunt 
 
 Although deer are to be found in every county of 
 the state, Franklin, Washington, Somerset, Piscataquis, 
 Penobscot, and Aroostook counties probably contain 
 the greatest number. 
 
 The best known sections for woodcock shooting are 
 in Hancock county near Ellsworth, in Franklin county 
 near Farmington, and in York county. 
 
 Jack-light hunting and hunting with dogs are pro- 
 hibited in this state ; cow-moose are protected at all 
 seasons. The legal number of these animals which 
 a single person may kill is one bull-moose, one cari- 
 bou, and two deer. No person is allowed to kill or 
 have in possession more than thirty duck, woodcock, 
 or grouse at any one time. There is no law on shore- 
 birds. 
 
MARYLAND 
 
 ARYLAND has an area of 13,- 
 959 square miles. These fig- 
 ures, however, include the wa- 
 ters of the Chesapeake bay and 
 its inlets and estuaries. The land 
 area is 11,124 square miles. 
 The portion of the state in- 
 cluding Chesapeake bay and its shores is known as 
 the water section. The Blue Ridge section consists of 
 the broad plateau extending westward toward the Alle- 
 ghany Mountains. 
 
 The furred game of Maryland consists of an occa- 
 sional bear, a few deer, fox, hare, rabbit, raccoon, 
 opossum, and squirrel. 
 
 Of non-migratory feathered game, there are quail, a 
 few ruffed grouse, and turkey ; of migratory game, the 
 reed-bird, woodcock, Wilson's snipe, rail, king-rail, 
 clapper-rail, Bartram's sandpiper, Carolina dove, most 
 of the shore-birds along the coast-line, Canada geese, 
 swan, and many varieties of duck, including the re- 
 nowned canvasback. 
 
 To hunt in Maryland, the visiting sportsman must 
 first secure permission from tenants ; in some counties 
 a license is required for non-residents. Gentlemen 
 sportsmen will experience little difficulty in securing 
 the desired permission, and in all probability the col- 
 ored field-hand will be allowed a day off to pilot the 
 welcome stranger over the country, and give him the 
 
120 Where to Hunt 
 
 valued assistance of a dog. There are no white guides 
 in the country, as most of the whites are busy farmers. 
 
 Rabbit are very numerous over almost all the state ; 
 they are everywhere in good numbers, and at least are 
 holding their own. 
 
 Red fox are still numerous in some localities ; in 
 others, giving way before the advance of settlements. 
 
 Quail (bob-white) are sadly diminished by severe 
 winters ; but the depleted covers are likely to be 
 restored by mild winters. 
 
 Ruffed grouse are plentiful in the western part of the 
 state; fairly plentiful along the Patuxent river, with 
 scattering couples and solitary birds in the eastern part. 
 
 Wild turkey are practically extinct in the eastern 
 and southern parts of the state, and gradually disap- 
 pearing even in the western counties. 
 
 Woodcock are steadily decreasing, from being killed 
 off by fire shooting at the South on the winter feeding 
 grounds. 
 
 Wilson's snipe are fairly abundant in the season, but 
 in decreasing numbers all over the state. Dove are 
 plentiful; wild pigeon are extinct. Plover, blue grass 
 (Bartram's), are fairly plentiful all over the state. Yel- 
 lowlegs, greater and lesser, are found along the bay 
 and tidal portion of rivers fairly numerous, but steadily 
 diminishing. Wild fowl are greatly diminished except 
 wood-duck and mallard, which are more plentiful than 
 formerly. 
 
 The principal duck shooting at present is found on 
 the Susquehanna flats. Shore-bird shooting is still 
 good on the coast. 
 
 Some very large bags of woodcock have been killed 
 
American Game 123 
 
 in the month of July in Dorchester county, eighty-two 
 of these birds being killed by two guns in a single 
 day. 
 
 Chincoteague bay, near Stockton, Worcester county, 
 is a good place for duck, redhead and blue bills, whist- 
 lers, goldeneyes, and other duck being found there, as 
 well as geese and some swan. 
 
 Quail shooting has been good for some seasons past 
 in Worcester county, Stockton being a favorable loca- 
 tion. There is also good goose, brant, and duck 
 shooting there in winter. 
 
MASSACHUSETTS 
 
 ASSACHUSETTS, which is known as 
 the Bay state, possesses an area of 
 7,800 square miles. Its coast contains 
 numerous peninsulas, and as a result 
 there are many large bays. Cape Cod, 
 which is a prominent feature, is about 
 seventy miles in length. The gen- 
 eral surface of the state is hilly, but 
 there are no very great elevations. The 
 Hoosac and Taconic mountains are in the western 
 part, and run parallel with each other southward into 
 Connecticut. The eastern portion is generally roll- 
 ing, while the southeast is made up of level and sandy 
 plains, which extend to the ocean by the way of Cape 
 Cod. 
 
 Massachusetts contains considerable game, though 
 many portions have felt seriously the immense drain 
 upon the woods and covers by the market-hunter. 
 
 Deer are found within the state in considerable num- 
 bers. In the northwestern portion of the state, in the 
 neighborhood of Williamstown, Cheshire, and North 
 Adams, a few deer are found in the mountains : 
 they are believed to be mainly stragglers from Ver- 
 mont and New Hampshire. In the towns of Yar- 
 mouth, Sandwich, Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, and 
 Plymouth are large tracts of wild land in which deer 
 are quite numerous. 
 
 Bear are sometimes seen in the northwestern part 
 
American Game 127 
 
 of the state, generally in the mountainous district near 
 Adams. The bob cat, or lynx rtiftis, is found occa- 
 sionally throughout the state, usually in the northwest- 
 ern part. 
 
 Raccoon are not infrequent, and there is an occa- 
 sional otter shot, although this animal is by no means 
 common. Fox are numerous; they are most abun- 
 dant in the western part of the state and on Cape 
 Cod. 
 
 Woodchuck are plentiful and scattered throughout 
 the state, being more abundant in the western portion. 
 Mink and muskrat are common ; gray squirrel vary 
 by seasons. Some years there are migrations of these 
 rodents across the New England states : at such times 
 they are abundant in the middle and western portions 
 of Massachusetts. 
 
 Perhaps the most highly esteemed game-bird in 
 Massachusetts is the ruffed grouse. It cannot be 
 said it is anywhere abundant ; it is always very wild. 
 To shoot ruffed grouse in Massachusetts requires the 
 highest order of skill in the sportsman. The latest 
 reports from different parts of the state indicate that 
 these noble birds are rapidly decreasing in numbers, 
 except in Berkshire county ; in the eastern part of the 
 state they are quite rare. Market-hunting and snaring 
 have done this. 
 
 Woodcock being migratory, vary according to the 
 seasons. Many of the old covers have been much shot 
 over, but the birds still frequent the state in favored 
 localities in goodly numbers. 
 
 Quail are most abundant in the southeastern portion 
 of the state, Cape Cod being most favorable for these 
 
128 Where to Hunt 
 
 birds. The severe winters, however, sometimes greatly 
 reduce their numbers ; but still a great many are left, 
 though in this state these birds have a habit of seeking 
 cover after being shot at a few times, consequently 
 hunting them is oftentimes akin to the hunting of ruffed 
 grouse. 
 
 During the midsummer months upland-plover are 
 sometimes abundant for a brief time, but these birds 
 have been growing less numerous for several years. 
 
 Among the duck to be found in Massachusetts are 
 the following: Dusky or black duck are quite abun- 
 dant ; they are found on inland waters and on the coast ; 
 some remain about the coast during the winter ; they 
 breed to some extent within the state. Wood-duck, 
 abundant, breeding within the state. Pintail, quite 
 abundant in the ponds during the autumn, and fre- 
 quently seen in flocks of forty or fifty : the heaviest 
 flight is the first two weeks in October. Blue-winged 
 teal, quite abundant; they are found in small bunches 
 in the larger ponds, frequently in company with black 
 duck. Mallard are not very abundant, though by no 
 means rare; they are shot in the ponds throughout 
 the state. American widgeon appear rather irregu- 
 larly; flocks of these ducks are often seen in the 
 ponds in the southern part of the state ; they are 
 sometimes found in company with the black duck. 
 Green-winged teal are not as common as the blue- 
 winged : there seems to be a diminution of this species 
 in the state. Shovellers have become quite rare, 
 although some are taken each year. Gadwalls are 
 regarded as quite rare. Canvasbacks are only killed 
 at rare intervals. Scaup duck are very abundant : they 
 
American Game 129 
 
 are shot in ponds as well as on the coast. Ring- 
 necked duck are uncommon. Goldeneyes are com- 
 mon on the coast and in ponds during the autumn and 
 winter. Bufflehead duck are quite common, and fre- 
 quent ponds as well as the coast. Barrow's goldeneyes 
 are rare in Massachusetts. Long-tailed duck are not 
 very common. Harlequin duck, which were formerly 
 considered very rare, are now regarded as common off 
 the coast. They are generally shot by lighthouse 
 keepers; Eider duck visit the coast in midwinter in 
 great numbers. King eiders are occasionally shot off 
 the coast. The scoters, or coot as they are called by 
 gunners, are very abundant, and are shot annually by 
 the thousand off the coast, and sometimes in the ponds. 
 The American scoter are the least abundant, the black, 
 velvet, and white-winged being common. Ruddy duck 
 are quite common. Among the mergansers which are 
 shot by sportsmen, are the red-breasted, which are 
 quite common, the hooded, less common, and the 
 goosander or sheldrake ; the latter are very common, 
 and are found off the coast as well as in ponds. 
 
 The Canada goose is the most common bird of its 
 family : other varieties of geese are occasionally shot. 
 
 Of the smaller ducks, perhaps the bufflehead is the 
 most common. During the cold winter months the 
 eider duck is found in considerable numbers, being 
 more abundant off the northeastern coast. 
 
 Throughout the state there are numerous ponds 
 where black duck are shot in large numbers. There 
 are also fresh-water ponds, especially in the southeast- 
 ern part of the state, where there are club-houses built 
 to accommodate sportsmen who wish to shoot black 
 
130 Where to Hunt 
 
 duck and geese. These club-houses are supplied with 
 all the appliances in the way of decoys and blinds for 
 luring duck and geese. 
 
 The coast-duck shooting and the shore-bird shooting 
 of Massachusetts are excellent. The duck are mainly 
 the coarser varieties of sea-duck, not highly esteemed 
 as food ; but thousands of sportsmen annually partici- 
 pate in coast-duck shooting, which extends from Essex 
 county along the coast to Rhode Island. By the mid- 
 dle of November the migrations are about over. The 
 spring migration begins the latter part of March and 
 continues until May. With the duck come loon, cor- 
 morant, and other aquatic birds, not included in the 
 category of game-birds. 
 
 The highly prized and dainty bird, Wilson's snipe, is 
 a yearly visitor to Massachusetts. They are nowhere 
 abundant as compared with some of the Southern states, 
 but they are hunted diligently, and are killed annually 
 in large numbers. 
 
 There are places along the coast of Massachusetts 
 which are favorable for shore-bird shooting, although 
 the extensive building of cottages at some of the sea- 
 side resorts has, in many instances, driven the birds 
 away from their tarrying places. There are many 
 shore-birds killed annually on the Newburyport 
 marshes, near Ipswich, at Beverly, Revere, Marshfield, 
 Duxbury, Plymouth, and all along Cape Cod. The 
 most common of the shore-birds are the sandpipers, 
 ignored by some sportsmen, but killed annually by 
 thousands. The yellowlegs, both the winter and sum- 
 mer varieties, are quite numerous. 
 
 Of the plover family are the black-bellied, golden, 
 
I 
 
 < s 
 
 <2 Q 
 
 m 
 
 |! 
 
 Q llT 
 
 s I 
 
American Game 133 
 
 and chicken plover. There are, too, the highly prized 
 Esquimaux curlew or dough-bird, the sickle-billed 
 curlew, and the godwits. 
 
 The Cape district of Massachusetts is annually vis- 
 ited by a great number of sportsmen. Starting at 
 Bourne, the sportsman will find fair quail shooting and 
 some ruffed grouse. At Monument Beach, near by, 
 wild fowl shooting may be found in its season, and 
 some upland shooting. At Pocasset and Wenaumet 
 good wild fowl shooting may be found. Bassett's 
 island, Scraggy Neck, and vicinity are generally good 
 grounds. At Katomet good wild fowl shooting may 
 be found, and some quail shooting. There is also black 
 duck shooting to be found in the ponds in the town, 
 and shoal-water duck may also be found in early 
 autumn. 
 
 At North and West Falmouth there is upland shoot- 
 ing, and shore-bird shooting in the season at Falmouth. 
 There is wild fowl shooting on Long pond. Acushnet 
 and Jones's ponds are said to be good for duck shoot- 
 ing. There is some upland shooting near by. Accom- 
 modations may be had at Joe Fish's, postoffice address, 
 Tea Ticket. There is good wild fowl shooting at 
 Waquoit; also fair upland shooting near this place. 
 At Marshpee there are a number of deer, but at pres- 
 ent the law forbids killing them. There is bird shoot- 
 ing at this point. Sportsmen can find accommoda- 
 tions at Edward Jones's, postoffice address, Mashpee. 
 There is a little village called Santuit which is on Con- 
 tuit bay, and in the Vineyard sound, where there is a 
 variety of shooting to be obtained, consisting of upland 
 and marsh shooting. Wild fowl, fox, coon, rabbit, 
 
134 Where to Hunt 
 
 and gray squirrel are to be found here. Cotuit is a 
 good place for game. Freeman Green, whose post- 
 office address is Santuit, will accommodate sportsmen. 
 Marston's Mills, near by the town of Cotuit, has some 
 excellent snipe-grounds. There is good coon hunting 
 also at this place. George L. Hamlin will give informa- 
 tion to sportsmen desiring to visit that country. Near 
 Centerville there is a sheet of water known as Great 
 pond, where many wild fowl are annually shot. There 
 is some quail and grouse shooting there. A. S. Cros- 
 by will accommodate sportsmen. At Hyannis there 
 are a number of inland ponds where shoal-water duck 
 are generally found in fair numbers. There is some 
 grouse and quail shooting in this neighborhood. 
 
 It is said that there are no ruffed grouse found on 
 Cape Cod below the town of Orleans, but quail are 
 found over the entire cape. At Yarmouth there is 
 good wild fowl shooting. Follin's pond, Kelley's bay, 
 and Bass river usually afford fair duck shooting. There 
 is also shore-bird shooting in this neighborhood, and 
 some upland shooting. There are a few deer in the 
 town of Yarmouth. 
 
 Crossing the cape from Centerville to Barnstable, a 
 distance of some six miles, there are some excellent 
 wild fowl shooting waters. Barnstable bay, between 
 Sandy Neck light and the great marshes and the sec- 
 tion known as Scoton's Neck, has been for years a 
 great resort for wild fowl. Black duck are also killed 
 there. 
 
 At Nine Mile pond in this town duck and geese are 
 killed annually in large numbers. At Nansett harbor 
 there is some good shooting. At Eastham good quail 
 
American Game 135 
 
 shooting may be had. Sportsmen can address John 
 Horton at North Eastham for accommodations. At 
 South Wellfleet there is good wild fowl shooting. Mr. 
 Charles Paine will accommodate sportsmen. Truro is 
 a hard country in which to hunt, on account of being 
 very hilly and sandy. There are some good quail 
 covers there, and a number of foxes. In Bridgewater is 
 Nipponeckett pond, where a great many duck of many 
 varieties are killed annually. 
 
 The Plymouth woods in Plymouth have long been 
 known to sportsmen. There are deer, fox, and squir- 
 rel in considerable numbers in these woods, and in the 
 'many ponds in this neighborhood a great many black 
 duck are annually killed. Duck resort to the many 
 inland waters of this state, but noticeably to the ponds 
 of Plymouth county. An eminent authority states that 
 of the twenty-eight species of duck attributed to New 
 England, all have been noted within this county during 
 the past few years. In the southern part of this county 
 are Assowomsett pond, Long pond, and a group known 
 as the Lakeville ponds and Monmouth pond. A few 
 miles south of Plymouth is said to be one of the best 
 places for wild fowl shooting in New England. In 
 Kingston and Halifax is a group of ponds, Neponsett 
 pond and Silver lake being famous for goose shooting. 
 At Chiltonville one may generally find good wild fowl 
 shooting in the season ; there is also fair quail and 
 grouse shooting. 
 
 .The town of Chatham has long been known as a 
 resort for sportsmen. There is some quail shooting in 
 the town proper, but the great Chatham flats are the 
 Mecca toward which sportsmen turn during the shore- 
 
136 Where to Hunt 
 
 bird shooting season and the branting season. The 
 season for shore-bird shooting in Massachusetts opens 
 the 1 5th of July, and from that time on to October 
 the birds are flying. Chatham flats consist of a vast 
 extent of sand, and at ebb-tide are uncovered. They 
 are the natural home of shore-birds. At times there will 
 be a dearth of birds, but it is believed more shore-birds 
 are killed each year on these great flats than at any 
 other point in New England. About October 1st, after 
 the summer shooters have left, the cooting season 
 opens, and the booming of guns may be heard from 
 morning till night. Later the black duck come, and 
 in the early spring the branting season opens. Un- 
 doubtedly this is the best locality for brant on the New 
 England coast. 
 
MICHIGAN 
 
 HE state of Michigan has an 
 area of 56,451 square miles. 
 It possesses a lake coast of 
 1,400 miles jn length, and 
 the state is made tip of two 
 peninsulas, the northern lying 
 between Lake Superior and 
 Lake Michigan, while the 
 southern is between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. 
 The northern peninsula is made up of a varied coun- 
 try, a portion being mountainous while other parts are 
 level. The eastern portion is undulating, rising gradu- 
 ally to an elevated table-land. The western portion is 
 hilly, with intervening plains. The forests of Michigan 
 are famous ; the timber growth consists chiefly of hard 
 woods, and white and yellow pine. These forests are 
 mainly in the northern peninsula. The southern penin- 
 sula is more settled and developed ; however, there are 
 large tracts of wild lands in the northern part of the 
 southern or lower peninsula. 
 
 Michigan still possesses a large amount of game, and 
 those qualified to speak, say that, with proper protec- 
 tion, it should remain abundant for years to come. 
 The furred game includes deer, bear, lynx, otter, 
 badger, fisher, marten, mink, many wolves, fox, rac- 
 coon, black and gray squirrel, rabbit, and muskrat. 
 The seeing of elk, caribou, or moose has been occa- 
 sionally reported, but these animals are regarded as 
 
138 Where to Hunt 
 
 almost, if not quite, extinct in this state. It is believed 
 there are no more native moose, but they are occa- 
 sionally seen crossing the St. Mary river from the bor- 
 dering Canadian wilds into the northern or upper 
 peninsula. 
 
 The list of feathered game includes ruffed grouse, 
 pinnated grouse, spruce-partridge, woodcock, quail, 
 Wilson's snipe, golden plover, and sandpiper. There 
 are very few wild turkeys in the state. Of the ducks, 
 there are mallard, black duck, teal, wood-duck, pintail, 
 butterball, blue-bill, goldeneye, widgeon, redhead, 
 spoonbill, old-squaw ; and of the geese family, the Can- 
 ada geese are most abundant. 
 
 Mongolian pheasants have been introduced into the 
 state, and may properly be included now in the list of 
 game-birds. While nearly all kinds of wild fowl are 
 to be found here, these birds are chiefly migratory, 
 and their abundance is largely dependent upon the 
 weather and the food-supply during their semi-annual 
 migrations. The spring flight is shorter than the au- 
 tumn flight. It has been found, too, that the seasons 
 vary in the number of birds; one year they may be 
 scarce, while the following year they may be very 
 abundant. 
 
 In St. Clair county are the famous St. Clair flats. 
 During the fall flight these flats are probably the great- 
 est duck-shooting grounds in the Northwest. The flight 
 is mostly mallards and redheads and blue-bills, with 
 smaller duck, though there are some canvasbacks. 
 During the spring flights it is a great resting- and feed- 
 ing-ground, and as spring duck shooting is allowed in 
 this state at this writing, there is a good deal of shoot- 
 
American Game 141 
 
 ing at that time, during which thousands of duck are 
 killed. This county has excellent shooting grounds for 
 Wilson's snipe during the spring flights. Curlew and 
 plover are there during the summer, but not very plen- 
 tiful. Woodcock are fairly plentiful in the autumn on 
 the islands around the St. Clair flats, along the banks of 
 Black .river and Mill creek in St. Clair county and Sani- 
 lac county, and on the Cass and Elk creeks in Sanilac, 
 Huron, and Tuscola counties. The supply of duck is 
 on the decrease, the spring shooting, which will prob- 
 ably soon be stopped by law, driving away as well as 
 killing nesting birds. 
 
 Of native birds, quail are fairly plentiful, and the 
 supply keeps about the same. Grouse are increasing 
 in number, and are quite plentiful in St. Clair, Sanilac, 
 and Huron counties, and will be more plentiful, as a 
 recent legislature passed a law prohibiting their sale in 
 the markets, as well as the shipping of them out of the 
 state. Lapeer and Tuscola counties are both good 
 quail and grouse grounds. 
 
 Wild turkey are very scarce. There are a few deer 
 in Sanilac and Tuscola counties, but the supply is 
 increasing a little, as deer shooting is prohibited in this 
 part of the state. A few black bear are to be had in 
 Sanilac, Huron, and Tuscola counties. Squirrel and 
 black and gray fox are scarce ; red fox -are plentiful. 
 
 Along the streams from Bay City to Mackinaw, and 
 along the Lake Huron shore, grouse are very abun- 
 dant; there are also some deer. In Otsego, Crawford, 
 loko, Alma, and Alpena counties deer and grouse are 
 abundant. The Carp river in Mackinaw county is 
 good for grouse and deer. Grouse and squirrel are 
 
142 Where to Hunt 
 
 numerous in the vicinity of Platt lake in Benzie county, 
 but deer are not plentiful there. 
 
 To give an idea of the quantity of game along the 
 eastern portion of the state, extracts are given from a 
 statement issued by the Detroit & Mackinaw Railroad of 
 the number of deer shipped over its road during the 
 season of 1895, naming stations: Valentine Lake and 
 Rogers City in Presque Isle county, 62 deer ; Alpena 
 and Ossineke, Alpena county, 387 deer, 6 bear; Black 
 River, Harrisville, and Greenbush, Alcona county, 161 
 deer, 2 bear; from seven stations in losco county, 481 
 deer, 5 bear. These four counties join, and are lake 
 counties reached by steamer as well as by train. 
 
MINNESOTA 
 
 INNESOTA has an area of 83,531 square 
 miles. The state occupies an elevated 
 surface, and is the source of the Red 
 River of the North and the great Mis- 
 sissippi. Rivers which have their 
 sources within this state flow into the Arctic ocean, 
 the Atlantic ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico. Its gen- 
 eral surface is made up of plateaus and elevated prai- 
 ries, many of which are interspersed with lakes which 
 are the resort of myriads of wild fowl. 
 
 The furred game of Minnesota consists of deer, bear, 
 antelope, moose, caribou, lynx, both the Canada and 
 the red, cougar, gray or timber- wolf, prairie-wolf or 
 coyote, beaver, otter, mink, wolverine, badger, muskrat, 
 fox, sable, squirrel, jack-rabbit, and cottontail rabbit. 
 It is claimed that there are some elk left in the state ; 
 but if such is the case, they are few in number. State 
 authorities say they are extinct. The law protecting 
 moose for a period of five years has caused a considera- 
 ble increase of these animals. This protection con- 
 tinued until January I, 1898. Moose are found chiefly 
 in the northern counties. 
 
 Foxes are found more or less throughout the state. 
 Wolves are still abundant. Wolf hunts are one of the 
 recognized sports of Minnesota. Squirrel are not very 
 abundant, but are most plentiful in the southern part. 
 
 Of feathered game there are pinnated grouse, ruffed 
 grouse, quail, woodcock, snipe, plover, and rail. With 
 the great number of lakes, Minnesota is the breeding- 
 
144 Where to Hunt 
 
 place of many varieties of aquatic birds. Nearly all the 
 migratory duck are found within the state. The most 
 abundant are mallard, which come early in March and 
 breed. There are beside, blue- and green-winged teal, 
 black or dusky duck, blue-bill, gadwall, pintail, wood- 
 duck, bald-pate or widgeon, shoveller or spoonbill, but- 
 terball, red-breasted merganser, American merganser, 
 scaup-duck, ring-necked duck, American goldeneye, 
 bufflehead, red-headed, old-squaw. Canvasbacks are 
 found to some extent; swan are not plentiful. The 
 American scooter, white-winged scooter, ruddy duck, 
 and king eider are also found. Geese are numerous. 
 They are most abundant in the western part, and are 
 generally shot from pits. Brant are plentiful in the west- 
 ern part Wilson's snipe are found in large numbers ; 
 yellowlegs are abundant, and plover plentiful 
 
 Quail are found to some extent, though the severe 
 winters keep the coveys reduced ; they are found to be 
 most abundant in the southern part of the state. 
 
 The condition of the country affects the haunts of 
 game, especially the migratory birds. To illustrate: 
 In the Red River valley, if the season is wet there is much 
 water in the low, level prairie lands. Under such con- 
 ditipns the aquatic birds are very abundant there ; but if 
 the weather is very dry, these birds are not found there, 
 and sportsmen must go elsewhere. This condition exists 
 in other parts of the state and the migratory birds con- 
 sequently often change their flights. Fires and droughts, 
 too, disturb the haunts of non-migratory game; and it is 
 nothing uncommon to find a scarcity of game in a part 
 of the state where it was plentiful the season before. 
 
 The northern part is still sparsely settled. Game is 
 most abundant there. Its wild rice marshes and celery- 
 
American Game 147 
 
 beds attract the wild fowl in myriads. The timbered 
 portions also harbor game, both large and small. 
 
 Pinnated grouse or prairie-hen are most abundant 
 in the northern and western parts of the state. At Rus- 
 sell, in Lyon county, good chicken shooting may gener- 
 ally be secured. 
 
 Good duck shooting may be found at the pass 
 between Big Stone lake and Lake Traverse, on the line 
 between Dakota and Minnesota. Itasca county contains 
 an abundance of feathered game in the season. 
 
 Moose (protected until January i, 1898) are found 
 in St. Louis, Aitkin, and Itasca counties ; deer are 
 plentiful in these counties, and there are some bear. A 
 great many deer are killed annually near Brainerd ; the 
 game is to be found at this point, but there are generally 
 many sportsmen afield. Gray and black squirrel are 
 usually plentiful in Anoka county. 
 
 Sportsmen can get good shooting on Lake Shetek, 
 and good accommodations at the hotel near by. One 
 can get good moose shooting at Russell. There is good 
 white and brown rabbit shooting in winter at Monticello, 
 near Minneapolis; also on the island in Lake Minne- 
 tonka and near Hotel St. Louis. 
 
 The quail or bob-white shooting of Minnesota is 
 limited. The best will probably be found in Scott, Le 
 Seuer, Sibley, and Nicollet counties. The best time to 
 hunt quail in this state is during the latter part of Octo- 
 ber, when the leaves are thinned out and the weeds 
 killed. The atmosphere at that time is cool and bracing. 
 
 Good chicken shooting should be found at Fulda, in 
 Murray county. Good bags have been secured there in 
 recent seasons. . At Long lake, some twenty miles from 
 Fulda, there is excellent duck shooting. 
 
MISSISSIPPI 
 
 ISSISS1PPI has an area of 47,156 
 square miles. The general surface 
 of the state is undulating, and of a 
 diversified character. There are no 
 mountains within the state, but many 
 ranges of hills, some of which termi- 
 nate abruptly on a level plain on the banks of a river. 
 The western portion of the state is largely made up 
 of swamps. The southern portion is made up of a 
 sandy, level country, on which there is chiefly a growth 
 of pine. There are, however, in this part of the state 
 numerous swamps and prairies, and a few hills. The 
 northern portion of the state is more fertile, and is cul- 
 tivated to a greater extent. 
 
 The furred game of Mississippi consists of bear, deer, 
 lynx, fox, rabbit, and squirrel. Most of the hunting 
 for furred game in this state is with dogs. 
 
 Of feathered game the most important is the wild 
 turkey; quail are probably the most abundant of the 
 land game-birds. They are generally found in good 
 numbers, except in the seasons with extremely wet 
 springs and summers. Duck and geese are found in 
 large numbers in the lakes, bayous, and rivers during 
 the months of January and February. Snipe are abun- 
 dant in the season. 
 
 The country about Bobo is regarded as good for 
 bear. Deer are quite plentiful throughout the state. 
 Fernwood is a place highly recommended for quail 
 
American Game 151 
 
 shooting. Near Michigan City the quail shooting is 
 generally good. Blue Mountain is also a good place 
 for quail shooting. Near Greenwood the shooting is 
 usually good ; quail are generally plentiful. Some 
 twenty miles north of this place a great many deer have 
 been found by hunting parties. Waverly is generally a 
 good place for quail. 
 
MISSOURI 
 
 'N the state of Missouri are 65,350 square 
 miles. The state is divided by the Mis- 
 souri river, and the two parts have dif- 
 ferent characteristics. South of the 
 Missouri river to the Osage is a rolling 
 country, gradually rising into a hilly and 
 mountainous section. Beyond the Osage 
 is an extensive prairie. North of the 
 Missouri is either a flat or a rolling country. The 
 climate is marked by severe winters and hot summers, 
 making it a trying one for non-migratory game. 
 
 The furred game of Missouri consists of bear, deer, 
 lynx, fox, and squirrel. 
 
 The feathered game includes wild turkey, grouse, 
 quail, woodcock, and snipe. Nearly all the species of 
 migratory duck pass through the state. Wild turkey 
 are still plentiful in Missouri. They are naturally most 
 abundant in the wild regions, yet they prefer a region 
 where corn-fields, blackberry thickets, and cypress 
 swamps are adjacent to one another. One who has 
 studied the habits of wild turkey in this state says the 
 birds find much of their food in the corn-fields. Their 
 retreats are the thickets, and their roost is in the 
 swamps, their favorite roosting-places being above 
 water, and when the weather is not too severe they seek 
 the higher branches. 
 
 Jefferson City, the state capital, is on the main line of 
 the Missouri & Pacific Railroad, 125 miles west of St. 
 
American Game 153 
 
 Louis and 185 miles east of Kansas City. It is a lively 
 little town of about 7,000 inhabitants, and its number 
 of sportsmen is large. Like river towns of the South, 
 visitors are made welcome, and sportsmen can find there 
 congenial fellows who will do all possible to put one on 
 the right road to the game and fish localities. The 
 Missouri river flows past the city, and in its sloughs and 
 bayous in season duck, geese, and snipe are numerous. 
 There are no better places in the state to find geese than 
 on the great sand-bars near the city. 
 
 Five miles up the river, where Gray's creek joins the 
 Missouri, there is a sand-bar several miles in length and 
 from one to two miles wide, covered in places with wil- 
 lows, from which the bar gets its name of Willow bar. 
 In places there are sloughs and small ponds near large 
 sections of sand, covered with plantain and other wild 
 plants the geese feed on, while on the higher part of the 
 bar there are small fields of corn and turnips. Geese 
 can be found there in great flocks from October until 
 April, except in the severe winter weather of January. 
 Duck of many kinds come in there, as well as snipe. 
 Brown rabbit and quail are numerous in the willows 
 and grass of the high bar ; fox can be found there also. 
 
 One can find any number of blinds along the water, 
 and in the great heaps of driftwood in various places. 
 Decoy geese and duck will prove valuable in these 
 places. They can be bought in town, or rented of 
 several dealers in shooters' goods. Boats can be rented 
 on the levees at moderate prices; and if one wants a 
 negro to row the boat, he can hire one for a small sum 
 per day. They are lazy and good-natured, and will do 
 any amount of work for a shooter for very small pay. 
 
154 Where to Hunt 
 
 Opposite Jefferson City is what is locally called the 
 Big Towhead, a long island covered with black wil- 
 lows. In the adjacent sloughs duck can be found in 
 season, and geese frequent the island daily in large 
 numbers. Quail are found there in small coveys. 
 One can reach the island from the Jefferson-street 
 landing in five minutes by boat. 
 
 Four miles below Jefferson City the Moreau flows 
 into the Missouri. This is a wide, deep creek of many 
 miles' length, in whose pools teal, sprigtail, and larger 
 duck can be found in season. In the center of the 
 Missouri opposite the mouth of the Moreau there are a 
 number of low bars, where in the milder winter days 
 thousands upon thousands of geese congregate. 
 
 Accommodations can be secured at almost any farm- 
 house, \vhere the sportsmen will be received kindly, and 
 will be well cared for at moderate prices. One can find 
 many ready-made blinds near the sloughs in the drift- 
 woo4, and boats can be had at several places. 
 
 Six miles below the capital, at Ewing's Station on 
 the Missouri Pacific Railroad, is located a division of 
 the Missouri River commission. A great fleet of dredg- 
 ing- and dike-building boats is located there. The offi- 
 cers and engineers are nearly all sportsmen, and an 
 introduction to some of them will secure for the hunter 
 splendid goose, duck, or quail shooting near by. The 
 officers' steamers are constantly plying on the river, 
 and if one can go with them he will find fine shooting. 
 Back of the shipyards the woods and fields contain 
 squirrel and quail. 
 
 Osage City is only three miles from Ewing's. The 
 Osage river joins the Missouri just below. On the 
 
American Game 157 
 
 islands between the rivers geese and duck are found 
 in large numbers. The great river bottoms of the 
 Osage and Missouri are famous for quail and brown 
 rabbit, while in the oak-covered hills squirrel, turkey, 
 and deer can be found. Steamers ply between Osage 
 City and landings as far as 120 miles up the Osage, and 
 at any of the numerous villages the sportsman can find 
 comfortable quarters. 
 
 Westphalia is in Osage county, about fifteen miles 
 from Osage. It can be reached by daily stage from 
 Jefferson City, or by carriage. It is a small village in 
 the great woods on the banks of the Maries river. 
 Within a few miles one can find deer and turkey in the 
 autumn ; quail are everywhere ; and gray and fox- 
 squirrel are plentiful. There are small hotels in the 
 village, and the farmers will gladly lodge shooters at 
 reasonable prices. The country in the vicinity is 
 broken and hilly, covered with oak trees, and thinly 
 settled, so that game has fine natural hiding-places. 
 
 The Chicago & Alton Railroad, from Mexico to Cedar 
 City, runs through fine quail country. At any of its 
 stations one can find game. The Missouri, Kansas & 
 Eastern Railroad follows the east bank of the Missouri 
 to Boonville, and near its stations one can find geese, 
 duck, quail, snipe, and squirrel. 
 
 The Jefferson City, Lebanon & Southwestern branch 
 of the Missouri Pacific Railroad terminates at Jefferson 
 City and Bognell, the latter a town on the Osage river. 
 All along the line of this branch splendid quail, squir- 
 rel, and rabbit shooting may be had, and turkey can 
 also be found in the woods. In the Osage river bot- 
 toms, within a few miles of Bognell, quail are found 
 
158 Where to Hunt 
 
 everywhere. Miller county is noted for this game : 
 little shooting is done by the farmers. Along the Big 
 and Little Gravois rivers the shooting is excellent, all 
 within a few miles of Bognell. 
 
 Bonnott's Mills, a dozen miles east of Jefferson City, 
 is another place where good shooting can be had, east 
 of the Missouri for quail and rabbit, on the bars for 
 water-fowl, and in the hills to the west for turkey, 
 squirrel, and deer, especially the last named. 
 
 Gasconade, on the beautiful river of that name, is 
 thirty-eight miles from Jefferson City ; it is also a 
 station of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. While the 
 Gasconade is chiefly noted for its fish, its bottom-lands 
 and uplands are much sought by sportsmen for quail 
 and deer as well as for small game. 
 
 Vienna, on the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad, is 
 a favorite starting-point for parties of sportsmen, many 
 of whom float down the Gasconade in small boats. 
 Few ever reach the Missouri empty-handed as regards 
 deer and turkey ; quail are also plentiful. 
 
 To those who love canoe-cruising the Osage offers 
 great inducements. Taking the Missouri, Kansas & 
 Texas train at Sedalia, Mo., and leaving it at Warsaw, 
 in Benton county, one can launch the canoe for a cruise 
 down the Osage, the distance being perhaps 250 miles. 
 With rifle or gun one can enjoy such hunting and 
 delightful cruising as can be found in few places. Small 
 game can be found everywhere. The river for the 
 first 200 miles is swift and clear, but one will find 
 smooth running even in a dry season. 
 
 In Butler county panther are occasionally found. 
 
MONTANA 
 
 ONTANA possesses an area of 
 143,776 square miles. It is sep- 
 arated into two parts by the 
 Rocky Mountain range. The Bit- 
 ter Root Mountains form the 
 western boundary. 
 
 The northeastern and eastern 
 
 portions of the state are made up of prairie country ; 
 the western and central portions are covered with a 
 heavy growth of pine. The southern and western por- 
 tions consist of lofty mountains, interspersed with large 
 valleys. East of the Rocky Mountains is an extensive 
 plain. In the southern portion of this state is a part of 
 the Yellowstone National Park. 
 
 Though still plentiful, all the game-animals are 
 slowly decreasing in number in Montana. It is 
 believed, though, that game will continue to be plenti- 
 ful for years to come, as the larger part of the country 
 cannot be utilized for any purpose except timber- 
 growing, and large tracts can only be visited during 
 part of the year with pack animals; therefore they 
 will remain great game preserves, if properly protected, 
 to supply the surrounding country. 
 
 .The large game of Montana consists of bear, the 
 grizzly, and the black and brown bear, moose, elk, 
 black-tailed deer, white-tailed deer, Rocky Mountain 
 sheep or bighorn, mountain-goat, antelope, cougar or 
 
160 Where to Hunt 
 
 mountain-lion, wolf, wolverine, and lynx. Of the smaller 
 furred game, there are fox, beaver, otter, marten, fisher, 
 mink, rabbit of several varieties, and squirrel. 
 
 As to deer, black-tailed are found in the western 
 part of the state and in the mountains, and white-tailed 
 deer in thickets around the rivers during the early part 
 of the season, and later on further up in the moun- 
 tains. Elk are very plentiful in the mountains, but 
 not so in proximity to the railroads or settlements. 
 
 Mountain-goat are growing scarce, but are said to be 
 found in fair numbers in Crazy Mountains, a range about 
 thirty-five miles from the railroad at Livingston. Moun- 
 tain-sheep are more plentiful, and may be found in the 
 highest peaks of the mountains, although not close to 
 railroads or to civilization. 
 
 Antelope are scarce, although one may occasionally 
 run across a band on some of the foot-hills not very 
 far from the railroad. 
 
 Grizzly, cinnamon, and black bear are plentiful, but 
 the former are found only in the remote mountains, 
 away from all civilization ; the latter are often found a 
 few miles out of town. 
 
 Beaver and marten are both found in the state ; 
 the former are rather scarce, but the latter are plen- 
 tiful. 
 
 There are timber- and prairie-wolves, the first rather 
 scarce, but the latter too plentiful, and a regular pest 
 to farmers and stock-raisers. 
 
 Jack-rabbit and cottontail rabbit are very plentiful ; 
 the former may be found anywhere on the prairie in 
 great abundance, and the latter in all brushy and tim- 
 bered country. The snow-shoe rabbit will be found up 
 
American Game 163 
 
 in the mountains in all the little pine and fir groves, 
 and are not nearly as plentiful as the others. 
 
 Of the feathered game there are sharp-tailed grouse, 
 ruffed grouse, blue grouse, Richardson's grouse, dusky 
 grouse, and Franklin grouse (commonly called fool- 
 hen). Of geese, the Canada goose is the most com- 
 mon. There are some brant. Duck are very abundant : 
 the most common are mallard, widgeon, teal, buffie- 
 head, bluebill, pintail, green-winged teal, blue-winged 
 teal, and cinnamon teal. Swan are plentiful, many 
 being killed each year. 
 
 The mountain-grouse is one of the most abundant 
 game-birds in this state. It may be found early in the 
 season, low down or at the foot of the mountain where 
 it comes to breed. It remains there to rear its young 
 until the first snow comes, which is generally in Septem- 
 ber, when it moves up to snow line, and as the season 
 advances moves still farther up, and in winter seems to 
 exist entirely on pine burs. In the early part of the 
 season it can be found at almost any wild-berry patch ; 
 the wild choke-cherry especially is relished by it. 
 The young are easily shot, in the early part of the 
 season. They are then slow to take wing, but they soon 
 grow wary, and when scared up will alight in heavy 
 pine or fir trees, where they lie very close to some limb 
 and are not easily found by the novice. 
 
 The sage-hen is very abundant in most parts of the 
 state where sage is plentiful. As the name indicates, 
 they get their food from young sage-brush, and in 
 winter exist altogether on the same, hence are not very 
 palatable if not prepared rightly. This bird is very 
 amusing in many instances, as, for example, when 
 
164 Where to Hunt 
 
 hunted they often run to a bunch of sage, stick their 
 heads under the same, and seemingly think they are 
 obscure from view. 
 
 The ruffed grouse or pheasant also make this state 
 their home. They are most abundant in dense, close 
 thickets, where they are generally safe from the pursuit 
 of man or dog. Here you are also sure to find some 
 excellent mountain stream or spring. The ruffed 
 grouse are not as plentiful, however, as the sage-hen. 
 
 The pin-tail grouse, commonly but incorrectly called 
 prairie-chicken, are very plentiful, and are found mostly 
 in the settled parts of the country, where they will hatch 
 out their eggs in some hay-field, or, more frequently, 
 along the railroad track within six to ten feet from the 
 rail. These birds will also be found in the early morn- 
 ing close to the railroad track, either looking for grain 
 that may have been spilled out of cars, or for gravel for 
 the digestion of their food. In the summer-time, and 
 during the extreme heat of the day, they lie very close 
 in some thicket. They prefer a willow thicket on the 
 banks of some small stream. In the winter they con- 
 gregate together, and are often found in flocks of 500 
 to 1,000. They, like the other grouse, are very fond 
 of the choke-cherry, and it is a common occurrence 
 to see the bushes covered with these birds. 
 
 Canada geese rest on the rivers at night, but at early 
 dawn they go up to the grain-fields for their food, 
 returning again in a few hours, when they usually alight 
 on some sand-bar or island in a river and sun them- 
 selves, and play and romp in the shallow water until 
 about four in the afternoon, when another trip is made 
 to the fields, returning again to the river at dark to 
 
American Game 165 
 
 roost. During the cold weather they often stay on the 
 fields all day, only returning to the river at night. 
 
 Mallard remain in the state the whole year ; when 
 sloughs and rivers are frozen up, they are found in 
 spring creeks, which seldom freeze. These creeks are 
 very numerous in this state, and are often of good size. 
 They are frequently found from four to six feet deep 
 and from ten to twelve feet wide, and their banks are inva- 
 riably covered by a dense growth of willows from six 
 to ten feet high, affording splendid cover to shoot from. 
 
 Among the migratory duck are the green- and blue- 
 winged teal, the sprigtail, the butterball, the spoonbill, 
 redhead, widgeon, and black duck. Teal stay in this 
 state all summer, and breed in the different sloughs. 
 They, however, leave very early in the fall, and you sel- 
 dom find them after frost sets in. 
 
 The curlew is the first game-bird to make its appear- 
 ance in the spring, usually in the latter part of March or 
 the beginning of April. In most cases it lays its eggs 
 on high ground, and as soon as the young are hatched 
 they are brought down to some creek or slough by the 
 caring parents. These birds leave very early, not later 
 than August 25, when they assemble in large flocks, 
 uttering their cry, and off they go to a more congenial 
 climate. 
 
 Jack-snipe arrive in Montana the latter part of April, 
 only a few remaining to breed, but in the autumn they 
 are very plentiful, and usually remain four or five weeks 
 before finally leaving on their migratory flight south. 
 They are always found in this state in the boggy sloughs 
 or spring creeks. 
 
 The yeilowlegs also make their appearance about the 
 
166 Where to Hunt 
 
 same time, although seldom breeding in the state ; but 
 in the fall they return in large numbers, and are often 
 found in company with Wilson's snipe. 
 
 From what is regarded as a trustworthy source, we 
 learn that the country adjoining the Yellowstone 
 National Park on the southwest and northwest is con- 
 sidered to be among the greatest big game hunting 
 resorts in America. On the tributaries of Snake river, 
 and on the head waters of the Madison and West Gallatin 
 rivers, may be found bison, moose, elk, black-tailed deer, 
 white-tailed deer, bighorn, antelope, grizzly, brown, and 
 black bear, wolverine, mountain-lion, wolf, fox, otter, 
 beaver, marten, fisher, mink, etc. 
 
 Bison, known generally as buffalo, have been decreas- 
 ing very fast, and to-day but a very small number are 
 inhabiting the Yellowstone National Park. Almost 
 every year a few escape from the park and venture 
 into Idaho, never to return. 
 
 Moose are fairly plentiful on the head waters of Fall 
 river, Warm river, near Jackson lake, and tributaries of 
 Madison, and a few on the head waters of West Galla- 
 tin river. 
 
 Elk and deer have been increasing somewhat. The 
 Yellowstone National -Park, no doubt, contributes a lib- 
 eral supply of elk and deer to the adjoining counties 
 lying to the south, west, and northwest. 
 
 Bighorn and antelope have been decreasing every 
 year. It is claimed by a good many hunters that the big- 
 horn or Rocky Mountain sheep contracted the disease 
 known as scab, which killed them off at a lively rate. 
 
 Bear and other fur-bearing animals are also decreas- 
 ing at a rapid rate, the only exception being wolf and 
 

 
American Game 169 
 
 coyote, which seem to be on the increase throughout 
 the settled portions of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. 
 Mountain-grouse and prairie-chicken are also decreas- 
 ing. Recent seasons have been very unfavorable for 
 breeding, consequently the hunting has been poor as 
 compared with former years. All water-fowl are found 
 along rivers and lakes, and are fairly plentiful. 
 
NEBRASKA 
 
 EBRASKA is credited with an area of 75,995 
 square miles. The country belongs to the 
 basin of the Missouri river. There are no 
 mountains in the state. The surface of the 
 country is rolling and broken. There are 
 vast prairies, and between the summits 
 which are found in the state are deep ravines. 
 The game of Nebraska is mainly feath- 
 ered game. There are some deer, a few antelope, an 
 occasional gray or timber-wolf, coyote, lynx, fox, many 
 rabbit, and some squirrel. There are also specimens 
 of small furred game, such as mink and muskrat. 
 
 Despite the stringent laws, the market-hunter kills an 
 immense number of game-birds in Nebraska each 
 year; they are killed by the wagon-load. Some of 
 those who collect game-birds for the market have 
 refrigerator plants, where they can freeze their birds and 
 pack them for shipment East. Men are frequently 
 hired to do the shooting. 
 
 Pinnated grouse or prairie-hen are most abundant in 
 the western part of the state. Their numbers and 
 places change a good deal according to the seasons, 
 which are varied. A hard, open winter, a wet or dry 
 season, will cause these birds to change their places of 
 abode, going where food and shelter are most favorable. 
 On the whole, the prairie-hen is believed to be on the 
 decrease. 
 
 Quail or bob-white are quite plentiful throughout 
 
American Game 173 
 
 the state. Notwithstanding the heavy draught annually 
 on the covers, these birds remain abundant. 
 
 Geese and duck are very abundant. There are 
 Canada geese, brant, and other stragglers of the goose 
 family. Swan are occasionally shot. Mallard, teal, and 
 other duck are found along the Platte, Elkhorn, Loup, 
 and Republican rivers. Plover, curlew, Wilson's snipe, 
 and other aquatic birds are found in large numbers 
 during the season. 
 
 There is generally good rabbit hunting near Edgar 
 in Clay county ; and wolf are found there. Coyote are 
 especially abundant in the eastern part of the state. 
 
NEVADA 
 
 IEVADA possesses an uneven sur- 
 face, composed largely of mountains 
 and ridges, valleys and lakes. Even 
 in the most mountainous portions of 
 the state there are some fertile 
 valleys; there are besides tracts of 
 sterile plains of an alkaline nature. The climate is 
 dry, which makes the plain country desolate. The area 
 of the state is 104,125 square miles. 
 
 There is considerable big game in the state, but the 
 character of the country often makes hunting very labo- 
 rious and sometimes hazardous. Of the big game, there 
 are bear, both black and brown, and the grizzly ; also 
 deer, antelope, mountain-sheep, lynx, wolf, and rabbit. 
 The feathered game is made up of pinnated grouse, 
 sage-hen, ruffed grouse, duck, geese, and quail. 
 There are also aquatic birds, such as curlew, snipe, 
 and plover. 
 
 Good hunting may generally be found in Humboldt, 
 Washoe, Elk, and Lander counties. 
 
 The big game hunting season begins September I, 
 but it is desirable for the sportsman contemplating a 
 visit to this state to plan his trip well in advance, and 
 be ready to commence his journey to the hunting 
 regions some time before the opening date, as the trip 
 is often a laborious one, and returning may be worse 
 on account of storms. 
 

NEW HAMPSHIRE 
 
 EW HAMPSHIRE possesses an area of 
 9,280 square miles. The character of 
 the country is varied. In the southeast- 
 ern part is a stretch of seacoast eighteen 
 miles long, but, including the irregulari- 
 ties, forty-eight miles in extent. The 
 coast-line is made up chiefly of sandy 
 beaches backed by salt marshes. Be- 
 hind the marshes the country becomes hilly, and further 
 north, mountainous. The extreme northern portion of 
 the state is a wild, picturesque country, with moun- 
 tains, lakes, and forest. 
 
 The state contains considerable game, the moose 
 being the largest and most highly prized by sportsmen : 
 they are confined to the northern portion. There are 
 some caribou, which are very irregular in their resorts: 
 they also are found in the northern counties. 
 
 There are many black bear in this state ; an occa- 
 sional Canada lynx is found; red lynx or bob cat are 
 common but shy. Deer are found in every county, 
 being more abundant in the northern half. Fox are 
 plentiful ; raccoon, hedgehog, squirrel, muskrat, and 
 woodchuck are numerous. Otter are found occasion- 
 ally. Gray squirrel are generally plentiful, and are 
 usually abundant in the country from the middle por- 
 tion of the state to its southern boundary. 
 
 Of feathered game there are two varieties of grouse, 
 the Canada grouse or spruce-partridge and the ruffed 
 grouse. They are found throughout the state. The 
 
178 Where to Hunt 
 
 highly prized woodcock migrate through this state in 
 goodly numbers. There are some choice covers in the 
 country about Lake Winnipiseogee ; also in the neigh- 
 borhood of Concord and Manchester are covers which 
 have yielded many birds for a number of years. They 
 are shot up to the month of December. 
 
 There are some upland plover on the hills. This 
 dainty bird breeds there, but departs for its southern 
 migration early. There is some duck and goose shoot- 
 ing in the lakes and ponds, but this game is hunted but 
 little except in the southern part. The duck are chiefly 
 black and wood-duck. 
 
 There are but few quail in the state ; they are con- 
 fined to the southern part. Near the coast there is 
 some snipe and shore-bird shooting, and along the 
 coast there is good duck shooting during the autumn, 
 winter, and spring months. This game consists mainly 
 of coot, sheldrake, and eider duck. 
 
 The great habitat of the big game of New Hampshire 
 is the northern counties, Grafton, Carroll, and more 
 particularly Coos. The moose is found in the extreme 
 northern part of Coos county at the head waters of 
 the Connecticut river, and on the Diamond stream 
 flowing into the Magalloway. Both the moose and the 
 caribou roam across from one water to the other. They 
 are decreasing in numbers. Deer, on the contrary, are 
 increasing rapidly, and are plentiful in Coos county and 
 quite numerous in Carroll and Grafton counties. 
 
 The best localities in northern New Hampshire for 
 hunting big game are in the neighborhood of the Con- 
 necticut lakes, Diamond pond, Hell Gate camp, and 
 Greenough and neighboring ponds. 
 

NEW JERSEY 
 
 . EW JERSEY possesses an area of 8,320 
 square miles. The northern part of 
 the state is somewhat mountainous, 
 those elevations being offshoots from 
 the Alleghanies ; between these 
 mountains are fertile valleys. The 
 southern part of the state is low and 
 sandy. The eastern boundary is 
 marked by the famous Palisades 
 which border the Hudson river for some twenty miles ; 
 then come Newark bay, Raritan bay, and the Atlantic 
 coast with the famous Barnegat bay, Great bay, and 
 others well known to many sportsmen. Delaware bay 
 and Delaware river separate the state, the former on 
 the south from Delaware, and the latter on the west 
 from Pennsylvania. 
 
 There is considerable game in the state of New 
 Jersey, but its accessibility from many large cities has 
 greatly depleted the non-migratory game. There are a 
 few deer, and probably a very few bear ; fox are numer- 
 ous, and squirrel are generally plentiful ; raccoon, wood- 
 chuck, and muskrat are common ; an occasional otter 
 is killed ; rabbit are common. 
 
 Ruffed grouse are still abundant, more particularly in 
 the mountainous districts ; woodcock vary with differ- 
 ent seasons, but it is thought they are less abundant 
 than formerly ; quail are not so plentiful as formerly, but 
 still exist in good numbers in some parts of the state. 
 
182 Where to Hunt 
 
 The bays and marshes of New Jersey will always 
 furnish good marsh-bird and duck shooting. Snipe 
 come to the marshes in the spring and autumn. The 
 water-fowl will forever be found in greater or less 
 numbers in spring and autumn. These latter birds 
 consist of the shoal-water and sea-duck, geese, and 
 brant. Almost every variety of migratory marsh-birds 
 is to be found in the state. 
 
 Barnegat bay has long been known as a resort for 
 wild fowl. Good shooting is still to be had there in the 
 season. There is good marsh-bird and wild fowl 
 shooting in Atlantic county. The Hackensack mead- 
 ows in Bergen county are the tarrying place for snipe, 
 and a great many birds are annually killed there. 
 In Cape May county there are to be found both upland 
 and aquatic bird shooting. 
 
 Stillwater in Sussex county is mentioned as a place 
 where small game is abundant, the woodchuck being 
 very plentiful. 
 
 Tremley, considering that it is only about forty min- 
 utes' ride from New York, is a good place for marsh- 
 birds. Yellowlegs are generally found in the adjacent 
 marshes in the season. 
 
 In the neighborhood of Perth Amboy fair quail and 
 rabbit shooting is generally found ; there are flights of 
 woodcock there in the season, and at the right time 
 good wild fowl shooting may be had on Raritan bay. 
 
NEW MEXICO 
 
 'EW MEXICO has an area of 121,201 
 square miles. The northern and west- 
 ern portions of the territory are quite 
 mountainous, the altitude ranging from 
 5,000 feet above sea-levei in the foot- 
 hill valleys to about 13,000 feet in the 
 mountains. The interior and eastern 
 portions consist mainly of level prairies 
 with occasional high table-lands provided with tim- 
 ber, and some hills and mountains. The valley lands in 
 the foot-hills and along the streams are devoted to 
 agriculture, and are fanned under systems of irrigation. 
 The prairies, being fine grazing lands, are covered 
 with herds of cattle, horses, and sheep. 
 
 Much game is to be found in New Mexico. In the 
 mountains and foot-hills large game abounds, such as 
 elk, mountain-sheep, Rocky Mountain goat, black- 
 tailed deer, Virginia deer, bear, both cinnamon and 
 black, with occasionally a silver tip or grizzly, cougar 
 or panther, commonly called mountain-lion, wildcat, 
 lynx, gray or timber-wolf, coyote, red fox, swift, 
 badger, beaver, otter, coon, squirrel, marmot, and other 
 small furred animals. On the prairies, antelope are 
 still abundant in some localities, and with the jack-rabbit 
 afford sport for those who are fond of the chase. 
 
 Of the feathered game, there are wild turkey, duck of 
 all the migratory kinds, wild geese, brant, swan, sand- 
 hill crane, curlew, ibis, and many species of snipe, 
 
1 86 Where to Hunt 
 
 mountain-grouse, ptarmigan, quail, and in some places 
 sage-hen and prairie-hen in small numbers. 
 
 Elk are found only in the highest mountains and are 
 becoming quite scarce, as are mountain-sheep and 
 Rocky Mountain goat. They are found in limited num- 
 bers in the Sacramento, Gaudalupe, Mogollon, and 
 other mountain ranches. Deer have also been decreas- 
 ing with the advance of civilization, but with the enact- 
 ment of stringent laws for their protection, and owing to 
 the fact that there are thousands of square miles of 
 rough, mountainous country and forests which will 
 always be vast breeding-grounds for deer, they will be 
 sufficiently plentiful to afford fine sport for a long time 
 to come. 
 
 Bear are found in the roughest mountains, in the 
 foot-hills, and along the rough breaks of the deep can- 
 yons. They do not molest stock to any great extent, 
 but subsist mostly upon acorns, pinon nuts, berries, 
 roots, and insects. They are hunted chiefly with 
 hounds, of which there are several large packs in New 
 Mexico. Bear hunting is a very exciting sport, and 
 with a well trained pack of hounds is not at all dan- 
 gerous, as the bear usually takes to a tree or takes refuge 
 under a shelving rock, and will not attack a man, even 
 when wounded, if there is a dog in sight. 
 
 Fox, coyote, mountain-lion, coon, wild- or bob cat, 
 and gray wolf are also hunted by the same kind of 
 hounds, a species of the English foxhound. Gray 
 wolf are quite plentiful, and are increasing. They are 
 large and powerful animals, and their pelts make fine 
 robes. They are destructive to cattle, sheep, and goats, 
 and a bounty of five dollars for each scalp is paid on 
 
I 
 
American Game 189 
 
 them by the government. These wolves are very fleet 
 and shrewd animals, and not many of them are caught 
 or killed. 
 
 The cougar or mountain-lion of this state will not 
 attack a man, and when chased with a pack of hounds 
 quickly climbs a tree and is easily killed. 
 
 Wild turkey are still quite abundant in some localities, 
 and are found more or less in all the mountainous por- 
 tions and in the foot-hills. 
 
 In the high mountains, grouse and the mountain-quail 
 and ptarmigan are fairly abundant ; while in some of 
 the lower interior valleys, particularly in the southern 
 and southwestern portions of the territory, quail are 
 so plentiful as to be almost a nuisance to farmers. 
 
 Duck and geese, which are migrator}', appear in the 
 fall and spring, remaining for several weeks, stopping in 
 the ponds, reservoirs, and lakes along the streams ; in 
 some portions of the territory they remain throughout 
 the winter. Other migratory birds, such as snipe and 
 sand-hill crane, appear at the same time. 
 
NEW YORK 
 
 EW YORK has an area of 47,000 
 square miles. The surface is 
 largely made up of elevated 
 table-lands and mountainous dis- 
 tricts. In the northeastern cor- 
 ner is Lake Champlain, and adja- 
 cent to it is Lake George. Near 
 
 by is the great Adirondack region, so well known to 
 sportsmen, which contains over 5,000 square miles. 
 Lakes Ontario and Erie are its northwestern bounda- 
 ries. The majestic Hudson, over 300 miles long, which 
 has its source in the Adirondacks, flows through the state. 
 Long Island, a part of the state an important part 
 from the sportsman's point of view is about 140 miles 
 long, and is a favorable place for game. The state for- 
 merly possessed a great amount of game, and on 
 account of its northern wilderness, its mountainous dis- 
 tricts, and its open waters, will always contain a good 
 supply. The game animals consist of deer, bear, and 
 elk (introduced into private preserves). Cougar or 
 panther are extremely rare ; the same may be said of 
 moose, though it is believed they are extinct. Canada 
 lynx are occasionally found. Red lynx or bob cat, rac- 
 coon, fox, rabbit, squirrel, mink, and muskrat are 
 common. Beaver are nearly extinct, a few colonies 
 remaining in the Adirondack region. Otter are found 
 only occasionally ; the same may be said of fisher. 
 
! ! 
 : tg 
 
 _ CQ 
 
 1 I I 
 
 I s 
 
 1 2 
 
American Game 193 
 
 There are, besides, rabbit, hare, woodchuck, marten, 
 skunk, and squirrel. 
 
 In 1896, William F. Fox, superintendent of the state 
 forests, estimated the number of deer in the great north- 
 ern forest as 30,000. A carefully prepared census for 
 the season of 1895 shows that 4,900 were killed by 
 hunters. Of this number, 2,207 were bucks and 2,936 
 does; 2,694 were killed by hounding, 1,233 by jacking 
 or night-hunting, and 973 by still-hunting. The same 
 authority states that deer are increasing in the Adiron- 
 dack region, owing to restrictions in hunting. 
 
 Of the feathered game, the ruffed grouse is the largest 
 of the common native upland game-birds ; there are 
 some Canada grouse or spruce-partridge. Quail are 
 most common in the southern part and Long Island. 
 Woodcock migrate through the state ; so do the various 
 shore- or marsh- birds, and the migratory duck, geese, 
 and brant. Some wild or passenger pigeon are seen, 
 also the Carolina dove. Woodcock remain in central 
 New York late in the season. The wood-duck breeds 
 within the state, and is quite common in the Adiron- 
 dacks. Warwick in Orange county was once a grand 
 country for woodcock and grouse ; it still furnishes annu- 
 ally a great many. Ruffed grouse are very evenly dis- 
 tributed through Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren, and 
 Washington counties, though Hamilton and Warren 
 perhaps furnish somewhat better sport than the other 
 two. There are also a few spruce-grouse along the 
 Moose river in Hamilton county. 
 
 For woodcock shooting, Saratoga, Washington, and 
 Warren counties stand best, in the order named, a few 
 birds have been killed along the Indian river in Hamil- 
 
194 Where to Hunt 
 
 ton county. Snipe shooting in the inland counties has 
 fallen off greatly during the past few years, though in 
 favorable seasons a brace or two are bagged occasion- 
 ally in the course of a day's shooting. Hamilton is the 
 county par excellence for deer. Duck shooting cannot 
 be depended upon on the inland waters, but good sport 
 is sometimes met with on Saratoga, Round, and Ball- 
 ston lakes, Fish creek, and the Hudson river in Sara- 
 toga county, Cossayuna lake in Washington county, and 
 Lake George in Warren county. Near Underwood in 
 Essex county is a good place for deer and ruffed grouse. 
 One of the state foresters says, "My experience for 
 the past ten years as forester has led me over a great 
 deal of the forest in these parts, and I can safely say 
 that I know of no portion of this county that affords 
 better shooting or fishing than the upland valley of the 
 Boquet river. It is easy of access from Port Henry on 
 the Delaware & Hudson Railroad." The country about 
 Mottville, in Onondaga county, is reported to be excel- 
 lent for foxes. Good partridge and woodcock shooting 
 has been found in recent years at Smithville Flats in 
 Jefferson county. There is good ruffed grouse shooting 
 at the head of Lake Keocka in Steuben county. Wood- 
 cock are not very plentiful. Rabbit and fox are abun- 
 dant. There is fine duck and snipe shooting. Tomp- 
 kins county has furnished excellent ruffed grouse shoot- 
 ing for a number of years, and still has an abundance 
 of these birds. Many ruffed grouse are killed each year 
 in Sullivan county; woodcock are found there in good 
 numbers. Long Island is naturally well adapted for 
 game, and a great deal is found there. The draught 
 annually by killing is great. If summers are wet, it 
 
American Game 197 
 
 interferes with the hatching of birds ; but a favorable 
 summer seems to restore depleted covers quickly. 
 Much of the country where quail, ruffed grouse, and 
 woodcock may be found plentiful is posted ; the same is 
 true of the deer-shooting country, though there are 
 many places where sportsmen can hunt without being 
 disturbed as trespassers. 
 
 There are a great many wild deer on Long Island. 
 The law permits killing every alternate two years. It 
 is said they are most abundant within a territory of 
 about sixty square miles, extending from Central Islip 
 on the north, southeast to Bayport and southwest to 
 Islip. A portion of this territory, however, is a club 
 preserve, the Southside Club at Oakdale, which con- 
 trols 5,000 acres where no deer are shot. There are 
 also other smaller tracts leased by sportsmen, besides 
 estates the owners of which forbid shooting. Many 
 deer are killed during the brief open season by sports- 
 men from Patchogue, Bayport, Sayvillc, and Islip. 
 
 Westhampton, at the eastern end of Long Island, is 
 an excellent place for bay-bird shooting, plover and 
 yellowlegs being most abundant. Shinnecock bay has 
 long been famous for wild fowl shooting, and Good 
 Ground on Long Island is a good place for the sport. 
 Broad-bill, black duck, coot, and sheldrake are perhaps 
 the most common duck killed, although nearly all the 
 migratory duck are shot during the season ; also geese, 
 brant, and an occasional swan. 
 
NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 HE state of North Carolina has much 
 game within its territory. It has an 
 area of 52,286 square miles. The 
 coast line is fringed with low sand 
 islands and bars, making numerous 
 lagoons between these islands and the 
 mainland, which draw thither myriads of 
 wild fowl. Currituck, Albemarle, Pamlico, Bogue, and 
 Core sounds are all famous wild fowling resorts. 
 Although some of the desirable territory in islands and 
 points is controlled by clubs, there is still much good 
 gunning territory open to the sportsman. 
 
 From the coast, inland for about fifty miles, the 
 country is level, with many swamps and marshes. 
 Behind this level country the surface is uneven and 
 rolling; the extreme western end of the state is moun- 
 tainous. The swamps within the state harbor much 
 game, and are famous. The Great Dismal Swamp, 
 which is some twenty miles in length and about twelve 
 miles in width, lies partly in this state and partly in 
 Virginia. Alligator swamp is another that is famous ; 
 it is between Albemarle and Pamlico sounds. 
 
 The principal large game to be found in North Caro- 
 lina is deer and bear, which are plentiful; there are 
 also lynx, otter, raccoon, opossum, rabbit, and squirrel. 
 Woodchuck are common in the mountains, and a few 
 wolf are still to be found in the same region. Gray 
 fox are common throughout the state; red fox are 
 
American Game 201 
 
 to be found in the northern and western regions. Alli- 
 gator are plentiful, and grow to large size in the south- 
 ern half of the eastern seaboard. 
 
 Of feathered aquatic game, there are nearly all the 
 species of the duck family, at least twenty-five species 
 being known to exist; the most sought for are the 
 canvasback, redhead, ruddy duck, mallard, and black 
 duck. 
 
 Geese of several varieties are found in large numbers ; 
 swan are common on the northern sounds ; there are 
 besides quantities of the other species of water-birds. 
 
 Of the upland game-birds the most highly prized is 
 the wild turkey ; there are some ruffed grouse ; quail 
 (bob-white) are very abundant; woodcock migrate 
 through the state, as do Wilson's snipe. 
 
 The various kinds of shore-birds are very abundant, 
 but there is so much larger game as to cause the shore- 
 birds to be unmolested to a large degree. 
 
 Dace county covers all of the beaches and shoals 
 between Roanoke island and Hatteras inlet, and is a 
 great resort for wild fowl ; early in November there are 
 thousands of duck, geese, swan, and brant there. Most 
 of the shooting is done on the sound on the shoals from 
 batteries or sink-boxes. During the westerly gales the 
 tides are high, driving the birds from their feeding- 
 grounds; at such times good shooting can be secured 
 from the points of the marshes. Beaufort is a first- 
 class center for wild fowl and shore-birds. 
 
 Near Marines in Onslow county there is a great 
 variety of sport. Large and small game is abundant 
 there, and includes deer, bear, turkey, quail, opossum, 
 raccoon, and rabbit. 
 
202 Where to Hunt 
 
 At Newbern the duck and snipe shooting is generally 
 good in the season. Near Washington, on the Pamlico 
 river in Beaufort county, is a place where the sports- 
 man is likely to find good furred and feathered game 
 shooting. 
 
 Maysville in Jones county, and Riverdale in Craven 
 county, are said to be excellent places for wild turkey. 
 
 Duck and brant shooting is excellent in season about 
 Roanoke island. Hobgood in Halifax county is good 
 for quail shooting. 
 
 Edenton in Chowan county is an attractive town on 
 the east coast. It is on Edenton bay, where the 
 Chowan and Roanoke rivers enter Albemarle sound. 
 The country in this neighborhood is excellent for quail 
 shooting ; after November the shooting is best. 
 
 A great deal of the land in North Carolina is posted, 
 but as a rule the sportsman, by gentlemanly conduct, 
 can secure permission to shoot from farmers for a small 
 consideration. 
 
 Belfast in Beaufort county usually gives good sport, 
 consisting of deer, water-fowl, and quail shooting. 
 
 Good quail shooting is to be found at Salisbury in 
 Rowan county. 
 
 Those fond of snipe shooting can generally find good 
 shooting about Newbern the first three months of the 
 year ; there is also good shooting of other game. 
 
NORTH DAKOTA 
 
 ORTH DAKOTA has an area of 74,312 
 square miles, which is mainly made up 
 of open prairie. The furred game con- 
 sists of elk, moose, deer, both black- 
 tailed and the Virginia varieties, antelope, 
 caribou, gray or timber-wolf, prairie- 
 wolf or coyote, otter, beaver, fox, badger, and rabbit. 
 Of the feathered game, the most common are the 
 prairie-hen and the sharp-tailed grouse ; geese of sev- 
 eral varieties are usually abundant ; swan are often 
 killed. There are, too, duck of many varieties, and 
 curlew and some quail in the eastern part of the state. 
 Deer of the black-tailed variety are scarce, except 
 west of the Missouri river. White-tailed deer are quite 
 plentiful along the Missouri river and tributaries, 
 increasing in some places owing to settlement retro- 
 grading and to the decrease of professional hunters. 
 
 Antelope are found in the hills, Grand Coteaux du 
 Missouri, quite plentiful ; also in some portions of Bad 
 Lands. They are not decreasing. 
 
 Wolf or coyote are quite plentiful throughout North 
 Dakota, and are increasing. The state pays a bounty of 
 three dollars for each wolf scalp. Fox are rather scarce. 
 Otter are scarce and are decreasing; they are chiefly 
 found along the Missouri and tributary creeks. Beaver 
 are also scarce. Skunk are numerous all over the state, 
 but the fur is poor. Badger are found everywhere. 
 Beaver and otter are protected for ten years. 
 
 Of the feathered game, prairie-hen are very numer- 
 
2o6 Where to Hunt 
 
 ous in some sections, and are increasing. The best 
 shooting is along the line of the Northern Pacific Rail- 
 road, between Fargo and Windsor, and on the Great 
 Northern & Sioux Railroad. The birds are well fed and 
 strong, making fine shooting. 
 
 Of duck, there are many mallard, widgeon, gadwal, 
 green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, sprigtail, and 
 spoonbill ; canvasback are not plentiful ; wood-duck 
 are rather scarce. 
 
 Canada geese have been scarce for several years, but 
 it is believed they will be plentiful if wet seasons come. 
 Of the millions that once were found in North Dakota, 
 the number killed could not have affected them. 
 Hutchins's goose and the snow-goose are found in favor- 
 able seasons ; also some of the blue geese and white- 
 fronted geese. There are two varieties of crane that 
 are often killed, the sand-bill crane and the whooping 
 white crane. Swan are frequently shot. 
 
 The variation in the seasons has much to do with the 
 abundance of pinnated grouse or prairie-hen, heavy 
 rainfalls during the spring months interfering with the 
 hatching of the eggs and diminishing the number of 
 birds. Duck shooting is also affected by a dry season. 
 A system of drainage has been introduced into North 
 Dakota which has spoiled some of the best duck grounds. 
 
 Eldridge, Windsor, and Coteaux are good hunting 
 grounds for geese ; also Devil's lake, or any place where 
 wheat is raised and water is plentiful. 
 
 Brant are decreasing in number : they are found in all 
 the localities mentioned for other geese. 
 
 Sand-hill and white crane are fairly numerous on the 
 edge of the hills or on the edge of settlements. Swan 
 
American Game 209 
 
 and pelican do not come as close to settlements as 
 geese ; they are fairly numerous, but are on the decrease. 
 
 Duck, mallard, canvasback, redhead, pintail, widgeon, 
 spoonbill, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, and 
 many others, are very numerous. They do not increase 
 any. The best shooting-grounds in wet seasons are 
 found all over Dakota wherever there is water. 
 
 Curlew are quite plentiful ; common plover, very 
 numerous ; golden plover, not so plentiful ; snipe of 
 various kinds, including jack-, in large numbers. 
 
 Owing to the climate of North Dakota, all feathered 
 game is migratory except pinnated grouse or prairie- 
 hen, and the sharp-tailed grouse, which winter here in 
 the timber. The pinnated grouse or prairie-hen, how- 
 ever, migrate in the fall to the corn-belt of southern 
 Minnesota and South Dakota. 
 
 Excellent goose shooting is generally to be had at 
 Stump lake near Lakota, Devil's lake, Sweetwater, and 
 from there west to Turtle Mountains. At Dawson in 
 Kidder county there has been fine pinnated grouse 
 and duck shooting for some time past. Large covers 
 of grouse are generally found near this town. Grand 
 Forks in the same county is a good starting-place for 
 the sportsmen. Good prairie-hen shooting is generally 
 secured near by, and excellent snipe shooting. Medora 
 in Billings county is adjacent to good game country for 
 both furred and feathered game. In the neighborhood 
 of Devil's lake in Ramsey county there is good water- 
 fowl and other game shooting. Good wild fowl shooting 
 can be found at Dawson, Kidder county. Minnequaken, 
 Benson county, on the west shore of Devil's lake, is a 
 very popular place for visiting sportsmen. 
 
OHIO 
 
 HE state of Ohio contains an 
 area of 41,060 square miles. 
 Its surface is varied. The cen- 
 tral, northern, and western por- 
 tions of the state are flat, while 
 other sections are more undu- 
 
 lating - The soil is s enerall y 
 
 fertile. Climatic conditions, the 
 cutting away of forests, and 
 
 shooting for the market have greatly depleted the game 
 of this state. 
 
 The list of furred game is not large. Fox are 
 found in some counties ; raccoon and opossum are not 
 very abundant. There are a few mink and many 
 muskrat. Rabbit and squirrel are plentiful. 
 
 Of feathered game, the most abundant of the land 
 birds is the quail (bob-white) ; grouse are seen in 
 some parts of the state ; snipe come in fair numbers ; 
 woodcock continue about the same year after year, 
 until their covers are disturbed. 
 
 Duck of all the migratory kinds are rather abundant 
 in spring and autumn ; there are also some geese and 
 brant. Golden plover do not appear in large numbers. 
 There are a few curlew and other members of the snipe 
 and plover families. The Mongolian and ring-necked 
 pheasant have been introduced into the state, 300 being 
 liberated in November, 1896. The experiment has been 
 so successful that more will be liberated in the near future. 
 
 While there are still many quail in this state, they 
 
American Game 213 
 
 are far less numerous than formerly. Those qualified 
 to judge believe they are now slowly increasing, owing 
 to protective laws. Market-shooting has nearly exter- 
 minated them in some parts of the state. The quail- 
 shooter cannot hunt at will now, for most of the farms 
 are posted, and it is often difficult for a stranger to gain 
 the desired permission to shoot. These birds are most 
 numerous along creeks and river-bottoms. 
 
 Grouse are most likely to be found on the hills which 
 are timbered. 
 
 Southeast of Canton, and situated in what is known 
 as the Sandy valley, a stretch of country extending 
 through the counties of Stark, Carroll, and Tuscarawas 
 for a distance of say twenty-five miles, is a good hunt- 
 ing region. Through the centre of this valley runs 
 Sandy creek for two thirds its length, finally flowing 
 into the Tuscarawas river. On either side of this valley 
 are ridges of moderate elevation, quite well timbered. 
 Small game in favorable seasons is usually quite plenti- 
 ful, although within the past few years farmers have 
 grown somewhat hostile to sportsmen, as a result of the 
 ill treatment they have received at the hands of a few 
 unscrupulous persons who unfortunately pose as sports- 
 men. However, there is still good sport to be had 
 there, and by taking the trouble to get permission from 
 the landowners, one may have very good shooting at 
 a small cost. The country is a good one for squirrel, 
 grouse, quail, and rabbit, and these are usually plentiful. 
 Gray, red, and fox-squirrel are all to be had, although 
 the last are not found as readily as the other two. 
 The timber is mainly oak, hickory, chestnut, and elm, 
 which makes it a good home for squirrel. 
 
2J4 Where to Hunt 
 
 Fox- and gray squirrel and rabbit are quite plentiful 
 in the counties of Union, Champaign, Logan, Hardin, 
 Delaware, and Madison. It is said they are on the 
 increase. Quail are also quite plentiful in those coun- 
 ties. Rabbit are very abundant in Logan county, Belle- 
 fontaine county being also well supplied with them. 
 Rush Creek swamp in the latter county is a particularly 
 good place. Near Lake View, in Logan county, is an 
 excellent place for woodcock. Good duck and snipe 
 shooting is generally to be jound near Lewiston in 
 Logan county, and Celina in Mercer county. Coshoc- 
 ton county is considered excellent for quail. It is quite 
 hilly, and hunting is attended with work. Quail shoot- 
 ing in Clermont, Brown, and Hamilton counties is good, 
 and squirrel are found in the two former counties, where 
 woods are numerous. As deserted and abandoned 
 farms and vineyards are quickly grown over with black- 
 berry briers, hazelnut bushes, and small undergrowth, 
 the quail, rabbit, and squirrel do not suffer so much 
 from exposure or from shooters. This applies to both 
 sides of the Ohio river above Cincinnati for over 100 
 miles. 
 
 There is not much wild fowl shooting except in the 
 valleys of the Ohio river and its largest tributaries. 
 Spring shooting is popular along the Ohio. In Feb- 
 ruary, March, and April the river overflows, leaving 
 vast stretches of back-water over fields and woods, and 
 making a lake of every tributary. Duck come then 
 in large numbers. 
 
OKLAHOMA 
 
 KLAHOMA territory contains an area of 
 37,183 square miles. The game found 
 within its borders consists of deer 
 the black-tailed and other varieties, 
 gray or timber-wolf, coyote, raccoon, 
 opossum, mink, rabbit, some otter and 
 bear, and other small furred game ; also grouse of sev- 
 eral varieties, wild turkey, all the migratory duck, 
 geese, brant, snipe, plover, and quail. 
 
 The southeastern part of the territory, where there is 
 much underbrush, is regarded as the best part of the 
 territory for quail. It is to be regretted that game laws 
 were not among the very first to be enacted in this 
 territory. Although the country is comparatively 
 newly settled, the game has become scarce. Ruffed 
 grouse and pinnated grouse are said to be almost exter- 
 minated. In the timbered portion of the territory the 
 wild turkey is found in fair abundance. Woodcock are 
 very scarce, and it is rare that one is found. 
 
 East of the Santa Fe railway squirrels of the gray 
 and fox varieties are quite abundant. Jack-rabbit are 
 very plentiful and on the increase. Fox and wolf are 
 said to be decreasing. 
 
- ** 
 
 OREGON 
 
 REGON is divided by the Cascade range 
 of mountains and the Blue Moun- 
 tains into sections. Between the 
 i former range and the Pacific ocean 
 lies western Oregon, a great agricul- 
 tural, timber, and game district. 
 The country between the Cascade 
 
 and the Blue Mountains is made up of mountains and 
 valleys, the latter being very fertile. Southeastern Ore- 
 gon east of the Blue Mountains is arid, devoted largely 
 to stock-raising. The state contains 94,560 square 
 miles. 
 
 Oregon has a wonderful amount of game, of nearly 
 all varieties. Of the large game there are wapiti or elk, 
 which still exist in abundance ; deer of the black-tailed 
 and white-tailed varieties are very plentiful ; bear are 
 very numerous, the grizzly bear quite common, as are 
 the black and brown bear ; moose of great size are often 
 killed by sportsmen ; cougar or panther or mountain- 
 lion are common ; gray or timber-wolf and prairie-wolf 
 or coyote are plentiful. There are, besides, lynx, fox, 
 otter, beaver, marten, fisher, rabbit, mink, raccoon, 
 squirrel, and small furred game. 
 
 Feathered game is also abundant. There are several 
 varieties of grouse, duck of many kinds, geese, brant, 
 swan, snipe, plover, curlew, rail, mountain-quail, and 
 other feathered game. Mongolian pheasants, intro- 
 duced some time ago, are now recognized as among 
 
American Game 221 
 
 the game-birds of Oregon. They are increasing in 
 number. Among the duck are canvasback, mallard, 
 widgeon, spoonbill, sprig tail, and blue- and green- 
 winged teal. 
 
 Wild pigeon are still found in this state. They arrive 
 about April I, and leave about October i. Duck shoot- 
 ing is generally good all along the Columbia river. 
 Duck return from their northern flight in September, 
 and they leave again for the north in April. Duck 
 shooting is also good in southern Oregon. Grouse are 
 most abundant in the western part ; bear in the Coast 
 and Cascade ranges ; cougar and lynx are also plentiful 
 in the same country. Mountain-quail are holding their 
 own in number. Tillamook is a good county for game. 
 Tillamook bay, on the western coast, fifty miles south 
 of the Columbia river, is fifteen miles long, four miles 
 wide, and has various marshes and inlets surrounding 
 a network of salt-water sloughs adjacent, and fine nav- 
 igable rivers. This is said to be an excellent place for 
 a large variety of water-fowl, such as duck, geese, and 
 snipe. Near by is good quail and grouse shooting, and 
 a little further away good deer and elk shooting. Bear 
 are also plentiful here. Curry county has for a number 
 of years been so good a big-game section, that head 
 and hide hunters were attracted there. It is said still to 
 abound with game. Deer are very plentiful in Laus, 
 Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine counties, and in the 
 Coast Range in Tillamook, Lincoln, and Benton coun- 
 ties. Big game is so plentiful in Benton county as quite 
 recently to warrant the offering of a bounty of $2.50 
 for the scalps of cougar, bear, and wildcat, and $i each 
 for wolf scalps. 
 
PENNSYLVANIA 
 
 ^ENNSYLVANIA has an area of 46,000 square 
 miles. The eastern portion, known as the 
 Atlantic slope, is largely undulating and hilly ; 
 the central is mountainous ; while the western 
 is made up of table-lands. This state is nat- 
 urally a favorable one for game, which at one 
 time was very plentiful, but was largely diminished 
 by commercial, manufacturing, and mining enterprises. 
 Its central situation, too, has made it a favorable place 
 for market-hunters, who have helped materially in 
 diminishing the game. Its furred game consists of bear, 
 deer, lynx, fox, both red and gray, raccoon, opossum, 
 otter, mink, muskrat, woodchuck, and squirrel. 
 
 The records of Dr. B. H. Warren, state geologist, 
 show the number of deer killed during the season of 
 i895-'96 as follows: Potter county, 1895 -'96, twenty- 
 five deer; Schuylkill, 1896, two; Snyder, i895-'96, 
 from five to ten; Venango, i895-'96, probably fifty, 
 later returns say five or six were killed in 1 896 ; War- 
 ren, i895~'96, at least twenty-five; Wyoming, a few 
 killed in the western part; Luzerne, 189 5 -'96, eight; 
 Monroe, about fifteen; Adams, about fifty in 1895 an ^ 
 about thirty in 1896; Mifflin, 1896, twelve to fifteen; 
 Franklin, 1896, probably twenty-five; Wayne, 1896, 
 about twenty-five ; Centre, not many deer were scarce ; 
 Forest, 1896, probably thirty or forty; Clearfield, 
 twenty-five ; in Lebanon deer were formerly quite 
 abundant, but they are scarce now, five or six only 
 
American Game 225 
 
 being killed each year ; in Fulton a few deer are killed 
 annually; Tioga has a special law protecting deer for 
 three years ; the last deer reported killed in York 
 county was in 1873; in Diamond valley, Huntingdon 
 county, eleven were killed in 1896 eight years ago 
 about seventy were taken in this valley. 
 
 Black bear are by no means rare; about 150 are 
 killed annually. The bay lynx or wildcat is common 
 in many counties ; in fact, these destructive animals are 
 increasing in some sections. According to the records, 
 as many as one hundred are annually taken by hunters 
 in some of the counties. Raccoon are common, and 
 they are reported to do considerable damage in the 
 corn-fields in some sections; they are also said to de- 
 stroy multitudes of brook trout when the streams are 
 low. Opossum are very numerous in some of the 
 southern counties. Otter are rare ; probably not over 
 twenty-five are taken annually. Mink are numerous 
 about the water-courses ; they are very destructive to 
 fish and poultry. Muskrat are common, and in some 
 sections do great damage in corn-fields. Ground-hog 
 or woodchuck are abundant in many places, and are the 
 cause of much annoyance. Gray and black squirrel 
 are found everywhere. The fox-squirrel is rare, and 
 is restricted to a few localities, being found chiefly in 
 Cumberland, Juniata, Dauphin, and Mifflin counties. 
 
 The feathered game consists of wild turkey, grouse, 
 woodcock, quail, snipe, and plover of several varieties. 
 Water-fowl of nearly all the migratory kinds are found. 
 Rail shooting is good, and marsh-birds are plentiful. 
 Earnest efforts to restock depleted covers with quail 
 have not met with deserved success ; the severe winters 
 
226 Where to Hunt 
 
 have proved disastrous to the imported birds. Wild 
 turkey are fairly common in Juniata, Dauphin, Centre, 
 Union, Snyder, Bedford, and Blair counties, and are 
 sometimes met with elsewhere. Ruffed grouse are 
 found generally throughout this state, except in some of 
 the southeastern and western counties. The best coun- 
 ties for grouse shooting are Forest, Elk, Potter, Clear- 
 field, Wayne, Bradford, Centre, Union, Clinton, Lycom- 
 ing, Luzerne, Pike, Cameron, Monroe, Susquehanna, 
 Tioga, Warren, Jefferson, and Cambria. Wilson's or 
 English snipe are quite plentiful about the meadow- 
 lands during spring migrations. Probably the best 
 locality for snipe shooting is in northwestern Pennsyl- 
 vania, in the vicinity of Lake Erie, in Crawford and Erie 
 counties. During the spring and fall migrations there 
 is very good shooting on the Susquehanna river, from 
 Sunbury to Havre De Grace, Md. At this time there 
 is also good duck shooting at Presque Isle bay, Lake 
 Erie. Rail (sora) and reed-bird shooting is quite good 
 along the Delaware river in September. The sora 
 breed quite plentifully at Presque Isle, where good 
 bags of these birds are often taken in September. 
 Quail shooting for the last two or three years, owing 
 to the severe winters, has not been very good except 
 in some few localities. Shore-birds are some years 
 quite plentiful, during migrations, about Lake Erie's 
 shores. Ruffed grouse have been plentiful for several 
 seasons in Venango county, but market hunting has 
 depleted their number. During the season of 1896 
 at least 2,000 were shot in this county, where one pot- 
 hunter captured about 700. The same may be said of 
 Tioga county. It is reported that market-hunters sent 
 
American Game 229 
 
 to New York during the season of 1895 over $5 ,000 
 worth of grouse. Wayne county has yielded many 
 grouse and woodcock; it is said about 10,000 grouse 
 were shot in this county during the season of 1896- 
 Westmoreland county yielded about $1,000 worth 
 of game in 1896, consisting chiefly of wild turkey, 
 grouse, quail, rabbit, and squirrel. Five merchants in 
 Wilkesbarre, from October, 1895, to January, 1897, 
 sold 3,500 grouse, all, or nearly all, of which were 
 killed in Luzerne and the neighboring counties. One 
 Luzerne county hunter is reported to have killed in 
 1896, within a radius of thirty miles of Wilkesbarre, 
 804 grouse, which were shipped to New York city, and 
 in 1895 tm ' s same individual, it is stated, marketed 
 about 1,200 grouse, killed in Luzerne and neighboring 
 counties. York county formerly contained a great deal 
 of game. A few years ago fully $8,000 worth was 
 annually shipped from this county, but market-shooting 
 has greatly reduced the game. From five townships in 
 York county in 1896 there were sent to the market 
 1, 800 quail, 2,800 rabbit, and 3,000 wild duck. In 
 1896, from September I to December 31, inclusive, 
 a firm in Susquehanna county purchased 3,000 grouse, 
 1,500 quail, 30,000 squirrel, and a large number of 
 rabbit (40,000 or 50,000), which were sent to New 
 York. The value of the game marketed in 1896 from 
 Bradford county is given as fully $16,000. Three gun- 
 ners in the northeastern part are said -to have shipped 
 I ,OOO grouse, and in the western part one market-hunter 
 sold 540 grouse during the season. Gray squirrel were 
 very numerous in Bradford county in recent seasons, 
 and thousands of these animals were killed and sold. 
 
RHODE ISLAND 
 
 HODE ISLAND is the smallest 
 state in area in the Union ; it con- 
 tains 1,300 square miles. Most 
 of its surface is hilly, but near 
 Narragansett bay the land is al- 
 most level. 
 
 Its list of furred game is not extensive. In 1892 a 
 deer was killed near Westerly, and another was reported 
 as seen in 1895 ; but deer are rarely found in the wild 
 state. Red fox are common. They are generally of 
 good size, and are usually of handsome color ; they are 
 killed nearly every winter within a few miles of Provi- 
 dence. Otter are not plentiful ; mink are quite abun- 
 dant; opossum are sometimes killed ; raccoon are com- 
 mon ; so are muskrat. Gray squirrel are common in 
 favorable seasons. In the town of Warwick squirrel 
 have a tendency toward albionism ; some killed there 
 almost every year are white, with faded eyes. There 
 are some flying squirrel. Rabbit and hare are plentiful, 
 many being killed each year in the season within a 
 radius of ten miles of Providence ; the swamps at 
 Kingston are good places for them. There are some 
 red lynx or bob cat in the state. During the season 
 there is considerable feathered game inland and along 
 the coast. Ruffed grouse, the commissioners say, are 
 holding their own. They are most abundant in the 
 central and northern counties. The supply in 1895, ft 
 is believed, was greater than in several years past. The 
 northern part of Kent and Providence counties furnishes 
 
American Game 233 
 
 the best covers for these birds. Some ringnecked 
 pheasant have been introduced. These birds bred and 
 increased for a time, but, owing to insufficient protec- 
 tion, have been about exterminated. Woodcock, it is 
 thought, have increased recently. Wilson's snipe come 
 during the spring and fall migrations (April, and Sep- 
 tember and October) ; they may be found in consider- 
 able numbers in proper localities ; in spring inland, 
 and in autumn nearer the shore. Golden plover, known 
 locally as green-head, were formerly very abundant dur- 
 ing time of migration, late in August and early in Sep- 
 tember, the islands in Narragansett bay being their 
 favorite stopping-places. It is said that at the present 
 time the flights pass the shores far out at sea. A heavy 
 easterly gale occurring during the migrations brings a 
 few birds to the shore, but they do not stop in any 
 numbers, and very few have been killed of late years. 
 Black-bellied plover or beetle-head come along shore 
 in August and September in limited numbers. Brant 
 pass the coast in vast numbers during the spring and 
 fall migrations, but usually keep well out at sea; a few 
 are killed each year in Narragansett bay, where they 
 formerly abounded. 
 
 Red-breasted merganser, common sheldrake, are 
 very plentiful. The American and hooded merganser 
 are rather rare. Goldeneyed duck, called whistler, old- 
 squaw, buffle-head or butter-ball, and greater scaup 
 duck, called widgeon, are plentiful in Narragansett bay. 
 Lesser scaup are not common. Black duck are quite 
 plentiful ; mallard and the pintail are rare ; common 
 eider duck are numerous in winter about Newport, Sea- 
 connet, and Narragansett Pier. American widgeon or 
 
234 Where to Hunt 
 
 baldpate arc rather scarce ; red-head are occasionally 
 shot ; canvasback are very rare. Blue-winged teal are 
 not uncommon ; green-winged are rarer ; wood-duck 
 are reasonably plentiful, varying as all birds do with 
 different years. They drop into all the fresh-water 
 rivers, but are most commonly found near Westerly and 
 Hope. Ruddy duck are common ; shovellers are occa- 
 sional. Of sandpipers the most abundant are least, 
 semipalmated, and spotted. The last named breed 
 within the state. They are too small for purposes of 
 sport or for the table, but are nevertheless killed in 
 great numbers each year. Greater and lesser yellow- 
 legs are to be found in fair abundance. Pectoral sand- 
 piper or grass-bird are common ; turnstone, red-breasted 
 snipe, dowitcher, stilt-sandpiper, and white-rumped sand- 
 piper are fairly numerous. Knot or red-breasted sand- 
 piper are rather rare. Solitary and buff-breasted sand- 
 piper are occasionally found, the latter the rarer. 
 Bartramian sandpiper or upland-plover were formerly 
 very abundant, but they are now quite rare. Killdeer- 
 plover are now rare; piping-plover are quite common, 
 and sometimes breed within the state. Ringnecked 
 plover arc occasionally found. Long-billed curlew 
 (sickle-bill) are very rare; Hudsonian or jack-curlew 
 are not uncommon ; Esquimaux or dough-bird are now 
 quite rare ; Hudsonian godwit, also known as the white- 
 rumped marlin, are very rare; great marbled godwit 
 are also very rare. Purple sandpiper are occasionally 
 found on the coast; willet are at times quite plentiful; 
 red-backed sandpiper are common late in fall. Sander- 
 ling were formerly quite abundant, but of late years 
 have become scarce. 
 
SOUTH CAROLINA 
 
 OUTH CAROLINA possesses an 
 area of 29,385 square miles. Its 
 coast-line is about 220 miles in 
 length, the southern part of which 
 is skirted by a range of islands 
 covered with live-oak, palmetto, 
 and pine trees. The country for 
 a hundred miles back from the ocean is low and flat, 
 the timber growth being pitch-pine. Beyond this is a 
 territory of sand-hills known as the middle country, 
 and further beyond, in the northwestern part of the state, 
 are hills and mountains, the most conspicuous of the 
 latter being the Blue Ridge. 
 
 There is considerable game in the state. Deer, bear, 
 panther or wildcat, fox, raccoon, and opossum are 
 common. As these animals frequent almost impenetra- 
 ble places, they have not been exterminated as game 
 has in many other states. Rabbit, squirrel, and other 
 small furred game are abundant. 
 
 Wild turkey are found in good numbers ; quail or 
 bob-white are abundant; woodcock are common in the 
 counties near the coast ; snipe are plentiful in the 
 season. 
 
 The water-fowl are very numerous along the coast 
 during the season. There are geese and duck of nearly 
 all the migratory species, conspicuous among which are 
 the canvasback, mallard, red-head and teal, widgeon, 
 and spoonbill. 
 
SOUTH DAKOTA 
 
 DAKOTA contains an area of about 
 76,620 square miles. Its surface consists 
 largely of open prairie, except in the 
 southwest, where it is mountainous, the 
 Black Hills being located there. The great 
 Missouri river flows through the center of 
 the state. 
 
 The big game of South Dakota is becoming scarce. 
 It consists of cougar, lynx, elk, deer, gray or timber- 
 wolf, prairie-wolf or coyote, badger, jack-rabbit and 
 cottontail rabbit, mink, otter, and muskrat. 
 
 Of the feathered game there are grouse, pinnated and 
 ruffed, the latter not being very abundant, snipe, plover, 
 quail, several varieties of geese, and nearly all the mi- 
 gratory ducks. The abundance of feathered game 
 depends much upon the season. When rain is abun- 
 dant, there are lakes and sloughs which attract myriads 
 of water-fowl. If rain is scarce, these lakes become dry 
 and the wild fowl do not come. Drought also affects 
 the abundance of pinnated grouse or prairie-chicken. 
 There has, however, generally been an abundance of 
 game of all kinds, with the exception of wild geese, 
 which have decreased. This is attributed to the dry 
 seasons. Trapping has played havoc with prairie-hen. 
 Quail shooting, which formerly was very abundant, is 
 now hard to find. The broad Missouri bottoms, covered 
 with brush, were formerly alive with quail, and one hun- 
 dred birds was no uncommon bag for two men in a 
 
I 
 
American Game 241 
 
 day's hunt. Plover are usually abundant in the south- 
 eastern part of the state. West of the Missouri river, 
 during the past few years, sage-grouse have been plen- 
 tiful. Jack-rabbit are common in all parts of the state, 
 excepting east of the Missouri river; wolf are most com- 
 mon west of that river. Near Scotland, in Bonhomme 
 county, is a good place for them. In a rabbit hunt at 
 that place in 1896, 51 I rabbits were killed. 
 
 Fall River county formerly paid a bounty of $5 for 
 gray-wolf scalps ; but as this was largely in excess of 
 the bounty paid in Nebraska and Wyoming, adjoining 
 this county, and the practice of killing wolves in these 
 states and bringing them to Fall River county and 
 claiming the bounty became such a burden, the com- 
 missioners reduced the bounty to $1.50. In conse- 
 quence there are few wolf-hunters, and the number of 
 the grays has largely increased during the last few 
 years. 
 
TENNESSEE 
 
 ENNESSEE possesses an 
 area of 42,500 square miles, which 
 includes 350 square miles of water. 
 The eastern portion of the state is 
 mountainous ; the middle portion 
 is largely a rolling country; in 
 I. the western part of the state the 
 surface is nearly level. The cli- 
 mate is temperate. 
 
 The furred game of this state are bear, deer, fox, lynx, 
 raccoon, opossum, rabbit, mink, squirrel, and muskrat. 
 Otter are occasionally killed. It is believed that there 
 are a few panther in the state. 
 
 It is reported by good authorities that deer have in- 
 creased to some extent within the past two or three 
 years. Most, if not all, of the mountains in Tennessee 
 contain more or less deer ; some counties protect them. 
 In the unfrequented plateaus of the Cumberland Moun- 
 tains, deer, turkey, and squirrel are usually plentiful. 
 Fox are numerous throughout the state ; squirrel 
 vary in numbers in different seasons. 
 
 The feathered game of Tennessee consists of wild tur- 
 key, quail or bob-white (partridge, as they are known 
 here), grouse, snipe, woodcock, Wilson's snipe, and 
 water-fowl. Quail or bob-white are most abundant in 
 the western and southeastern parts of the state ; wild 
 turkey, too, are found there in fair numbers. Quail 
 shooting is generally good near Lucy, in Shelby 
 

American Game 245 
 
 county. A (air number are usually to be found in the 
 neighborhood of Chattanooga. About Brownsville, in 
 Hayvvood county, the quail-shooting is usually good. 
 These birds arc usually abundant in the Tennessee val- 
 ley, between the Cumberland and the Alleghany ranges. 
 Duck are present in the lakes and streams in great 
 numbers during the months of October, November, and 
 December, nearly all the migratory species being repre- 
 sented. Duck-shooting, with some geese and swan, is 
 generally good on the St. Francis river opposite Mem- 
 phis, in the season. There are extensive marshes there. 
 Ruffed grouse, or pheasant as they are called in this 
 state, arc scarce. The Carolina dove (wild pigeon, as 
 they are often called) visit this state in large numbers, 
 and many are shot each year. 
 
TEXAS 
 
 HE great state of Texas contains an area 
 of 274,356 square miles, over three 
 times the area of all the New Eng- 
 land states. The country within fifty 
 miles of the coast line is level ; be- 
 hind this, in the interior and north, 
 the country is undulating ; the 
 northwestern part is made up largely 
 of mountains and table-lands. In 
 this locality is the great Staked plain, containing more 
 than 50,000 square miles. 
 
 The furred game of Texas consists of elk, deer, ante- 
 lope, panther, bear, lynx, wolf, both gray or timber- 
 wolf, and the prairie-wolf or coyote, jack-rabbit, cot- 
 tontail rabbit, and badger. Occasionally an ocelot and 
 a jaguar are killed ; straggling peccary, too, are some- 
 times shot. 
 
 The list of feathered game of Texas is long. There 
 are wild turkey, several species of grouse, including the 
 ruffed grouse and pinnated grouse, snipe, and several 
 species of quail. There are believed to be some wild, 
 or passenger-, pigeon in Texas. 
 
 Deer are abundant in Anderson county. At Pales- 
 tine, deer are frequently shot within five or six miles of 
 the city. They are hunted almost exclusively with 
 hounds. 
 
 In the Pecos river country in western Texas there are 
 cougar or mountain-lion, black and cinnamon bear, 
 
American Game 249 
 
 wolf, both gray or timber-, and prairie- or coyote. Red 
 deer and black-tailed deer are abundant. North Texas 
 still abounds in antelope and deer. The region known 
 as southwest Texas, between Alice and Brownsville, is 
 probably the best deer country. Herds of 500 have 
 been seen there. 
 
 Turkey are plentiful north of Kerrville, about 150 
 miles from San Antonio. Raccoon, opossum, wildcat, 
 and mink are plentiful everywhere, as but little trapping 
 has taken place in Texas. 
 
 In the Colorado river country, west of Velasco, the 
 sportsman can usually find excellent sport. There arc 
 deer, grouse in abundance, and myriads of duck and 
 snipe in the season. 
 
 Near Lufkin, in Angelina county, there is excellent 
 deer shooting. The country between the Angelina and 
 Nueces rivers is favorable for the sport. There is also 
 good quail shooting in this neighborhood. 
 
 Of the quail, there arc the bob-white, which are very 
 plentiful almost everywhere, the Mexican blue quail, to 
 be found in western counties, and the black quail, which 
 some claim to be Messina, to be found in the mountains 
 of western Texas. The droughts of the past few years 
 have been the cause of much more game being slaught- 
 ered than otherwise would have taken place, as the 
 farmers and ranchmen, being pressed for something to 
 subsist on, took to hunting for meat and hides. A 
 return of good seasons, however, has already made 
 game more plentiful, and no doubt game is on the 
 increase at the present time. 
 
 Quail shooting is good, usually, at Elmendorf in 
 Bexar county. In the neighborhood of Waco good 
 
250 Where to Hunt 
 
 quail shooting may be secured. In Montague county 
 quail are said to be very abundant. Near Galveston 
 there are many quail, and a great many are shot annu- 
 ally ; snipe shooting is also good through the winter ; 
 and the pinnated grouse or prairie-hen are still found in 
 good numbers. Very large bags of quail have been 
 secured in Weimar in Colorado county, and it is still an 
 excellent place for these birds. 
 
 Texas is the winter home of wild fowl of all kinds, 
 and sportsmen have enjoyed the best of that kind of 
 shooting on the Texas coast. 
 
 Duck shooting may be found near Galveston, Rock- 
 port, and other Texas coast cities. Port Lavaca, in 
 Calhoun county, is a place where there is generally fine 
 duck shooting in the season. Near Rockport, in 
 Aransas county, there is good wild-fowl shooting in the 
 season. Gregory, in San Patricio county, is also good 
 for duck shooting, Nueces bay being the resort of many 
 wild fowl. 
 
UTAH 
 
 possesses an area of 84,476 square 
 miles. It is divided by the Wahsatch 
 mountains, traversing the - territory from 
 north to south. East of these mountains 
 the country is hilly; west, the country 
 is hilly, with much barren table-land. 
 There are some fertile valleys, but the elevated 
 portions are generally sterile. 
 
 Of the furred game found in Utah, there arc black- 
 tailed or mule-deer, elk, antelope, mountain-sheep, 
 grizzly bear, brown and black bear, mountain-lion, wild- 
 cat, gray- or timber-wolf, prairie-wolf or coyote, bea- 
 ver, mink, otter, jack-rabbit, and cottontail rabbit. 
 
 Deer are to be found quite plentiful in the southern 
 and eastern portions of the state, and some few near 
 Salt Lake City during the winters, when the snow is deep 
 on the mountains. 
 
 Elk are scarce and hard to find. Antelope are found 
 in the southern part of the state, but are not very often 
 killed, as the country which they frequent is very flat 
 and open, which makes hunting difficult. 
 
 Mountain-sheep are not numerous, and are very hard 
 to find, inhabiting the highest peaks, which are very 
 rocky and steep. 
 
 Special efforts are now being made to extend protec- 
 tion to elk, mountain-sheep, antelope, beaver, and otter, 
 as all of these animals have become very rare in this 
 state. Grizzly bear are not so plentiful as the other 
 
254 Where to Hunt 
 
 species, but are found in the same localities, in most of 
 the canons. Mountain-lion arc becoming quite plenti- 
 ful in some localities ; lynx arc also on the increase. 
 
 The gray wolf and coyote are found out on the dry 
 plains in nearly all parts of the state ; the first is becom- 
 ing rather scarce, while the latter is plentiful. 
 
 Jack-rabbit are most plentiful of all the furred game, 
 but are diminishing somewhat on account of disease 
 and the great slaughter of them annually. They can be 
 found in most parts of the state, but are most numerous 
 at Cedar valley, about thirty-five miles by rail from Salt 
 Lake City, where in two days' shooting the results were 
 2,200 for the first and 1,800 for the second day, about 
 thirty shooters participating. 
 
 Of the feathered game, there arc sage-hen or cock-of- 
 the-plains, willow-grouse, ruffed grouse, blue or dusky 
 grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, and a few California quail. 
 A few bob-white are found in the vicinity of Salt Lake 
 City. 
 
 California quail are very numerous in the south part 
 of Utah, often being found in flocks of as many as two 
 or three hundred in the latter part of the season after 
 breeding-time. 
 
 Mallard duck, canvasback, redhead, blue-winged teal, 
 green-winged teal, pintail, widgeon, ruddy, and butter- 
 ball are migratory. The only species of duck said to 
 breed in Utah arc widgeon and teal, mostly the latter. 
 Duck arc not very numerous during the fall season, but 
 in the spring are quite plentiful, although not in very 
 good condition. Snipe and plover are migratory birds. 
 
ERMONT, or the Green Mountain state 
 as it is called, contains an area of 
 10,212 square miles; it is 157 miles 
 long and about thirty to forty miles 
 wide. Its surface is quite mountainous, 
 but these mountains are generally cov- 
 ered with evergreen trees and shrubs ; the hills are fer- 
 tile to their tops, and the valleys are beautiful in their 
 productiveness. The Connecticut river extends along 
 its eastern border ; Lake Champlain is its western boun- 
 dary for some 140 miles; and Lake Memphremagog 
 for about thirty miles long, is on the north. 
 
 Its furred game includes the common Virginia deer, 
 which are getting quite plentiful in the mountains, and 
 are often seen in the more thickly settled lake towns. 
 The common black bear are the only variety of that 
 family. They are found largely among the mountains, 
 and do not decrease in numbers. Raccoon are found 
 in every section, though nowhere abundant, and they 
 are rapidly decreasing in numbers. Common red fox 
 are found in every locality though in diminishing num- 
 bers, and in all shades of color from almost a pure sil- 
 ver to a pure black, known as the black or silver-gray. 
 Some are found having a dark band across their shoul- 
 ders and along their backs, with reddish sides ; these 
 are called cross-foxes; if these bands are faintly 
 marked, they are called bastards. All these different 
 colored foxes, it is said, come from red mothers. The 
 
258 Where to Hunt 
 
 panther, catamount, cougar, and painter are very rare. 
 Occasionally one may be found on the more densely 
 wooded mountains. An occasional lynx is found in 
 the mountain towns. They are decreasing in numbers. 
 The red lynx is even more rare than Lynx canadcnsis. 
 The habits and range of the two species are the same, 
 though Lynx rufns often degrades himself by robbing 
 hen-roosts. 
 
 Otter have become quite rare. A few, however, still 
 follow up and down the larger streams in the central and 
 northern parts. Fisher or black cat are becoming 
 scarce ; they are most plentiful among the mountains 
 and woods in the northern and northeastern parts. 
 Pine-marten sable are on nearly all of the mountains 
 in the northern part, but are nowhere plentiful. They 
 are decreasing in numbers. Weasel (stoat) are found 
 everywhere. Muskrat are generally distributed in all 
 waters, whether lake or river. Mink are found roaming 
 along the banks of every stream or lake that contains 
 fish. Hare, commonly called rabbit, are abundant, but 
 are steadily decreasing in numbers in the vicinity of the 
 largest villages. 
 
 Gray squirrel some years are quite numerous in all 
 the localities that furnish a good crop of nuts. They 
 are often migratory in their habits, moving from one 
 locality to another as their favorite food increases or 
 diminishes. They are decreasing in numbers. Wood- 
 chuck are common, and seem to hold their own against 
 all enemies. The feathered game consists of ruffed 
 grouse, which are found in every section, but in great- 
 est number in the towns west of the mountains, where 
 the large timber has been cut off and its place has been 
 
American Game 261 
 
 taken by a second growth of white birch and other 
 small timber. This bird is also found on the pine 
 plains, where the sweet-fern grows and the ground is 
 covered with a carpet of chick or partridge-berry, vines, 
 and fragrant winter-green ; there he loves to dwell, 
 especially if there be some dark, bushy ravines near 
 by to be used for cover in times of danger. In the 
 sweet-fern he will oftentimes lie for a dog equal to the 
 prairie-hen. In many sections the ruffed grouse is 
 becoming more plentiful. Canada grouse are nowhere 
 numerous, a few being found in the mountains in the 
 northern and northwestern parts. Quail or bob-white 
 are scarce. Repeated attempts have been made to 
 introduce them, but without much success, as the birds 
 cannot endure the winter weather. Woodcock arrive 
 from the south late in the spring. A portion of the 
 flight remain here to breed, and the others, after a short 
 rest, pass on to more northern localities. While nowhere 
 plentiful, they are to be found during the summer 
 months in favorable spots in nearly every town. The 
 native-bred birds begin their migrations southward 
 about September i, after the first cold autumn storm, 
 and the flight-birds from the north begin to arrive soon 
 afterward. There are but few breeding-grounds directly 
 north between the northern boundary of the state and 
 the St. Lawrence, which makes the flight into the north- 
 ern part light, unless there are heavy west winds that 
 bring the birds in from the big breeding-grounds west 
 of the St. Johns or the Richelieu river. They are 
 usually plentiful in the central and northern portions. 
 
 Wilson's snipe are migratory ; they breed to a lim- 
 ited extent in the marshes around the Missisquoi bay of 
 
262 Where to Hunt 
 
 Lake Champlain, and in a few localities farther south 
 along its eastern shores. Flight-birds arrive soon after 
 the so called equinoctial storm, and are then found in 
 goodly numbers in the Missisquoi marshes, and in nearly 
 every marsh along the eastern shore of the lake, and 
 along the low, soft banks of some of the small creeks in 
 the interior. The first hard frost starts the great bulk 
 of the birds southward, though a few remain until the 
 surface of the marshes is frozen. 
 
 A few pairs of sharp-tailed grouse were recently re- 
 leased, and are reported as thriving. Red-breasted 
 snipe occasionally arrive with the late flight of English 
 snipe. Jack-snipe are sometimes found around the lake 
 marshes in October. Greater yellowlegs are not plenti- 
 ful. Some are found on the sand-bars of the lake dur- 
 ing October. They are occasionally found in the inte- 
 rior late in the fall. Lesser yellowlegs have the same 
 habits as their greater brothers. Great marble godwit 
 arrive in small numbers in October, and frequent the 
 shores and sand-bars of the lake. The Hudsonian 
 godwit arrives about the middle of October, rests, and 
 feeds along the sand-bars of the lake. Willet are occa- 
 sionally found late in October and early in November 
 along the lake shores and sand-bars. Golden plover 
 arrive early in September, and frequent old and closely 
 cropped fields on the islands and farms bordering the 
 lake ; they stool well, and are easily shot over dogs. 
 Black-breasted plover are generally found in smaller 
 numbers along with golden plover. Upland plover 
 breed abundantly on the hill farms in the northwestern 
 part of the state, but leave early in the season, about 
 September i, for the south. Ringnecked plover are 
 
American Game 265 
 
 occasionally found late in the season along the shores of 
 the lake. Sandpiper breed abundantly. Canada geese 
 arrive at the lake in April, on their way to their north- 
 ern breeding-grounds, which are among the shallow 
 lakes north of the " great divide," where the waters flow 
 northward and into the Hudson bay and Arctic ocean. 
 They stop in Vermont on their southward migration, 
 about October I, and remain until the hard frost comes, 
 staying afternoons and nights out on the broad waters 
 of the lake, and feeding during the early part of the day 
 in the stubble-fields. Their numbers are yearly decreas- 
 ing. Brant, of late years, are seldom seen. An occa- 
 sional flock comes, but makes a short stay. Black duck 
 breed in considerable numbers in the Missisquoi 
 marshes, and also in other sections of Lake Champlain, 
 and in a few of the most secluded ponds and creeks in 
 the interior of the state. They would undoubtedly 
 breed here in far greater numbers if they were not 
 driven away in the spring by muskrat-trappers and 
 pickerel-shooters. During the past two years there has 
 been a marked increase in the number of native-bred 
 duck, and no perceptible decrease in the migratory 
 flight, which begins to arrive the last of September, or 
 soon after the first cold storm in September. Mallard 
 are occasionally found with their dusky brethren, the 
 black duck. Wood-duck formerly bred abundantly 
 in Vermont, but the wood-choppers have cut down most 
 of their nesting-places. This has caused the majority 
 of these duck to go to the great northern wilds to find 
 suitable breeding-places. The few wood-duck that are 
 natives leave for the south early in September. The 
 flight-duck arrive soon afterward, and after a short stay 
 
266 Where to Hunt 
 
 resume their journey toward a warmer clime. A few 
 blue-winged teal breed in the marshes around Lake 
 Champlain, but the majority of those that are shot are 
 flight-duck. Their numbers are less and less every sea- 
 son. Green-winged teal are rarer. Pin-tail duck breed 
 in small numbers in the larger marshes of Lake Cham- 
 plain, and leave for southern waters early in September. 
 They are decreasing in numbers. 
 
 Blue-bill arrive in November from their far northern 
 breeding-grounds. They come in readily to decoys, 
 and give good sport to the shooter who has a blind out 
 on the open waters of the lake. Broad-bill are often 
 found with the common blue bill. The breeding- 
 grounds and habits of these two birds are similar. 
 Spoonbill duck or shoveller are rare. Redhead arrive 
 in November, occasionally the last of October. They 
 come to decoys readily. Their numbers are rapidly 
 decreasing. Whistlers, which arc scarce, arrive about 
 November, and also make several weeks' stay early in 
 the spring. Barrow's goldeneye arc occasionally found. 
 Butterball arrive the last of September, and frequent all 
 the lakes and rivers. Ruddy duck are not common in 
 Lake Champlain. They are migratory. Sheldrake are 
 found until the ice forms on all the ponds and rivers of 
 any size. They arrive again the middle of April, on 
 their way to their northern breeding-grounds. They 
 are decreasing. Red-breasted sheldrake are migratory, 
 and quite common in the lake and in the mouths of the 
 rivers that flow into it, late in the fall and early in the 
 spring. They are decreasing in numbers. Hooded 
 merganser are rare. Widgeon are occasionally found 
 along with the late fall duck. Gadwall are occasionally 
 
I \ 
 
 11 
 
 8 2 
 I 1 
 
American Game 269 
 
 found. The scooters include the black and the velvet, 
 and come in late in the season. 
 
 Virginia rail breed in limited numbers in and about 
 the lake marshes. Sora-rail are occasionally found 
 among the lily-pads in the pond-holes of the Missisquoi 
 marshes. They go southward early in September. 
 Wild pigeon breed in small numbers every year in the 
 northwestern part. Turtle dove, also called mourning 
 dove, are frequently seen in the western and southern 
 parts of Vermont. They are migratory, arriving in the 
 early summer, and departing for the south in September. 
 
 The highest authority in the state thinks there is no 
 one county best for ruffed grouse. Woodcock are 
 plentiful in Rutland county and as far north as Chitten- 
 den county; south of the central part of the state is 
 the best territory for woodcock. Duck shooting at the 
 mouth of the Missisquoi is very good. A good shot 
 will occasionally bag twenty or thirty birds from a blind 
 in one morning's shooting. There is more or less duck 
 shooting all the way up the lake (Champlain) and in the 
 creeks tributary to it. English pheasant, introduced by 
 Dr. W. S. Webb, have spread through several counties. 
 
 The commissioners of fisheries an.d game report for the 
 two years ending June 30, 1896, the following bounties 
 paid for destruction of noxious animals: Bear, $1,215 > 
 panther, $20; lynx, $710; fox, $6,704.10. They also 
 report that deer are undoubtedly on the increase. Ruffed 
 grouse have increased in number, reports for 1895 indi- 
 cating that they are more plentiful than for many pre- 
 vious years. The Mongolian and English pheasant have 
 been introduced, the former thriving quite well. Black- 
 game and capercailzie are about being introduced. 
 
VIRGINIA 
 
 IRGINIA has an area of 38,348 square 
 miles. The three sections of the state 
 are known as Tide-water, the Piedmont, 
 and the Valley. The Tide-water is 
 made up of a low, sandy plain, inter- 
 spersed with marshes with growth of rank 
 vegetation ; the Piedmont is first undulat- 
 ing, then hilly, and finally mountainous ; the Valley lies 
 between the Blue Ridge and the Alleghany ridge, and 
 is a very attractive country, consisting of elevated, fer- 
 tile valleys. 
 
 The furred game consists of deer, black bear, lynx, 
 opossum, beaver, raccoon, mink, otter, muskrat, squir- 
 rel, rabbit, and some other small fur-bearing animals. 
 
 Of the feathered game there are turkey, ruffed 
 grouse, or pheasant as it is called in this state, quail 
 or bob-white, woodcock, rail, and snipe ; and nearly all 
 the shore-birds, migratory ducks, and geese during the 
 season. Wild turkey are plentiful, and are increasing, 
 it is said, as they are not hunted much in some parts of 
 the state owing to the hard work required and the wari- 
 ness of the bird. Wild turkey can be found at Ravens- 
 worth on the line of the Southern Railway, twelve miles 
 from Alexandria, and in the oak woods near the Big 
 Dike. In upper Tide-water wild turkey are abundant; 
 also on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge. The sea- 
 son is from November I to January 15. 
 
 Quail or bob-white are becoming scarce in many 
 
American Game 273 
 
 localities, owing to severe winters. At Springfield sta- 
 tion in Fairfax county, about ten miles from Alexan- 
 dria, good shooting is generally to be found. Sports- 
 men feel certain that quail will increase with favorable 
 weather and fair protection. The legislature of Virginia 
 recently passed a law protecting these birds for the 
 period of two years, and sportsmen intend to aid in 
 increasing the supply by liberating live birds which 
 they succeed in getting from North Carolina. 
 
 Ruffed grouse or pheasant is the scarcest of game- 
 birds. Good shooting could be had several years ago 
 at Ravensworth, but the birds there are now almost 
 exterminated. Wilson's snipe are migratory. The first 
 flight from the south arrive here about March 1st. 
 They do not breed in this section, but are plentiful in 
 the marshes and wet meadows around Alexandria and 
 Washington from the middle of March to the first of 
 May. Some of the places where good snipe shooting 
 may be had are Eastern branch, outside of Washing- 
 ton, D. C. ; Danigerficld marsh, between Washington, 
 D. C., and Alexandria ; also in the marshes on Great 
 and Little Hunting creeks in Fairfax county. Good 
 snipe shooting may be had in April. Snipe arrive from 
 the north about October I, and remain about three 
 weeks, but are not nearly as plentiful as in the spring. 
 
 Woodcock arrive from the south about the first of 
 March, and breed in the state quite freely. Great num 
 bers of these birds may be found in Fairfax county, 
 about six miles from Alexandria, at a place the sports- 
 men call " the double ditches;" also at Woodbridge 
 on the line of the Alexandria & Fredericksburg Rail- 
 road, about twenty miles from Alexandria. On the 
 
274 Where to Hunt 
 
 main line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad one may 
 find good woodcock covers. Leave the train at 
 Branchville, and hunt up the stream to Beltsville, a 
 distance of about five miles. Fine shooting may be 
 had at either place from July to September, except in 
 an exceedingly dry season. Good shooting may be 
 had at "the big dike," two and a half miles from Alex- 
 andria, on the line of the Washington & Mt. Vernon 
 electric Railway. In the last two summer months 
 sportsmen can get good shooting at flight-birds from 
 the north at Franconia, Accotinck, and Lorton 
 stations, on the line of the Alexandria & Fredericks- 
 burg Railroad. The distances from Alexandria to 
 these stations arc seven, eleven, and fifteen miles 
 respectively. From the middle of October to the mid- 
 dle of September the shooting is good. After that 
 time the birds have all migrated south. It is thought 
 woodcock are not decreasing. They were more plenti- 
 ful in 1895 tnan f r a number of years. 
 
 Good duck shooting can be had on the Potomac, 
 near Washington, from October to April. From all 
 reports duck are decreasing very rapidly. Canvasback, 
 blue-bill, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, butter- 
 ball, mallard, redhead, whistler, and wood-duck are 
 found ; there are a few swan and geese. A few wood- 
 duck breed in Virginia. 
 
 Sora-rail arrive in the marshes about the middle of 
 August, and are very plentiful. It is no unusual thing 
 to bag seventy to eighty birds on one trip of two hours' 
 shooting. Several years ago a sportsman succeeded in 
 bagging 1 1 5 rail in three hours' shooting, in the big 
 marsh two miles from Alexandria. These birds mi- 
 
American Game 275 
 
 grate at the coming of the first frost. Some of the 
 marshes where good shooting can be had in September 
 are Eastern branch, a four-mile run between Washing- 
 ton and Alexandria; marshes on Great and Little 
 Hunting creek ; Big marsh, two miles from Alexandria, 
 in Fairfax county. These birds are shot out of a light 
 skiff, which is poled through the wild oats on high 
 water. There seems to be no decrease in the number 
 of these birds. In Accomac county there is generally 
 to be found turkey, quail, duck, and brant shooting. 
 The bay-bird shooting, in August and September, is 
 generally very fine. Good deer shooting is usually 
 found in the neighborhood of Alleghany. 
 
 In the neighborhood of West Point, in King William 
 county, there is a variety of game, mainly feathered, 
 consisting of turkey, snipe, and duck. Virginia beach 
 is a famous place for shore-bird shooting. The seasons 
 for birds at that place are : Yellowlegs, plover, willet, 
 and all kinds of bay-birds, commence to fly about July 
 20, and continue until October I ; duck shooting com- 
 mences on October 10 and continues until March 10. 
 Surry, in the same county, is on the south bank of the 
 James. Good deer and turkey shooting has been 
 secured in that vicinity during the past few years, 
 Duck shooting is good at this place in cold weather. 
 
 Deer and other game have been quite plentiful re- 
 cently in the neighborhood of Williamsburg in James 
 City county. Fox, hare, opossum, and raccoon are 
 plentiful from the top of the Blue Ridge into Tide-water. 
 Bear are found in the Dismal Swamp, in the wooded 
 heights of the Blue Ridge and its foot-hills, and in the 
 Appalachian heights. 
 
WASHINGTON 
 
 ASHINGTON contains an area of 
 69,994 square miles. Its surface 
 is generally mountainous. A 
 branch of the Rocky Mountains 
 makes up its eastern boundary; 
 the Coast Range extends through 
 the northwestern portion ; and the 
 Cascade Range runs through the state, north to south. 
 Washington possesses much game, including the 
 grizzly and the black and brown bear, the bighorn, 
 Rocky Mountain goat, elk, deer of the black-tailed and 
 Virginia varieties, cougar, lynx, otter, badger, fisher, 
 marten, mink, rabbit, squirrel, and other small furred 
 animals ; grouse of several varieties, including the blue, 
 ruffed, pinnated or prairie-hen (in eastern Washington), 
 quail of different kinds, sage-hen (in eastern Washing- 
 ton), ptarmigan, duck, swan, geese, and other aquatic 
 birds, and dove of several varieties. 
 
 Duck and geese shooting has not been as good of 
 late as formerly. Geese are mostly shot in eastern 
 Washington. They do not remain here long, but pass 
 on to Oregon and California. Mallard, wood-duck, and 
 green-winged teal breed here. A very few blue-winged 
 teal are shot. Quail shooting is likely to improve, as 
 they have enjoyed five years' protection or close sea- 
 son, and are growing more numerous. A favorite place 
 on Puget sound for California quail is Whidby island. 
 Some California mountain quail are shot, but they are 
 
American Game 279 
 
 exceedingly scarce. Pigeon shooting is rather poor, 
 but at times affords good sport, bags of fifty and sixty 
 being made on the grain fields in the spring. Snipe 
 shooting is best in April when they come north ; it is 
 poor in winter. Grouse shooting has also been decreas- 
 ing. Wild pigeon seem to frequent the coast lands, 
 and dove the eastern part. 
 
 The state is divided into eastern and western Wash- 
 ington by the Cascade Mountains. Ptarmigan are 
 found, but not in very large numbers, in all northern 
 mountainous counties. Ruffed and blue grouse are 
 most plentiful in western Washington, the latter fre- 
 quenting rather hilly districts ; but fairly good sport is 
 had around the Sound cities. 
 
 Duck and goose shooting is generally good in the 
 western part of the state ; the various mud flats at the 
 mouths of rivers entering Puget sound are favorite 
 sporting resorts, including Skagit flats at the mouth of 
 Skagit river; the Stillaquamish flats at Stanwood, at 
 the mouth of Stillaquamish river, eight miles south of 
 Skagit; Swinomish slough and Nesqually, all on Puget 
 Sound flats. Whidby island is also a good point for 
 shooting. These points afford good snipe and pigeon 
 shooting when the grain has just been planted in the 
 spring, but not after it is up a few inches. Pigeon are 
 shot on the fields inside the dikes. There is no shoot- 
 ing of pheasant except on Protection island, which is 
 private property. Crab creek in Lincoln county is a 
 good point for the sportsman to visit. Moses lake near 
 this place is some thirty miles in length, but only about 
 half a mile wide. There is excellent duck shooting in 
 these waters, and large furred game is found near by. 
 
WEST VIRGINIA 
 
 HE state of West Virginia has an area of 
 23,000 square miles. A large portion of 
 the country is mountainous, and the moun- 
 tains are quite fertile. The valleys are also 
 fertile, and the generally mild climate 
 makes the state favorable for some varie- 
 ties of game. In some parts of this state 
 game laws are woefully disregarded, and this has 
 nearly exterminated the game ; there are, too, occa- 
 sional severe winters, which prove disastrous to the 
 quail or bob-white, generally known in this state as 
 partridge. At the present time a strong effort is being 
 made to protect this favorite game-bird, which no 
 doubt will restore some of the depleted covers. The 
 furred game of West Virginia is mainly deer, bear, a 
 few lynx, rabbit, squirrel, mink, and muskrat. The 
 principal feathered game is wild turkey, grouse, wood- 
 cock, quail, snipe, migratory shore-birds, duck, and 
 geese. Deer remain plentiful in some of the moun- 
 tainous districts. Most of the duck shooting is done 
 on the Potomac river, where their abundance varies 
 with the seasons. Wild turkey are likely to be found 
 between Cherry Run and Green Spring, on the line of 
 the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Moorefield and Rom- 
 ney are favorite hunting-grounds for local sportsmen ; 
 and Pocahontas, Randolph, and Webster counties, 
 where there are plenty of deer, are also good-hunting 
 grounds. 
 
WISCONSIN 
 
 ISCONSIN'S area is 53,924 
 square miles. Its surface 
 is undulating ; no portion 
 is mountainous, hilly, or 
 flat. The western portion is 
 more nearly hilly than other 
 parts. There are rolling prairies, 
 covered with luxuriant growths 
 of grass and flowers. In the northern part the soil is 
 of a sandy nature, and the timber growth is heavy ; 
 this portion contains rapid streams. 
 
 The furred game of Wisconsin consists mainly of 
 bear, deer, moose, caribou, cougar, Canada lynx, red 
 lynx or bob cat, otter, fisher, beaver, mink, marten, 
 fox, timber- or gray wolf, raccoon, muskrat, rabbit, 
 and squirrel, all found in the northwestern part. Deer 
 are plentiful in all the northern and northwestern coun- 
 ties, and bear and wolf in the northern counties. Many 
 fox are found, and coon are abundant in northwestern 
 and southwestern counties. Moose are few, and prob- 
 ably decreasing. Rabbit abound everywhere, but espe- 
 cially in Dunn, Eau Claire, Chippewa, and Barren 
 counties ; and squirrel are on the increase in the north- 
 ern and southwestern counties. 
 
 The feathered game consists of wild turkey, ruffed 
 grouse, Canadian grouse or spruce-partridge, pinnated 
 grouse, prairie-hen, plover, canvasback, mallard, teal, 
 redhead, wood-duck, and butterball duck, several varic- 
 
284 Where to Hunt 
 
 ties of the goose family, and ruffed grouse are quite 
 plentiful in all northwestern counties, though not as 
 abundant as formerly. Prairie-hen and other varieties 
 of grouse are fairly plentiful in central and southwest- 
 ern counties. A few bevies of quail may be found 
 in the central and southern counties. Duck frequent all 
 lakes and marshes. Northern duck are quite abundant 
 in the fall on Chain lakes and the marshes near the city 
 of Madison. Duck are decreasing rapidly. Geese are 
 found in the fall on Chain lakes and other inland waters. 
 Snipe are quite plentiful in spring and fall, especially 
 near the Mississippi river bottoms and on the marshes 
 near Eau Claire and Madison. Woodcock are found 
 on Chippewa river bottoms. The best shooting may 
 be had near Alma and on the Mississippi river bot- 
 toms. Many of the good duck-shooting grounds in this 
 state are now controlled by clubs or individuals. The 
 famous Horicon marshes are excellent places for wild 
 fowl, but are controlled by clubs. 
 
 Deer, bear, and wolf are on the increase in Iron 
 county. Mercer in that county is a good place for 
 hunting. Cable in Bayfield county is a good place 
 for deer. Many are each year brought into Marsh- 
 field in Wood county, which have been killed in thai' 
 neighborhood. Abbotsford in Clark county is a ren- 
 dezvous for many deer hunters, whence they go in dif- 
 ferent directions along the line of the Wisconsin Central 
 Railroad, where there is good deer shooting. 
 
WYOMING 
 
 YOMING has an area of 93,883 
 square miles. The Rocky Moun- 
 tains cross the state from north- 
 west to southeast, and there arc 
 other ranges, making its general 
 surface bold and mountainous. 
 Much of the country is heavily 
 
 timbered. The southwestern portion is well watered 
 and very fertile. The principal rivers arc the Yellow- 
 stone, Big Horn, and Powder. In the northwestern 
 corner is the great Yellowstone National Park, part of 
 it being in Montana. The climate is severe in the 
 mountains but mild in the valleys. 
 
 Among the furred game of Wyoming are grizzly 
 bear, black and brown bear, wapiti or elk, black-tailed 
 and Virginia deer, cougar, lynx of the two varieties, 
 gray or timber-wolf, prairie-wolf or coyote, antelope, 
 bighorn or mountain-sheep, mountain-goat, jack-rabbit, 
 cottontail rabbit, otter, beaver, fisher, marten or 
 sable, and muskrat. 
 
 Among the feathered game are grouse of several 
 varieties, including the ruffed, sage, pinnated, and 
 blue grouse, besides quail, plover, duck, geese, swan, 
 snipe, plover, and other migratory birds. But little 
 attention is paid to the game-birds on account of the 
 proximity to large game. 
 
 W T apiti or elk frequent the mountains in warm 
 weather, coming down to the foot-hills and plains 
 
288 Where to Hunt 
 
 with, the approach of winter. Recently it was esti- 
 mated that no fewer than 10,000 elk came from the 
 mountains and foot-hills to the plains, between Fort 
 Washakie and the head of the Wind river in Wyoming, 
 to escape the deep snows. Bison or buffalo occasion- 
 ally wander from the National Park. 
 
 Bear of the several kinds, cougar, wolf, elk, and deer 
 are to be found in greater or less abundance in the 
 mountain counties of Wyoming. It is a significant fact 
 that game continues plentiful in this state, especially in 
 the northern part, except where the Indians are allowed 
 to hunt. 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY