Daily Republican., 1881-11-05
DICK DHOOTlN0.
the Plase Whore Ducks CongPe.
gate for Foeding ana - Got Shot.

The duck-shooting season on the Sui
Iquehanna flats, near Havre de Grace
commenced on Wednesday. 1t is esti
mated that about $50 gunners were out
and about 1900 ducks were killed. Ol
the first day last season &, 600 were shot
and it was thought that the result of IL
days shooting would be even greater
al the ducks are more plentiful nov
than they were then, but there wa
hardly breath Of air blowing, and t.
this cause the smallness of the quantity
killed is attributable. The local Law
which governs cunning on the Susque
hanna flats prohibits ducking between
April and November /. From No.
vember to January l ducking is al
lowed on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays, and from then until April 1t is
allowed on Saturdays also.
The object In restricting the gunners
was to protect the birds. The gun
ming grounds have circumference Of
five miles and it is violation of the
law to gun within half q mile Of the
shore. Not less than 100 licenses have
been issuod to gunners in Hartford and
Cecil counties for their boxes and sneak
boats.
The license for box, single or double,
is go and for q sneak boat Cr bush
whacker 81. The former Is q sort Of iaft,
with suuken coffi shaped tox In the
centre, in which the gunner lies at full
length and out of view, shooting the
birds as they come In sight.
From $50 to 600 ducks float on the
water near the box, some being on the
raft itself. The sneak-boat or bush
whacker is batteau,i in which the gun
ner is concealed from the ducks by
bushes, md approaches them by eau
tiously sGulling. The bushwhackers
usually Use from 100 to $50 decoys,
which are placed some distance from
the boat The men start out at 3 o'clock
in the morning and stop shooting at
T. M. Owing to the cold weather there
were only few good cunning days last
season. The gunners expect q success
tul season this year, and are in high
spirits over the prospect.
The regular gunners fish for herring
ana shad in spring and use their boats
to carry small freights in summer. The
constant exposure TO which they are
subjected in winter has made them
tough and hardened physically. 1t is
not an unusual sight on cold day to
500 gunner rise from his box with
beard frozen stiff. The birds are
bought at Havre de Grace by j. Thomp-
son FrieZe, John T. More and John
Boyd, and by agents of Baltim3r ore,
Philadelphia and New York firms
Mr.. Frieze has frequently shipped
ducks to England, where they sold
from s. to 30 80 pair. On Wednesday
the birds sold at 81 % for canvass backs
per pair, rs cents for redheads, and 35
cents for black heads. The prices will
increase az the weather becomes colder
Among the best shots at Havre de
Grace are VIM. Dobson, John Day, f..
Mitchell, George Barnes, VIM. Myers,
John Poplar and VIM. Il. Moore, the
latter being one-armed man. Dubson
shot 300 birds to-day. On the first day
last season he killed over 500, while
several others shot over 800. A num-
her Of sportsmen from Baltimore and
Philadelphia are cunning in the neigh
borhood. There are ten spo. ting yachts
already at Havre de Grace. 1t is said
| that all the ducks have been frightened
away from the head of the Elk river by
fishing ponds. -Four OF five years ago
ducks fairly sYarmed there.