The evening times., 1896-12-02
DUCK HUNTERS POOR LUCK
Present Season Is the Worst
They Have Experienced.
ONLY SMALL BAGS SHOT
Few Sportsnen Have Brought Down
More Than a Half Dozen at One
Time, and Many Return Empty
Handed From Day In the
Marshes-Cause of the Scarcity.

Two months of the seasons duck shoot
ing ON the Eastern Branck and the Po'o-
mac flats closed yesterday, and the sports
men declare that unless the rest OF the
winter shows a radical change for the bet
ter in the size OF the bags THIS VIII De tiie
most unsuccessful year ever expericn ed
In previous years, when there has been
an unusual scarcity of this toothsome
hiped, it has generally been found that
a corresponding scarcity in the wild celery
upon which the ducks feed has existed
at the same time.
This year no such condition appears.
In fact, the gunners have all been predict
ing a very successful season, because of the
great abundance of the celery. The whole
area OF the flats between here and Alexan-
drai is one mass OF this grass. A heavier
or more general growth has never been
seen.
DUCKS ARE SCARCE.
The scarcity of ducks extends to all the
different varieties known here. Canvas
backs, which in former years Were compare
lively plentiful, have scarcely been seen
here this winter. Mallards and teals are
also conspicuous by their absence. Tie
only variety which seen i'll any abundance
whatever is the blackhcad, Of which there
of these tie highest number bacged in ne
day has not exceeded twenty.
The lack of birds was al first ascribcd TO
the late season, and when the present cold
spell came ON the duck shooters all began
rubbing their hands, and with expansive
smiles started in to fiji up shells and
clean their fowling pieces.
All Monday and yesterday hunters by the
dozen lay in wait down the river to meet
the lncomln. ducks which they We're sure
the cold, Suapny weather would bring:
but alas for their hopes, even the most
fortunate failed to secure more than six
or eight ducks.
W. Wagner of Capitol Hill, who is known
as one of the most successful duck shoot
crs OF this vicinity. spent the whole day
down the river yesterday and returned
with a mcagcr bag OF SIN ducks, where in
former years he wotild have secured thirty
or forty.
This has been the state of affairs ever
since the opening Of the season On Septem-
ber /, aud 1T has been gradually growing
worse. So bad has 1t become that il is
now a matter OF comon occurrence for
tile box hunters to come in at night with
from half dozen birds to none at all to
their credit. Small wonder that gunners
sigh and declare the world is going to
the dogs.
DESTRUCTION OF DUCK EGGS
With the complaint so general the lovers
of the 81 OFT have naturally put their heads
together to find the reason. The con
clusion generally reached is that the
chief cause of The scarcity OF the birds
is the wholesale destruction of the eggs
along the northwest coast OF the CONT
nent where the ducks breed
In this connection, IL is recalled that IL
though this seas on is an especially bad one,
Yet decrease in the number Of ducks TO
reach this vicinity has taken place every
year for TWO decades back, until today
The sport is rot a circumstance to what it
was twenty Years ago, before the trade
in ducks' eggs had reached its present pro-
portions.
Another subject upon which the true
sportsman wakes wrath is Tot ot-hunting-
that is, killing the birds for the market
The pot-hunter, as a rule, does not use
the legitimate methods of toX blind, sk,ff.
OF POINT hunting, but resorts to night or
blg-gun hunting, both OF which result
the wholesale slaughter the birds. These
are declared WI ong by the law and
the pOt-hunter caught using them is sub
Ject to heavy penalties. This, however,
does nos prevent hunters from securing
the river, with the result Of a further
thinning out OF the birds
AMATEURISH SPORTSMEN.
Duck shooting from steam launches the
veteran gunncrs also denounce as amateur
ish and destructive. These launches steam
upon rank of ducks and shoot into them
Then, when the birds take flight the launch
follows them, and "A second and perhaps a
third shot is obtained. Naturally this sort
shooting IS looked upon as murderous by the
true sportsmen, and accordingly they are
trying to secure prohibitve legislation.
Still another way of accounting for the
small bags is that the birds instinct has
bprnfpp IN Eppn fb.,
high they will not decoy-in fact. they are
often seen several hundred feet up in the
air.
Another pecIiliarity is the shyness ex-
hibited by the ducks now even when they
do decoy. II has been an unusual occur
renee to see flock pitch into the decoys
and make pretty dart for the shooter. In
most all cases the shots, which come at such
long intervals, have been trying, especially
to the amateur shooter.
The cunning fraternity will generally
finish their fall shooting now, although
some few will continue into December, with
the hope that greater success will come
with colder weather.
With the scarcity of ducks and a good de
nand, prices have ranged high, considering
the warm weather which has prevailed dur-
ing November. Canyasbacks have brought
the gunner from So to 4.5o a pair Red
heads, from $1-75 to s. 80.
The ruddy ducks. called cootS, but " bich
have no relationship to the coot has been
elevated to a level with the canvasback
among epicures. and has brought ST a pair
all season, while a few years back 25
cents was Thought big price for them.
PRICES OF DUCKS.
A pair of ruddy ducks will weigh pound
and half, while canvasbacks weigh six
pounds pair, and if taken a t the same ra-
ito with ruddies at 81 pair, canvasbacks
should bring 50, which, ON the average. they
have not done: so ruddy would seem to lie
on the top of the heap.
1t would also seem that the canvasbacks'
nigh posi,ionin the epicurcan " orld islikely |
TO be somewhat deprecated by the ascend
ancy of this little morsel, familiarly known
as the French canyaSback
Notwithstanding the lack of birds, there
have been very few arrests for illegal
hunting. Those which have been made
were for night hunting with lights There
We're two cases under this charge in the |
police court last week. One of these
resulted in a conviction, but the other,
against a man named Blaze, was dis |
missed because, although he had light |
and gun in his skiff, he had not shot any |
iucks, and his bad luck in this instance |
proved his good luck.
In Prince George county, Nd, however,
he arrests have been more numerous. |
)ver there, much to the disgust of WASH |