Connecticut western news., 1895-05-30
GEESE HUNTING OXEN
MAY SOUND A LITTLE QUEER, BUT TIRE STORY COMES STRAIGHT.

Tn the Early Days of California Wild
 Gec.e Were So Plentiful That They Both-
 cred Cattle Rsisers. and Fortunes Were
 Made Shooting the Birds-
 "I made good deal of money in the early days of California when we used to stalk wild geese with oxen, '" said ex- Game James Wistar of Pasadena, '' Stalking geese with oxen may sound a little queer, but that's the way we used to hunt 'em in the early d.ys. A good stalk ing OK, want to tell you, was valuable bit of property 40 years ago In California, and we used to talk about him and dis cuss his points just about the same as sportsmen nowadays discuss the points of their bird dogs. A good stalking OK could earn his owner anywhere from $50 to $1o0 n day If the owner himself was any good
 "I went to California in 1851 and promptly dropped every cent I had In a gold mine venture. In all the counties bordering on the bay, and, in fact, all along the coast, wild geese occupied the wide and open plains by tho hundreds of thousands. I have seen moro than a thou sand acres of these big fowl rasturing in Q solid block, and that many cattle feeding have cleared the grass away as as those geese did. I heard that tho killing of theso geese for market had grown to be great industry, and that some men were getting rich at it. Ranch CTS wore also offering bounty for the geese, as cattle raising was becoming an important business, and tho geese pro empted so much of tho pasture area that the loss was serious to tho cattle mon. sorapcd enough money together to buy a gun and abandoned gold mining for goose hunting.
 ''When hunting for wild geese on those plains first began, tho hunters were able to crawl up on them as they fed and got within easy gunshot. But tho geese soon got on to the sportsmen, and by and by no one could get within half a mile of flock. Hiding in grass blinds was tried and worked well for time, but the cunning geese sized tho blinds up at last and wouldn't come anywhere near bunch of grass So something had to he done Somo one had noticed that cattle feeding on the plains could crop tho grass almost on the heels of a host of geese, and the fowls took no notice of thom. Ho had an OK that was even tempered and accommo- dating, and ono day he turned 1t loose and AtN lt AtNA ShohS AONAAa o dous flock of geese were paSturing.
 "Now and then he'd hurry the OK up a little, walking close to it on the side away from the geese, By and by the OK got close enough to the geese to satisfy his owner, who stood still until tho OK had passed on out of tho way. Then he emptied one barrel of his gun into the flock on the ground and gave it the other as the birds rose. He picked up 62 geese. The OK was somewhat surprised, but didn't object to repeating the operation next day, when 1t was equally successful. Geese were worth $1 apiece. That was the origin of stalking wild geese with oxen. In less than a month there wasn't a goose hunter along tho coast who didn't have goose stalking OK.
 "The oxen soon fell into tho full spirit of the hunting. Some were better than others. An OK that understood his busi- ness would feed along toward a flock of geese or pretend to be feeding, not directly toward them, but carelessly and by many turnings, because he had discovered that the geese had grown suspicious even of cattle, and would invariably riso before an OK that wasn't cute enough to dissemble In the course of his feeding. Another thing we soon discovered that spoke vol umes for tho astuteness of the California wild goose. made this discovery myself. I had been shooting for week over big brindle OK that had developed special apti- tude for the work and enjoyed 1t hugely. My success had been great, when one day I was astonished to sec a big flock of geese that my OK and I were stalking get up and fly away long before WIG had got within any kind of gunshot. Tho OK was just as l~ Y f.. the departing flock for moment and then turned and looked at me as if demanding somo explanation of that fiock's singular conduct. 1t seemed to mo as if he suspect. ed mo of having been indisereet in some way and spelling tho hunt. Old Brindls went back home showing his disappoint- mcnt plainly and brooded over 1t all the rest of the day.
 "Next morning we went out to try the flock again, for they were sure to be or the feeding ground. The same thing hap pened again. The birds got up quarter of mile away or more. I felt sorry fol the OK, for he took tho matter good deal to heart. And I fell to thinking on the way home, and 1t was there that came tC the conclusion that the California wild goose was an able bird. To test my beliei next morning I turned old Brindle into c white OK by whitewashing him. At first he protested, but it seemed to suddenly strike him what it was being done for and he started out on tho hunt feeling good I was right in my opinion of the California wild goose. Those geese hat been shot at over that brindle OK unti they recognized him every time he drew near, and knowing what he was there fol took to getting away when they saw him drawing near. But the white OK they didn't mind. They associated only brin dle OK with danger, and so sat still as W, approached, and I tumbled lot of 'em he fore they got out of reach. And old Erin dle seemed all but tickled to death at tn, success of the masquerade. In course o
 time ! had to change him from n white O, to a rcd one, then to a spotted one then tC black one, and by and by venturcd tC send him forth in hls natural brindl, again. The ruses all worked, for founC that while those wild geese had n memor,
 1t was short, and I could play the same O, on them time and time again after an in
 terv1 of n couple of weeks or so. And, o
 course, this changing the color of gees,
 stalking oxen became universal on tn,
 plains.
 For two or three years every one wh,
 followed wild goose hunting In this wa,
 made lots of money. Then busted miner,
 and even broken down sports took 1t up
 until there were almost as many hunter
 as geese, and the markets wore kept over
 stocked. There was no moro money ir
 1t, and quit, But took with mo $40,
 900 clean money that had made in tn,
 wild goose market. I know that at lens six of the big Pacific coast fortunes of to
 day had their foundation in the capita
 their possessors got from killing wild gees 40 or 45 years ago. New York Sun. Snake Stones.