The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-26
HOW TO KILL DUCKS.
A KILLING DECoY THAT ANY ONE
CAN MAKE.

/ Wnen and How to Place Pecovs-
Novel Methods Used in Other Coun
tries-Valuable Hints for the Duck
| hunter
Copyright 1907
NEW YORK, Oct. 25.-The ducks are com.
ing In early this year, and fairly good sport
has already been had on Long Island.
was down at Good Ground, Shinnecosk. and
the South bay two wesks since. and
had fairly good sport, getting twelve ducxs
In one day, eight black. three sprig tail and
one teal.
In duck shooting the call attracts first
then the decoy stake up the thread, and
upon the way they are arranged depends
the sport of the day. The decoy should
always face the wind. This is imperative
as the live ducks always take this position
As rule the decoYs are ballasted with lead
| and anchored with strings.
10 Is hard work to got these to lay right
| at dead water, but with a running tide il is
an easy mattar, If they are we'll anchored
| Late last year | saw set of imported de.
coys which took my fancy and which any.
one might make. They were called profile
decoys. Each bird was made of two pieces
| or thin wood. One piece represented a
duck IN profile or outline, the wood being
only half an inch thick and was fitted over
another fiat piece of wood, showing the
surface of ducks back viewed from
| above. Thus, whether the birds were
nylng over or sidewise, the two views gave
| the shape of a duck. With these decoys
was a large triangular frame, on which
they could be placed in any position de-
sired, and being hoated, were held in posi-
ton by lead sinkers attached to the frame,
The stro g point in favor of these profile de-
coys lay In the fact that the ducks, frame
ropes and sinkerS could all be packed up and
carried in an ordinary hand bag.
Most of the duck shooting is done from
sink boxes" The best way for the man
who wants fun, and has not much time to
spare, Is to go to some ducking center ad-
Jacent to his locality and hire professional
who has decoys and can "call." These men
are to be found in all good duoking districts.
The outfit of the Che apeake bay men, col
lectively, is said to represent value OF
100000. The pay for the men average s.
day. with outfit, the price ranging from
So TO SO, according to locality.
Never go out without a good field glass
it will save many long tranps and much
rowing. When the birds are sighted, keep
silent. and as still as possible; if you are in
constrained position remain so until you
move to shoot, and then move quietly and
steadily. There is plenty Of time, and lot
of moving can be done in a second. In
firing at ducks, remember to shoot we'll in
front Of them as they fly from sixty to 15O
miles an hour.
II they come across you, about>three feet
in advance is enough, and if direct to you,
from one foot to three according to the dis
lance they are Off After a storm ducks
take lee shore where they can rest and
lay quiet to recruit. When found sitting do
not tire if their breasts are toward you, for
unless hit in the head they will escape. It
is the best plan to wait until they strike the
air. You will then catch them under the
wings.
One of the most curious methods of duck
shooting is TO be found in the Landes OF
marsh districts of France, in the neighbor.
hood of La Rochelle. The local proverh
runs: who comes from La Rochelle smells
Of mud" ard it is so. The boots of the
peasant and the cattle, horses, dogs and
carts are all plentifuliy bedaubed with it.
The marshes extend on every side for many
miles, not continuously, but in a succession
of dry and wet tracts, the wet predomi-
mating. Paths about foot wide run here
and there through the morasseS to tht
higher grounds where the sheep feed, bu
they are winding aud tortuous Conse-
quently the inhabitants of the district are
nation of silt walkers.
The men who drive the sheep to feed fol
low the winding path with the flock, bu
they return on stills by short cut. The
postmen use stills, and so do the hunters
These marshes are the home of the wild
dnck and wIdgeon, but they lie far away
from the paths In the most secluded places
inaccessible to one walking in the ordinary
way. So the hunter dons his Suits Thes,
are eight feet long, the footholds being
about six feet from the ground. They
are fastened to the ankle and Just be.
low the knee with leather straps. A
the bottom, to keep them from sinking toe
far into the mud, is a round disc of wood
which makes the silt look as If 1t had been
pushed two inches or so through small
wooden plate On these the sportsman car
stride from place to place and also get al
uninterrupted view OF the ducks as they
rise. He is accompanied by q long-Iegged
dog, something like Norfolk spaniel, who
swims and founders along to retrieve the
birds when shot, or find them TO shoot. Al
his back the man carries long, light DO {
about six feet long, fitted with gaff like
that used for salmon, and when bird is re.
trieved he hooks it up to his hand and de.
posits it in a basket at his back.
Cases have been known where the weight
of the basket las overbalanced a tired man
ond he has fallen backward to be covered
by the yielding marsh and smothered; his
dog going for help, but returning too late.
At night, in the fall, it is weird sight "a
see these hunters come striding through tb<
dusk, looking like giants from some pas,
age returned to life. Another crriou,
feature of duck hunting used t.
be found on the northwe coast Of
France, near Cape Grisnez Here the
black ducks used to come in thousands.
going out to sea with the ebb, and return.
ing on tins first flow, diving into the shall
low water as they passed along, feeding on
the fresh crustacea rolled up by the tide
When the tide had gone down the duck
hunters came to the beach and spread their
nets. These consisted Of one net covering
an area of about forty feet by forty, anc
spread fiat on posts about a foot above the
sand, and pulled nearly tight. Beneath it
was thrown a number of crab shells, FISH
and wrinkles.
In front of it on the sea side, at a dis
fqDca of fyvautu feat strafabad a IN.