The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-03-15
WILD GEESE IN CALIFORNIA.
The Birds swarm by Hundreds of Thou
sands and A re Slain by Thousands.

Inc BIRDS swarm by hundreds OF Ihou-
sands aud Are slain by Thousands.
The sportsmen in the East, who at this
season think themselves in great luck if
they bring home a dozen or two wild
ducks or a dozen woodcock and other
small game after a long days hunt, would
go into ecstasies at.the wild goose hunting
in this region. The birds come down to
the Pacific coast at this season. after a
summer in British Columbia and Mani
toba, and for weeks they swarm by hum
dreds of thousands about the little
bays and coves of the ocean and
the alkali lake washes. They
wax and grow fat on the grains of No. 1
hard left on the ground in the thousands
of acres of wheat fields. Near Santa
Monica, one day last week, in a little bay
about six square miles in area, there were
fully 100000 of wild geese. The noise of
their quacking and calling to one another
was at times heard two miles away. At
San Pedro and at the little lake in Kern
county there are said to be even greater
numbers of the game because of the
proximity of the wheat fields, says a
writer from Pomona, Cal.
Large numbers of the geese are slain
annually during their migrations. 1t is
no trick for boy sportsman to get 80 or
60 of the birds in few hours, and hum
dreds of the older hunters in this region
have often got over 200 geese in a day. A
party of four Los Angeles sportsmen who
went out for two days hunt over in the
Orange county marshes last week came
home with over 900 dead geese for the city
markets. Two Bakersfield men had a
three days hunt lately and came homo
with a farm wagon loaded down with geese
and ducks. In all the little towns along the
line of the Santa Fe railroad in this section
there are a score or two of men and boys
who regularly, spring and fall, turn out for
days shoot at wild geese and ducks,
and the person who does not show that he
has tumbled over at least % birds is ac-
counted in poor luck or a decided novice
in hunting. Many persons will ride to the
outskirts of the town and, standing in a
buggy or wagon, will satisfy themselves
with shot at the armies of flying birds
at long range. Occasionally they will
bring down a goose with such random
shooting. All the markets and the coun-
try grocery stores now have wild geese
and ducks exposed for sale at nominal
sums.
The little alkali lake in Tulare county
is probably the best locality in the
San Joaquin valley for goose shooting.
The spot is over 30 miles distant from a
railroad station, and the rocky hills make
it difficult of access. For days at a time
there have been thousands of geese and
ducks resting on the water and feeding
among the neighboring mountain sides.
One morning early this week John Aver
son and j. L. Baxter of Los Angeles
reached the lake for few hours sport.
Large flocks of wild geese were circling
around and lighting on a slough fringed
on all sides with bushes and tall grass.
After a full hour spent in crawling over
the ground and keeping out of sight
as much as possible, the hunters
crept through the grass to the bushes and
looked cautiously out. When the edge of
the flock had come within 80 yards the
hunters raised their guns and gave them
a barrel, following it up with the remain
ing barrel as the birds rose heavily from
the water. Twenty-eight geese we're
gathered up as the result of the shot. "a
of them the white or brant geese. The
remaining four were fine specimens of
that wariest of all birds of its species, the
blackhead or Canadian goose. Notwith-
standing the fact that brant geese are not
considered the equal of the blackhead
specimens as a table delicacy, the hours
work was satisfactory.