The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1895-11-23
DUCKS SLAUGHTERED.
Fishermen Around Lake WInnebago
Said to Openly Violate the
Game Law

Oshkosh. Wis, Nov. 19.-T Special i
The fishermen are now engaged in a
somewhat new departure but which is
still in the same line Of business as for
mcrly-this is the fishing Of ducks with
nets. If the information which has been
obtained in regard to this manner of de-
stroying game is to be believed. and 9th
er evidence which in itself is so apparent
that it can be neither controverted nor
denied is true. this manner of killing
ducks is being carried on To such an cX-
tent on Lake WinnehagO that it j. ap-
palIing, to say the least.
Every day one can walk the streets of
this city and in the open market can see
game caught in this manner displayed
for sale. 1t is no difficult matter to dis
tinguish ducks killed in this manner. and
even the inexperienced eye can readily
perceive the difference, for the game il
usually puffed up and there is an alb
Sence of shot wounds. 1t is only lately
that reports were brought to this city of
the immense numbers of ducks on the
eastern shore of the lake. The birds are
attracted to that section of the lake Ly
the excellent feeding grounds. For miles
the bottom of the lake is lined with wild
celery, the favorite food of these ducks.
and for the past few weeks the lake in
that vicinity has been black with the
birds.
But while here apparently safe from
the hunters gun. they encounter another
danger, which makes the destructive
qualities of the modern sink boat, the
deadly search light. the artfullv con
Structed blind or the deceptive dccoy,
pale into comparative inSiguificancc. It
Is the fisherman net. One can hest
ina giue the extent To which game can hc
annihilatcd by this method when il is
stated that a fisherman in one haul sue
ceedcd i'll taking in 800 ducks, more per
haps than are shot in one entire season
on Lake Ninnebago. The fishermen
have constantly protested that they did
not set their nets with the intention of
catching ducks. but this year they al
init that such is the ease They institute
a careful watch. and when an oppOr-
tunity presents itself in the absence of
the deputy game Warlens. they line the
feeding grounds of the ducks with nets.
The birds of course. dive down in search
of food and easily hecom" cntangled in
the meshcS of the net and then drown
The next day the fisherman Oyerhauls
his nets. The drowned ducks are taken
from the mcshes. dressed and then sold
in the markets Of the city. BY far the
greater part of them are packed and
shipped by the barrel to Milwaukee. Chi
cago and Green Bay. Ducks caught in
this manner are totally unfit for table
use. How many ducks are caught daily
10y this method. of course. cannot be cs-
timated. but during the entire season
the number must aggregate mauy thou-
snudS
Besides ducks. fish of course are also
caught, and in spite of the danger with
which the fishermen incur in losing their
property through seizure 10y the deputies
| this perniriouS occupation in the face of
! the Obstacles they encounter and the risk
! incurred is something which is not ordi-
| narily met with. II is said that while
the deputies are in one end of the lake
the fishermen are wing their vocation
in the other, and vice versa Through
2 system of careful espionage and secret
watching they have been enabled 10 do
this. Formerly this same method of kill
ing game was carried on to an alarming
extent OH Lake Poygan. but it has been
etfcCtualIy suppressed on those waters