The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27
LUCKY YANKEE HUNTERS.
NO END OF SMALL FAME BIGGED
IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND.
Countless Rabbits, Nlnny Raeeoons, and
Gray Squirrels. Foxes, woodcoek and
Quail Big Wildcats, Too, in Connecticut
wudn-Some of the R,r Rnra.

M1DDLETOWN, dec. 2U.-Before the late heavy
snow. which buried the folds and woodlands
and temporarily interrupted the sport, some
extraordinary bags OF game had been taken by
Connecticut hunters. In fact, there had not been
a season before in the last quarter of a century.
perhaps. In which all kinds Of game, particularly
fur-bearlnR animals, had been so plentiful.
Rabbits. too. have abounded. and he has been
n poor sportsman who, with n brace OF good
tracking hounds, has not been able TO take into
camp a string of ten TO twenty cottontails after
half n days hunt.
For many years there was no finer rabbit
country than the dry, upland. brush pastures
and hazel-nut thickets of eastern Connecticut,
but through n nearly universal practice, per-
sisted in DESPITE a rigid law, pot hunters have
almost exterminated the gentle game
In a number of the most prolific
towns. Such Is not the case. however,
in tho half-wild region Of western Rhode
Island. The big. rolling hills. matched with
scrub oaks barely taller than a tall man. and
the wide, smooth valleys of that country seem
Just suited TO produce rabbits and jack rabbits,
which thrive and grow fat and multiply there
as almost nowhere else. Some great strings
of the game have been taken there this season,
es pecially by Providence sportsmen.
Not long ago n party from the capital, with
Sergeant whipple OF tho Providence police at
tIo htuh Va " NnliO 'bN' ' NV ii Wv
heart of the rabbit country. and with W. L.
Bar Der as guide secured the thick wilderness
about the country hamlet of Exeter. After two
days of leisurely hunting they returned home
laden with sixty-seven rabbits and twenty
seven gray squirrels. which weighed altogether
considerably more than 200 pounds, Indeed, SO
wcighty were the spoils that the trainmen OF
the Wood River Railroad, who usually take a
sportsman'so rdinary-siged bag as baggage. re-
fused to ship them to Providence except as ex-
press matter. They jokiDgly advised the Ser
geant to bring a freight car the next time he
hunted rabbits in Hope Valley.
There is excellent rabbit hunting also among
the heavy and almost impenetrablr candle
wood or bayUerry copscs that grow especially
tall and stout ana lnxuriant along the shore OF
the ocean Mt the eastern end of the state. not
far from the Rhode Island line. In the rocky
land, among soaring hills. north OF the old sea-
port borough of stonington. the game abounds;
day along rugged hillsides, through thick
ond-growth timber. Recently a company
OF stoninrton hunters. w. +. Tanner. Eras-
took a turn among the. hills With a couple Of
lively dogs. quitting their homes when the
dmskY S, lfost T mss sh had w baTelS S" pln neasy G In, one a
woodland, not more than half n mile north OF
the suburbs or Stonington, when the dogs gave
tongue, aud it seemed to the sportsmen as II a
covey OF rabbits lehped out of every wayside
thicket and went scurrying about the forest.
i Do Utu rnuultu dlluluI hll u lbItllOvD.
and every head of game they scored was taken
in n sportsrnanlike way. killed on the jump with
bag with a ferret. 1t was a tired band OF hunt
ers and dogs that plodded into Stonington early
in the afternoon, the hounds %footsore. and their
companions loaded with seventeen tat rabbits
Equally lucky and heavy laden. though they
had tracked another sort of game. were a party
of Middletown hunters who ltmped into Port
land village, across the river from this town, a
few days ago. bearing 100 gray squirrels. which
they had taken i'll Two DAYS or active hunting In
the rough and almost unbroken wilderness that
e miIes to , l5em sou rh" tstt and I e eastwa neaF'E w 'Msost
doubt their bag of game was the largest and
finest one that was taken by a band of Nutmeg
sportsmen in a single hunt in the common
wealth this season. They sold all their squirrels
TO one Middletown dealer in game.
Another great and peculiar round-u OF Con-
necticut game was accomplished by the Addi-
son Club OF Ii Glastonbury. who hunted three days
OF the match. the club was divided in two
parties of twenty-five sportsmen each. under
the tn C sSmm andr OF c fpaile joan and k II wa. saT sed
that the party that scored the smaller
amount OF game must provide the club with
parties bagged these spoils: 20 gray squirrels.
Al red squirrels, 50 ducks. l3 cartridges. 80
coons. % skunks. % crows. and y sparrows.
Captain Rntherford's men gave the club supper.
Another grand company hunt was that under
Leadership OF b. +. Hubbard and A. ". Steele.
The whole party baggcd % gray squirrels. 10
reds. III qusil, IL cartridges, ! ducks. . wood.
cock. 3 rabbits, 2 blue Jays. 2 yellow jays, l
low jay. and the lark, the sportsmen violated
the stringent Game law of the state.
Gently on the part of rongh-and-ready coun-
try hunters among the Temo,e hills about
ton, a few miles from western Rhode Island.
For example. in one nights hunt-Laurel
, SlsP 40P 1T s , SSySs h no end 1]ra@ ni FpSsea
Palmer. Nathan Maine. and VIII Miner
took ten rabbits, ore skunk. and a raccoon that
weighed over II pounds. and a day or Ivy" later
byron Hur!ingalne of l!ilHs Grove, his brother
Henry, and 7. /. Burdick baGged thtrty-nIne
Woodcock were about the only native game not
abundant this year; however, as rule, Nutmeg
hunters now hope to make big bags, of the King
cut Game law forbids them to hunt, woodcock
Saii, .%, excSG, 4nriGs .he Ss.on ID southern . . !
afternoons stroll. w. Y. Jordan. +. ID. Jordan,
and Walter Bradbury of WillInantic bnGEed
woodcock and nine cartridges, and narrowly
missed taking II big English cock pheasant;
luck all the season at about all kinds of shoot
ing, while in trailing foxes and coons they lead
timer thus far this winter has nailed about forty
fox pclts to his barn, all TAX en- with his nwa dog
and breecn:loader. aud he has bagged thirty
coons, besides a big lot of smaller game. The
closing scores OF the Nutmeg coon hunters, the
season having been ahnormally extended
through the balmy. summer;like days nearly 10
Christmas, were .unequalled probably by those
of any other year in the last quarter of a
century. Here are a few specimen bags: II. J.
Kendall OF 1aitville, near Norwich. n famous
coon country, twenty-One couns In one month
the last one. weighing 23l4 pounds, was taken
near Canterbury llairs: Robert and Frank
Pierce OF North Sterling, eleven in a week. tho
biggest one being a 22-pOunder; another North
Sterling party. thirty-two; Edward Bishop of
Bridgeport, th'r,v-hve in six weeks: Charles
Pendletun, Wauwecus Hill. Bozrah. eighteen
in a similar period, all taken with a u
which j. not bigger than a large cat,
fighter IN the state. 1t once belonged to
gilbert Pierce. "A famous fox hunter of Nor
witch. who named 1t "Gift' because IL was pre-
scented TO hIm by u friend, but Mr.. Pendleton
calls II Bob" for the reason that II has been
nstonishingly curtalled, fore and aft. Through
lnCttIrsOme n adventures on the warpath. With
Bob Mt his heels one moonlight night n short
time ago. Mr.. Pendleton left his home at the top
of the big hill about IL O'Clock and made n
rapid trip into the sandy. wooded domain
of Colchester, seven miles to the north.
Returning, ne reached his home before
dayhreak next morning. He, brought hack
plump. full grown 'coons. Bob having freed al
OF them and killed three in fair, open combat.
The largest one, which was four pounds heavier
than the gallant little terrier, had taken refuge
IN "A giant hedge, not more than half "A mile from
Mr.. Irndletnn's home. hut was b. no means
spp rp in he buFrow- kinCa Rob bpinp tha aim.