The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-01-09
LUR1yG WILD DUCKS WITHIN
RANGEBY TAME DECOYS.
How a Cape Cod Sportsman Taught
Ills Barnyard Birds to At
tract the Wild
Species.
r ANlBLEN SEARS'5 descrip.
4 ton OF u unique sport in
Harper's Magazine is much

Harper's Magazine is much
more than IN account ofhoU
wild ducks are lured within easy range
by tame decoys. It is an interesting
study of Cape Cod character. The
writer says:
Many sportsman Of the better sort
continues to condemn the practice OF
shooting game over tame decoys. It
would be useless to deny his arSU'
ment. Frankly speaking, the only
sportsmanlike conduct in hunting
shore birds, as in hunting other game,
is to crawl up on them by sheer sport
ing skill, and kill them in their own
country, so to speak, with every
chance on their side. Shooting over
wooden decoys. however, has come to
be acknowledged as allowable to
sportsmen. The wooden 'coys are
set cut on point; the flying birds
see them; swing above them for a
first look, and ore shot with one barrel
rs they light, with the other just as
they start to fly away. Shooting over
tame ducks is simply much more ex-
citing, vastly more skilful piece Of
work of the same kind. For q spot
whore ducks fly constantly these tame
birds are not necessary, but on such
shot out ground as Cape Cod they add
greatly to tho science of the sport.
Henry had q carefully regulated plan
for training his decoys, and it was o
constant source OF surprise and inter.
est to mo to watch the workings of
this peculiar system. When carefully
nurtured, the intelligence Of such q
stupid bird as e barn yard duck is
something extraordinary. But the
training must be constant and daily,
and before bird is lit for decoy work
practically two seasons have been
consumed. The lessons begin and
turn on the question Of food. Henry
made it bis first study to comwel his
friends to trust him so thoroughly that
he could pick them up and put them
in his pocket head downward Of any
time, with the certainty that on being
returned to tbs ground they would
simply rustic their feathers and
shrewdly cock one eye up at him to
await the never failing handful of corn.
It has always been question with NE
whether he himself had not moro of
the duck in him than the human being,
for he could initiate duck calls of I'LL
kinds in a manner that would not only
attract wild game, but would bring
the gun TO your shoulder as you walked
along>tho shore in his vicinity. One
good sportsman, who used to call him
self my friend, not only shot (and
afterwards paid for) one OF Henry's
decoys rs she stood tied to rock,
but actually lay among the stones OF
the beach half an hour one early
morning under the impression that
Henry's constant calls came from q
flock of birds just behind the stand.
After bringing these strange wadd-
ling pets OF his to maudlin state Of
tameness, he never failed to set up q
most complicated and continuous ser
les OF duck quacks and calls whenever
he threw out their food. It was not
long, therefore, before the birds asso.
ciated corn with Henry's extraordin-
airy limitations of duck Bedlam, and as
any self.respectlns bird is bound to
quack vociferously Immediately upon
seeing food, it became consequence
quite within the compass of the duck
mind to infer that whenever Henry
quacked, corn was near at hand and
shortly to be forthcoming. The
result was an instantaneous sym
phony. Consequently by the end
of the summer duck OF rea.
sonably high birth was sure to set
up hysterical song the moment he or
she caught the sounds Of Henry's voice.
Whether Henry actually understood
duck language and discussed points Of
interests with the birdsI do not know.
At all events, he understood a system
which brought forth calls and shrleks
from every one OF his thirty pets when.
ever Re saw fl to put it in operation.
Having proceeded thus jar, it be.
came his next duty TO teach the birds
to hy-a sufficiently original occupa.
tion to illustrate the extensive scope,
the many.sided character of Henry's
genius. This he practised gradually
With each bird in his barn yard, a..
ways appealing to the ducks appetite
He would grasp one of them around
the body with both hands, her head
meantime pointing outward. Then
bending his knees and lowering the
neophyte close to the ground, be
would rise steadily but swiftly and
hur, thetbird into The air. Instinc.
lively she put out her wings and cir.
cled AROUND the barn yard, descend
ING gradually, and at the same time
setting up most hopeless racket, nat
urally starting the other twenty-nine,
who fancied shis was Henry calling
them to dinnec.
After months Of trial and tribula.
ton, with sometimes broken back
or1 O ,onooor,ot 1uc1- f,,noro] ~,