Hunting in the Philippine Islands where to go and why not

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Part of The American Chamber of Commerce Journal

Title: Hunting in the Philippine Islands where to go and why not
Language: English
Source: The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume 7 (Issue No. 8) August 1927
Year: 1927
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Fulltext: August, 1927 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 7 Hunting in the Philippine Islands Where to Go and Why Not By J. L. Myers The editor wants 1304 words to fill the space on this sheet. Did he want me to write this for the old timers who read the JOURNAL? Did he suppose I should presume to use 1304 words to tell, say, Floyd and Waterous and Ernie Thompson, who all take five times as many snipe as I do, where to go to get more? No; I could write it for visitors. Just a butt left. The first of next month the closed season on snipe opens and we will all head for our old favorite grounds—and find a half a dozen guns there ahead of us. Fifteen years ago snipe shoot ing was good in Santa Ana, Harrison Park and the Wack Wack Golf Course. Ten years ago it was good in Quingua, Muntinlupa and Pasig. Five years ago it was good in Santo Tomas and Calauan but shoot ing to the east was finished. The last few seasons have seen most of the shooting done along the southeast shore of Laguna de Bay from Bay to Fame, on the flats at the foot of Mount Banahao and also along the other side of Bana hao in Candelaria, Tiaong and Sariaya. To the north Mexico and Guagua were favored. Take the map and figure for yourself where there will be good snipe grounds during the next five years. To those who are content with a reasonable bag, that is, who do not care to make a point of bringing in the largest possible string of birds, there will be spots near Manila for many years where a mess of snipe can be taken. They are simply the old grounds men tioned first but now ignored by the high powered sports. It is not difficult to find the feeding grounds. Just doll up in hunting togs of any kind whatsoever, and travel slowly along the main roads where you have heard that some one has had luck and the small boys will flag your car with promises of “Many snipes. Sir!” Usually two boys follow each gun; one to carry shells and canteen and the other to pick up birds. The picture showing the group of mighty hunters each with half a hundred snipe or more was taken years ago, maybe ten, and I hope our critics will realize that in those days there were so many snipe that there was no possible * danger of scarcity; and anyway, they don’t breed here. In the way of fishing we have all the varieties of tropical sea fish that are found illustrated in the dictionary. The sea fish seem to be un confined by natural barriers except temperature. Manila bay, especially in the passes around Corregidor, supplies fish for fleets of fishing boats both Japanese and Philippine. These fish for market are taken with nets which leaves very few for the hook and line fisherman. There are many other very good localities further away. Ragay gulf and Mompog pass are good. Possibly the best of all is Malampaya sound in Palawan. In the far south Flecha point, where the picture was taken, is very good, and the many reefs of the Tawitawi group fur nish most of the dried fish for Manila. It is unfortunate that most of these grounds are so far from the cities that fairly large boats are needed to get there and these large boats are, of course, unsuitable for trolling over coral reefs where the fish are caught. It is a rich man’s game, but a good one. Hunting, on the other hand, is not expensive. All the more remote mountainous regions fur nish sport with the rifle. The deer season is open from December to April and there is no closed season on pigs. The best territory on Luzon is now up the Cagayan valley. The rest house in Balite pass is headquarters for many hunting parties. Dogs are necessary, but each barrio in the vicinity can supply a few and the steward of the rest house will cheerfully accommodate his guests. Further up the valley, in Isabela, Cagayan and the Mountain province, there are plenty of wild carabao. The wild carabao are the same as domestic carabao but very alert and wary and difficult to stalk. They usually keep to low swampy flats with plenty of brushy cover and coarse grass. Patches of high talahib are favored, and continual use will form tunnels through the grass as devious and intricate as a labyrinth. The carabao make for these hiding places when disturbed or wounded and extreme care should be used in following them there. The carabao when cornered frequently turns the tables, the hunter becoming the hunted and the place the carabao selects to make his stand leaves all the advantage with him. A Spring field or Krag rifle with heavy, full patched bullets is the smallest rifle that should be used on carabao, and it is seldom that they can be stopped with less than a magazine full of cartridges. Deer are much easier to hunt. Usually each barrio in the foothills has its group of hunters who hunt with dogs and nets. The nets are cumbersome, many deer, especially the wise old bucks, escape, and the hunters welcome the addition of a good rifle to the party. If you are a fairly good shot and can take advantage of the shots presented the hunters will usually be contented with a fifty-fifty split of the game and invite you to come back. The north side of Laguna de Bay, the hills east of Sibul springs, are very accessible, but the best shooting is up the north road in the carabao country. Pigs are hunted in the same way as deer and are more numerous because they are seldom taken with artificial lights. A fine tusker is counted as a great prize by any sportsman. Mindoro furnishes another game animal, the tamarao, only inhabiting that island, though there is said to be a similar smaller animal on an island near Sumatra. The tamarao seems to be much like the carabao but about one-third as large with horns pointing more directly to the rear. He ranges over all kinds of country from the river beds to the tops of the highest hills (Concluded on page 28) 28 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL August, 1927 REVIEW OF THE HEMP MARKET By T. H. Smith Vice-President and General Manager, Macleod Company This report covers the markets for Manila Hemp for the month of July with statistics up to and including August 1st, 1927. U. S. Grades: At the opening of the month shipping houses were offering moderately in New York D, 17-1/2 cents; E, 16-5/8 cents; F, 16 cents; G, 10 cents; H, 9-1/2 cents; I, 141/4 cents; JI, 11-1/2 cents; SI, 15-7/8 cents; S2, 13-3/4 cents; S3, 12 cents; market being fairly steady but business being only of a retail character. Sellers became more reserved in their offerings towards the middle of July with asking prices basis F, 16-1/4 cents; I, 14-3/8 cents; JI, 11-1/2 cents. The reserve of sellers quickly brought buyers into the market and the last week of the month has reflected a firm market in the U. S. although there has not been much activity. At the close shipping houses were offering a fair quantity of hemp basis F, 16-7/16 cents; I, 14—5/8 cents; JI, 11-7/8 cents without finding buyers. The local market for U. S. grades has ruled steady to firm throughout the month, arrivals being readily absorbed by export houses as they came in. Early July there were buyers E, 1’39; F, 1 * 37.4; G, 1 * 22; H, 1 * 21; I, 1’32.4; JI, 1 * 25.6; SI, 1’36.4; S2, P31.4; S3, 1 * 26. Scarcity of offerings and competition in buying by export houses advanced prices gradually by mid July to E, 1’39.4; F, 1 * 38; G, 1 * 22; H, 1’21; I, 1 * 33.2; JI, 1 * 26.4; SI, 1 * 37.4; S2, 1’32.4; S3, P26.4. During the last two weeks of July market showed a further steady appre ciation in values on steady buying by practically all the houses. At the close there were general buyers E, 1’40.4; F, 1 * 39; G, 1 * 22.2; H, I‘21.2; I, 1 * 34; JI, 1 * 27; SI, 1 * 38; S2, 1 * 33.4; S3, P27. Cadwallader Gibson Lumber Company HUNTING IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS—WHERE TO GO AND WHY NOT (Concluded from page 7) Philippine Woods Quality First United States Headquarters Cadwallader-Gibson Co. 3628 Mines Ave. Los Angeles, California and is best stalked at daylight or dusk. In the open hills a high powered field glass would be very useful to locate them on the hill sides. They are best hunted on the west side of Min doro as that side is grassy while the east side is quite well covered with timber and second growth. The open season on tamarao corresponds with that on deer and not more than one may be taken by one person annually. Heads and hides which are worth mounting require more care in the tropics than in colder countries. They should be thoroughly fleshed. The skulls may be fleshed by leaving them in water for three or four days. The hides should be well salted and sprinkled with alum. Arsenic soap rubbed into the tender places is well worth while. Hoofs may be treated with formaline by soaking them in the solution a few hours. There are taxidermists in Manila who do very creditable work. Our duck shooting now is largely a disappoint ment. There are usually great rafts of blue bills on Laguna de Bay, but shooting from motor boats has made them so wary that they will not decoy even in the early part of the season. We hope to correct this before the next season. A caution or two may be in order for visitors. First, don’t omit your mosquito bar from your baggage; and second, don’t fail to use it. Slight wounds are frequently infected and should be treated every night. Carry Iodex and keep it handy. Boil your drinking water to avoid dysentery. And last but not least, treat your native hunters at least as well as you would treat your dogs at home and they will return your kindness many fold. U. K. Grades: London market opened on the dull side with an unsettled market owing to “Bear” operations in the more distant positions, values for July-Sept, shipment being about J2, £43.10; K, £42.10; LI, £41.10; L2, £40.10; Ml, £40; M2, £37.10 with distant positions at £1 per ton discount. Market at mid July ruled steady without much activity. The latter part of the month a firmer market developed in U. K., there being buyers at the close J2, £44; K, £43; LI, £41.10; L2, £41; Ml, £41; M2, £37.10 Aug.-Sept, shipment. Local market for U.K. grades has been firm throughout the month being fairly well supported, by Japanese demand in addition to the support experienced from European sources. At the opening of July values in Manila were J2, 1 * 21.2 ; K, 1’20.4; LI, 1 * 19.6; L2, 1’18.6; Ml, 1 * 18.2; M2, 1 * 17.4; DL, P16.4; DM, 1 * 13; Mid July parcels were changing hands at J2, P21.4; K, 1 * 20.6; LI, 1 * 20.2; L2, 1 * 19.6; Ml, P19.2; M2, 1 * 17.4; DL, P17; DM, 1 * 14 for early del ivery. On scarcity of arrivals market advanced still further until at the close of July business was passing J2, P21.4; K, P21; LI, P20.2 to P20.4; L2, P19.4 to P19.6; Ml, P19.2 to 1 * 19.4; M2, P17.4 to P18 for early delivery. Single grades have changed hands throughout the month at substantial premiums over prices paid for parcels. High grade hemp of approved quality con tinues scarce. Freight Rates: Freight Rates remain with out change. Statistics: We give below figures for the period extending from July 5th to August 1st, 1927, in bales: 1927 1926 Stocks on January 1st. .. . 112,382 153,181 Receipts to Aug. 1st......... 742,106 772,974 Stocks on Aug. 1st............ 138,552 191,492 Shipments To the— To Aug. 1, 1927 Hales United Kingdom............. 194,979 Continent of Europe.. . . 78,363 Atlantic U. S.................. 152,895 U. S. via Pacific............. 77,182 Japan................................ 150,793 Elsewhere and Local.. . . 61,724 up. 2, 1926 150,292 102,046 200,402 92,060135,931 53,932 715,936 734,663THE SITUATION IN COTTON GOODS The cotton goods industry continues its demonstration of a remarkable comeback. A year ago this industry was in the depths of discouragement, with several years of poor business behind, and apparently little to look forward to in the immediate future. Then came the drop in raw cotton which proved to be the spark that has given it renewed life. With raw cotton down to 12 cents a pound, as compared with 20 to 25 cents before last year’s big crop, merchants everywhere began to regain confidence both in the raw material and in cotton goods, and to replenish stocks which had been allowed to run down to the minimum. As cotton has crept upward in price this Spring, confidence has grown, and hand-to-mouth buying of cotton goods has given way in many instances to for ward ordering, and many mills are now well sold ahead for the first time in years. This decided recovery of activity is strik ingly shown in the statistics of the industiyConsumption of raw cotton by domestic mills has reached record breaking levels, exceeding the totals of a year previous in every month since July, 1926, while for the cotton year to date the total shows an increase of 495,342 bales. The figures on spindle activity have shown over-time operations in every month since November, 1926, and at the end of May were at the rate of 109 per cent of single shift capacity, compared with 88.9 per Cent on the corresponding date of 1926. —National City Bank: Current Report. IN RESPONDING ADVERTISEMENTS PLEASE MENTION THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL