The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-06-27
WILD GEESE IN INDIA.
Tactics That Must BE Adopted to Catch
the Coveted Fowls.

abound in all the numerous jheels. as
do also coots, or water fowl These
Jheels are large water storages for irri-
eating purposes, and are kept filed by
the heavy fall in the rainy seasons.
They afford most excellent sport
Sometimes for company's sake sew
eral form party and go out for the
day, but thorough, keen sportsman
meaning business generally prefers
going out alone. OF course, with
party, it is more enjoyable in one way,
but the difficulty is that each inter
feres with the others sport, more es-
pecially when careful stalking is neces-
sary, no matter how well or carefully
organized the plan is, and for this rea-
son | generally preferred going out
alone. The jheel to be first visited
having been determined upon, ones
syce and coolies are sent on by day
break 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 enjoy
able because of the variety it affords,
double shot at the ducks and teal,
and then quiet hunt after snipe
around the narshy parts of the jheel.
Then, if a village is near, which is gen.
orally the case, sport in the shape of
black partridge, quail and peafowl
and an occasional shot at a deer can
be had before remounting and follow
lag up the ducks, ETC., to other iheels
IN the vicinity. In this way an excit-
inc 4 s. =. IL
oughly good mixed bag is the result.
AS these jheels are mostly coverless
and well in the open every precaution
has to be taken to enable near ap-
proach to the ducks, not forgetting the
direction of the wind for in this re-
spect ducks are as keen as antelopes,
and any carelessness in detail would
soon see the black and living mass on
the wing and away well out of range
Often have l had to creep fiat on the
ground for very long distances, placing
my gun several feet in advance of me
and wriggling up to it, and so on. This
is slow means of progression, but it
is sure when against the wind. A fur
Their precaution is to take off your he'll
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,
perchance the duck and teal have
moved far out, 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, admitting one to wade, still
lowering ones self, keeping the gun
above the water. Now the greatest
care has to be taken for fear of Slip
ping out of ones depth. The plan 1
always adopted was to advance the left
foot, shuttle along to the front with it,
and bring up the right foot, and so on
until you have approached sufficiently
near to insure successful shot. Well
do | remember one most excellent
days stalking some twenty miles from
Lucknow when, with right and left,
! actually bagged fifty 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 the aid of my coolie
beaters, secured thirty in one hour, all
in fine condition, and'the peacocks par
ticularly handsome. The mixed bag of
duck, teal, geese, cartridges, quail and
peafowl which l was enabled to send
in to the mems mess at the close of the
days proceedings was greatly appre-
ciated by the recipients, and my going
out shikar was always hailed with de-
light by the men, who knew / never
forgot them.
Geese are also to be found in very
large iocks but only IN the larger
jheels, and they generally keep we'll
out in the middle in the open deep
water during the day, coming into The
shallow parts to feed late in the after
noon. / sometimes went out after them
in canoe when such could be got; if
not, | manufactured raft made out of
bamboo which l made my coolies cut
from adjacent jungles, with earthen-
ware pots at the corners to give the re-
Quired buoyancy. With such an ar
rangement and with bushes and grass
fixed round the sides, l have often
padded out and had the most enjoya-
BILE days sport with the geese. 1t is,
however, next to impossible to ap-
proach nearer than eighty or ninety
yards, which, even with wire cart
ridges, precludes all possibility of a
murderous fire such as one is able to
get among the ducks and teal. The
most l ever bagged in double shot
was five. They are invariably in good
condition and have not the fishy flavor
generally SO prevalent with them
Sometimes jheels are connected by
means of bitches, which enable the
gunner to continue the sport from one
waterway to another all day, follow
ing up the BIRDS.
l 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 for
ward noiselessly and unobserved by
the birds. Large earthenware pots
called ''chatties" are procured, in
which eyeholes are cut. These are
placed over the heads Of the trappers,
who have nets secured around their
waists in which to place the birds Thus
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