7^y LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 3 gy UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (DAFT A\oGi]o[i3®(DA[Effi)[lJ©, ■CHAMPION WING S HOT" F AM ER i C Mil cfifE, m IMP loom. CAPTAIN A. H. BOaAKDUS, « I Champion Wing Shot of the World. EMBRACING HINTS FOR SKILLED MARKSMEN ; INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUNG SPORTSMEN ; HAUNTS AND HABITS OF GAME BIRDS ; FLIGHT AND RESORTS OF WATER FOWL ; BREEDING AND BREAKING OF DOGS, ETC., ETC. WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING THE RULES OF TRAP-SHOOTING. THIRD EDITION, REVISED TO DATE. NEW YORK: FOREST & STREAM PUBLISHING CO, 1891. Copyright, 1891, by FOREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING CO. TO THE SPORTSMEN OF AMERICA THIS BOOK IS INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR, CONTENTS. Preface by the Editor, ...••••• ^-^ CHAPTER I. General Introductory Remarks. Great Increase of Field Shooting— Delights of the Sport— Expe^ rience in the Field— Beginning in Albany County, New York, at Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock— Removal to Sangamon River, Illi- nois—Great Abundance of Game— Numerous Deer— Removal to Elkhart, Logan County— Vast Numbers of Pinnated Grouse— Gillott's Grove— Osage Orange Hedges and Quail— Pinnated Grouse shot too early— Diminution of Breeding Places— Migration of the Grouse late in Fall— Ducks and Geese in Com-Fields —Nesting Places of Grouse and of Quail— Evil of Prairie- Burning late in Spring— Snipe, Golden Plover, and Upland Plover —The American Hare or Rabbit— Hawks after Game -The Win- nebago Swamp Breeding-place of Ducks and Crane— Wolves in the Swamp— A Wolf-Hunt in Gillott's Grove— Eagles and Foxes, etc., 15-37 CHAPTER II. GiTNs AND Their Proper Charges. Skill and Ingenuity of Gunmakers— Improvements and Inventions of Late Years— Vast Advantage from the Breech-Loader— Safest and best of Guns— Metallic Cartridge-Cases— Size of Guns— Advan- tage of Weight— The Suitable Stock— Proper Filling of Cartridges- Trials of Guns— Loading of Cartridges— Quantity of Powder— Sizes of Shot for DiflFerent Game— Dead-Shot Powder— Disadvantage of very Large Shot, 38-52 CONTENTS. CHAPTER III. Pinnated Grouse Shooting. ilbundance in the Prairie States— Of Service to the Farmer- Grouse Polygamous— Booing' of the Cocks in Spring— Nesting- time and Nests— Rapid Growth of the Young Birds— Supposed Hybrids— Grouse Shooting in August too Early— The Easiest there is — The Com-Fields the only Protection— Grouse found at Morning in Stubbles— In Clear Weather no Shooting in the Middle of the Day— On Damp, Cloudy Days Grouse in Stubbles all Day— On Clear Days Shoot again towards Evening— Grouse in Pasture-Land— Shooting in McLean County— Beware of Shoot- ing too Quick— Mr. Sullivant's Great Farm— Water for Men and Dogs must be Carried, 55-71 CHAPTER IV. Late Pinnated Grouse Shooting, The Middle of the Day the best Time— Good Shooting in Corn after the Frosts— Wheat Sowed in Corn-Fields— No Shooting on Cloudy Days— November Shooting Best— Grouse in Sod Corn— A Day in Champagne County— Grouse wiH not Lie on Damp, Cloudy Days —Indian Summer a Good Time— The Prairies in Spring— On Bright Mornings in Winter — Scene near Chatsworth, Iroquois County, on a December Morning— Necessity of Silence in Late Grouse Shooting— A Trip to Christian County, . . . 72-88 CHAPTER V. Quail Shooting in the West. Abundance of Quail in the Western States — Increase in the Prairie States — Osage Orange Hedges a Great Cause — Afford Nesting Places, Protect from Hawks, and Shelter in Severe Weather- Nesting Places and Nests— The Quail Hawk— Beginning of the Shooting — Best Shooting after the Frosts in November and De- cember—Up at Early Morning— Fine, Clear Days Best— Lie well when Scattered— Pack late in Fall— Run in Damp and Wet Weather— Netting now Unlawful— Quail Shooting on Salt Creek, Sangamon River— Quail not Difficult to Shoot— Missed through Haste— Shooting on Shoal Creek, Missouri— Quail in Hedges- Quail in the South 89-106 CONTENTS, CHAPTER VI, Ruffed Grouse Shooting. Distribution and Habits of the Birds— Found in Wild, Lonely Places— Favorite Food of Ruffed Grouse— Beauty and Pride of the Bird— The Drumming of the Male— Deceptiveness of the Sound — Macdonald's Drummer-Boy — Much Drumming Before Rain— Nest of the Ruffed Grouse— The Young on the Cass River. Michigan— "Wolves at the Camp on the Cass— The Chippewa Indians— Wildness of Ruffed Grouse— The First I ever Shot- Ruffed Grouse hard to Shoot Flying— Goes for Densest Part of the Thicket— May be Shot over Setters, .... 107-130 CHAPTER VII. Shooting the Woodcock. Arrival in Spring— The Breeding Season— Nest of the Woodcock — A Woodcock in Confinement — Voracity in Feeding— Young Full Grown in July— Solitary Birds after Separation of Brood— Noc- turnal in Habit— Supposed Second Migration— Laboring Flight in Summer — Difficult to shoot— Density of Foliage— Snap Shooting- Swift and Twisting Flight in Autumn— Bottom t and Islands of the Mississippi River— Woodcock on the Illinois River— Scarcer in general in the West than in the Atlantic States— Fall Wood- cock Shooting, 121-132 CHAPTER VIII. The Snipe and Snipe Shooting. Breeds North of Virginia, but only sparsely in the United States- Arrives at Columbus, Kentucky, early in March — Never appears before the Frost out of Ground — Nearly a Month Later in Illinois than in Kentucky — The Spring Shooting Best — Snipe Wild at First Arrival— Get Fat and Lazy— Snipe Shooting on the Sanga- mon— Snipe very Abundant in the West— Should be Beat for Down- Wind— No Need for Dog on Good Snipe Ground — Difficult to Shoot in Corn-Fields— Shooting on the Bottoms— Easy to Kill when Fat— A Proposed Match— In Snipe Shooting much Walking Required— Snipe Shooting along Sloughs and Swales— Hovering of Snip«— The FaU Snipe Shooting 188-148 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. Golden Plover, Curlew, Gray Plover. Arrival of Golden Plover and Curlew— First Seen on Burnt Prairies —Plover like Bare Earth and Pastures— Golden Plover and Cur- lew in Flocks Together— They Follow the Plough— Lying Down for Plover— Plover Shooting from a Buggy— The Method of It- How to Shoot Plover on Foot— Plover Circle Round the Wounded —An Afternoon's Shooting near Elkhart— Plover Shooting in Christian County— Golden Plover Scattered— Fast Flyers and Good Practice— The Upland or Gray Plover— Last of Spring Migrants— Breeds in Illinois, Iowa, etc.— Ready to Pair when It Arrives -Should not be Shot in the Spring— Nest of the Upland Plover— Difficult to Shoot in Autumn — Horse and Buggy Needed —Flight of Upland Plover— Sand Snipe and Grass Snipe, . 149-167 CHAPTER X. Wild Ducks and Western Duck Shooting. The Prime Western Ducks— Beauty of the Wood Duck- Its Rapid Flight— The Mallard— Its Excellence and Beauty— Comparison with Canvas-Back— Mallards' Nests— The Flappers— Ducks begin to Arrive by Middle of February— Habits of Mallards and Pintails —Their Vast Numbers— Remain Four or Five Weeks— Coming of Ducks in the Fall— Vast Numbers— When Cold Sets In— Heard in the Air all Night— Duck Shooting in the Corn-Fields— Color of Clothes Important— Ducks TVary and Far-Sighted— Miethod of Shooting, 168-18Ji CHAPTER XI. Ducks and Western Duck Shooting. Cold Work in Hard Weather— The Illinois River— The Western Corn-Fields— Shooting in Them in Fall— Osage Orange Hedges- Flight of Ducks in Wet, Windy Weather— In Clear Weather- Ducks in Flight seem Nearer than They Are— Shooting at Prairie Ponds and Sloughs— Live Decoys Best— Dead Duck Decoys bet- ter than Wooden— Method of Setting Dead Mallards as Decoys- Duck Shooting in the Winnebago Swamp— Duck Shooting in Ford County— Mr. M. SuUivant's Great Farm— Duck Shooting on the Sangamon— Shooting from the Timber— Ninety-five Mallards with No. 9 Shot — Water Fowl Seek Timber in Hard, Vindy Weather, 18»-19r CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. Wild Geese, Cranes, and Swans. The Canada Goose and Brant Goose— Mexican Geese— Hutchinson'a Goose— The White-Fronted Goose — The iSnow Goose— Migration of Wild Geese— Flight of Wild Geese— Habits of the Geese- Fir-st of the Spring Migrants — Geese on Pasture-Lands — The Best Shooting Places— Means of Concealment— Shooting on the Pas- tures from a Buggy— Long Shots at Geese— The Fall Geese— In Wheat-Fields and Shocked Com— The Roosting Places— Times when Geese Resort to Timber— A Flock on the Ice— Getting into the River— The Ague, and a Remedy — Shooting Brant and Mexican Geese — Great Packs of Mexican Geese— The Cranes of the West —The Sand-Hill Crane— Its High Flight in Spring— Feeding on Corn in Fall— The Large White Crane— Wounded Cranes Fight Hard — Flesh of Cranes when Hung — Pelicans and Swans on the Mississippi, 198-223 CHAPTER XIII. Wild Turkey and Deer Shooting. ■^sxcellence and Beauty of the Wild Turkey— Its Haunts and Habits —Methods of Shooting Turkeys— The Wild Turkey's Nest— ^Track- ing Turkeys in Snow— Shooting in Thick Snow-Storms— Shooting at Crossing Places — Tracking Turkeys on the Sangamon — Lost in the Timber— A Walk Home of Thirteen Miles— The Great Gobbler of the Sangamon— Turkey Shooting on Shoal Creek— The Cold Nights in Camp— Eleven Turkeys to One Gun in Half a Day — After a Wounded Deer— Camping Out without a Tent— A Heavy Thunder-Storm on Delavan Prairie— Deer Shooting in the West- Haunts and Habits— My First Deer— Deer Shooting on Horse- back 23:3-250 CHAPTER XIV. The Art of Shooting on the Wing. The Art Easily Acquired— Boys Should begin to Shoot Early— No Danger of Accidents — Loading Guns — Large Shot and Too Much Shot Mischievous — Guns for Boys— Handling the Gun — Loading the Gun— Light Loads at First— Shooting at a Target— No Shoot- ing at Sitting Birds— Shooting Larks and Blackbirds— How to Aim— Shooting at Toung Grouse— The Causes of Missing— How to Aim at Crossing Birds- Long Shots— The Shot Towers at New York 251-275 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XV. * Sporting Dogs— Breeding and Breaking, Setters and Pointers— Advantages and Drawbacks of Each—The Sharpness of Prairie Grass— L'oekle-Burrs in Setters' Coats— Set- ters Retrieve Well in Water— Cross-Bred Dogs— How to Breed Them— Their Stoutness in the Field— No Timid Dogs Among Them— History of Fanny, Daughter of a Pointer Dog and Setter Bitch— An English Pointer not to be Called Off- He Points at Grouse all Night— Best Age for Breaking Dogs— Method of Break- ing — The Setter, Jack— Dick, Son of a Pointer Dog and Setter Bitch— Miles Johnson as a Breaker, 276-299 CHAPTER XVI. Pigeon Shooting. My Beginning at Pigeons— Match against Staunton — Against A. Kleinman— Championship of Illinois— Match to Shoot from Buggy —Match at Five Hundred— Match to Kill One Hundred Consecu- tively — Match against Mr. King— Match against Doxie— Sweep- stakes at Chicago— Match against J. Kleinman— Match with Ira Paine— Championship and Other Matches— Matches with A. Kleinman — Match against Four Marksmen — Advice to Members of Shooting Club— Suggestion for New Rule— H and T Traps- Scores of Championship Matches — Scores of Exhibition and Other Matches, 300-325 APPENDIX. Favorable Reception of *^ Field, Cover, and Trap-Shoofing "—Match with Paine— Trip to England— Kind Reception there— Match with Mr. Fowler— Match with Mr. George Bimell— Match with Shaw- Letter from Mr. Harris, the famous London gun-maker— A Trip to California— Great Matches at Glass Balls— Hints on Dogs and Dog-Breaking— A Chat with Sportsmen- Best Scores on Record the World over— How Guns are Made— The Rules of Trap-Shoot- ing, 326-494 PREFACE TO THIRD EDITIOJ!^. The generous reception accorded "Field, Cover, and Trap-Shooting " upon its appearance ; the many encomiums showered upon the work by press and public ; the numerous compliments that the author has received regarding its value, both to the be- ginner and to the expert — all tliese combined, to- gether with various other reasons which it would be superfluous to mention, have induced Captain Bogardus to issue a third and more complete edi- tion of the book, and it is universally acknowl- edged that no one is better qualified, on account not only of his long experience both in field and trap-shooting, but also on account of the wonderful successes he has attained in both of these branches of the use of the shotgun. It will be noticed that the work is like the man — strong, vigorous, and, what is of far more value, thoroughly trustworthy. To this third edition has been added such ma- terial as makes the work truly modern in every respect. 1 4 PREFACE. Since presenting " Field, Cover, and Trap-Shoot- ing" to his friends, Captain Bogardus has entered upon liis sixth decade, and feels, after his long life before the public of both hemispheres, tliat he is justified in retiring from shooting matches. He has Avon all championship matches in which he has con- tested, though he now retires from the field. This, however, is no case of " The king is dead ; long live the king ! " for the champion retained liis title to the end of the time that he remained in the lists, defying the world to pick up his gamitlet, and, with his " blushing honors thick upon him," covered with medals, bearing cups won on many a smoke-crowned field amidst the plaudits of the admiring spectators, he made his bow to his dis- comfited adversaries, who acknowledged that they had been honorably and chivalrously defeated, and that the champion had fought for the honors he had acquired against obstacles that would have dis- heartened a less skilful and confident competitor. New Yokk, 1890, Field, Cover, and Trap Shooting. CHAPTER I. GENERAL INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. Within a comparatively recent period the num- bers of those who follow the delightful and healthful sports of the field have increased almost beyond calculation in this country, and they are still ra- pidly augmenting. Among all those sports there is none so easy of attainment, and certainly none so invigorating, useful, and enjoyable, as the pur- suit of game-birds, waterfowl, etc., over dogs, or, at flight time, in the neighborhood of the haunts of the latter. The vast extent and variety of our territory — woodland interspersed among prairie, pas- ture, and cultivated farms — the great abundance of game to be met with by those who know when and where to seek for it, and the many kinds to be found in these favorite haunts at the proper seasons, afford such excellent and varied shooting as may hardly be experienced if sought for anywhere 15 16 FIELD SHOOTING. else. The art of shooting swift-flying birds on the wing is of comparatively recent origin in this country. Years ago but few people followed it, and th<'y liad mostly acquired their skill in Europe before they came here. The quickness and art necessary for e^en modei-atc success were almost comparatively unknown in the regions where such game most abounded, and they were in a great measure deemed worthless, of no more practical use than the curious tricks of a juggler. This was not unnatural. The backwoodsmen, and those set- tlers who had made lodgments in the immense prairies of the Western States, could kill a buck with the rifle, ov knock over a fat turkey with the same arm ; and those who had old-flishioned smooth- bores seldom shot with anything less than buck- shot, or the largest sizes of other shot. Hence they looked with a sort of lazy curiosity akin to contempt upon tlio doings of the men who, with good guns and small shot, killed " little birds," as quail, plover, woodcock, snipe, etc., were denomi- nated. The use of the setter and pointer was practically unknown. The game was« considered to be a trifling matter, not worth the powder and shot expended upon it. The latter were somewhat dear, and money was very scarce. The hunters GENERAL INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 17 and Indians called the shot-gun l)y the derisive term " squaw gun," and wondered that grown men should delio:ht in its use. All that is now (jreatlv chanijed. Thousands every year enjoy sport of tlu' liighest order, and fdl their T)ags in the most ai'tistic man- ner, in many parts of the country where shooting on the wing was formerly unknown. Shooting of this sort once enjoyed is never willingly relincjuislied altogether. Those wlio are aide to aftbrd tlie cost and spare the time from their avocations in the great cities impatiently count the days wliich must intervene hefore the time comes for them to jump aboard the train with their guns and tlieii- sportiug paraphernalia, hound to the shooting-grounds — the places where game is to be found in abundance. Arrived in these sections, and meeting with old friends, the harassed and weak grow vigorous again, and the strong beconu' stronger. The consciousness of skill, the confidence begotten of success, give such a spring to the mind and nerves, and inflame the ardor of pursuit to such a degree, that the fatigues of the excursion are scarcely perceived, and its privations, if such they may be called, are laughed at and merrily endured till speedily forgotten. The habits of the various kinds of ganie are a subject of great interest and observation, The fine and 18 FIELD SHOOTING. eager instinct of the clogs, their great sagacity, en durance, and patience, are remarked with pride and admiration. The features of the varied landscapes — hill er from the pillow of brush ii])ou ^^hi(•h }-on rest. The night brings enjoyment almost as pleasant as that which was the recompense of the exertions of the day. Having followed shooting since I was fifteen, mostly all through the different seasons, and some- times camped out as much as three months at a time, never sleeping in a house during that period, I believe 1 have a sound and extensive practical GENERAL INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. ^9 knowledge of tlie matters upon which this book is to treat. I am no scientific naturalist, and what I know has not been derived from books. I cannot give the Latin names of birds of game, waterfow^l, snipe, woodcock, etc., and if I could you would not care about them, because the constant repetition of them makes no impression at all upon the sportsman. To him the quail is simply a quail, the pinnated grouse (commonly called prairie chicken) is a grouse, and no Latin is required to make him understand what you mean by a snipe or a woodcock. I cannot set doMni the sci- entific names by which naturalists distinguish the birds of which I shall treat, but I know their haunts and habits, and I can tell you when and where to seek them, and how to kill them in a sportsmanlike and satisfactory manner. I was born in Albany County, New York, and began to shoot at fifteen years of age. I was then a tall, strong lad, and have since grown into a large, powerful, sinewy, and muscular man. I have always enjoyed fine health, had great strength and endurance, and been capable of much exertion and exposure. When I began t(^ shoot, there was a good de.^1 of game in Albany County, and it chiefly consisted of ruffed grouse and woodcock, 30 FIELD SHOOTING. which are difficult birds for young beginners. ' 1 received no instructions from anybody, but I pos- sessed a ((uiek. true eye, and steady nerve, and had, as I believe, the natural gifts which enable a man to become in time, with |>ro|>ei' o|)})ortTniity, a first-rate field shot. It was a long time after that ])efore 1 ever shot at a pigeon from a trap, and 1 confess that 1 ]iae. <»r ducks about All)any County at that time, and it was not until 1 re- moved to the West that 1 became fanuliaf with them and with the pinnated grouse. In the Fall of 1856 1 moved to Illinois, and settled on the Sangamon River, near Petersburg. It was more a broken, swampy country, with much cover, than a prairie land like that to the northwards in the State. (Tame of all s(jrts Mas in vast abundance. There were vast numbers of (juail ; the pinnated grouse were rather numerous, though nothing like as much so as upon some of the great prairies; ducks and geese came in immense flocks every spring and fall, and deer and turkeys abounded. It was, too, and is to this day, one of the best places for snipe that 1 know of. It was a para- dise for a sportsman ; and as for the snipe and GENERAL INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 21 quail, then' was hardly a uiaii there wlm could kill them exeept iiivself. Lots of men used to go out to see lue shout. There was one, a great hunter of deer and turkeys, with whom I heeame very intimate. At first he laughed at me when he saw me loading with Xo. S shot. •• That wunt kill nothin". stranger,"' said he. •• What little 1 do at (juail T do Avith Xo. 1 shot, and for prairie chicken T always nse BBs. You can't stop 'em with anything lighter." But he ('hanged his opinion when he foiuid hy experience that I could kill ten to his one, and then it was the old story of the fox and grapes. '^ Darn the little creatures, I say ! "' he exclaimed ; " 1 got no nse for 'em anyhow ! " At that time 1 used to stint myself in quail-shooting time to twenty -five brace a day. When I had got them, I gave over for the day. Often when I was shoot- ing quail in the oak barrens two or three deer have got np close to me. 1 shot some turkeys ; but my bag Avas mostly made up of quail and pinnated grouse in the fall, and of snipe in the spring. There were snipe in the fall too, but not so many. Ducks and geese were plentifiil in the fall and spring, but I did not go after them much at that time. I had no wagon and team, and a }i2 FIELD SHOOTING. bunch of ducks and geese is very heavy to carry. The country about the Sangamon was Avild and very sparsely settled. Even now it has no large population, and remains a great resort for ducks and geese, a fine place for snipe, and the quail still abound. There was a fine variety of ducks. The bag would include mallards, bluebills, pin- tails, green-winged teal and blue-winged teal, with some wood-ducks. I consider the mallard the best duck we have in the AVest, and I doubt very much whether there is any better anywhere else. A great deal is said about the canvas-back, and with justice ; but 1 do not think them any better eating than mallards are in the tall of the year, when they come on large and fat and glorious in plumage from the wild rice-fields of the north- west, away in the British territories. After staying on the Sangamon about two years J moved to Elkhart, in Logan County, where I have lived ever since. It is in the heart of the State of Illinois, a hundred and sixty -six miles south of Chicago, eighteen miles northwest of Springfield, and one hundred and fifteen miles from St. Louis. It was then a grand place for game, and is very good now late in the fall, M'hen the pinnated grouse pack and partially migrate. Fif- CAPT. A. H. BOGARDUS AND SONS. Peter. A. H. Bogardus, Jr. Edward. GENERAL INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 25 teen years ago the prairies there were but sparsely settled, and not one acre in a thousand had been broken up. The grouse were in immense num- bers ; the quail, though, were not as plentiful as on the Sangamon in the brushy land of the oak barrens. There was, however, and is now, a grove of timber six hundred acres in extent, not far from the town. It is one of the finest in the State, and in it and on its borders there were many quail. This grove was then owned and still belongs to Mr. John D^ Gillot. He has a great stock-farm, his pasture-land running for seven miles at a stretch. Being a man of great enterprise, as well as large means, he planted hedges all over this estate. They have now grown up, and, affording harbor and nesting-places for the quail, the latter are now more plentiful in that neighborhood than they were when I first went to live there. At that time very few in those parts used the double- barrelled gun, and shot over dogs. I was about the only one who followed shooting systematically and thoroughly. But though the quail in that neighborhood are now very abundant, they are hard to kill. The corn grows very tall, and as soon as a bevy is flushed away they go for the corn-fields. Once in them, with the stalks stand- 26 FIELD-SHOOTING, ing thick and high above your head, you can only kill birds by snap shots such as you make at woodcock in thick cover. You can find them on the stubbles and in the pastures at the right time of day, but when you have fired your two barrels at them they are oif to the corn. The pin- nated grouse lie in the corn and on the borders of it a good deal too. There was no trouble in killing a great number when I first went there. I have known sixty young ones to be killed in a morning in one field, not more than a quarter of a mile from Elkhart. For my part. I am very much opposed to such doings. The commence- ment of the shooting season ought to be fixed by law a month later. When the shooting begins, the birds are very young, though of good size, and do not fly either fiist or fiir ; the weather is hot, and I am satisfied that above half of those which are killed are spoiled and never used. At the present time the grouse are much more scarce about Elkhart, especially young grouse. The chief reason is the want of good nesting-places. Except in Mr. Gillot's extensive pastures, there are no good nesting-places left of any account. This is what causes the great diminution of the numbers of pinnated grouse. They are so prolific, and GENERAL INTRODUCTOKY KEMAKKS. 2? their food is so alnindant, that they could stand shooting iu and out of season, and even the trap- ping and netting Avhieh are so extensively carried on in many parts; l>ut vrhen the prairie is all <»r nearly all hroken up, no good l)reeding-place. remain, and young grouse are not to he found. Thus it has heen in a great measure ahout Elk- hart. Late in the fall, when they pack and come in from the distant j)rairies where they hreed, the birds seem to he as plentiful or nearly as plentiful as they were hefore. Ahout the last of October and in November a'ou may see as many as five hundreretty goortt'd the places which were the favorite resorts for snipe into the best wheat and corn land in the State. The change of condition in the -land is the chief cause of the diminution of game of various sorts in particidar places. It has more to do with it than all other causes. Al- though the pinnated grouse are trapped and netted by thousands, as M'ell as shot in a sportsmanlike manner, it wo\dd not of itself reduce their num- GENERAL I>JTKODUC'TORY REMARKS. 29 bers so as to ho greatly perceptible. Immense numbers are sent East which are taken in nets and traps. Some are killed by coming in contact with the telegraph wires in their flight. Bnt all these causes would be inadecpiate to reduce the stock mucli if the Itreeding birds liad the nesting- places which they formerly used. The grouse used to breed in the prairies. cMmmoidy along the edges of tlie sloughs. In inaiiy parts tlu> prairies are nearly all broken iij) and brought \\\](]ei' eid- tivation. Many now make theii- nests in the fields of the fanner, and thes<> nests are neaidy all broken up and destroyed by the ploughing in the spring. Quail, whose nests are made in hedges and corners of fences and under bunches of bram bles, escape, and we see them increase in numbers in the very places where the grouse diminish. A great source of destruction to the nests of the grouse might be easily prevented. In most places there are patches of prairie left for pasture, and in these the birds build. Many farmers follow a practice of burning these patches over late in the spring, under a notion that it improves the pasturage by causing the young grass to spring up fine and succulent as soon as the weather gets warm. When these patches of prairie are burned 30 FIELD SHOOTING. over, there are eommonly many nests in each, sometimes scores of them, and they are half-ful] of eggs. This cuts up tlie supply of grouse root and branch, and reduces the lumibers to a serious* extent every year. It is a great mistake on the part of tile farmers, for the grouse, by consump- tion of grasshoppers and other destructive insects, is one of the agricultnrist's ])est friends, and the grass would be just as good if tlie ])atches of prairie wei'e l)nrned over late in tlie fall, when there would be no nests destroyed. It is to be hoped that this jdan will 1)e adopted for the fu- ture ; and I think it will be, for the ])ossession of guns and sporting-dogs, and the love of shooting, are spreading among the farmers of the West, and these, after all, will be in time the most efficient preservers of the game. The men, such as my- self, who go every fall to shoot in the great un- broken prairies M'hich still exist in Ford County. Champagne County, and al)out there, burn the grass themselves late in the fall, and thus leave nothing to l)e bui'iied the following spring in nest- ing-time. By this means the stock of grouse is fully kept up, and it is from thence the great packs migrate towards the last of October and in Novembei'. Upon this subject I consider myself GENERAL INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 31 competent to speak. 1 have had much experience, and have conferred with many practical men whose experience is nearly or quite as great as my own. What 1 have stated I know to he true. No doubt, when the hen-birds have lost their first nests by the plough, or by the much more destruc- tive burning of the prairie patches late in spring, they make other nests ; but these also are often destroyed ; and if they are not, the broods are small and late, and quite unable to take care of themselves when the shooting season l)egins. The best spring shooting in Illinois is snipe ; and in many parts, such as that on the Sangamon River, the birds are found in abundance. I know of no better ground for them anywhere. After the snipe come the golden plover, sometimes in very large flocks. This beautiful and delicious little bird stays with us some three or four weeks, and the sport they afford is excellent. They are commonly shot from horseback, or by means of a wheeled vehicle, as is said to be the prac- tice in the Eastern States. You must be a good sportsman to fill your bag with them, and there is no better practice for a good shot than at them. After remaining with us about a month the •golden plover go farther north to breed. The up 32 F1«LD SHOOTING. land or gray plover stays Avith us and breeds in Illinois. They flock to some extent, but not in such large numbers as the golden plover do. 1 have often seen as many as four hundred or five hundred of the latter together, and they sometimes fly so close in the pack thnt a great many can be cut down with two barrels w^hen you can get within fair distance. After they have scattered and run before they fly, the practice at the single birds is as good as anything for the education of a marksman. The upland plover are more open in their flight, as well as in smaller flocks. They ought not to be shot at all in the spring with us, for they do not arrive from the South until aV)out coi'n-planting time, and then they are readv to paii- and make their nests. September is the proper month to shoot them. They are then very fat and delicious for the table. They frequent the great pasture I mentioned belong- ing to Mr. Gillot. When Miles Johnson of New Jersey was in Illinois shooting with me over that ground, he saif(h'r which makes great ravages among the ducks. It just kills for the sake of killing, for it strikes down one after the other. It is a small, long-winged hawk, very muscular and strong, and uncommonly rapid in flight. I have seen this hawk when pursuing ducks strike one down and let it lie, going on after the others, and continuing to harass and kill imtil the prey could reach water. This hawk does not consume a fourth of the grouse and duck it kills. It is not large enough to carry away a good-sized duck, and I don])t ^^•hether it could fly away with a grouse for any distance. Eighty miles from Elk- hart there is the Winnebago Swamp, a large and wild track of water, moss, and cover. Ducks, such as mallard, teal, and widgeon, breed there in large numbers. 1 have often flushed them GENERAL IXTRODUOTOK Y^ REMARKS. 35 from tlieir lu-sts ^^•llelL [ liaxc l)ceii siii|)o-sh(X)t- in<.r thereabout. A few geese l)reed there also, hut j)erhaps these arc only those whieh, owiiicr to ])eiiig wounded or to some accident, have heen unable to join the great flocks in their s]>rhig flight t. .wards the North. From wliat 1 am told by men who ha\c been exploi-ers and hunters in the ser\iee ..f the Hudson's Hay Company, n() juatter Ik.w tar north bidians or white men may Denetrate, it is found tliat the geese go fartlier in the summer, and I. ring l.aek their broods in the fall. \n this Winnebago Swamp 1 have oceasion ally found tlic nest of tlic. sanddiiJl crane, and sometimes tliat of the blue c]-anc. The crane builds its nest on tlic top of a muskrat honsc, just as the geese do in that section. It lays two eggs, mueh larger thaii those of a goose, especially in length, and one ..f the cranes coinnioidy keeps wateh by tlie nest. The ]iests of the ducks are built on tussocks of grass. Tlic A\'innel)ago Swamp used to harbor many wolves, and there are a con- siderable number tliere yet. 1^hi-ee years ago, in company with a hunter named Henry Condcrman. I found the den of a she- wolf in the swamp, and we took her litter of six whejps. Afterwards we trapped the old one. AVe (^..t thirty-five dollars 36 FIELD SHOOTING. from the. ooiiiity. as it ]>ays a hotiiity of live dol- lars a head. The gra} prairie wolf is Aery de- strueti\e of young pigs, lambs, geese, ete.. and wolves are more numerous in Illinois now than most people suppose. Last spi-ing Mr. Gillot took a litter of five wliel)>s in his grove near Elkhart. lie has a gi-aii» FIELD WHOOTING. useless, as they can neither see you nor you them, and no instructions can he given to them. The early season is the time for young beginners, as the broods are then numerous and easily foundo If the shooting was not allowed before September, it would answer the purpose of teaching the no- vices quite as well ; for though the birds would be somewhat Stronger on the wing, they would lie just as close, and would be larger. After the broods have been shot at two or three weeks, they are thinned out considerably, and have be- come much wilder. They are then of fine size^ the weather has become cooler, and the birds can be kept. At least half of the young grouse killed in the month of August become spoiled and are never used. Some may doubt this, but I state what 1 know to be facts. In August the weather is very often close and sultry ; for though there is commonly some air on the wide prairies, the breezes do not then prevail. At the beginning of the shooting season the grouse will be found at early morning in the stub- bles. They have gone out of their roosting-places to feed in the stubbles of the wheat and oat fields, which have then been pretty M^ell overgrown with rag-weed, and afford thick cover. Where flax is PlNNATK1)-<;HOrMK SHOOTINa. 63 oultivated, you jiiay look tor thpivi in tlu'.flMN- stiibbles, as thry ai'f some ot" tlieii; most ta^<>l•it^' resorts. Aiiotlier gotnl place to l>eat. whenever A'o\i see one. is a bean-patch. The iia^y Ix'aii is a good deal oultivated in Illinois and- Iowa, and the grouse resatclies. Ai>out nine or ten o'clock. Avhen the sun has got high and tlie morning hot. the grouse leave the stub Ides and bean-patches, and walk into tin- Jong ]>i'aii-ic-grass or into the corn. er the grouse in the luiddle of the day is merely to distress your dogs atid to fatigue yourself for nothing. There is no scent, and the grouse Avill not lie in the opeji prairie. But on damp, cloudy days the case is altogether different. The birds then remain in the stubbles all day, unless flushed and driven int«^ the corn ; the dogs can ^^'ork and scent better : and under these overcast skies are the best and most glo- rious days of the grouse-shooter in the early part of the season. Later in the fall and at the be- ginning of winter the habit <:»f the grouse is <54 riKLD SHOOTING. dilFereiit, as will be specially noticed further on. A cloudy day, cool air, the dogs feeling and working well, plenty of grouse in the stubbles, ;tnd the sportsman out of the glaring sunshine and able to shoot deliberately and well, make great enjoyment and a good bag. On the clear days, Avhen the grouse have left the stubbles for the prairie-grass and corn, instead of shooting all the time until you are tired, as you will be before night, until you have been seasoned and got into hard condition (jf muscle and wind, lay off in some house, or your camp, or in your wagon in the shade, if you can fmd it, until about four or half- past four o'clock in the afternoon. Then it will be time to begin to beat the stubbles again. The grouse will have come, or will be coming, on to them again from the resorts in which they spent the hot hours of the day ; and you and your dogs, being refreshed and rested, will be in good fettle for the sport. The sun will get low, and finally go down over the distant swells of land to the westward ; the dew will begin, insensibly to you, to fall ; the dogs will find the V)irds easily, they will lie well, and you may shoot as hjiig as you can see in the twilight. In some parts (»f fliinois, Iowa, and other PINNATED-GROUSE SHOOTING. 65 Western States there are very extensive ranges of pasture-land, on which great herds of cattle, many from Texas, are fattened. These lands have not been broken up by the plough at any time, but. being regularly depastured, have lost much of the prairie character. They remain, however, good resorts for grouse, and the shooting over them is some of the best to be had. The grouse bred on them probably never see a stubble-field, at least until after late in the fall of their first year. Their habits are the same as those of the birds which are found near the arable corn, wheat, and oat lands. In the morning they will 1)6 ^)und on the ridges and knolls where the grass i^ short. In the heat of the day they retire into the long grass which abounds in low, moist places. In the evening they return to the knolls and ridgv^s again. These pastures are sometimes of the extent of two thousand acres or more, and the shooting on them is second to none in those States. Yet they are comparatively little shot over, especially in the early part of the season. As a rule, it is believed the grouse are more abundant where the land is varied and stubbles, pieces of prairie, corn-fields, and patches of beans are found in the immediate neighborhood 66 KlRl.l) SHOOTING. of each other. Foi- this reason most of che sportsmen, espeeially those of the towns near at hand, or from the more distant cities, who shoot mostly in the early jtai't of the season, go to them, and do not attempt the wide pastures. But give me the sport on the latter, and let me be- gin about the middle of September, M'hen most of the grouse l;)red on them are full-grown, strong birds, coming down with a thump seem- ingly hard enough to make a hoh> in the ground when killed clean and well. The grouse in these places commonly lie first-rate to the dog, and get up l)y twos and threes, so that a good shot has a chance to bring to bag many of the covey, and those he cannot shoot at the first rise may be easily marked down. In 1872 Miles Johnson of New Jersey was shooting with me in McLean County, Illinois. We camped near Bell- flower, and had a man for camp-keeper while Miles and I shot. We were out ten days, and in that time bagged six hundred grouse, shooting only mornings and evenings. As I Iuiac said be- fore, and wish to impress particularly upon my readers for their information and advantage, it is of no use to try for grouse in the middle of the day, Mhen the weather is clear, in the early part nXXATED-GROrSE SHOOTING. 67 of the fall. The hest