New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-11-15
Coral 9nteIltger,re.

IN What Way 1t is ObtaIned-Huntine
Grounds at the Jump"
The quantity of game to be found in this State
is too well known to require any description A
considerable portion Of the population Of our State
make hunting the business Of their lives and the |
result Of their labors may be seen every morning |
at our markets. In view of the number who en- |
gage in it from business or pleasure and the still
larger number who profit by their skill we collect
below few facts which may be of interest. We
cordially acknowledge we are indebted for our infor
nation 10 party Of gentlemen, among whom we
accidentally found ourselves, and Who were well
acquainted with the subject, and more particularly
to Mr. Mayance, Of the Third District, who has
been engaged off and on in the business for the
last twenty-five years.
Tie hunting ground that is best known is about
ninety miles below the city on the west side Of
the river, and is called the Jump Below Fort
Jackson the leveesno further extend and portion
of the Mississipqi's immense food finds its way
over the country westward, in loose irregular
manner, forming sort Of gulf or bay. The shore i
that borders this is composed of trembling prairie,
upon which the ground oscilates and moves up and
down for hundreds of feet ahead of the hunter as
he moves over it. It behooves him to tread eau.
tiously upon the tuft of grass which he half turns
over for additional support, and to guard with
wary eye against the holes of the alligatGrs; all
his foresight does not at times prevent him from
sinking but when he does SO it is in such manner
as to throw his weight upon his gun and prev NJ
his further descent into the mire. Woe to the ID
experienced who should here be lost at night, Ce1
VINO 40 understand now 10 eAVrlcate themselves
when the treacherous earth has once commenced
to yield. In spite of his struggles his weight drags
him ever dow ntOwards the pale shades below; the
bright heavens are lost to him forever, and If he
ever again follows the chase it will be in the hunt
ing grounds of another sphere. It is not easy to
conceive of death more terrible than thus being
swallowed and engulphed alone on lonely
prairie.
these praries are overfowed, and it is the ground
| that is thus covered that is known as the Jump
1t is in the neighborhood of this locality that the
hunter deals deadliest destruction to the fOcks of
geese, canvass-back gray-back, and French duck
| that frequent these waters. 1t is here, and per
| haps at Lake Lery, in st. Bernard parish that
their earliest visits are paid. From the time Of
their arrival, about the first Of November, until
| March, the warfare of the hunter continues almost
| without let or cease. ()
at the Jump there is now company Of about
| fOrty.tiye hunters, who remain there during the
season, and who XIII, on an average, sixteen hun
drel ducks day. Fifty pairs of ducks is the hun
ters days work, and when he has killed this many
he is generally willing to cease his labors He has
then TO carry his game home, pick, clean, and dry
it, hang it up and bestow it in eboXes, ready to
send TO the city This is an operation which takes
half day The drying process is one which
especially demands care, as il proper precautions
are not taken, the game in short time spoils.
The game is transferred to two small prOpelierE
which DIy between that locality and tie city, car
rying down supplies 10 the hunters and the plan
ters along the coast, and bringing back in return
the game that is each day killed. The latter Ii
sold to Mr.. LeerOix, a planter of the parish o
PlaQuemines, who owns the boats aud who pays
about twenty-five cents apiece for each duck, and
who brings them to the city i'll iceb0xes and after
wards disposes Of them in the markets. When the
wind is from east to south the hunter has it all is
own way with the waterfowl, aud until each has
hagged his hundred the feathers are pretty apt 70
fly. The greatest number we heard Of as having
been killed was three hundred teal, which we've
said to have been brought down by negro Soy
named Louis in seven shots.
But when the wind blows from south to north
west the water is driven from the shore and the
soft, oozy coast is laid bare These are the favor
te stamping grounds of the ducks, who are bu
little inoommOded with the boggy character Of
the ground, and who wander about there Ating
weed in but little fear of dogs or hunters fo
the ground is too soft to admit of any ones ven
turing upon its t~eacherous surface, and some
times for seven or eight days at time the tow
enjoy those soft places without any danger what
ever. The hunter can neither move towards then
: or send after them his dog. 1t is this draWbacl
; that prevent good many from visiting thest
+ grounds.
What the waterfowl subsst upon is sea gras
and the grasses known as Ia Uotee, herb6tu CGuJ
and Ii force, or false rice. Canvass-baOE ranl
as the best, and next come the French duck ant
dos griS, or gray-hack-the latter only at certain
seasons. The marlonettes, marGross,. ReGls: an'
, what are known as the fshy ducks or thos
which live upon fish, are regarded CT but littl
value on account of their oily flavor, Some peli
cans are to be seen here, and abOut.the Chande
eur Islands an immense NUMBER but their tes
" is sp0ngy, and, like that of the asteAamed duck
too fatty to be valued for anything but the o
which, for medical purposes, is u9ade from
The flesh is indeed SO greasy that III might peraaI
be possible to use this bird as lamp, as is som
times done in the colder regions, hR simply yrnnnin
a piece Of lamp wick through it, and lighting it.
A great difficulty about hunting at the Jump
that there is no wood to be found except tt
drft-wood which floats, down the river IL
9. houses used by the hunters are temporary stru
1r1iIt pf lISI iuh D1f
- though q regular camp we understand, s soon
= be built; their equipments are blGnkets q
q mosquito, nets-m0re particular the latter
barrel of powder and four times its waigb in 81
supply the rest THUS eqTpped he ought
least to average 81 so aday, clear Of expense
D. but from $40 to 500 have been made in We
=. by parties engaged in hanting and fishing togeti
pi Even 6nring the blockade, when powder cast $
pound and shot was in proportion, ii was posi-
TO make money at the business.
III The best hunting grounds are about the Bay
at Barataria, Fraetown, on Bayor3 Villars, the /
at Piquant, in Lake Gatawatchie, and about ii
Salvador, the GabiAage Hrancalse and Bois Cl
taw, Grand Prairie, Petit CatsAoulnU, Grand {
ahouIou, Lake i46gy has about two hundred l
Ia, terra there, generally, and not few follow the
It,, certain pursuit on Lake fuAtohaptrain. Bat
last place is regarded as one of the poo
ias grounds there is; the duck declining to come
ward and be shot with the ready prompt
de- which the hunter so much AaInres, and, in
weather, remains upon the water, and ref
are to- keep him company altogether.
er- Thore is great deal of hunting done abou
ere back part OF the city, an4 one of our inform
thought that, on some days, there must b
b.g many as two thousand people trampoosin
II country, with guns upon their shoulders bet
nd Carrot0n and She barracks. Same fodr or
3 as thousand gpus were taken by Butler. and ab
the year ago, restored or sold to any one who =
come forward and claim them. They had
'azil this time, become SO worthless that tie sb
uay, hunters hardly thought them worth carr
re- away. There were, however, no lack of
pity cauts-a great many of them negroes-aI
feat. the hands OF this class the game such as {
rom, grass6e, ceI6e, ETC., in the back part of the
gion have not suffered from want of atte
Old hu.ters regard the performances of th
city ter elt,ss coldly, and shrug their shoulders
rises, ask If they are most of them good shO
I'm of wnether, among the two thousand there is
respondingy heavy slaughter Of game.
por'. are, on good morning, at least two huEdre