Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-09-21
SPORT ON THE PENINSULA.
Kent County, Md, Place to De-
light the Gunner's Heart.

''s9''N 49, NN-'''~' = ''~ts' -
Woodronl<, Doves and Flowers The
Promise of December Where Royal
Good Fellows Assemble to Shoot.
CHEsTERTowN, Mp, Sept.14.-Seldom
has a cunning season offered less sport
than the present, yet the occasional
sound of the gun heard in remote quar-
tiers of Kent county gives notice that the
season is on and that the hedge and fall
low still afford sport to the old heads
who know where to find it. On July 4th
the woodcock is shootahle, and the
sportsman may well afford to spend the
intervening time between that and
November list, when the partridge steps
on the stage in his long boots in the
dense forests and boys where this bird
delights to dwell. While the zigzag
movement of the bird is puzzle to the
inexperienced gunner, the old hand
finds him fairly easy to shoot The
woodcock during some seasons is found
in great abundance, but as rule they
are scarce in Kent county. Though he
is not considered the gamest of our
birds, for delicacy Of flavor and tempt
ing plumpness, he is royal success
when well served. The present season,
because of the dryness, has not been
favorable to woodcock shooting, the
absence Of water having driven the birds
to distant and inaccessible branches or
boys.
The doving season is now at its
height. The dove, while one of the most
beautiful, is also one of the game birds.
Just as soon as the wheat harvest is over
and the golden stubhle is spread out TO
the sun they commence to arrive. In a
large territory six or eight gunners are
required to hunt the birds successfully.
Each takes position in such manner
that, with experienced hands at the
business, it is next to impossible for the
birds to escape from the ring They
come in great tempting flocks Of 100, or
struggle in in one, two, Is or 20 order.
Many time have the birds dashed in
with such abundance that the gunners
are forced, after firing so rapidly, to
wait for their gun barrels too cool.
During one of these periods the old
gunner casts his weather eye in an
agonizing sort of way to the sky and
watches golden opportunities slipping
away.
One of the favorite ways of cunning
for doves is to wait at watering hole.
Here the birds flock in great numbers
just before nightfall and may be shot
while circling around the pond, which
they always do several times, or after
he alights. The dove is rapid flyer
and goes as straight as an arrow,
The shrill whistle of the butter-fat
plover is often heard in harmonious
concert with the rapid whiy of the wings
of the doves, both birds often, and as a
rule, feeding in the same pasture. The
plover is often so fat that when shot he
bursts when striking the ground. Then,
too, the nervous little reed bird and rail
are frequenters of our reeded marshes,
and many of the dainty trifles for reed
bird and toast are shot, of course not in
the quantities as along the vast marshes
of the Susquehanpa, but when the
limited number of gunners is considered
the sport here is equal to that of the
more notorious haunts on the Bush,
Back or Susquehanna rivers.
While hunting these frequenters Of
the marshy places much sport Is Often
found in shooting the summer or oak
duck, which frequents or builds along
some of our streams. The richly tinted,
| glossy little fellows are, however, found
in such limited numbers that the gunner
who bags sex or eight during an evening
congratulates himself upon an event OF
rare sport.
Not until acorns are plump and full
or the leaves are shedding from the trees
is the proper time for shooting squirrels.
A heavy, strengthening gun and large
shot as well as steady aim are the
requisites necessary to the successful
bringing of the squirrel with many tum-
bles to the ground. The number ten or
twelve gun and number eight shot usu-
ally used for bird shooting may do, but
they are not entirely satisfactory.
Market gunners have done much to
interfere with sport in the Eastern
Shore counties. Because of the appear
ance not only of strangers, but of local
gunners killing game in large quantities
for market, il is safe to estimate that
four-ffths of the cunning grounds OF
some Of the Eastern Shore counties are
advertised against "trespassers with dog
and gum"
With the appearance of the partridge,
the wild luck, wild goose and swan, the
aristocracy of the feathered tribes, De-
cember becomes more pleasant than
May, and the gunner revels in season
of bliss and challenges the world to
show fraternity of happier metals.
Chestertown is the camping-ground
or permanent quarters of possibly the
most successful and jolly unorganized
fraternity in the State. About 10 royal
good fellows compose the membership,
Doctors, lawyers, merchants and
preachers are numbered among them.