Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-20
HUNTING BOB WHITE
Field Trials in North Carolina Hunt
ing Grounds.
QUAIL Are STILL ABUNDANT THERE
Characteristic Beauties and Pecu-
liafities of the Region.
A GOOD DAYS PORT
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

"F~'-"A correspondence VI IHe Evening star.
NEWTON, N. c., December I, 1897.
This is the height of the hunting season
In North Carolina and sportsmen are here
enjoying to the full the excellent Quail
shooting Quail are as plentiful here in
Catawba county as sparrows in Washing
Ton. 1t is for this reason the Eastern and
United States Field Trial Clubs have select
ed this county for their annual trials
These clubs Jointly own a large tract of
land a few miles from Newton, where the
highest bred hunting dogs in the country
are annually exhibited in tests of hunting
Inc ne,d trials finished last Wednesday and
were the most successful ever he'd by the
club. Such men as Pierre Lorrillard and
other wealthy fanciers were represented
not only by their dogs, but also particle
pated themselves. I.orrillard, l am told.
pays his handler $1,000 a year and gives
him all prizes won. The farmers here are
all hunters and many of them set up es-
adjustments for breaking dogs. Today l
visited the place of Edward Whittle and
had the pleasure of hunting over last years
prize winner of the field trials
They knew How.
1t was all Irish setter named Lou" and
1t was worth the trip to North Carolina to
see her hunt field. Off like a race horse
she hunted every inch of the field in re-
makabiy last time and then faced about
Tor orders. The handler simply waved a
handkerchief to the right and away she
went i'll That direction to try the auloiling
NEG. Iaklng the north end first, cir
cied round and round, until finally when
under full neadway, she nearly turned a
somerS1uit when covey OF birds was
scented. There she stood fully 800 yards
from US as stanch a statue. The hat1Lier
now let two other dogs loose ana they COM
menced clrc:inS. One of them spied Lou
standing. and III a moment this one, too,
Was rigid 700 yards from the point. The
other cog was crossing a fence when he
sped the stand. and like a fash he stoned
between the rails. 1t was a back stand
ana all the explosions possible could not
have made those dogs move One of the
party, Or. Sterling ltuffin, of the best
wing shots in this section, approached the
coEey ana kicked up the birds Away they
went, and bang! bang! went his gun. 1t
was the signal for two of the birds to
linger. All this time The dogs remained
motionless. Two Of them dropped TO the
ground. But there was no running in ami
when moment later another bird WIS
husned and killed the wisdom of this part
OF the dogs training was manifest. Had
the dogs run in at shot. the other bird
would have been flushed before the gun had
been loaded But dogs trained for field
TRIALS do not make the best hunters, | am
told. They are trained more for speed and
range than anything else, and then they be-
come familiar with the commands of one
trials, and understand his methods.
Trying IA Green One.
Handler Waffle told me that not one dog
in ten turned out well, and 1t was from this
point he argued that no puppy no matter
how high the breeding, was worth more
than $40 as an untried puppy. AS an Illus
tration. he went through the morning ex-
ercise with of his Irish setter puppies
Inc puppy. rot over eight months ola, WAS
taken out with the older dogs to where he
knew covey of quail usually frequented.
The puppy was turned loose, and, sure
enough, he found the birds and ran into
the corey, scattering the birds all over the
field. Away he went chasing them, Until
another covey was started, and after these
he went, no doubt thinking he had q better
chance to get one of them. Meanwhile the
handler stood at the place the first covey
was flushed. The old dogs were rigid as
statutes. The puppy was caught and
brought to the older dogs, when he instinct
lively came to a point" in exact imitation
of them.
Now is the time to give this youngster
a lesson" said the handler" and putting
leash on the puppy, he sent the older dogs
on after the birds They found them on
the side of a hill overlooking a most pic
turesGue ravine. The puppy immed ateiy
took great interest in the proceedings.
Tying him to small sapling, the trainer
went forward and flushed the birds. Up
and away they went until he brought one
down by well-drected shot The puppy,
when he saw the birds fly, cut up all sorts
of carers, and we thought he would hang
himself But when the gun went off and
one of the birds came tumbling down he
stopped frettinS and waited eXpec.antly.
The dead bird was brought to him and he
smelled it all over, wagging his tail furious
ly. The lesson was repeated, the puppy be-
coming more quiet at the sight Of the fly
ing birds and evincing the same satisfac-
ton when one of them was killed.
His First Lesson.
At the next stand the puppy was liber-
ated, and surprised us all by remaining
perfectly quiet when the birds were found.
When the gun went off, however, and one
of the birds fell, the puppy rushed in and
eagerly grabbed the bird. Then the trainer
took him by the collar and dragged him
back tc the place he first stood. and, throw
ing tire bird away, commanded him to
hold" 1t required several lessons of that
kind to make the puppy understand
Several weeks Of lard work are necessary
to bring a green dog to a realization of
what is expected of him. Every day the
trainer informed me he took some of the
dogs out for work. Evidently it required
great patience and determination to be
successful handler" of dogs. The "hand-
lers" the general run of them, are poorly
paid They get So Ter month in the hunting
season for keeping the dogs, and u in the
close season. And this means the keeping
of the dogs and their constant training.
Different trainers different methods of
breaking and feeding their charges. While
there Is considerable similarity in the ways
and means employ ed in breaking, every
trainer has a pet diet of his own, guaran-
teed 10 give speed and endurance. The
trainer / met fed his dogs on raw eggs for
the most part, although he made huge
dog cake every week, consisting OF eggs,
-four, meal and boiled beef The beef was
first put on and allowed to boil for an hour
or so and then the other ingredients were
added, the whole making a thick batter,
which WAS baked into hard cakes.