The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-20

every seal Iney throw az OF IL escapes un-
hurt, or but slightly wounded. Indians,
it can be safely said, get every seal they
kill.
Oscar Scarr, hunter on the Viva, in
1888, got over 600 seals and lost only about
twenty. The average number lost by
white hunters does not exceed six in 100,
and by the Indians not six in 1000.
have never shot, nor have l ever seen, a
female seal with a young one beside or
with her. 1t is very seldom female is
killed in Boring sea carrying her young
with her, and out of 1000 killed on the
coast earlier in the season less than one
third are females carrying their young.
WILLIAM FEwINGs.
Victoria, B. c., Aug. 8, 1889.
WALTER HOUSE.
/ was hunter on the schooner Walter
l.. Rich on her sealing voyage this year.
1t was my first year on the Pacific coast,
Newfoundland coast coast catching hair
seals. This year on the Rich / got 1S5
seals and lost five, which sank before I
reached them. l used q shotgun. The
hunters on the Rich lost about the same
proportion, some few more, some less l
never saw cow seal in the water with her
young beside her or near her, nor have I
ever heard OF such case.
WALTER House.
Victoria, B. c., Aug. 10, 1889.
JAMES WILSON
schooner Triumph on her voyage this year.
One OF the hunters was drowned just be-
fore entering Boring sea. and I took his
place. was out hunting seals about
week, but the weather was bad and l got
only twenty-three seals. ! had had no ex-
perience. / used breech-loading shot
gun, and shot seals at range of from ten
no yprvh
the carelessness of the boat hands running
the boat over the seal. which sank directly
under the boat
Most of seals lost by hunters are shot at
long ranges with the rifles. One hunter on
the Triumph this year got over sixty seals
with her young beside her. Out of the
twenty-shree got five or six were cows
carrying their young. JAMES WILSON.
Victoria, B. c., Aug. 8, 1889.
CAPTAIN J. D. WARREN.
am master mariner, and have been
actively engaged in the deep-sea sealing
business for twenty years. l have owned
and commanded sealing vessels on voyages
along the Pacific coast from AZ or 4S north
latitude to 56 or 50 north latitude within
Herring sea. l have generally employed
Indians except in 1886 and 1887, the last
years | was out, when had white hunters
as well. White hunters use rides and shot
guns entirely, Indian hunters use spears.
Bullets weighing from 800 to 400
grains are used with rifles and
ordinary buckshot with guns. Both
rifles and shotguns are breech-
loading and Of the best make. Seals are
approached by the hunters in boats to ten
or fifteen yards, lying generally asleep on
the water. Frequently seals are taken
alive when asleep, especially by the In
dams, who in their canoes get within from
a spears length fourteen or fifteen feet)
to thirty feet before they throw Indians
rarely lose seal they strike, and If one
escapes II is always but slightly wounded.
OF seals killed by white hunters probably
not over 10 per cent. are killed with a
rifle. which Is generally used for only a
long range.
sealers divide the seals for hunting pur-
poses into two classes, ''sleepers'' and
feeders" or travellers. "Sleepers. are
almost always shot at from ten to fifteen
yards range, and are seldom lost Feed
ers' are shot at just as their heads emerge
from the water. From this fact the range
Is always from few feet to 100 wards.
though few are fired at at that distance.
Hunters use "gaff," q pole about ten or
twelve feet long. with one to three hooks,
upon 1t, with which they catch the seal
and bring IL into the boat. If the
seal sinks, the gar is run down and
the seal hooked up. The British sealing
vessels employ more Indian than white
hunters Ny experience with white hunt
ers Is not 50 extensive as with Indians. but
irom what have seen while engaged IN