Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-05-14
PRAIRIE CHICKENS.
Their Peculiar Habits, Hauuts and the
Way to HUT Them.

Way to HUT Them.
Houston boasts OF quite large num-
Der of Nimrods who 60 out almost daily
to hunt prairie chicken and other game.
Prairie chicken shooting has the prefer
ence over most hunting sport, for the
reason that it requires carefully trained
dogs and sufficient practice with tho
gun to shoot upon the wing without
moments warning. The prairie chick
en- is an accommodating bird, and may
be hunted in pleasant weather; this fuct
may partly account for the ardor with
which it is pursued. Chicken shooting,
however, is a fascinating sport in itself,
the game being very strong of wing and
exceedingly palatable. Daylight finds
the hunters-for they generally, like
their dogs hunt in pairs-leaving tho
farm house where they have passed the
night. At the word Of command the
dogs leap into the wagon, and a few
moments drive brings the hunters TO u
"likely field" The hunters alight, slip
cartridge into each barrel of their guns
and turn into the field. The dogs are
eager for the sports to begin, and at the
words Hunt 'em up" and wave of
the hand, spring out into the stubble at
full speed, one hunter and one dog to
each side of the field. The dogs work
from the edge of the field to the center,
cross, keep on to the other edge, return
and cross again, covering the field
in ever varying and irregular circles.
Now and then one pauses and snuffs the
wind blowing down the hell, or turns
quickly aside from his course and fol-
lows up for n few yards an old scent in
the hope of finding it grow stronger.
Suddenly one Of them, running at full
speed in long, elastic bounds with ear
and tail waving as he leaps, falls fiat on
his belly as if paralyzed and remains as
motionless as 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 nostrlls Tho
sagaolous animals turn their heads and
look back at their masters with intelli-
gent eyes, as il TO say; Hurry up;
here they are!" The men move rapidly
and noisclessly up to the first dog. Tho
intelligent animal. who has not moved
a muscle except to turn his head and
look back, rises slowlyan crouchingly
to his feet, and with nose extended 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 noiselcss and as true as
the needle to the pole. The hunters
follow carefully close behind, guns
cooked and ready for use.
Down goes the dog as though shot
dead, and this time he does not dare to
look back, tremor of the body giving
warning that he can 60 no further
without walking into the covcy. The
men take one, two steps-whiz, 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 dogs stir step.
The left hand man breaks mis- gun,
draws out discharged shells and slips
fresh ones in their place. While he
is loading up rises a 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 left hand man gets in
| LII l,..oI, aud lynnoGc dnun tmo
birds. They reload, and the dog is told
to "hunt EN- up" If the birds are
plenty and the stubbles in good condi-
ton, the chances are that covey will
be iA each stub%)e field. Hunters often
''draw blank" as they term it. and
some times two coveys are found in one
field. The coveys vary widely in size
sometimes as many rs thirty or forty
birds are found together, and some
times an old cock Is found alone
with a field all to himself. The chick
ems in different coveys also behave diff
ferently. At times they will get uI
singly. and in such case two shoot
ers will get nearly the whole covey'
| At other times the whole covey will risk
| tOHtlutT, anu IL HCcus uuiCh anu ohhiiu
shooting to make eaci. of the four bar
rels count. If the country and flight o.
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 is hopeless
To novice the sport is wildly excit
ing. The intelligent and admirable
working of the dogs, the intense excite
lnent Of the moment when the birds arr
rising with the noise and speed of sky
rocket from the stubble beneath thei
very feet, and the exhilaration of sue
cessful shot give it fascination hard t.
describe to those who have not tried it
The novice, although he may be goo,
shot at other kinds of game, is very ap
to miss his first half dozen birds. Tho.
rise so near him and look so large tina
it does not seem possible to miss a bird
and he is very apt to shoot almost with
out aim. After few misses, however
he finds that they fly like an expires
train, and must be covered by the sight
Of the gun, and quickly, too. After tina
his luck improves, and he finds that
like every thing else, it is easy when yol
know how, and one of the most fascin
ating of all field sports.-HouSto'
(ler.) Post.