The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-02
RICE BIRDS AND WILD DUCKS.
How the Wary Hunters Slaughter
Them for Market

Them for Market
With the approach of the rice harvest
come the rice5irds by the thousands to feed
upon the grain while it is yet In it's milky
stage, and from now until the grain of the
late planting is harvested their depreda-
| tions will be prosecuted vigorously. Thus
far comparatively few have arrived, but by
the middle OF next week the fields will be
black with them. Sportsmen have been
| bringing in few rice birds to this market,
which have commanded good price, SELL
| ing readily at fifty cents per dozen, and they
are served by the restaurants at from sew
| enty-five to 81. half dozen birds being
given to the plate.
With the rice birds come the blue wing
teal, a nice eating duck, and the first species
to migrate south ward The blue wing teal
or summer duck is the only species which
| comes south before the latter part of Octo-
Der. Although it is in violation of the law
to KILL wild ducks before Oct. l the law is
more honored in the breach than in the
observance-in fact, summer ducks are
brought to this market as early as Aug. l,
and it is claimed by those conversant with
the subject that the shooting season for
summer ducks should begin Aug l.
The well-known duck hunter, Ward Allen,
who is well posted on everything pertaining
| TO the subject, says that the only duck that
stays with US the year round and breeds in
the southern states is the wood duck, or
summer duck, which is highly priced as an
article of food, and the male, in its full
piumage, is one of the most beautiful of
aquatic fowls, the male of all game birds
being the most gaudily attired.
The first migratory flight of wild fowl to-
| ward the south begins about the last of
| October. Contrary to the belief of some
ducks always migrate to windward, and
invariably during stormy, clustering
weather. Their feathers lie close to the
body, and they go right along at a marvel
GUS rate Of speed, the headwind being no
apparent impeachment to their flight. The
velocity OF the flight of ducks varies with the
species. The canvas-back and teal can
travel l20 miles an hour. Ducks can come
from the waters of the Chesapeake to the
rice fields near Savannah between shutdown
and SUNRISE
The ducks that come here from northern
waters In tie winter are the canvas-back.
redhead, mallard, vulgarly called English
duck, black duck blue-wing teal, green
wing teal. blue bill, golden eye, widgeon,
bald pate, Spoonbill or shovelers, butter ball
rudy duck or hard head, whistIers, magyar
zers. shell brakes, scaup or sea duck, and
the violet duck. The last four are generally
nshy and not priced as an article of food
| lhen there is the common teal that is highly
priced In the extreme west, but it is seldom
seen east of the Rocky Mountains.
Inc experienced hunter can always tell
| just when a bunch of ducks are going
to Jump" on HIM, and in what direction. for
no matter what the circumstances may be.
ducks will invariably jump to wind ward.
| Even though hemmed up in a narrow
| creek and sculled with the wind, they will
turn round and fly over the hunters head
In their endeavors to get away,
The habits of ducks when on tidewater
are dlirerent from those using on the inland
streams aud lakes; on tidewater ducks feed
at night In the rice fields and harbor during
the day In the rivers and the salt marshes Of
the coast, while the ducks using on inland
waters feed in the daytime, and hv off
after shutdown TO some secluded and selected
retreat, there to roost till daylight. The
wary hunter often discovers their roostinp
places and has a bonanza until he breaks
them up. when they 60 elsewhere.
Ihe only two modes of shooting ducks in
Savannah waters are out OF a sneak-boat.
which IS termed "bushwacking," and by
using decoys, commonly termed "stoolngn
Inc methods are equally successful under
favorable circumstances. "Bushwackipgn
consists In decorating the hunters boat
with such things as TO make it look like a
hoatlng bush, small island, a floating log.
or something equally suggestive, so as not
TO attract too much attention. The hunter
NV SA0 SAoo SOOA CdSJS anu Judgment In
this, as 1t is an important item in successful
duck-shooting The boat is propelled by a
long scull oar that serves as propeller and
is operated In the stern of the boat
The hunter observes and works the ducks
by looking through a small peep-hoIe in the
blind" and when he succeeds in getting
within close gunshot and gets the ducks
punched" we'll, he opens his battery. gen
orally consisting of 6-gauge or 4-gauge gun
and couple of 10-gauge guns, and the havoc
and CONSERVATION that is sometimes creetad
among bunch of uninitiated ducks bv a
professional hunter is something appalling.
lid ducks are becoming scarcer every
year, owing to the depredations upon their
nests In the north, whole boat loads being
collected TOR the market by professional
egg hunters, and these hunters carry climbs
with which they daily smash the eggs in the
nests upon which the ducks have
been setting long, in order that new
and fresh eggs may take the place of
the ones destroyed. The professional
egg hunter and egg smasher of the north
with MS club, AMI the southern hunter with
his shotgun, will, IN the course of a few
Few years, exterminats the wild duck IF
the egg hunter, however, could be sun-
pressed, it would keep the wild duck with
US for generations, for one egg hunter and
bis club, in a single season, win do more
damage than dozen duck hunters in az
many years.
nm ma farra. HI.