The San Francisco call., 1898-02-05
A FEW MORE
 WEEKS TO HUNT GAME.

This ts the last month of the season when quail and duck can be shot ln ac- cordance with the game laws or this State.
 Doubtless many years will pass before another such remarkably prolific season for game-that is of the wild duck va rietv-Wfll favor local sportsmeE whose pleasure in gunning is confined prlnci- pally to the marshes contiguous to tlie bay.
 Owing to the extreme cold weather ana the absence of rain, the feathered pipeds of the ponds and sloughs seek the marshes for food and shelter. and as a consequence duck shooting has been re- markably good during the entire season. Had there been heavy rains the birds now loafing on the bay would be many miles away, waxing fat and lazy on the grain fields in the southern counties. Sportsmen who shot on the preserves located in the Sonoma marshes last Sun day had all the sport for which one could wish Teal were surprisingly plentiful and fifty or sixty birds to gun was nothing uncommon.
 The Smith brothers had a great morn ing's shoot near Black Point. McMahon 1 and Williams were very well SatSfled with q bag they made near Reclamation. Louis BoIIander. Al Raisch and J. Me 1 Arthur bagged 160 ducks in the marshes near Shellv1lle. In fact, every hunter who returned from the Sonoma' marshes | last Sunday reported having had the best shoot of the season. As the weather conditions have not changed the shooting to-day and tomorrow should be equally good.
 The net fishermen are catching large numbers of canvasback ducks in the bay which are sold at good prices to game dealers. Physicians say that the birds which died from suffocation are not fit for food. Seined ducks are easily dis cernible by the absence. of shot marks. when searching for bottom food that they run their heads into the meshes of the nets and suffer death. Some fishermen make a special business of netting can yasback when the birds are plentiful on the bay, but as there is no Jaw to pre- vent this manner of game slaughter the fishermen do not fear arrest or punish ment
 Duck shooting near Suisun is good. Sculling the sloughs and shooting teal as they jump" on the approach of the hunters is first-class sport, but hunters must be careful to select good pilot who understands duck shooting and how to scull, otherwise they may have cause | to regret their trip to the marshes. Last Sunday Fred Surrhyne, a collector of this city, and l.. Prenot of the Demming Pal mer Milling Company slgaged man named Bell to scull them When out about two miles from SuiSun the old boat which they were in sprung a leak and it was with much difficulty the craft was sculed into the jules, where the hunters had to remain standing in three feet of water until the pilot managed in some way to patch up the hole. The hunters 1 lost their ammunition and lunch and re- turned finally to Suisun sadder, but wiser men.
 Speaking of Bell, J. Maynard Jr. of this 1 city states that while on a recent shoot | ing trip to Suisun he had engaged Bell | to scull him through the sloughS. He had i good shoot, and when he was about to 1 take his departure for home he discovered | that two large strings of game which
 were Il in ia,,tI1 charge g of a hotelkeeper had l dispatched to hunt up the thief, and they
 found one bunch of birds in Bells pos
 session. He had disposed of the best when placed under arrest. Maynard did not feel disposed to prosecute him, so
 Bell was released, after receiving some wholesome advice. Bell must have been
 three sheets in the wind,' as it is not
 thought that he would have confiscated
 other peoples property Intentionally
 when enjoying his full senses.
 w. H. Sears had grand shoot at Cor 1 della last Sunday forenoon. His bag con- | sisted of sprig, teal and mallard to the
 tune of thirty-five duck. The. gentleman
 was delighted with the sport he enjoyed.
 George F. Schaefer, editor of the Coast | Advocate, Half-moon Bay, is taking an
 active interest in the protection of the l game and fish of San Mateo County. As | sportsmen and anglers are increasing in | numbers annually, the decrease in game
 and fish must be correspOndingly great. | SIauSnterlnB game ana USH QuTlnB the
 close seasons is even more common now
 than 1t was twenty years ago, hence the | necessity of Game Wardens in every
 county of this State. If the editors of | interior journals will but emulate the ex- 1 ample set by MT. Schaefer, looking to-
 ward the immediate protection of game
 and fish-quail duck, deer and trout will not suffer from future extermination-that
 is, if the present reckless and extrava- ! gant slaughter by pothunters and those
 who respect not the game laws of the
 State be checked in time.
 The Advocate of February ? publishes
 the following sound article on game pro- | tection-a timely warning to the Super
 visors of San Mateo County:
 With San Mateo County the enc exception,
 the scarcity of game throughout the counties
 of the entire State is being noticed by sports men Every season all through the other