The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1895-12-14
TOLLING DUCKS TO DEATH
Gunners Could Not Get Along Withou
DecOyS.

One of the essential make ups of a duck
ing outfit is set Of decoy ducks. and to
| shoot from a sink box without such an
acquisition would be as ridiculous as play
ing "Hamlet' with Hamlet left out. The
employing Of decoys is not modern idea
and, while time may bring some changes
in the manufacture Of these inanimate OBJ
jects, yet the original idea will ever remain
the same. Even before the sink box the
decoy duck was, for in the days of the
forefathers, when they were wont to BUSH
wack from blinds on the river and bay
shores, they invariably spread out lot of
decoys. Mans knowledge Of the ducks
likes and dislikes brought about the de-
ceptive decoys. He learned that the duck
like most people, liked company, and he
set about to manufacture this company in
the way of wooden images Of his duckship.
He also lea ned that the duck was a jealous
thing, and when he discovered something
like himself floating and apparently feed
ing on the water it did not take him long
to swoop down and join in the expected
feast, move that in present times generally
causes his death when that floating and
apparently feeding thing happens to be a
decoy duck.
Probably few people, including gunners
who use them, really know how decoy
| 1uolyc ,,aHa FThav h.
machinery, despite the fact that this is an
era of cog wheels and such things; but are
made entirely by hand. They are made
in all sections of the country where duck
shooting exists, but the greatest industry
of this kind probably exists at Havrc de
Grace, Md. The men who principally
make these ducks are shoremen, who de
vote the summer months to this trade, and
in some instances make enough money to
support them throughout the winter. All
decoys used on the flats around Havre de
Grace are made of wood, as experime MT
has proven that it furnished the most
serviceable material. Cork is too yielding
and is easily torn up by the heavy buck
shot, while canvas and aluminium suffer
the same fate. In order to make a decoy u
piece or block of wood is selected that is
larger than the decay is intended to he.
First the head and neck are carved ont
with special improved tools, and the rest
of the work is accompanlished with an
ordinary jack knife. The body of the de
coy is whitfield into shape, but the work is
not yet half done. The decoy must he
painted. Some are painted red on the
head, in order to initiate the readhead;
other black, for the black head, while the
body, breast and neck are decorated in
colors in keeping with the live duck. TO
make the deception more perfect, glass
eyes are placed in the head The decoy is
made to float in an upright position by
means Of a piece OF lead or half of horse
shoe nald to the under side. The pre-
caution used to prevent the decoy from
floating away is a simple device. A loop
of leather is nailed on tue breast and
through this a string is run and tied fast
To the other end of the string is tied a
small anchor, generally consisting of a
| piece of lead or horseshoe. There are
times when the wind and waves cause
the dccoys to break away from these moor
ings, and if they break in any great num-
bers, it is no small task to recover them. \
well known local sportsman lost Il number
of decoys while shooting from Il sink box in
the Middle River, and when they were
finally recovered, they were in the Chesa-
peake Bay.
The p,ice of decoys varies from $40 to
$40 dozen, according to the workman
ship and decoration, This part of duck
ing outfit costs considerable outlay of
money, as 90 decoys are generally used for
single sink-box, and 400 for double
affair. The decoys are always more or less
being damaged by shot, and one load has
been known to splinter up a score of them.
The more fastidious gunners 30 in for can
vas decoys, and some have experimental
with specimens made of aluminium, but
the old time gunners want nothing of this
kind. The wooden decoys are good enough
for them. The market men use their de-
coys in purely scientific. Killing ducks
with them is business and they employ
every method possible to bring the ducks
within the range of their guns. They
work in squads, and this mutual cooper
alton brings about good results. A double
sink box will be placed in some good spot
on the flats, and surrounded by about 400
decoys. Two expert gunners are assigned
to the sink box, while the rest of the crew
man a schooner that is anchored to the
windward about u quarter of a mile from
the sink box. The men remain lying in
the sink box and never raise their heads
until they get a signal from the schooner.
From the nature of the signal they can tell
in which direction the ducks are coming
and about the altitude they are flying
Thus informed the gunner has only to rise
in the box in the proper position, and bang
at the ducks as they fly over his head or
attempt to settle among the decoys. Nearly
all Of the gunners are equipped with two