Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-10
"A FEW DAYS0F GRACE.
The Squirrel Shooting Season Opens
the First of September.
HOW THEY OUGHT TO BE HUNTED.
Laws That Have Been Passed for the Pro-
lection of Some Game.
A VALUABLE TABLE FOR SPORTSMEN


until the 31st of December, when the clos,
season again begins. On the former day
thanks TO the Pennsylvania State Senate,
which had too many jobs on hand TO fn6
time to right the wrongs of suffering ami
mails and birds, not only squirrels, if the
the weather be fine, will be slain by tens OF
thousands
The average hunter, though, will knock
down every grouse and quail that
he can smuggle into his pouch without
detection, for to their shame be it
said, there are comparatively few
blooded sportsmen. Even the English
nobleman is rather ordinary sort
of an animal in this respect, and calls the
shooting of the golden pheasant sport,
though there is about as much skill re-
quired as would be necessary to shoot
Shanghai chickens with someone along TO
make them fly up ten feet from the ground.
The savage instinct takes possession of
most men when in the woods with gun in
hand, and atavism is pretty sure to crop
out
A LAW THAT WAS PASSED.
The proposed law gotten up by local
sportsmen was strongly urged on the Legis-
lature last winter, and, somewhat
emasculated, it passed the House, but was
not reached in the Senate. 1t was proposed
to make the shooting of all kinds of game
later in the season. and all to come in on
the same day, but there were those who in
sisted on making the squirrel season open
September l, as under the present law, and
the squirrel hadn't friends enough to save
him. though the House favorably considered
the rest of the bill, and even raised the
penalty for being found hunting rabbits,
or harcs. with ferrets to $50, half to go to
tie intormer.
A. H. Clarke'S proposition to make hunt
ers for the market take out a license was
nor considered, though it should have
been Now the butchers start after the
woodcock July 4 and some of them kill
everything they can. Were the season, as
proposed, TO open for all kinds of game on
October l the preserves would soon show a
better stock and there is but little pleasure
in hunting before that season.
But speaking of squirrels, it seems
strange that lawmakers should interdict the
taking OF fish with a seine, and at the same
time allow squirrels TO be shot with shot
gun. Some wears ago some Legislators
wanted them excluded from all grace, re-
garding them as vermin but they evidently
were not true spOrtsmen, for there is no
more gamy animal in the forest than the
SO irreL Prior 10 October, however, the
baby squirrels have not learned enough to
make them good sport.
SQUIRREL SHOOTING ONCE RARE SPORT.
In the days when Americans prided them
Ns1r- hair rel-i no 40
Shooting was rare sport and it still is in
some mountain ridges of this State
and West Virginia, but to have sue
cess, one must use the old-fash-
Toned muzzle-loading rifle, using q
patch on the ball to make it take the grooves
with precision. These rifles have very long
barrels, delicate sights, and hair triggers.
The great length of the barrel enables one
. take very exact aim, and for short dis |
ance shooting they are superior TO any
breech-oader ever made. The ball runs
about 100 to the pound, and the range at
which they are available is not over 200
yards.
If YOU want real days sport, go into
these mountain wilds and stop at a farm
house. You must get up on a sharp, frosty
morning, before daylight, get your break
fast, and be ready 20 start at the time the
sun heralds his approach by the rosy cheek
he gives the dawn. You want to make
friends with the dogs, and almost any mon
grel YOU find, from the size of black and
tan terrier TO one of tull regulation pattern,
will lswer. His looks indicate nothing ofhis |
qua and any color, even pumpkin and |
milk, is acceptable. A small or medium |
sized cur is preferable to larger animal as |
he makes less noise than large dog and, |
getting closer to squirrels before being dis |
81,
preventing them from getting to the ones in |
which they have their lair where they |
would hole if they could reach them, and |
you must be an expert in woodcraft if you |
get them to come out within a reasonable |
lime.
GREAT CLIMBING OF THE SQUIRREL
The squirrel often climbs to the highest |
point in a high tree, and the higher be gets |
the better it suits an ardent sportsman, for |
great skill is required to dislodge him. |
Very often the squirrel is 80 feet from the |
ground on a hillside, and the hunter is |
forced to get a point further down |
the hill to get sight and must |
shoot some 200 feet almost perpendicularly, |
and all he sees to shoot at is the tips of the |
animals ears as he crouches behind limb |
or q tuft of moss. 1t is not regarded as q |
shot unless you hit in the head, and thus at |
200 feet you have about an inch TO go on, |
and this requires finer work than is found |
in shooting galleries. After you have got
ten half dozen squirrels-"piney don't /
count-you are ready to go home and rest
until 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when the
fris&y little fellows will begin to look for
dinner and you can get q few more shots.
With dog at the season named, however,
you can find squirrels any time during the
day, if it is the right kind Of day. If you
know anything Of dogology, and treat your
partner decently, he will never
require any coexing to get him along after
the first hours work, as he takes as
keen delight in it as the most ardent
sportsman, and veteran squirrel-hunting
dog will express his disgust as plainly as
words could if you miss very often. In
fact, well-trsined dog will give green
hunter points, and the best dogs are self
taught.
THE SOLE REWARD FOR THE DOG.
When the squirrel falls you must let the
dog give it shake, for forms sake This
is all the reward and recognition he asks,
and he scoots as soon as it is over, and you
must handle yourself in lively shape if
YOU expect to get your rife loaded and
capped ere you hear the dog again yelp, /
the freeing of another squirrel.
1t may be within 100 yards and 1t NAV be
lalf a mile distant
October is also the month when nature is
1t its best, just before the arrival of the
days, ''the saddest of the year."
ind on the mountain side you may drink
leep draughts of beauty
Where every leaf by autumns alchemy
Is changed TO some rich gem. The maple
here
shoots up its ruby spire, and there the oak
stands all transmitted into FURNISHED gold |