Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-07-02
PRAIRIE CHICKENS.
THEIR HABITS, HAUNTS AND THE
WAY TO HUNT THEM.

Chicken Shooting In Texas Fascinating
sport-Quick aud SkiIiful Work Some
times Required-A Graphic Description on
A Novice Apt to Miss.
Houston boasts Of quite a large number
of Nimrods who 90 out almost daily to
hunt prairie chickens and other game.
Prairie chicken shooting has the prefer
ence over most hunting sport, for the rea
son that it requires carefully trained dog
aud sufficient practice with the gun t"
shoot upon the wing" without a moment,
warning The prairie chicken is an nc
commodating bird, and may DE hunted II.
pleasant weather, this fact may partly ac
count for the ardor with which 1t is pun
sued Chicken shooting, however, l.
fascinating sport in itself, the same bein.
very strong of wing, and exceedingly pa.
atable Daylight tind the hunters
% they generally. like their dogs, hunt
pairs leaving the farm house where the
have PASSED the night At the word "
command the dogs leap into the wagos
and few moments drive brings til.
hunters to likely field The huntei
their guns and turn INTO the field. III
dogs are eager for the sport TO begI.
and at the words Hunt 'em up and
wave of the hand spring out into tn
stubble at full speed, one hunter and Oh
dog to each side OF the field. The dog
work from the edge of the field to the ce..
ter, cross keep on TO the other edge, r,
turn and cross again, covering the field II
ever varying and irregular circles. Nov
and then one pauSes aud snuffs the win
blowing down the field, or turns quick,
aside from his course and follows up for Il
few yards an old scent in the hope of tind
ing II grow stronger.
HERE THEY ARE"
Suddenly "ne of them. running at full
speed in long elastic bounds, with eaI
and tail waving as he leaps, falls tiat on
his belly as if paralyzed and remains
motiouless as stone. Quick as Is the
movement, the other dog has also croucheG
and is pointing at the first dog, backing
hlm up" with implicit confidence, though
the scent may not have reached his keen
nuStrils The sagaciuus animals turn
their heads and look back dt their mas
ters with Intelligent eyes, as if to say
Hurry up. here they are The men
move rapidly and noiselessly up TO the
first dog The Intelligent animal, whC
has not moved muscle. except to turn
his head and look back, rises slowly and
Crunchingly To his feet, and with nose eN-
tended steals slowly forward, intelligence
and wary caution expressed in every
movement OF his eloquent body. His feet
are lifted and put down like paws OF
velvet, and his progress is nOiseless and as
fr,ra h.t t,aafila nf the mole The hunI-
ers follow carefully close behind, guns
cooked and ready for use.
Down goes the dog rs though shot dead,
and this time he does not dare to look back,
tremor Of his body giving warning that he
can 90 no further without walking into
the cOvey The men take one two steps
whiz. whirr, three birds rise-two 20 the
left, one to the right Bang bang bang
The man on the right kills his bird, the
man on the left kills with the first barrel
and misses with his second barrel
Neither hunters nor dog stir a step. The
LEFT hand man breaks his gun. draws out
discharged shells and slips fresh ones in
their place While he is loading up rises
a fourth chicken, this time 10 the left.
The right hand man knocks it over, and
at the discharge of his gun the chiCk
rise on ali siltS- llt ltAN manu- man ts''F
in both barrels and knocks down two
birds They reload and the dog is told Il
hunt 'em up
WILDLY EXCITING SPORT.
If the birds are plenty and the stubbleS
in good condition, the chances are that a
cuyey will be in each stuhble field Hunters
often draw blank, as they term ii, and
sometimes two coveys are found in one
l.lv
sometimes as many as thirty or forty birds
are found together, and sometimes an Old
cuck is found alone with field all to him
self The chickens in different coreys alsc
behave differently. At times they will get
up singly, and in such a case two shooters
will get nearly the whole covey. At other
times the whole cOyey will rise together
and il requires quick and ski.ltul shooting
TO make each Of the four barrels count. II
the country and flight of the birds allow
1t is sometimes possible TO mark down" H
covey and follow them from field to field
unless they fly into the corn, when pursuit
Is hopeless.
To a novice the sport is wildly exciting
The intelligent and admirable working OF
the dogs, the intense excitement of the
moment when the birds are rising with
the noise and speed of a skyrOcket from
the stubble beneath their very feet, and
the exhilaratiou of a successful shot give
II fascination hard TO describe to those
who have not tried it. The novice
although he may be good shot at other
kinds of birds, is very apt to miss his first
half !. n birds They rise too near him
and look so large that it does not look
possible to miss bird, and ne is very apt
to shoot without aim After a few misses
however, he finds that they fly like all ex
press train, and must be covered by the
sights of the gun, and quickly, too.
After that his luck improves, and he finds
that, like everything else, it is easy when
you know how, and one Of the most
fascinating OF all field sports.-HOustOn
Tex Post.