The daily gazette., 1881-08-22
Wild Fowl OF the Delaware-where
the Gunners Seek Them.

Wild Fowl OF the Delaware-where
the Gunners Seek Them.
From the Philada. Times.
Wild fowl shooting during the past
few years has become much more popu-
lar with our city sportsmen than It was
ten years ago. Indeed, so enthusiastic
have many Of them become that they
cenfine their shooting almost entirely to
fowl, and indulge in the most expensive
outfits and extravagant outlay for club
houses, cunning yachts, and for rentage
of noted sh 1oting points. Most of them
60 to the Chesapeake, particularly to
Havre de Grace and Northeast, while
not few 90 farther down the bay to
Kent Island and Chester river. We
think they err In neglectlng their own
waters, which can be reached aud good
sport obtained in an hour or so, making,
as they do, expensive and distant trips
to the Chesapeake, where large scores
can certainly, but only occasionally, be
made, As the outcrop Is apt to fuctuate
on q lottery basis, wind and weather
needing neither man nor gun. There
are, however, o few resident dHckers
who own cunning skifis and are con-
stantly on the alert for fresh flight of
ducks. Indeed, 30 earnest are they that
several known to us, who live In the ex-
treme northern end Of the city, the view
from whose dwellings embraces broad
reach of the Delaware river, use field
glasses and telescopes, with which they
prospect before starting on their trips.
We are informed that it Is nothing un.
usual, particularly when the river ls full
of floating ice, tor an old hand at ducks
to predict accurately a bag OF a dozen or
80 and tell the exact cove where he will
get them before starting out on his trip.
The ducks that visit the Delaware are
divided by the old gunners into two
classes channel and marsh ducks.
The first are diving ducks that keep in
deep water, and the second are those
which feed on the fats and In the shall
lows, alighting sometimes on the mud
These classes cover all the ducks that
frequent our waters, and number, say
twenty-one, the local names of which are
a. follows:
Big and little blackheads, redheads,
green and blue-winged teals, canvas
backs, shovelers, vhistlers, baldpates,
summer ducks, butter balls, common
small divers, stiffies or ruddy ducks,
sou-southerlies, sprig tails, sheldrakes,
black coots, cock robbins, hooded mer-
gansers, mallards, black ducks and large
gray divers. Many of the foregoing
ducks have variety of local names.-
The above, however, are those mostly
used by the old duckers Of the Della
ware. Occasionally flocks of wild
geese visit Howelrs Cove, just below
Gloucester, and remain for q week or
more, and an occasional swan is shot
in the vicinity of League Island. The
waters around Pea Patch Island, oppo-
site Delaware City, swarm at certain
times with geese, and they are shot in
large numbers by the market shooters.
Our article is getting lengthy and we
close by as brief list as possible of
the best points for shooting ducks on
the Delaware and in the vicinity of
Philadelphia, naming first those below
the city.
RAvoRITE BREEDING PLACES.
Howell's Cove, mentioned above, has
been justly celebrated as favorite
feeding place for all kinds of ducks,
and We heard Of more wild fowl being
shot there last season than at any
other point along the river. Below
HowelPs Cove and close to it is ono
(the name has escaped us), which also
has an excellent reputation. Then
comes Tinicum Island, above Chester,
where good scores have been made, es-
pecially in the early part Of the season.
Clemmell's fats, opposite Tinicum
Island, on the jersey shore, is favora-
bly, known. Racoon creek, just below
the island of the same name, lying be-
low Chester on the eastern side Of the
river, is quite a favorite spot with
many of our duckers. There Is fiat,
the name of which we do not remem-
ber, which is situated between Marcus
Hook and Wilmington creek, which
generally pans out we'll. Off the
mouth of Salem creek is good ground
brant and canvas-backs seem to par.
ticularly favor 1t. Below Reedy Island
off the mouth of Augustine creek, Ii
visited by many knowing ones. a
number Of places from Reedy Island
down to Lewss, Delaware, are wei
worthy visit. At Rehoboth the wilt
geese, swan and ducks of all kinds hero
and make their winter quarters in tn,
adjacent waters.
I