Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-06-21
HUNTING In INDIA.
GREAT SPORT WITH GEESE, DUCKS
AND OTHER GAME.

" About How the Feathered Beauties
| Arc Bagged-Ingenious Way the Natives
Catch Ducks and Geese.
In India ducks, teal and geese abound
| In all the numerous jhcels, as do also coots
or water fowl. These jheels are large wa
ter storages for irrigating purposes and
are kept filled by the heavy fall in the
rainy seasons. They afford most excellent
sport
Sometimes, for company's sake, several
form party and go out for the day, but u
thorough, keen sportsman meaning busi-
ness generally prefers going out alone. or
course with jolly party it IS more enjoy
able in one way, but the difficulty is that
each interferes with the others sport,
more especially when careful stalking Is
necessary, no matter how well or carefully
organized the plan is, and for this reason
I 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.
This Kind of shooting is all the more en-
joyable because of the variety it affords,
then a quiet hunt after snipe around the
marshy parts of the jhcel Then, if vii
Iage is near, which is generally the case,
sport in the shape of black partridge, quail
and peafowl and an occasional shot at u
deer can be had before remounting and
following up the ducks, ETC., to other
jheels in the vicinity. In this way an ex-
citing days sport is obtained, and a thor
T., hnc ict
these jheels are mostly coverless and well
in the open every precaution has to be tax
en- to enable near approach to the ducks,
not forgetting the direction of the wind,
for in this respect ducks are as keen as an
telopes, and any carelessness in detail
would soon see the black and living mass
on the wing and away well out of range.
Often have had to creep fiat on the ground
for very long distances, placing my gun
several feet in advance Of me and wrig
Cling up to it, and so on. This is a slow
means of progression but it is sure when
against the wind. A further prccauton is
to take off your helmet and place n veil
the color of the ground over your face, for
nothing shows out palmer or SO scares
birds or animals as white face.
Once the edge of the water is reached,
| tllc utCh anu tcstl utlNt IllbNtu
tar out, in which case there is nothing for
it but to continue crawling, in spite of the
slush and dirt, keeping as low as possible
until the depth of the water admits of a
more comfortable attitude, enabling one
to wade still lowering ones self, keeping
the gun above water Now the greatest
care has to be taken for fear of slipping
out of ones depth. The plan l always
adj tod 20 Il l,,, loft
shuttle along to tho front with it and bring
up the right foot, and SO on until l had
approached sufficiently near to insure d
successful shot. Well do remember one
most excellent days stalking some 90
miles from Lucknow, when, with right
md left, actually baggcd 80 ducks an6
zeal, after which, being in the vicinity OF
q village where pcafowl were said to
abound determined to try my hand al
them, and with the aid of my cody beat
ers secured 80 in one hour, all in fine con.
dition, and the pcacocks particularly hand
some. Tho mixed bag of duck teal, geese
partrdgcs, quail and peafowl which was
enabled to send in to the mems mess at the
close of the days proceedings was greatly
appreciated by the recipients, and my go
ing out shikar was always hailed with de
light by the men, who knew never forgol
thcm
Geese arc also to be found in very large
locks, but only in tho larger jhecls, and
they generally keep well out in the middle,
in the open deep water during the day,
coming into the shallow parts to feed late
in the afternoon. l sometimes went Out
after them in a canoe whom such could be
got. If not, l manufactured raft made
out of bamboo, which l made my coolies
cut from the adjacent junglcs with earth.
enwarc pots at the corners to give tho re.
quired buoyancy. With such an arrange
ment and with bushes and grass fixed
round the sides, have often padded out
and had tho most enjoyable days sport
with the geese. 1t is, however, next to
impossible to approach hearcr than so or
80 yards, which, even with wire cartridges,
precludcs all possibility Of u murderous |
fire, such as ono is ablc to get among the |
ducks and teal. The most | ever bagged |
in double shot was five. They are inv;,ri-
ably in good condition and have not the |
fshy flavor generally so prevalent with |
them. Sometimes jhcels are connected by |
means of bitches, which enable the gun
ner to continue the sport from one water |
way to another all day, following up the |
birds.
will now explain how the natives catch |
the ducks and geese, and most ingenious |
way it is. Deep shelter trenches are cut |
at the different points of attack from the |
mainland well out into the open, so as to |
admit of the trappers moving backward |
and forward noisclessly and unobscrvcd by |
the birds Large carthenware pots called |
'chatties" are procured, in which eye |
holes are cut. These are placed over the |
heads of the trappers, who have nets Sc
cured around their waists in which to place |
the birds. Thus equipped those selected |
wade in along the shelter trench, suddenly |
bobbing up In and among the fiocks of |
geese or ducks and teal, as the case NAV |
be- AS only tie "chattie' is seen by the |
birds, as if drifting on the surface Of the |
water, no notice is taken, and they go OF |
feeding contentedly, until one by one they |
are seized by the legs and dragged down |
and placed in the nets. Their comrades |
take no heed TO this strange performance
imagining that their friends have mere
ly gone down for divers reasons, it ncye,
occurring to them that they did not rise
again for sundry purposes. BY this III