The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-06-19
HUNTING In INDIA.
GREAT SPORT WITH GEESE, DUCKS
AND OTHER GAME.
Resident Sportsman Writes Interesting
~ About How tho Feathered Beauties
Are bagged-Ingenious Way the Natives
Catch Ducks and Geese.


Catch Ducks and Geese.
In India ducks, teal and geese abound
In All the numerous jhccls, as do also coots
I or water fowl. These jheels are largo wa
Ter storages for irrigating purposes and
, are Kept filed by the heavy fall I'm the
. rainy seasons. They afford most excellent
) sport.
: sometimes, for company's sake. several
FORM party and go out for the day. but n
thorough, Keen sportsman meaning busi-
: ness generally prefers going out alone. or
} course with jolly party IL is more enjoy
aoie In one way, but the difficulty Is that
each interferes with tho Others snort
more especially when careful stalking Is
necessary, no matter how we'll or carefully
organized the plan is, and for this reason
l generally preferred going out alone.
The jheel to be first visited having been
determined upon, ones syce and coolies
are sent on by daybreak. After an early
breakfast an hour or SOS gallop lands one
among the haunts Of the feathered tribe
Ihis Kind OF shooting Is all the more en-.
| JoyaDle because OF the variety IL affords.
double shot at tho ducks aud teal and
then quiet hunt after snipe around the
marshy parts of the jheel Then, If a vii
iage Is near, which Is generally the case.
sport in the shape of black partridge, quail
and peafowl and an occasional shot at a
deer can be had before remountine and
Following up the ducks, etc, to other
lheels In the vicinity In this way an ex-
citing days sport is obtained, and thor
oughly good mixed bag is the result. AS
| these Jheels are mostly coverless and well
In the open every precaution has 20 be TAX
en- 10 enable near approach 10 the ducks,
q tha
Tor In this respect ducks are as keen as an
telopcs, and any carelessness I'm detail
would soon see the black and living mass
on the wing and away we'll out of range.
Often have had to creep fiat on the ground
Tor very long distances, placing my gun
several feet in advance of me and wrig-
gnng up 10 IL, and so on. This Is q slow
means OF progression, but IL is sure when
against the wind A further precaution il
10 take of your helmet and place a veil |
the color of the ground over your face, for |
nothing shows out palmer or SO scares |
birds or animals as q white face
once the edge of the water is reached.
perchance the duck and teal have moved
lar out, In which case there is nothing for
IL put 10 continue crawling, In spite of the
siush and dirt, keeping as low as possible
until the depth of the water admits of a
more comfortable attitude, enabling one
10 wade, still lowering ones self, keeping
the gun above water. Now the greatest
care has TO be taken for fear OF SHINING
out Of ones depth. The plan / ALWAYS
adopted was to advance the left foot.
shuttle along to the front with 1t and bring
up the right foot, and so on until / had
approached sufficiently near to insure n
successful shot. Well do remember one
most excellent days stalking some 20
miles from LUCKNOW, when with right
and left actually bagged 90 ducks and
teal, after which, being in the vicinity of
village where peafowl were said TO
abound, determined to try my hand at
them, and with tho aid of my cody beat
ers secured 80 in OF hour, all in fine con-
iition, and the peal ocks particularly hand
some. The mixed tAg OF duck. teal, geese
oartridges, quail and peafowl which was
Enabled TO send in 10 the mems mess at che
lose OF the days proceedings was greatly
appreciated by the recipients, and my GO
ng out shikar was always hailed with de-
ight by the men, who knew never forgot ,
hem.
Geese are also to be found in very large
locks, but only In the larger jheels, and
hey generally keep we'll out in the middle :
the open deep water during the day.
oming into the shallow parts TO feed late
n the afternoon. / sometimes went out
tier them In n canoe when such could be
OF f not, manufactured raft made I
ut OF bamboo, which / made my coolies
nt rrom the adjacent jungles, with earth .
hware pots Mt the corners to give the re-
uired buoyancy. With such an arrange
lent and with bushes and grass fixed
'und the sides, have often padded out n
ld had the most enjoyable days sport A
ith the geese. 1t is, however. next to ~
npossible to approach nearer than so or n
yards, which, even with wire cartridges. v
'ecludes all possibility Of murderous N
70, such as one Is able to get among the ~
icks and teal. The most / ever bagqed
double shot was five. They are inyari-
'ly In good condition and have not the
my navor generally SO prevalent with l.
EN-. Sometimes jheels are connected hy IL
cans OF bitches, which enable the gun
r to continue the sport from one water.
~ to another all day. following up the
rds. -
Will now explain how the natives catch
ducks and geese and most ingenious
" II Is. Deep shelter trenches are cut
the different points OF attack from the +
iihiand Well out into the open, so as to
mt Oh the trappers moving backward
q forward noiselessly and unobseryed by
birds. Large earthenware pots called
hatties' are procured, in which eye RI
les are cut These are placed over the a
IDS OF the trappers, who have nets Sc /
Ied around their waists in which TO place u
birds, Thus equipped those selected i
dc In along the shelter trench, suddenly
'bing up in and among the nocks of pl,
Sc or ducks and teal, as the case may Ul(
AS only the "chattie'' Is seen by the
is, as II drifting ON the surface of the Ma
ter, no notice is taken, and they 90 on {
ling contentcdly until one by one they I
seized by the legs and dragged down ii
placed In the nets. Their comrades
no heed to this strange performance.
gining that their friends have mere. WI
ope down for divers reasons, IL never
lrring to them that they did not rise
In for sundry purposes. by this in
uity vast quantity of geese, ducks and
are secured and brought into the mar. Wc