The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-10-16
PRAIRIE CHICKENS.
THEIR HABITS, HAUNTS AND THE
WAY TO HUNT THEM.

Chicken shooting in Texas Fascinating
sport-Quick and sIiufuI work some
times RequIred-A Graphic Description
A Novice apt to Miss.
Houston boasts Of quite a large number
Of Nurrods who 20 out almost daily 70
hunt prairie chickens and other game.
Prairie chicken shooting has the prefer
ence over most hunting sport, for the rea-
son that II reg hires carefully trained dogs
end sufficient practice with the gun 70
shoot upon the wing without moments
warning. The prairie chicken IS an &C
conLnOdatiEg bird, and may be hunted n
pleasant weather, this fact may partly &C
count for the ardOr with which 70 Is pur-
sued Chicken shooting, however, is
fascinating sport IN itself, the same being
very strong Of wing, and exceedingly PAL
atable. Daylight find the Luuters-fJr
they generally, ike their dogs, hunt II
pairs-IeaFIng the farmhouse where they
nave passed the night. At the word Of
command the dogs leap into the wagon,
auG a few moments drive brings the
hunters 20 q likely field" The hunters
aligbt, slip q cartridge into each barrel Of
their guns and turn into the field. The
dogs are eager for the sport 70 begin,
and az the words "HunJ EN- up and
wave Of the hand spring out into the
stu6bje at full speed, one hunter and one
dog TO each side or the field. The dogs
work from the edge OF the field TO the cen
ter, cross, keep on 70 the other edge, re-
turn and cross again, covering the field n
ever varying and Irregular circles Now
and then one pauses aud snuffs the wind
blowing down the field, or turns quickly
aside from his course and follows up for
few yards an old scent 10 the hope Of find
ing II grow stronger.
HERE THEY ARE'
Suddenly one Of them, running at fuu
speed in long, elastic bounds, with ear
and tail waving as he leaps. falls fat on
his belly as If paralyzed and remains
motiOuless as a stone. Quick as Is the
movement, the other dog has also crouched
and Is pointing at the first dog, backing
him up" with implicit confidence, though
the scent may not have reached his keen
nOstrils. The sagaciOus animals turn
their heads and look back at 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 who
has not moved a muscle, except to turn
his head and look back. rises slowly and
cronchingly TO his feet, and with nose eX-
tended steals slowly forward, intelligence
and wary canton expressed IN every
movement Of his eloquent body. His feet
are lifted and put down like paws Of
velvet and his progress is nOis less and as
true as the needle Of the pole. The hunt
ers follow carefully close behind, guns
cooked and ready for use.
Down goes the dog as though shot dead,
and this time ne does not dare to look back,
tremOr Of his body giving warning that he
can 20 no further without walking into
the coFey. The men take one, two steps
WIKI, whirr, three birds rise-twO to 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
lett hand man breaks his gun, draws out
discharged shells and slips fresh ones in
their place. While he IS loading mp rises
q fourth chicken, this time TO the left.
The right hand man knocks it over, and
at the discharge Of his gun the chickens
rise on all sides The LETT hand man gets
In both barrels and knocks down two
birds. They reload, and the dog is told to
"hunt 'em up
WILDLY EXCITING SPORT.
IF the birds are plenty and the stUbbles
in good condition, the chances are that
covey will be in each stubble field. Hunters
often draw blank" as they term 1t, and
sometimes two coveys are found in one
field. The coyeys vary widely in size;
times as many thirty or forty birds
are found together, and sometimes an old
cock is found alone with a field all to him
self The chickens in different COveys also
behave differently. At times they viii get
up sIn-zly, ana IA such a case two shooters
viii get nearly the whole coyey. At other
times the whole covey viii rise together,
and IL requires quick and skilful shooting
to make each Of the four barrels count. If
the country and flight of the birds allow,
it is sometimes possible TO mark down" a
covey and follow them from field to field,
unless they fly into The corn, when pursuit
ia hopeless.
To Il 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 II skyrOckot from
the stubble beneath their very feet, and
the eXhilaratiOU of a successful shot give
it a fascination hard % describe to those
who have not tried il. The novice,
although he may be good shot at other
kinds OF birds, is very apt to miss his first
half-dozen birds They rise too near him
and look so large that il does not look
possible 10 miss bird, and he is very apt
to shoot without aim. After a few misses
however, he finds that they fly like an ex-
press train, and must be covered by the
sights of the gun, and quickly too.
After that his luck improves, aud he finds
that, like everything else, it is easy when
you know how, and one of the most
fascinating OF all field sports.-H0uston
(Tex.) Post.
Repentance for a Wasted Youth.