The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-09
Gossip of the Rod and the
Gun.
Thomas S. DandO Won River
ton Handicap Gun Shoot.
Halifax SpOrtsmen Trying to Pass
Bill TO Prevent Killing Grouse.

True lovers OF the sport derived from tramp
ing the field and forest with gun over ones
shoulder. or wading merrily ripplng stream
angling for trout, find an indennabie charm
an living over again some particularly inter
esting rourhing trip or lively chance, and IL
is al these little informal meetings that many
pits OF information arc gathered anc many
niceties regarding the handling of the rod and
gun decided.
There was party Of Nimrods at the club
the other afternoon. and the question came
up as to whether large or small bore gun
should DO used in the hunting OF wild geese
and swans.
President Cleveland has customarily used an
eiehi-suage gun while hunting wild fowl on
Palmico and Albemarle sounds, but lately he
has employed a l0-guage on his hunting trips
ON the Potomac.
On the other hand. however, an incident
comes to the mind Of the writer OF two wild
goose hunters down in the Mississippi Valley.
Let them be called A. and B. for the sake Of
convenience. They were both clever shots
and pretty evenly matched. A used 20
euape gun. while q shot with a lO-guage.
Considerably moro birds fell to than to b,
ana the range a.. which the s0guage gun
Several were dropped at co and 20 yards,
while, on the other hand. B. with frst-class
l0guage gun, was only capable of doing etfec-
tive work at from 30 to a. yards distance.
Such incidents as this have been recorded
by woIl-known sportsmen, and near can
be sscertained. il is the general opinion that.
for either long or short range killing, the
little 20-guage gun is the best. while the big
h., Nv
or market hunters.
Apropos TO the range of shot guns. an Incl
dert comes TO the mind OF the writer of a
man who killed deer at 200 yards on an Ad-
dirondack stream with buckshot. The man
was nov ce, and when no saw the deer he
pulled mp and fired. Just one bit of lead
struck the deer, and that went to his heart.
There is another fellow, an Albanian, who
is reported TO have even outdistanced this by
killing large buck at $50 yards. This is the
longest buckshot kill on record.
A good many sportsmen. that is big game
hunters, find 1t necessary to add pair OF
snow shoes TO their outfit, as it would DO inn
possible to follow the gamo In certain parts of
Canada and the United States during tho
winter season without them. and according
with carbon rawhide. shoe thus strung
does not sag in the network as do cow. moose
or horsehide string, but tightens like FIDDLE
string. Undoubtedly an Indian-made shoe is
superior to the manufactured one. and good
pair of onribou-strupg shoes can be purchased
ut from $40 to Se0
II Is only short time now before the
millions Of wild fowl that swarm the waters
~. Del md ham, arr..
will become uneasy, and then the migration
TO the North will begin. SO trot out your gun.
prepare the old blind that has been battered
by the winter winds and make ready for the
spring coming, for jolly season is dawning.
Up in Halifax the game society Is endeavor-
ing to have bill passed forbidding the kill
ing Of spruce grouse for five years; and we'll
may it be SO, for this bird Is far different
in point of alertness from its cousin. the
rufiied grouse. as can be imagined, being vory
tame and stupid. Its habits, when undis-
turbed, are much the same as its ruffed rela-
tive, particularly in the mating season. They
are both drummors, one humping its breast
with ia wings while standing on an old rot
ten log or on o stone. The spruce grouse flies
against the branches Of a dense spruce tree,
then, Tapping his wings with loud thump-
ing against his breast and against the
branches descending slowly to the ground
beating all the while. II does not make tho
musical sound of the ruffied grouse's drum
ming. but II IS Just as attractive to one or
more Of the females.
On March 10 the Sportsmen's Association
exhibition will be opened in the Madison
fquare Garden. New York. for a run of six
days. Every space marked out for exhibits
has bsen booked so thore should be no lack
Of variety in the display.
In Hsbiog boats for the lakes. and to shoot
ducks from in the bays, now invention has
been brought out. The boats are OF steel
plates or Of manganese bronze They are said
10 be tighter and more durable than cedar
skiffs, ana having air chambers they are un-
sinkabe.
Tho l2-boro shot gun, now recognized as the
uniform size for trap shooting viii bo a foa-
ture of the gun exhibits. That the noted club
shots are all using English guns "a grievance
Of the American makers, and tbey are work
ing hard 20 change the doop-root-d conviction
among the amateur wing shots that the En-
Rlish gun is the best made.
On Saturday the second days shoot OF the
Riverton Gun Club held. Hardly a
breath Of wind was noticeable, and all other
conditions were in favkor Of the marksmen.
The conditions OF the match called for 100
birds. handicap rise, 30 yards boundary on
each ground TO be shot all in ono day. The
entrance fee was sl00, % per cent TO the
winner, IS per cent. 10 the second man, 10
per cent. to third. per cent. tc the fourth,
and the remnining 10 per cent. 10 tho ciub.
Thomas 5. Dando Of the kiverion Gun Club
won the shoot. with total Of 81 birds killed.
Among the other scorers; Finlettor, 90;
Hoey, Sc; McAlpine. Sc; Davis, S.: Thomas, SO,
and Manchester, 81.
YALE on 1BE WATER
Saturday afternoon the Yale crew took 70
- A A..