The herald., 1894-02-25
! SHOOTING HONKERS.
GREAT SPORT WHICH is FOUND IN
THE NORTHWEST.

notwithstanding Does Not Appear to
Diminish Their Number.
Wild goose hunting on the plains of
the northwest is a sport which always
has great charm even for the expert
enced Nimrod. 1t is a sport replete
with incident and recreation which
must once be INDUCED in to be thor
oughly appreciated. The wild goose is
known in all parts of North America,
but in no section OF the country does
this bird appear in such numbers as -
that territory lying between the REQ
river valley and the Missouri river.
There the geese SWAIN in countless
numbers and become corpulent on the
grains Of No. 1 hard which have been
shaken from the stalk by the reaper and
are lying in the stubble everywhere.
Large numbers of the birds are killed
by resident hunters and for eastern
markets, but no apparent diminution is
noticeable In the size and number of
the focks to be seen when the shooting
season begins each year.
An hours lively sport with the hon
kers on the wheatfields of North Da-
kota means but one thing to the mex
perienced hunter, and that is something
for his pains, especially il he happens
to get in well concealed stand direct
ly in the line of fight. Then it is moth
ing uncommon for him to tumble
over" wagon load of geese in very
short order. Wild geese are a staple
| No
lily bring from $500 to SO per dozen
during the shooting season. In the lit
tie towns and stations along the North
ern Pacific railway, during the fall and
spring flights, almost everybody turns
out for few hours in the morning and
toward the close of the day to shoot at
the geese, and a right warm reception
are the birds treated to. Many will
ride to the outskirts of the town and
shoot from buggy or wagon at the
passing myriads overhead and occasion
ally bring down bird at long range.
The hunter who is out for business
and is shooting for market and the
money there is in it drives out 10 or
10 miles over the prairie several hours
before daylighs, and after selecting a
spot where the geese have been seen in
great numbers the day before digs a
pit in the ground large enough to con-
ceal himself and arranges the stubble or
grass about the mouth of it SO as to pre-
sent natural appearance. Close by
he plants his decoys and settles back in
the pit and anxiously awaits the com
ing of the morning. 1t is still dark,
but from every quarter of the prairie
come sounds of animal life which fore
tell the coming Of new day. The
mournful cry of the curlew is heard
overhead, and flock of plover demon
strate their close proximity by the hur
thing noise of their wings.
For some time he sits in a cramped
position, listening to the booming notes
of aprairie chicken, which bird is pour
ing forth a volume of drumlike sounds.
The sharp yelp of a coyote not far away
is unmistakable evidence that that
thriving, skulking animal has jumped
! up cotton tail and is hustling for an
early breakfast. At the first peeping of
the gray dawn the hunter suddenly
hears a welcome sound-the faint and
faraway honk-honk of the goose. He
examines his gun and notes the direc-
tion of the sound. Nearer and nearer
the sound comes, and finally he ven
lures to take a peep out Of the pit and
discovers the distant outlines of large
flock spread out V shaped in the morn
ing sky, bearing off to one side. APP
parently they have not seen the decoys,
and the hunter thinks it is yet too dark.
Suddenly the leader is seen to waver,
and with loud cries the flock turns and
circles around the decoys as if suspi-
cious of their genuineness, but drawing
nearer at each turn. They have APP
preached within easy shooting distance,
and just as soon as the flock pitches
down among the decoys the loud bang!
bang! of a heavily loaded shotgun is
heard, and two puffs of smoke are seen
coming apparently from the surface of
the earth short distance away. Sew
eral geese are lying on the ground, and
one is Swimming away over the prairie
with tipped wing.
Some other docls appear. and the
shooting becomes lively until the sun
| 10 AuAlJ tWO uOu4S Hl6H, WH0h thO NUNS
diminish, both in size and number, AND
with the exception Of few stragglers
the morning fight is over.
Crystal Springs is the name of a small
station on the Northern Pacific 30 miles
west of jamestown, N. D. There are
several small alkali lakes in close prox-
unity to the station and a number of
springs in the hills near by, from which
the place gained its name. The town
proper consists of depot, boarding
house and water tank and population
not exceeding 10 souls. One April
morning a few years or so since the
writer, in company with the telegraph
operator at the place, sailed forth in
quest of geese, large focks of which
were seen circling around and alight-
ing on small lake. fringed with bushes
and tall grass. not over mile from the
station After a full hour spent in
crawling over the ground and keeping
out of sight as much as possible the
hunters crept through the grass to the
bushes and looked cautiously out.
Upward of l, 900 geese were sporting
on the water, diving, squawking and
carrying on at great rate. When the
edge Of the flock had come within 80
wards the hunters raised their guns and