The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1883-03-09
The Egis and Intelligencer
BEL AIR, Md, MARCH o, 1883.
Big Cunning.

The rail on big gunners seems to be the topic of
the day ana many things about mem nave peen
therefore not be amiss to give some facts on the
subject. The writer is familiar with nearly every
bggunner on Gunpowder and Bush rivers, and
hence can tell facts MS they and not from hear
say. and not being big-gunner, he is not biased
in their favor. Big guns weigh from IS to LIS lbs,
are about 10 feet long and shaped like an old
fashioned singlebarrel gun They carry from
TO : OF pound OF powder and from TO u lbs.
papers, big-gunner cannot venture out when
there is any wind, nor can he find ducks on
dark, cloudy night; A moonlight or very bright
starlight, calm night or day-dawn being his only
chances Nor is he always successful in finding
ducks when he does go out. When he finds them
he does not always get shot, nor when he gets
shot he never kills the quantities mentioned in
recent reports Fifty ducks at shot is an ex-
only once in life time does big gunner have
such luck as % ducks at one shot. 1t is very rare
10 get more than one shot in one night and the
average killed at one time would not be more
than fifteen. If big gunners killed such quant-
ties as recent reports state, they would be the
wealthiest men in the community; but we do not
1lnd them so by any means. They are our poorer
citizens, who frequently have hard work to keep
their families in something to eat, and big gun
ming is not easy work by any means. The law of
1882, by which a mans house can be entered and
any gun weighing over fifteen pounds contiscated
and the owner fined using it or not making no
difference, was made for the express benefit of
They being wealthy can rent the shores at enor-
nous rents, or buy the property. Then they can
use sink boxes or any other contrivance to XII
but the citizens of the counties bordering on these
waters must not row a boat across the river
where the ducks are feeding, for fear OF frighten
ing them from their feeding grounds. These
very foreigners can also employ detectives to
laws any T Sunday we can hear as
many guns as on any day in the week, and on
careful inquiry we find nearly or quite all of
writer Knows Of three sets Of sink tubs or boxes
on Bush river, two with one tub and one with
two. They are modified sink box and are even
better They are level with the water have
wings like sink box, cast iron decoys being used
to 1o sink them leyeI with the water, and deeoys
not seen at all, and on favorable day kill from
100 to $50 ducks; The double tub can be seen in
operation nearly any Sunday not far from LODI
rick's creek, but generally more than 100 yards
from shore, and therein may be found gentle
man who up to this year owned one or two big
guns, but recently was instrumental in nearly
capturing one by law from one of his neighbors.
M PRESUME egbh ne w1d feel very very much hurt
sink box on Sunday more than 100 yards from
shore.
| have carefully collected the figures on the
subject and find that the number of ducks killed |
unlawfully by the clubs, is far in excess of those
killed by all the big gunners on these rivers, and
the clubs want the ducks protected so much that |
grounds.
There is a law which says ducks shall not be
k,Ied from any blind nor artificial support erect |
ed more than 100 yards from shore. We know an |
cnterprising gunner who keeps Il yacht, who |
sometimes guns from a sink box 25O To 300 yards |
from shore, and this same gentleman most asia-
uOuS IN MS tHOftS 10 capture big RunAerS. lie |
also recently chased with his boat and killed
ITO cripplcs, cal ching them in holes in the ice not
caring how many ducks he frightened from their |
feeding grounds. Now, why should things be so |
OIL what benefit to our county, State or citizens
ARE these foreign gentlemen ut whose shrine we
must bow True they pay large rents for the
shores and benefit the few persons who own
shores but they are rapidly buying all the shores
Hnd then what benefit will they ber True. they
will pay taxes n the land. but nothing extra for
the privilege of killing the wild fowl which Cod
IN His goodness has given the people of Mary land.
Should we not then put heavy license on these
foreigners. before they are permitted to gun in
oar watersI at least have some laws by which |
our citizens can have equal privileges with them
lf we want to protect the ducks so they can in
crease in quantity we should do away with big
cunning, sink boxes and decoys. and gun only as
our forefathers did and IL it is intended to ami
hiate the breed of ducks, is being rapidly done,
let our citizens have share of them while they
are going. The time for selecting men to form
the next legislature is at hand and we should be
very careful to have some one to represent lower
liarford who will look after these interests and
not tc directly or indirectly influenced by the
money of these lords of creation. Our esteemed
aud we!l-Enown friend who writes under the
name of "ivuroa." would think be very
proper person to represent us, being thoroughly
P'mpctent, perfectly reliable, and above all, not
To he b. uybt ut amy price. We would suggest
hiiu tn the careful consideration of the people of
the county as the proper one to send to Annapolis
10 break up this monopoly. We are in favor of
protecting wild fowl. but not protecting them for
the brnciit OF gentlemen from Phadel phia, New
York aud Boston, to the exclusion of our own
UltiZenS EDGEwOOD.