The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-06-24
MIlsl.lONS OF WILD PIG EONS.
\ iIOo>t OF Immense ENtcut in the In
dian Territory.
n. y. Sul).l


There arrived on Saturday night. ut
a place near Jersey City. Il car contains
ing $500 Wild pigeons that had been
shipped from Atoka, Indian Territory.
They are the first installment of 20, 900,
which w. l.. Thomas Of Ihillipshurg,
n. j., contracted to supply TO the New
York State SportsmenS Association.
The pigeons were placed in pens, from
which they will be taken as wanted.
These pens arc simply low, close sheds.
An inclined plano orslattcd framework
in each pcn furnishes tho pigeons With
Il roost. They arc very SHY. \ slight
| noise on the outside Of Il pen produces
4 loud whirl on the inside. Whom the
trap door of apcn was cautiously open
ed yesterday to allow the reporter 10
peer inside, tho twittcr and rustic naGc
up strong volume of sound.
s'They make 4 good Gcal Of noise, -
said Mr.. Thomas, 'shut it is nothin. to
the din at the pigeon roost where these
were trapped. :iavc heard the cack-
ling of the pigeons, rs !hcy were set
fully mile away
Mr.. Thomas makes Il business OF
trapping pigeons for field sport. He
will get four more car loads from tho
Indian territory, making Il total of
10000 pigeons.
s'Thc business Will not bci profitable
one this year." he said, "bccausc we
have had to go so far to get them.
heretofore tho pigeons have roasted in
Pennsylvania or Michigan. But this
year, owing to tho late, cold spring,
they did not como rs far north rs usual
and they made a roost in the Potta-
wattomic reservation of the Indian Ter
ritory, 40 miles away from tho nearest
railroad station. ] had to transport all
my lumber and supplies from Atola,
and the pigeons had to be hauled there
for shipment. At one time ! had fit
teen wagons on the road. There arc
several streams to be turdcd, and the
Arbucklc Mountains have to be cross
ed, but most of the way the road is
pretty level. 1t took Il wagon about
three days to make the trip from the
roost to Atoka.
e'Thc roost is the largest have ever
seen. The country there is thickIy
grown over with what they call posi-
that the trunks arc just about post size.
The acorns arc SO abundant that il is a
splendid feeding ground for them.
went into the roost for about ten miles
without finding any signs of an end
Every tree was thick with pigeons,
tho branches bending down with their
weight When the birds have been
coming home from the feeding grounds
in the evening have seen Il stream
about Il mile broad flow through the
the san and making Il noise like thun.
der. l should Judge the rooat TO he
about twenty miles lon. and fifteen
broad.
ssFhcrr has been little or no shooting,
and that has been 4 good thing for us,
as shooting makes the birds Srary and
harder to trap. There is plenty of drcr
and turkeys on the reservation, and
the POttawattOmiCs do not care ror
pigeons, so they do not hunt in the
rO0St. The Indians were very friendly,
and some Of them are working for a
ST. Louis firm that arc catching squads
and shipping them to market Men
go about with poles punchin. the
squads out Of their nests. They are
packed in barrels with ice, and sent 10
all the large cities rs far north as Bns-
ton. My business was althorcth"r with
the live pigeons, which We canght in
nets
Nh Thomas cNiiain"d thC methods
of the -trappcrS. The nets used viii
cover Il space Of 10 feet by 70. One end
of the net is fastened to rope, which
is drawn taut, so that when let go the
net is thrown out like Al. arrow, Etliiu"
upon the pigeons that have gathered
in front of it. The pigeons are general
Iy caught Oh thGir fcCdin. grounds or
their water beds. When Il good feed