The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1889-09-26
SHND-HiLL CRANES AS GAME BIRDS.
Their Morning Ounces, and the Skill 1t
Took to Shoot Them.

TOOK TO SnOOt Them.
lone of the most delightful hunting
sports that was INDUCED in to large
extent twenty-five and thirty years
ago on the wide, level praires of Illi-
been forever suppressed by the en-
croachments of civilization. | allude
to sand-hill crane hunting. There was
more delicate skill required in this
sport than in any other kind of hunt
ing, perhaps, for the sand-hill crane is
one of those birds that is noted for its
extreme shyness, and for acuteness of
sight and hearing; and, therefore. the
hunter had to employ the most skillful
articles to attain any success what
ever in the sport. The crane is a wax
ing bird, conspicuous in its makeup
for legs and neck as exceedingly slim
and long as those of the obnoxious an
imal, genus dude. 1t has long, sharp
pointed bill, long wings, short tail.
and short, strong claws. They are
very large birds, some measuring from
tip of bill to the end of the claws IS
inches; extent of wings 92, and bill 6.
They are generally of pure white
color, but some have a blush gray
tint. The sand-hill cranes frequent
marshes, muddy flats and open plains,
migrating to warm climates in winter
and returning to the North in the sum-
mer to breed. They fly usually at
night in large iocks. following lead
er in two diverging lines, at great
elevation. and at times uttering loud
cries. Their food consists principally
of small snakes, fish, mice, insects,
seeds, roots, and grain.
''The old sand-hill cranes used to
come in immense tlocks in the middle
of October and remain until the middle
of April in Illinois. and their familiar
cries were heard along the large
sloughs and low. swampy depressions
in the vast prairie regions of the state.
They fed upon the worms and fish and
ground mice in these marshes. Some
very peculiar habits were exhibited by
these sand hills, and it seemed CHAT
they were divided into colonies, each
of which had a leader, whose cry was
ings of the early autumn days large
numbers of the cranes would congre-
gate around slough and all join in
regular quadrille, forming in couples
in due form, and going through all
the intricate mazes of this particular
style of terpsichorean pleasure as
faultlessly as the beaux and bellies in a
West End dance. True, some of the
young cranes were awkward, but the
old ones presented all the long-limbed
grace of Mary Anderson in her dance
of Perdita. But while the flock in
dulged in dancing, the leader stood
alone and still, some distance away,
with head erect, as if a sentinel to give
the cry of alarm on any approach of
danger. And it was only the most
expert hunters that ever surprised the
cranes, for their leader was never un-
wary, but as watchful with sensitive
ear and keen eye as any soldier on
picket duty.
''But the ingenious mind of the
hunter finally hit upon plan that,
coupled with his own patience and
practice, was moderately successful.
Horses were trained to steal softly
with light steps over the long waving
prairie grass up to the spot where the
cranes were either holding a dancing
carnival or were assiduouslv engaged
in searching for food. By this means
the horses carried their riders within
shooting distance of the cranes, and
before the birds could poise themselves
in preparation for flight the horses
would suddenly spring in the midst,
and the hunters were thus given ex-
cellent opportunity for fine shots.
Hunters had learned that it took a mo-
ment for the birds to poise before fly
ing. But it was an impossibility for q
hunter to walk within shooting dis
tance of a flock without the leader CIV
ing a cry of alarm. Hunters have
crawled for quarter of mile through
the long prairie grass, over the wet
marsh. mud, and black loan Of Illi-
nois, and when almost within shooting
distance and on the very tiptoe of ex-
pectancy. the leader of tho cranes
would give the alarm, and away the
flock would fly to some adjoining g
slough. The poor hunter was left to
dry his clothes, scrape the mud off, and
use language not at all conducive to q
devotional frame of mind.
Finally horses were trained to walk
quietly up to where the cranes were
congregated and rush suddenly upon
them. 1t was well-known fact that
a hunter could ride horseback almost
up to the slough where the cranes were
and they would not detect him, or, at
least, take him and the animal to be
one and the same being. 1t required
long patience to train the horses, but
the animals finally came to enjoy the
sport with as much zest apparently as
the hunters themselves. st. Louis
Globe Democrat