The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-03-29
OUT FOR BRANT.
Our Hunters Seek the
Seasfore.
The Tough Camping Experience of One
Party of Sportsmen on
the Rocks.

Although the season for the shooting of
ducks, quail. snipe, etc.. has expired, there
is a variety of the goose family which is
commonly known as sea brant that has
been affoTding some of the devotees of
marsh shooting good sport recently.
The sea brant Is about twice the size OF
mallard duck, and, according to some cpl
cures. it is superior in favor to the royal
canvasback. From the fact that it exists
principally on the pulp or bud of seaweed
which fiourishes in some of the bays on this
coast, the birds are to be found only in
places where this weed grows.
Tomales and Bodega bays are at the
present time ''black"-tO use hunters ex-
pression-with these birds.
The brant is an exceedingly shy bird and
1t is seld ON, indeed, that the most daring
of its family ventures within seventy.fve
yards of any object stationed on the waters
which they fly over. Five drachms OF
powder behind a charge Of "B b. shot is
the load which sportsmen who have made
brant-shooting a study found most effsc-
tive.
Last Sunday a party of heavyweight
duck-shooters, consisting Of Colonel F.
Boland, warrior of the State militia; VIII
liam Patched, who has been dubbed "the
entOmOlOgist," owing to his peculiar fancy
for variety Of bug indigenous to the Byron
marshes; DR.. Dean, an angler and hunter
who delights to sleep in the open air so as to
emulate the native son; AL Newman, Al
Wilson and McCraeken, spOrtsmen who
care not fig for the world so long as there
Is fish to be caught and birds to be shot,
went cut after brant
1t was the Initial trip of the colonel and
the ent0mologist to the camping ground of
the sea brant, and as a matter of course
they had to follow the leaders and take pot
luck.
When the colonel was introduced to q
bed OF hard rock upon which he was to lay
his weary bones for the night so as to be up
bright and early the following morning for
fusilade on the birds of feather. lie looked
aghast at his partner, the bag-hunter, and
CALCULATED something which was interpreted
by the emulator OF the native son as mean
ing rats"
The iussct-man looked upon the whole
proceedings as being a huge joke until the
doctor yanked from underneath monstrous
bow der an old earthen pot which bad been
used IN former days by the abOrigines for
cooking purposes.
What do you propose doing with that
thing, doctor?" inquired the bug-bunter,
VINO began to realize that camping on the
cold, cold beach was the order of the night
This, my boy, have used many times
before rs a pillow, and / always secrete it
under that big bowlder when daylight takes
the place Of Darkness" gruffiy replied the
extractor of molars.
That settled it. The colonel kicked and
stamped at the very idea of having to camp
on the cold ana damp shore with fog
bank for blanket aud rock for pillow.
Yes. colonel. old boy" sympathetlcally
cried the insectman; Il think this Is a
real mean trick, and the doctor and that big
McCracken, whose hides are as tough as an
alligator's, should be thrown into the bay"
There was nOta house within five miles of
the doctors camping-ground, and as the
colonel and his comrade were not yersed in
the topography of the country they de-
cided, after prolonged debate, to stay 1t
out until morning.
Being tired and disgusted with their
camping experience, they were In poor con-
dition on the following day for brant-shoot-
Ing, yet they managed to bring to bag half
dozen fat and sueculent fowls.