Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1886-01-08
FIELD SPORTS IN IDAHO.
The Sporting Editor Of the "Times !"
Gives Some Nuts on Ginning in the
Wood River Valley.

rarely 60 a6eld without meeting with
good success. There is, however,
quite an army of amateur huntsmen
who are quite content to tramp a
week for a chance to send a bullet
whizzing after deer or to spend an
entire day in bagging a brace of
ducks.
The season for killing deer is now
closed, but ducks and geese may be
hunted until April 10Th. Owing to
the unusually mild winter water fowls,
in large numbers, have abandoned
their southern flight and are lingering
along the tributaries of Wood River
and on Silver Creek.
Nearly every day the amateur
sportsman may be observed sallying
forth from Haley full Of whisky and
expectancy; and, as the evening shad-
ows fall. he may be seen returning
with, perhaps, one small, sick-looking
teal, and possessed Of an appetite ru-
inous to the two-bit restaurant.
The inexperienced hunter is some
thing like the amateur tramp-he will
walk 20 miles to get what might be
had almost without effort. The crack
shot and expert hunter will leave Main
street, HALEY, with gun and dog, and
return in an hour with i've or six pairs
OF fine Mallard ducks. He merely
takes advantage of his knowledge of
the birds he hunts, and instead of
walking many miles, seeking them
along the stream or sloughs while
they are feeding, ascertains their line
OF flight and at what hour the flight
begins. He then selects a good
stand on the fly way and as each flock
comes flying by with whistling wings,
he gets in double shot and knocks
out brace or more.
Duck hunting, just now, is excel
lent in this vicinity. That is, there
are hundreds of ducks that feed in the
sloughs and creeks up the valley but,
of course, it is out of the question to
follow them 10, 20 or even 80 miles
through foot or more of snow to
get shot at them while on their dav-
feeding grounds. They may be shot,
however, if the following hint is fol-
lowed: From daylight until an hour
thereafter the birds fly north ward,
where they remain until sunset. From
sunset until too dark to see to shoot
they may be heard on their return
flight to Silver Creek aud other
streams in that vicinity. A good
point to stop them as they are passing
by is north of the Bullion bridge.
Their eight there is just over the east
ern bank of the river, and if the hun-
ter is crack wing shot, he can drop
nearly every bird on land.
Ducks are very heavily feathered at
this season of the year and there must
be considerable force behind charge
of shot to mako them penetrate to
vital part. Five drachms of powder
and one and one-eighth ounce of No.
shot, with two wads over the powder
and one over the shot is about the
right load for No. 10 gauge breech.
loading gun, and four drachms of
powder and one ounce Of shot for a
No. II gauge gun. One very COM
mon error of the amateur gunner is
to load too light.
If the reader should chance to be
one of party to go down to SILVER
Creek after water fowl let him remem.
Der the following: AS soon as the
stream is reached and the hunterSsep-
arate to tramp along its shores in
quest of ducks or geese, select bend
in the creek where you can secrete
yourself in the willows and have
clear, open view of the water in front.
Make yourself as comfortable there as
possible and await results. Your
comrades in travelling up and down
the stream will stir up the ducks, and
as they come flying by turn your shot
in among them. BY needing This
hint you will find, upon the close of
the day, that your comrades will re-
turn with ordinary success, and com
pletely tagged cut, while you will feel
in excellen, spirits and have perhaps
two or three dozen fine birds. OF
course you cannot take advantage of
these points unless Won are a winu