Fishing and Shooting Sketches
 

This came in the mail today a first edition of Fishing and Shooting Sketches by Grover Cleveland. I want to say thanks to Garry L Gordon for recommending it, I am going to try and sit down and read through it soon. So far I have read a little of his view on rabbit hunting, right off the bat his way of using insults gave me a good laugh. One line in particular sounds like something Clint Eastwood would say in a western. The book looks to be in decent shape the only fading is on one of the first pages the rest looks crisp.

Uh, Oh...we have a budding book collector :corn:(and Big Bore Master!).

good reading ....I have to get this book to if I can find it...old grover was quite a big man in size at least...charlie

Charlie theres a few different reprints in the $20-$60 range with some being leather bound. So far I am enjoying Cleveland's writings I dont know much about him. There are a few sentences that have stood out to me to paraphrase a bit
" Any loafer I meet with a dog and gun I consider a friend". He does have some very strong opinions that not everyone will agree with but I still find enjoyment with his words if not for anything else you can tell he was extremely passionate about the pursuit of waterfowl.

I seem to recall that Cleveland owned and shot a Lefever, yes?

The big bore stuff definitely has a learning curve to it which I doubt most hunters of my generation will take interest in. I guess I feel a bit obligated to these old big guns because once their current caretakers pass I think the majority of them wont see the outside of a gun safe again. Any big gun I own I will carry them in the field if hulls are hard to come by in the future I will buy brass ones if plastic wads follow suit I will load fiber if lead goes away I will eat the cost and shoot bismuth. I just turned 29 recently and hope to carry the big bores for at least a couple decades in the field.

I could see acquiring a few more books such as this one. In one of the sketches im 99% sure it is of a LC Smith the side plates look identical to one. He mentions shooting shore birds in Cape Cod during the summer, What birds would these have been ?

I know Josh has that Lefever 8 gauge that is linked to Cleveland but he also owned a Colt 1883 8 gauge. I have heard he actually owned 2 of the Colts but never seen a source backing that up. I think Cleveland owned different brands of American doubles he mentions carrying a sub gauge gun along with fishing rod for when he saw shore birds while out fishing. I wonder if perhaps he found English guns pretentious as he seemed to held some contempt for wealthy sportsmen or I guess more accurately wealthy dandies.

There were many varieties of birds that were hunted without season or limit -- dowitchers, sandpipers, snipe, willets, etc. As an aside, plover on toast was fine dining, indeed. I saw a recipe for greater yellow legs in an old (mid-19th C.) hunting book. In Kansas, meadowlarks were shot, as were robins. In our recent Parker Pages there's an account of eating stew made with redwing blackbirds. Snipe was one of the more common targets until their numbers dropped so much that the season was closed. It's hard to imaging just how much wildlife there was in America, and how inexhaustible it seemed at the time.

I'm really glad to see you take up the banner for those old big bore guns, Milton. Keep up the good work!

https://www.gunsinternational.com/gu...n_id=101832541


You need this gun!

The page before Cleveland writing about summer shore birds does show what I think is a sketch of a snipe but he doesnt mention it specifically. Would you happen to know of any books that are about the origins of what or why certain birds are considered game birds? Its something I have wondered about what makes a game bird a game bird and another species a non game bird?

Haha I look at that gun at least once a day definitely a dream gun it checks all the boxes then some.

I'd have to think more about any literature to specifically answer your good question. Remember early on, almost any bird (of size and worth of expending powder and shot) was considered a target. After seasons were established, when numbers dropped, seasons were closed (the early form of game management). What had developed into a tradition (shore bird hunting, for example), was lost. When seasons were re-established after the closures, what was deemed "game" was redefined through whatever processes existed in a state to enact laws (an exception were the migratory bird laws, which are federal in nature and established by treaty -- and an interesting topic in an of themselves). You can still see the evidence of our regard for what is game, songbird, and/or vermin in our current hunting practices. There was a time when, if you purchased a hunting license of some states, there was tacit agreement (and sometimes explicit) that you would shoot all hawks (and free roaming cats in some states). There's some fascinating history to examine in all of this.

During the depression, my wife's grandfather shot robins with a BB gun as the only meat in the family's dinner. (Polish immigrant family with many kids)

I figured it either came down to cultural norms or perhaps or species that are more easily repopulated were chosen as game birds. Im not sure about other states but I believe here we have two categories, non game animals and non game protected animals. I guess what I am looking for would be something on the cultural or social roots of modern hunting. Regulations aside locally we have game animals we dont hunt I suppose you could call its a custom passed down by the older generation.

I have read stories that stated pretty much any animal was table fare during the depression.

Her name looks like an explosion in a consonant factory, but is a strong family with the right values

Charlie:

The book has long been in the public domain, and is available for free (in digital form) here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3535...-h/35351-h.htm

-Victor

The Lefever 8 that was supposed have belonged to Grover was at the Southern last year . That was the first and probably only gun owned by a president that I’ll ever have in my hands . If I’m not mistaken the Colt 8 he owned is in the NRA mueseum . Everything I’ve read on the subject of Colt 8 gauge claims that was the only 8 gage Colt ever manufactured .

George Perry caught his long-time record-holding, 22-pound 4-ounce, Largemouth Bass in Montgomery Lake, Georgia, well into the Great Depression.

It was 1932. He may have considered the luxury of having his trophy Bass mounted. But what he did do was he took it home and ate it.

Would be interesting to know what the weight is on the Colt and how it compares to the Lefever as it is light for a 8 ga so perhaps he favored a lighter gun. It was Ian on Forgotten Weapons that says there were 2 but again I havnt seen a source for that claim. Though it could be possible there are instances of collectors having historical guns and never talking about it. Even without the Cleveland connection that Lefever is something special.

I came across this ad in a 1924 periodical. Notice they were still hunting shore birds (and with Parker small bore guns)

A small bore Parker or your favorite American double name would probably be most ideal for a gun to carry with a fishing rod. He also mentions using his waterfowl gun as well though so perhaps Cleveland used his 8 gauges on rail or snipe occasionally haha. I take it to mean he would carry a sub gauge while fishing if a opportunity arose but also would take his waterfowling gun and pursue shore birds.

I think its interesting he mentions even 100+yrs ago people would complain specifically about a public figure hunting.

Mr. Grover Cleveland, indeed was a hunter, he was the recipient of the 8 ga Colt made for him and I believe the only 8 ga made by Colt, He named the gun " Death and Destruction" I have a 20 ga hammer gun that the late Austin Hogan belived had a connection to mr Cleveland, it is also the very first 20 ga hammer gun made, a 250 or 300.00 dollar grade, but never could substantiate it . An article will be in the Double gun Journal sometimes in 2022, Gary

I get the feeling Cleveland could talk about every specific detail of all his guns and loads but didnt want to get side tracked off the focus of his book. He does mention how he enjoys sitting around at camp talking all day about shotgun loads and reloading methods. He would have loved the reloading forum we have here. Who knows that 20 ga hammer gun could have been one of his shore bird guns does seem like he preferred a hammerless, however I think Cleveland would enjoy any fine American double.

Theres a picture of him holding a shotgun I read was indeed the Colt but wasnt sure. The Colt looks slim for a 8 gauge, man I wish we had some notes from the Colt guys on how they went about building it. I guess im kind of a nerd when it comes to big doubles I could spend all day measuring every part of them with a caliper. At one time I was keeping notes on the breech measurements I could find of 10 and 8 ga guns from the period.

I had never even heard of bow fishing before I picked up Fishing and Shooting Sketches by Grover Cleveland. I was flipping through the pages idly, looking for something new to try, when I came across a description of bow fishing. It sounded like a lot of fun, so I decided to give it a shot. I went out and bought a used compound bow and a few arrows from https://bowarchery.com/best-bowfishi...r-muddy-water/ and headed down to the local pond. It didn't take long to get the hang of it, and I was soon hooked. I've been bow fishing ever since, and I love it. It's a great way to get some exercise, and it's also a lot of fun. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend it.

Shooting robins here in Florida is an old tradition.Up until recently I used hear of one or more of the locals in central Florida getting caught with a sack full of robins in January yearly.

that big 8 ga lefever has to be top gun in my opinion.. but it does seem like a light weight compared to other 8 ga s...except for bll murphys 8 lb 8 ga... charlie

I took advantage of Victor W's link to the complete text of Grover Cleveland's book. It is well illustrated and the best part, it is free.

Fishing and shooting sketches
 

As an unrepentant robin slayer, I can vividly recall occasions in my youth in the mid-1950's when my father and I would shoulder our Winchester Model 67 single shot .22's and head for the nearby woods where several large holly trees were loaded with succulent red berries that the migrant robins loved dearly. This was in the late fall when the transient "yankee" birds had arrived. We each carried a box of .22 shorts to keep the noise down to keep from spooking the birds and to avoid discovery from the local game warden. After making a makeshift blind we would begin collecting what was necessary to make a good meal for my family of five (usually 25-30) birds. Dad and I would clean the birds and Mom would cook, usually fry, the robin breasts. As best I recall they had a taste similar to doves. On other occasions we would ambush enough for supper from a chinaberry tree in my grandmother's yard. By that time of year the chinaberries had mostly dried, soured and shriveled which for some reason the robins couldn't resist. Once my father swallowed a robin bone and it scratched his throat. He was convinced it was lodged in his throat so off to the local doctor we went. When my Dad related what his problem was to the doctor, with a chuckle he said, "Now I've heard it all."