Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-01-19
OWLS AND THEIR WAYS.

OWLS AND THEIR WAYS.
A Hunter Discourses of a Curious
Kind of Game.
II was hunting partridge among the
Pennsylvania mountains" said we'll
known sportsman, "and was passing
cautiously along an old road leading
through deserted and grown-up clear
ing, when suddenly the report of gun,
unpleasantly near, came from the brush
on one side of the road. A great rush
of futtering wings followed the report,
and the next instant a horned owl, or
boot owl, fell dead almost at my feet.
A moment later tall, gaunt, rough
clad, but Notwithstanding man made
his way through the brush, and stepped
out into the road. After recovering
from the surprise at seeing me there so
Unexpectedly, and apologizing for shoot
ing in SUCH dangerous proximity to me,
he picked up the owl, examined it crit
ically and said:
"sAn unusually fine specimen, and
one for which some collector will have
to pay well before he gets it,
q ANY one who has tramped much
through the woods knows how seldom
it is that he sees an owl of any descrip-
ton. and how equally rare it is to get
a shot at hawk, although many may
be seen. Imagine my surprise, there
fore, when the backwoodsman informed
me that he never went out cunning
without bagging three or four owls and
as many hawks.
"'But, then, there is reason for it.,
said the stranger. 4 hunt nothing but
owls and hawks and, besides the profit
there is in it. strange as it may seem to
you as hunter of more approved
) game. there is no sport more exciting.
There has been for many years a great
demand for hawks and owls, regular
craze seeming to exist, until within
year or two past, for collecting speci-
mems of these birds for mounting, and
the consequence has been that wise
hunters took up the business of supply
ing this demand, and / am one of them.
"'There are two good reasons why
the everyday hunter seldom if ever
sees IN owl in his tramps One reason
is that some owls can not see by day,
and therefore select hiding places
which render their discovery next to
impossible as person passes casually
through the woods. The other reason
is that there are some owls that see by
day as well as by night. These double
sighted birds discover the intruder on
their haunts long before he can possibly
see them, and they lose no time in seek
ing places of greater safety. 1t may be
news to you that there are owls whose
cyesight does not depend on darkness
to be of use, butt is fact nevertheless.
believe that the screech owl, the long
cared owl and one or two other species
that do not just now recall, are the
only members of the family that are
blinded or partially blinded by the
light of day. The others, among them
the boot owl, the snowy owl, the hawk
owl, and the short-eared owl, are all
sharp-sighted, both by day and BY
night. When you know how to hunt
owls it is no trouble to find them, for
they are to be found almost everywhere.
The short-eared owl is great field
mouse hunter in wheat or rye stubble.
He is among the first of the family Of
winter owls that come down from the
north to forage in this latitude. Of all
the owls he gives the most sport to the
hunter. There is piece of wheat stub.
BILE beyond this old clearing. l am al.
most certain to flush flock or two Of
these birds there, for they always hunt
in flocks, and l don't think that stubble
has been disturbed by any hunter vel
this fall. If you would like to enjoy 8
new sensation in hunting, walk along
with me and help me beat the stubble.
II was only too glad to be initiated
in this entirely new branch of cunning
and went with the talkative woods
man. The field was but short dis
lance away. The owl hunter stationed
me on one side of the field.
keep your dog by you.' said he
for we don't want any dog to help u,
in owl-hunting. Keep sharp eye out
for you will be startled and surprised
when yon see how g short-eared ow
Pushes
1.-The hunter, with his gun ready
walked cautiously about in the stubble
Presently three large birds arose iron
the ground a good gun-shot distanc
from him. AS white as ghosts and a
swift as shadows, they glided away.
few feet above the stubble. The owl
hunter fred, and one of the birds fell.
was much nearer to them than he was
but did not get shot. so quickly had tn
strange birds appeared from out tn
stubble and so quickly flashed from on
INV sight This was indeed a new sen
sation in hunting. and an exciting one
too.
That is my first shOrt-ear Of th