The daily gazette., 1882-11-15
~gr pUCKrxo SEASON.
-. Actively Pursuing the Red-lssad
eH'"'' and the Canvas-Isack.
Es.t. \

-
Gamers Actively Pursuing the ksd-bsad
e"''' and the Canvas-Back.
baltimore snn.I
c,,o.sneake bay is in It's glory now for the
Cneond. hack, rcd-head and canyas-back
alSn suU has arrived. Gunners have been en'
season seasU~ the sport of duck shooting along the
pl,Ss of the Back and Gunpowder rivers
~ suO'' about 10 days, but the season
nId nj not fairly begin until WEDNESDAY
snens nsusouehanna fats expired. There
Me 'Ii~ :I0O professional gunners residing
aIs u"xre I" de Grace who make o prosperous
o. ,i,1, na bv duck shooting. In addition TO the
Nils 1,sn, ~ ounners there are not less than 100
IT, whose habits are migratory, like those
o,IIas g,he came they hunt. The first days
q noatinS @ ranges in the aggregate from 800 10
sIvvi soSo birds. The law which governs the
livVU i,r. an the flats prohibits ducking be-
sul", sa" tnril and November 1. From the
Msen ns November to the first Of January
INV ,so,irg ~ ia allowed on Mondays, Wednes-
snVo iDo and Fridays, and on Saturdays also
S.y S'cm January to April l..
Hyb Tho object Of restricting the gunners Is TO
.d,oct tIe birds from cxtermination. The
P"ning o, ounds have q circumference of
sua suDT miles. II Is o violation Of law TO gun
w, .I,,hIn half mile OF the shore. Licenses
S.'I VIZ issued to the gunners at the rate OF $50
n,a single or double box and Us for
'Usskboat or bushwacker. The former Is a
.ort of raft with sunken coffin-shaped box
n tbe centre, In which the gunner lies on
II. hack at full length, and IL compare
,jrely out Of sight Of tho birds. From $50
~ 100 wooden deeoy ducks noat In the
,so,er near tho box, while some are placed
Tho lfuA hirAa hf
',acoys and joln them, and then is the gun
aor,: onportunity. The sneakboat or bush
~scter Is a batteau IN which the gunner Is
conrealed from the ducks by bushes. He
csutlously approaches the birds by Hculling.
The bushwackers usually use from 100 to
i5D decoys, which are foated some distance
from the boat.
The runners start out at o'clock in the
morning and cease shooting at o O'Clock In
lbe evening. They are hardy class OF men
and can stand any amount Of exposure. Icy
boards and frost-stung ears and fingers are
moi minded If the days cunning has been
nro0table. A gunner will shoot from 10 TO
i00 birds daily. Some of the best shots
have run up as high as from 800 to 500 in
dsy The birds are told at Hayrc de Grace
to agents of Baltimore, New York and Phil
,deIphla firms. Besides the regular gun
ners there is generally an army Of amateur
sportsmen on hand, many Of whom come In
Yachts from New York and Boston.
Most of the birds killed thus far are red
heads. Now that the weather has become
colder canyas-backs will be more plentiful
than they have been. II Is Is said that after
the first ten days shooting numbers of the
rsdbcads, which arc not so highly priced as
The eanyas-b back, leave the fats and seek
Ia 1aaa nj no
canvas back stands its ground and dies
pluckily. 1t is claimed that more ducks are
eaten in Baltimore than in any other city In
the United States. As n general thing
Baltlmoreans, except at clubs aud public din
nen, eat the red heads, which are cheaper,
and until about December /, better than
The Canyass-back. The birds remain in the
Chesapeake until February, when most OF
them migrate South. They come TO the
Chesapeake from the West. Tho market
here has been supplied for some time from
The West, but the birds have been inferior,
IS were also the few that came from the
South, ilrst-class canvas-back will weigh |
Sg pounds or more, and q red head five |
pounds. The black-heads, bald pates and |
nalards are also fine birds, but not equal |
70 the canvas-back and red-heads. The |
naard Is superior TO the blackhead, but on |
account Of the variety being scarce II is not |
often quoted in market.
The Baltimore dealers supply the leading |
hotels, restaurants and clubs of the North, |
and also ship large quantities to Europe. |
Several shipments have alrerdy been sent |
across the water, but there is not much |
ola European demand before Thanksgiving, |
70 celebrate which Americans residing In |
Europe send here for the canvas-back, the |
ihps4UpaEp birI al INua ha fh.,v
ence. When the birds are prepared for |
direct shipment they are suspended around |
The sides Of well ventilated basket, but |
when they are intended for interior trans
POrtailon after reaching Europe they are
packed N barrel In the centre of which Is |
can Of icd. The feathers are not removed. |
y thought the supply of ducks will be
plentiful this season and the prices mod
crate.
The Chesapeake Diamond-baek terrapin
sa' widely and as fayorably known and
appreciated as the Chesapeake ducks. They
''e 'eeaught all along the shores down as far
Accomac county, Va, on one side, and
Me kappahannock river on the other. Be-
wv these points the water is too salty to
ltoduce prime terrapip, rs II toughens
Mem' lcrfspins are abundant this season,
Aua oi excellent quality. 1t Is said that
le0ple are frequently cheated In buy
ag terraplns, and reliable dealer
ADVISES every one TO purchase ter
iaplns only when they are In the shell. 1t
ssaid that terrapins are caught in the salty
waters OF the South and shipped TO Balti-
noIe and other cities, where they are
%pked a. the meat packed in cans and
ao aocled r Chesapeake terrapin. The meat of
ge chesapeake terrapin Is black, while that
'ne salty terrapin is yellowish. Some
W.T. "n Of vegetable preparation is used for
,%Gnng the yellowish meat, however, which
I4hes ~ The deception difficult to detect. But
s nt Favor reveals the cheat to one who
',T,.n'd ,TU"s lhe real quality pf the Chesapeake