Middletown transcript., 1881-03-18

though the average is far below this,
and he who gets pair does not COM
plain. Any warm, calm day, when
there is floating ice in the river, will
answer for river shooting The object
is to initiate cake of floating ice as
much as possible. For this purpose we
take white cunning skiff, and hang
from its gunwale a coarse net, through
the meshes Of which are pushed pieces
of ice. A large cake of ice is placed on
the bow, to conceal the gunner, and
the disguise is complete. The gunner
and his paddler are dressed entirely in
white and lie fiat down in the bottom
of the boat, when approaching flock
Of ducks. 1t would seem almost i'm
possible to paddle boat while in that
position, yet it is done, and so noise
lessly that boat has been padded into
the centre of large flock, and so close
to individual ducks as to almost touch
them. A gun twice the ordinary size is
used in this sport, and the gunner ex-
poets to kill great many at one shot.
Fifty is not an unusual number to kill
in one day. This is not popular mode
of cunning, as it is exposing. Stool
shooting interests more than any
other kind, because more ducks are
killed over decoys than in all other
ways put together. In the "goOd old
time" gunner could go on the marsh
with half dozen stools, and they
might be travesties on the original in
both shape and color, and lie on bare
ditch bank and kill his 20 ducks day.
But not SO now. If man wishes to |
make good day he must be in duck
ing box with twenty or thirty first rate
stools, and five OF ten live, tame ducks.
A ducking box is a new invention. 1t
is made water tight, and large
enough to seat from one to three
persons. This is sunk in the middle of
a good pond, to within six inches of
the top, and cOnceals the gunner en-
DecOys are made Of
wood and painted, so that they might
readily be mistaken for real ducks at a
short distance. A day so stormy and
windy that the ducks cannot feed on
the river is selected. An early start is
made, as everything must be in readi-
ness before daylight.
The stools are placed ten or fifteen
Yards from the box. If it is to be a
good day the ducks can be heard whist
ing over head before they can be clear
y seen. AS soon as it is light enough
o see the stools the ducks pitch for
hem. We are all ready, and here they
,ome, with wings bowed and necks
crooked. They look as if they were
,oing to drop right in among our /.
tools, but no, they catch themselves,
werve off with the wind, make a circle
,ehind the box and come back against
he wind, getting lower and lower all
he time until they are right over the !
tools, when they will drop their feet
nd hang an instant before dropping to
he water. Now is the time, and the
elbow who does not bring down at least !
wo from such a flock is not worthy
f the name of sportsman. This is a
Moderate shot.
Often, instead Of coming in on the
rst circle, they will swerve off and h
ircle again and again, getting closer n
ach time until they hang over the t
tools, as in the other case, but instead 0
f lighting will renew their circling f
light, and finally settle at some dis 0
ance from the stools and out of gun t
hot. A small flock stools better than d
large one. In first rate shooting such a
hances as 1 have described should re- a
ur every half hour during the day. v
}ut we seldom have good shooting h
ow the ducks are so wild that they S
eldom come up over the stools. Twen- Ii
Y ducks is considered a good day over t
tools. d
u