The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-07-18
HUNTING In INDIA.
GREAT SPORT WITH GEESE, DUCKS
AND OTHER GAME.

| Are Bagged-Ingcn.ous Way the Natives
Catch Ducks and Geese.
In India ducks, teal and geese abound
| III all the numerous jhccls, as do also coots,
or water fowl. These ihccls are large WA
ter storageS for irrigating purposes ana
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 bust
ness generally prefers going out alone. OF
course with jolly party it is moro enjoy
able in one way, but the difficulty is that
each intcrferes with tho others sport,
moro 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 OH by daybrcak. After an early
breakfast an hour OF SOS gallop lands one
| among the haunts of tho feathcrcd tribe.
This kind of shooting is all the more en-
Joyable because of the variety it affords,
| double shot at the ducks and teal and
then n quiet hunt after snpc around the
marshy parts of the ihccl. Then, if vii
lagc Is near, which is generally the case,
sport in the shape Of black partridge, quail
and peafowl and an occasional shot at
deer can DO had before rcmounting and
following UP the ducks, etc, to other
lhecls in the vicinity. In this way an cx-
citing days sport is obtained, and ii thor
oughly good mixed bag is the result AS
these jhccls arc mostly covcrlcss and we'll
in the open every prccaution has to he tax
en- to enable near approach to the ducks
not forgetting the direction of the wind
i'm n,
tclopes, and any carclcssncss in detail
| would soon SEQ tho black and living mass
on the wing and away we'll out OF range
Often have had TO creep flat on the ground
Tor 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 prccaution is
to take off your helmet and place veil
the color of the ground over your face, for
nothing shows out palmer or so scarcs
birds or animals rs u white face.
Once the edge of the water is reached.
perchance the duck and teal have moved
far out, in which case there is nothing for
1t but to continue crawling, in spite of the
slush and dirt, keeping us low as possible
until the depth of the water admits of u
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 1 always
| adopted was to advance the left foot,
shuttle along to the front with it ard bring
| up the right foot, and 80 on until L had
approached sufficiently near to insure "a
successful shot. Well do l remember one
most excellent days stalking some 20
| miles from Lucknow, when, with II right
nnd left, l actually baggcd 80 ducks and
teal, after which, being in the vicinity of
village where pcafowl were said to
abound, determined To try my hand at
| them, and with the aid Of my cody beat
crs secured 80 in one hour, all in fine con-
dition and the pcacocks particularly hand
some. The mixed bag of duck. teal, geese,
partridgcs, quail aud pcafowl which l was
enabled to send in to the mems mess mt tho
close of the days proceedings was greatly
appreciated by the recipients, and my 60
Ing ont Shikar was always hailed with de-
light by the mon, who knew never forgot
| them.
Geese arc also to be found in very large
llocks, but only i'll the larger jhccls, and
they generally keep we'll ont 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 IL canoe when such could be
out of bamboo, which L made my coolies
cut from the adjnccnt junglcs, with earth
enWarc pots ut the corners to give the re-
CURED buoyancy. With such an arrange
mcnt and with bushes and grass fixed
round the sides have often padded out
and had the most enjoyable days snort
with the geese. 1t is, however, next to
impossible to approach nearer than so or
DO yards, which, even with wire cartridges
prccludes all possibility of u murdcrons
lire, such rs ono is ablo to get among the
ducks and teal. The most 1 ever baggcd
In double shot was five. They are inv;.ri-
ably in good condition and have not the
ishy flavor generally so prevalent with
them. Sometimes jhccls are connected by
means of bitches, which enable the gun
hcr 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
Mt the different points Of attack from the
mainland well out into the open, so iiS to
admit of the trappcrs moving backward
and forward noisclcSsly and unobscrycd by
the birds. Large carthcnwarc pots called
'chattics' are procured in which eye
holes are cut. These are placed over the
heads of the trappcrS, who have nets Sc
| cured around their waists in which to place
tho birds. Thus equipped those selected
wade in along the shelter trench, suddenly
bobbing UP i'll and among the flocks of
geese or ducks and teal MS the case may
he. AS only the 'chattie" is seen by the
birds, as if drifting on the surface of the
water, no notice is taken and they go on
feeding contcntcdly, until one by one they
| are seized by the legs and dragged down
ind 81,
| take no heed to this strange performance,
/ ImnginiMg TINT thcir friends hnXn 1nrrr.