New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-30
SHORE AND MARSH SHOOTING
IT-EQUIPMENT-sHO IN
OVERWHELMING SNIPE.


CREEKS-TAKING SNIPE.
Shooting along shore is fine sport this cool, Crisp
October weather. particularly TO those who nave
neither the means nor the time 10 travel a long
distance from home for their recreation and who own
no dogs. Comparatively few city men do own .
we.,-broken field dog, for the cramped .!fe Is al.
ways more or less hard on the animal. even II one
can afford 10 keep It. Within an hours ride OF the
city Of spots famous for all sorts OF
shore birds At both sides Of Long Island. on both
ocean and Sound are many fine stretches OF strand
where big aocks OF birds gather 10 feed. On the
Connecticut shore. at Five Mile River STANFORD.
Noro,on and Sound Beach, there are good bits OF
sandhats frequentei by al the varieties OF snipe.
pover sandpipers and curew, and extremely easy OF
access The migratory birds always drop In on the
north shore of the Sound to rest their wings for .
day or so before taking flight across the water
This year the sport has been extraordinarily salts
factory on all the Connecticut meadows and sandy
shores New-Jersey's broad meadows offer the best
OF hunting for rail-. snpe and pover, and along the
coast at all the little towns ore may be sure OF
finding plenty Of game.
One need go 10 any great expense in procuring
outfit. with the exception OF gun. II he has
that. compete his equipment he Will only need to
order heavier shells than he has used for
August slooting-three drains Of powder back OF
No s shot is heavy enough load. even for the
heavy pumage the birds now wear-,o look up an old
suit of brown gray tweed or chevot. get
pair OF hip rubber boots and a soft hat Of some In
conspicuous hue. II he is hardy enough TO endure
wet legs and feet he had better discard the bootA
for they heavy and their backness stands out on
the gray sands that they be seen mile
away For A game-bag there Is nothing more sensi-
b.. than Of duck or light tw!ne netting hung
under coat where It is comfortable TO carry and
we'll out Of sight II one is obliged 10 buy gun
he may congratulate himself the present low
prices. Never firearms 20 good or so cheap 40
this year. He should take with him some veteran
gunner to help him pick out good. serviceabs
piece or he may buy something very extravagant or
unwieldy The lightest gun is the best nowadays. 20
that II be strong and OF not smaller bore than IL
gauge 1O-gauge has been abandoned except for Wild
duck shooting.
Unlike othe. bird shooting. the time OF day will
govern one shore work than the condition OF
tide While upland game feeds only in early morn
ing and again when the sun Is low. the birds that
haunt the salt marshes and beaches have to feed
when the cbb has uncovered the flats. For all gun
ming the real strand or shore-line one must ar
rive on the field Just when the tide Is half down.
At that lime the flying nocks that skim along the
coast will begin TO drop down to search for food.
As the ebb lays bare broader and longer expanss
Of shngle and tlde-left shallow pools they follow
out toward the waterne The rising flood VIII
drive them gradually inland until when the water
Is halfway up they forsake the shore and wing up
the creeks and bays 10 the marshes and brackish
swamps So II one Is going 70 hunt on the meadows
II is we'll drift along the creek and eye the
stubble and the hickets OF brown waving cat-tails
in search OF wandering game. II Is less irksome
than creeping upon ones feet, crouching penind
powders or scanty sand plum bushes and laying
stretched out stin for half hour at time as must
be done many times out the open sands. Then.
too among the long grasses by some Swallowed shall
low you may bag big bittern or heron that will
make a beautiful mount for your library mantel
1t is 10 retrieve the game for what falls In the
itob, afPor md n.
out getting damp. while often when shooting
afoot ones best birds drop in shoal p5nd or inlet
and he has take a chilly plunge or lose his
prizes There are compensatons. however. on the
shore one may begin where he peases. go wher-
ever the birds seem thckest. and at dark. when he
is tired ne take a short cut homeward across
the meadows without the bother Of having to return
a boat 10 It's proper place. One gets always the
brac!ng wind fresh from the instead OF the ex.
halations from stagnant ponds and bitches. and
then too he may many birds which seldom
II ever take to the marshes.
There IS a surprising variety OF handsome shore
and bay birds in this regionsome that the ordinary
mortal thinks OF except being portrayed In
musty ornithoogies or stuffed and in a glass case
at the museum. Curew. willets godarts. turnstones
tattlers yelowegs. knots, peeps. dowitchers. red:
breasted snipe Wilson's snipe. grass snipe spotted
sandpipers. ringel and golden ployer kdeer and
andrng this time Of n all are plump v ana
too. every one and the snipe IN particular WIN
their queer spiral flight and shrill "Scalpe, scaipe.
AZ they rise, very hard 10 hit The beginner must
ousy master point II he Is TO have any
success at ali. That Is always 70 hold rig.dly on
Dna individual member Of the flock when they get
no and not do 70 aim at the whole
bunch In general This latter practice generally re-
suits in not touching single member or the
lock while the former often brings down two or
three besides the one at which aim IL taken Inen;
TOO one mus: remember never TO pick up the DEAD
,r wounded until both barrels are reloaded Some
Unseen straggler may rise and go zigzagEing away
Town the single leaving him 10 bewat his empty
useless gun. The coors OF these little fellows on
he back run in all OF drab and dun and brown.
stones or mud when mot!oness Some OF the snpe
,ften stand crouche1 beside rock or biz or strand
ID driftwood after one has fired two. barrels
MO the risen flock. and hence the necessity or BE-
ng ready. -.
One exceedingly effective and popular mode Of
aklng snipe is with decoys. These are efhgies O.
he bird cut from wood and painted 10 resemble u
md stuck down In the sand though busy feed
ng The gunner Is hidden in bunch or SOFT grass
n reeds near by. and II he be good az initiating the
al of the bird he stop flying flock and draw
hem the dccoys Whether he calls or not
md drop down what fine feeding ground
Ias attracted so many OF the family. An ingenious
Whittier can readily make the decoys from PING
hinges and Il he wi. copy from pictures ana
tucei birds as many different positions as possible
ne finer will be the deception. Some such adopts
many running their biz into the sand. one standing
notlon.ess by little puddle and others burrowin9
nder the scattered seaweed. The ordinary run OF
IInners however. content themselves with buying
he regular typical decoy sod in al shops. looking
s much like a one-egged hen on a silt as like .
:umsy the counterfeit II WI. allure some Of the
ily