Smyrna times., 1879-01-08
Duck Shooting.
MEN WHO FISH DURING THE SPRING AND SUM.
MER AND GUN DURING THE FALL AND
wINTER-HOW THEY BRING DOWN
THIRTY BIRDS OUT OF SINGLE
FLOCK

wINTER-HOw THEY BRING DOWN
THIRTY BIRDS OUT OF SINGLE
FLOCK.
Duck shooting in Delaware Bay has begun
in earnest. Although the species of birds
are not so fine as those Of the Chesapeake,
nor the remuneration for the gunner so
great, yet the ducks are by no means bad
eating, and the spOrtsmen make u good |
living; in fact, many of them make q small |
fortune in a winters shooting. All but |
one of the men engaged in this rough lite |
are from Chester and vicinity, men who |
fish during the spring and summer and |
gun the other two seasons. This one is |
John Smith, an old Philadelphia gunner |
and fisherman, known to almost every man |
on the bay. He goes down in his fishing |
boat in November and remains all winter, |
taking with him provisions enough to last |
until spring. At this time of the year the
only birds on the bay shore, creeks and
marshes are the black duck " and the
"Mallard duck" There is no difference
between the latter and the common barn.
yard duck except in the taste, the wild
bird having what gunnerS call "sedgy"
flavor. Years ago they were much more
plentiful than they are to-day, and "Old
Duck Creek was the greatest duck-shoot-
lHS StOunu III Iue Ddy. II IS us much
favOrite now as ever, although more game
is brought down in the "pOnds" than in
the creek. Old gunners say that the sport
in the creek was spoiled by the building of
dykes, or, as they call them. "stoppings."
! This creek runs through what was once
| Bombay Hook Island. 1t is now so cut up
with bitches and Sluices that it is hard to
| tell what 1t Is. GunnPrs 90 down in boats
about twenty-three feet in length, little
! larger than those used for shore fishing, in
which there is a cabin large enough for two
men to sleep in. They take with them
several small cunning skitfS, such as are
used in reed and rail bird shooting in the
marshes of the Delaware. These boats are
very light. weighing not more than sixty
pounds. When cunning in the open bay
or in the creeks the gunners use nothing
but short paddle to propel these skifs.
Some years ago a small swivel gun was
rugged in the bow and at the proper time it
was discharged into the flock. This was
forbidden by law, so now, instead of a can
non, the gunner places a big shotgun
weighing about eighteen pounds, with its
muzzle pointing over the bow. One man
sits at the bow of the skitf perfectly motion
less, while another sits at the stern and
paddles, keeping the boat on Il level
/. |
water the man in the sterns begins eau
tiously to paddle out from under cover.
When within shooting range the man in
the bow levels the big gun, which is of an
inch bore and takes two ounces of powder
to the load, and fires. As the ducks come
| up, the man drops his paddle, which is
fastened to the gunwale Of the boat by a
short line, and picks up double -barreled
] shot gun and brings down what he can on
the wing. The number of ducks killed in
, this way, out of the flock. is from ten t.
/ thirty. If the waters be rough the bOa
; cannot be steered by the paddle. Ther
r the decOys are put out. The gunners ther
' cover the boat with reeds, completely hidin,
4 themselves from view. Upon going to
new hunting ground, the gunners alway
e look through the ponds in the marshes t.
; see whether the ducks are "using" then
r or not. BY "using" gunners mean "in
r habting" or feeding" They fly to tn
!. ponds to escape cold weather. If the bird
) are using" the gunner returns at littl,
O before dusk, when the ducks come in from
It the bay. They fly in lunches of abou
=. fifteen or twenty. An old gunner just bacl
Il from the bay told your correspondent tina
@ he always found ducks selfish sort of bird
d especially at bedtime. Every bunch o
!. sometimes single bird, seems to be look
# ing out for itself They begin coming in a
twilight, and the gunner, as he sits in tn
h dark several hours later, can hear tn
% futtering of wings and see something blac
over his head. After throwing out thei
,r decoys the gunners secrete themselve
,e along the boat, behind reeds and dea
Of grass. When they get through shootin
" they begin picking up" and many
gunner more than earns his birds in fine
ing them. The most popular ponds fc
duck shooting are 4" Hogshead," " Twin,
e. Bottle" and "Scatterbury ponds. The
Y. names were given to them by gunners, an
these titles are ust as much respected
10 though confirmed by some noted explorer
of Great difficulty is experienced in keepin
le foxes away from the dead game. The:
as animals often come so near the gunner tn;
ri. he can shoot them without moving.
ry heavy snow storm, gunners say, cannot
IN beaten by any weather for cunning.
| blinds the ducks and the gunner can cree
upon them with ease. Besides, the bird
don't fly far in that kind of weathe
~ When the river is full of ice, the gunne
30 dress entirely in white and have their boa
or and paddles painted the same color. The
,y they attach a quantity of netting to Il
-. stern of the boat, which they fill with sms
ON chunks of ice, making hill some four
in five feet high. When the river is full of j
no the ducks sit along shore, and with Il
he paraphernalia just spoken of gunners CT
nd get within shooting distance easily enoug
,ea They send their game to the city by oyst
no. pungies, tug.boats, and in fact by al
r;s. means Of transportation that offers itse
,r, There are about dozen men engaged
'ue duc<ing" in the bay at the present tin
'o The life is the toughest of the rough al
none but hardy watermen can stand it.
Correspondent Of tie PHILADELPHIA Times.