The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-30
HUNTING.
The Season at
Its Height.
NOTES OF INTEREST
About Sportsmen at Home
and Abroad.

These are great days for the sports
men. They are not alone busy in the
covers of the county, but have already
gone in large numbers to Maine and
elsewhere. Others are planning with
delight for a brief or extended outing
in the woods. From now until the mid
die of November many a man will find
rest and recreation with the dog, gun
or rifle. AS the local season advances
and the leaves disappear from the COW
ers, the cartridges seem to become
more numerous and better bags are the
result Every fair day now finds the
best covers filled with men and dogs
and each evening many men tramp
| joyfully homeward with well-ilIed
hunting coats Partridges are not eX-
ceptionally plentiful and somewhat
wild, but the number shot is but little
/ below the average of last season. Con-
trary to the general opinion expressed
! at the first of the season, woodcoclS
have been found in larger numbers
| than for five years past and some ex-
cellent bags have been made on this
| bird. The flight for the past two weeks
has been remarkably large, and only
few days ago a parW of three local
hunters secured II. The flight, how
ever, is about over, and though the
birds will be found for a week or more
yet, they will probably be scattering
and the numbers small.
! The quail have not been followed
very closely by the hunters as yet, but
some good bags have been made. They
are not as plentiful as was expected,
but those who are posted find excellent
sport when they go out The wood
| cock shooting has kept many of the
sportsmen busy and they have not
spent much time in following the quail.
Later on the timid little game bird will
receive more attention.
Jay Smell and Levi Redfield have
spent a great deal of time in the brush
and have probably killed the largest
string of birds. Fred Bucklin, Dwight
/ Pratt and Thomas H. Davis have also
been enthusiastic hunters and have
had good success. Mr.. Pratt's little IL
month-old pup Shot has turned out
to be quite a wonder and if nothing
happens to him and he develops dur
ing the remainder of the season as he
has so far, he will be a hard dog to
surpass next season. Capt. w. e. Has
sam and Eugene F. Swan have been
successful with woodcock, and r. T.
Smith and Gilbert Rugg have spent a
little time in the woods. Henry Moore,
William Wordsworth, Elmer Mirick,
A. W. Walls, George Russell f. S.
Knowles, Henry A. Moore and others
have spent considerable time in the
field, with good success.
M P. Roach had excellent quail
shooting for several days on the coast.
B. w, Weber has had a successful but
short outing in New Hampshire, and is
planning to go up again for a few
days.
H..1W Eager of Marlboro has made
a record to be proud of at Petersboro,
n. H., going up on two occasions. The
first visit was for something over a
week. and Mr.. Eager's party killed 81
woodcock and 26 partridges. On a
later trip for a few days, 80 woodcock,
Z partridges and l snipe were bagged.
E. S. Knowles and H. w. Eager en-
joyed short visit to ]. II. Baird at
North Orange. While the sportsmen
Went mainly for foxes, they took the
bird dogs along and in six hours hunt
ing killed IA birds, s woodcock and 6
cartridges.
Earle Ide and Earnest Russell are
away on bird shooting trip in Con-
necticut, and are having good fun
b. J. Bertels and DIR. H. H. GaebIer are
at Brookfeld doing some shooting, and
Mayor Dodge win be their guest for a
few days this week.
Taken all in ALL the season has been
: one of unusual activity. Lots of hun
tiers went out on the opening day, and
many have enjoyed the beautiful wea-
Their since. To be sure, many have come
back disappointed, but many birds have
been secured and good scores are the
rule rather than the exception now by
the men who know where to go.
There can be no doubt but birds are
growing scarcer each year, and at the
same time the number of hunters is
increasing. The day is not far dis
tant when the hunters who wish to
|, have luck will have to look outside of
. Worcester county for it, and in conse-
quenoe the covers of New Hampshire
Vermont and Connecticut, are gaining
in favor with sportsmen generally.
There is something ominous about the
! unusual amount of woodcock found this
year all over New England. Extermin-
} alton surely must come 10 this bird,
and it is safe to say that this season S
! woodcock shooting viii not be equaled
for many years, if ever again. If the
3 quail about Worcester are not killed
off in large. numbers this fall they will
probably breed more freely next year,
and will help to stock the depleted COW
| ers. 1t is thought that they have not
. bred as freely this year as the birds
generally do, owing to the fact that
they We're kept in captivity for some
time previous to being released.
Naturally it will take them some
: time to get acclimated and to mating
and breeding normally,
: The market for birds has been good,
: and patrons have had to pay $1.50 a
brace for cartridges during the season.
The hunters have received from So to
, so cents for partridge, and 25 and 80
cents for woodcock and quail. There
} have been times when the markets were
overstocked during the last few weeks
and the prices paid have been less, but
: as a whole the market has been I'M
, usually brisk and the prices paid to the
hunters above the average.
) Many a hunter is looking longingIy
2 towards Maine and preparations for
l trips are rife. Several parties have
gone. A. B. f. Kinney, who has been