The morning call., 1890-09-21
GUN AND GAME.


Rifle Club will take place at Harbor View
to-day
GUN AND GAME.
Hunters Waiting for Rain - Points on
Duck Shooting.
The appearance of the weather during the
past week indicates the coming of the first
of the winter rains. A good downfall
would be welcomed by the lovers of duck
and quail shooting. Although there nave
been several small fl0cks of ducks seen this
month lowering around the marsh lands OF
Snnoma in the vicinity of Burdeips and
McGili's. yet hunters report that the mos
quitoes are so awfully pesky. they actually
become bore to hunters who unthlnklngly
visit the marshes without head covering
of network, which is the only safeguard
against the musical snipeS, who are billed
to tautalize the human skin
Several members of the Sportsmen's Pro-
tective Association have dubbed together
and are now having constructed in the I'M
mediate vicinity of the duck-ShOotlng
grounds Temporary domiciles, which they
will occupy during the hunting season.
Large sections OF the Scnoma marshes are
leased by the clubs which have heretofore
controlled the shooting thereon, and notices
have been posted in many places warning
off trespassers. Last year considerable III
feeling existed between some of the club
men who did not wish to be disturbed by
iutruders. and some of the members of the
Protective Association, who were threat
ened with arrest if they entered upon the
leased lands for the purpose OF shooting
game.
non-members of gun clubs had been ordered
off the preserves, the representatives OF the
Protective Association, many OF whom have
made these marshes their principal shooting
grounds for years, did not disturb the peace
or equanimity of the lessees by eucroaching
iIlDu their TERRITORY,
1T is understood that during the coming
season the clubmen and the represent atlves
of the Protective Association VIII enjoy the
pleasures to be had in duck-Shooting i'll that
spirit of harmony which should prevail
among men who are claSSed as Sportsmen,
and rs general rule, Observation-Disclosures.
There is room for all true sportSmen to
enjoy few hours recreation with dog and
gun on the vast quagmlreS or unreclalmed
lands in the adjoining counties without the
experience of unpleasantries, which must
necessarily destroy the pleasures and antlci-
patiunS of the sportsman whose sole ann IN
visiting his fay0rte haunts IS to secure and
return home with fair bag. trst-clasS ap-
petite and pleasant memories OF days
"duckiug" on the marshes.
Ed Convey of 1888 Green street lost his
red Irish setter last Sunday at Black Point.
Convey is a member of the Sportsmen' S Pro-
tective Association, and would be thankful
for any information that would lead to the
animals return
Abe kleinman, a market-hunter, who has
supplied the Chicago markets with game for
many years, gives, IN an Eastern exchange,
a few practical hints on duck-shootiDg,
Which will interest the young idea who Is
learning now to grass quaCkers. The writer
says:
There are different ways OF shooting ducks,
which depend on the time of year aud the coun-
try where you h9ntlDg them. The most
common ones, or those which are the most prac
ticaI might be by jumping the birds of the
fbarc wa0lup.
by flight shooting Oh pass or 1yWay; by calling
or Initiating their natural note and by
a ase ap SNOV or all Of these 'V ways on
lie same day. He Will have TO adapt himself TO
The state of things as he finds them. The way
man must hunt depends largely OF course on
the sort of ducks he is hunting. No one would
think of hunting teal the same way he would
buebllls and the marsh or slough ducks usually
need some different way of hunting from the
Every man shoots ducks different from every
BODY else, and he may even change his own
notions sometimes. For Instance, L am rather
getting out of The notion OF liking such heavy
guns as used TO shoot. and | now shoot IL
gauge instead OF a 10. For such reason ind 1t
pretty bard to go to work telling anybody else
how TO shoot ducks although my way SUITS me
well enough. Now, am sometimes asked what
| think IS the most important thing in duck
shooting or what is most essential TO success
l believe that the first thing duck-shooter
wants 10 learn is 10 keep st in the bind. A
auck is very quick 10 see the least motion.
although it Will very often come close In to
a shooter who IS sitting perfectly quiet. Ii
isn't the size or goodness OF hunters
blind that win get him close shots, but the way
he sits In his bind. II be can't keep from bob
bing up and down, or twisting around
lie needn't expect much shooting. Some
hunters can't help twisting their necks
where tue ducks have gone 10 when they Draw
past. That does not work well. II they would
Keep their heads down and stay perfectly mo-
ton ess until just the right instant. they would
find the ducks paid no attention 10 them, but
would come right in have many time shot
u, nt.pn N nj no
| fiat on The hay in the bottom OF the boat, AID
| have XIII ed plenty OF ducAs.
Another thing IL about the kind OF blind 10
| use. don't know much about the fancy blinds
of an artificial sort, but think each OF them might
| be good under certain circumstances, that Is, II
| 1t happened TO resemble the natural cover OF the
! shooting ground. That Is the main thing, that
the blind Shall look just Ike tie county around
it. So you don't want TOO high or too thick a
| ii, Is better than think one with twister
in it. The blind never ought TO be
heavy enough to attract attention, and it
| ought to be part OF the very spot where II is.
| For instance, my brother George aud l were
| shooting on one OF those wet pastures where
| there wasn't much cover, aud we cut some brush
| and stun ana built blind, out in the water.
| We couldn't get The ducks in close enough; so
| we just tore down that blind aud lay IN The
| boat, just putting little grass and stun over
The cnds of the boat. and then we got good
| shooting. The blind-bullder should usually not
| 90 far from his blind for his material
| There is a great deal In the way the decoys are
put OUT, and many duck is lost from the bag
| a little different You always have 10 consider
The way the ducks are flying, or will be apt to
fly. If they are at certain hour passing on
The feed mostly from certain direction, say
| from a large body OF water to a smaller
that the flight will be coming nearly all from
thai side, you should rut your decoyS out
toward that side, and not straight OUT on
line with the front of your blind, because most
ducks will pass in over flock OF deccys and
make as if TO alight beyond or back of them
This is the case especially for bluebills and most
deep-waler ducks, but not so much so for NAL
lad A liar III n
flo ok of decays, and nobody can tell where he is
going to light. He may lgnt 100 yards away
down among them. For malards usually put
ihedeeoys ont traight in front of the blind.
At a different hour of the day or at a change In
the wind The ducks may be coming IN the oppo-
sIle di ection, and then you viii need to change
yonr decoys over to that side. If the birds are
coming about as much from one way as The
other, or are working up and down, keep your
deeoys straight out In front of you. The use of
decUys, and the position OF the blind IN regard
to The wind never followed any
particular order IN putting out
tract the attention of a distant flock OF ducks,
! you naturally viii want The long line of your
ct TO be crosswise to the line OF that direction
The ducks are coming from. For instance, If the
ducks are coming from the east you want yeur
decoys kind OF strung out north and south. This
is the case for most ducks; but If you are shoot
| ing buebills you want to be careful and not
! string out OF scatter your decOys very much.
You want to get close shot into every flock
want to bunch your decays and keep them pretty
| close together for that is the way buebllls light
| and feed. A close fleet toward the side where
the birds coming from Is The thing for blue
bills. Then they swing In and light, very
| often just back OF the fleet, and therefore
| inst in front OF you. little noise some
times makes tuem hold their heads
| up, and. then Is your chance for water
shot. The soft tap OF paddle the side of
boat viii sometimes make a flock of teal hold
| their heads up when you are sneakng up on
| them. About any sort OF ducks VIII come 10
| nallard decoys. A mixed flock Of malIards and
| buebills Is good. In putting out such
| fleet some shooters would put each sort
| of duck by itself, the mallards on one side and
| the bluebiiIs on The other. That Is wrong. The
| best way is TO mix them all up as you put then
| out Ducks are less suspicious of a mixed flock
| Of birds and decoy much better TO 1t.
| Hand-Bai1.
This afternoon an interesting match will