The herald., 1898-02-20

means of hunting. A blind that will
deceive the widest of ducks the goose
can see through quarter of miis
away; and all manner of wiggling fol
better position. of cranng ones neck
to see IL he Is coming right, and
getting the gun in the most convenient
place, which you can still do with many
ducks In safety, is quite apt to send the
goose sheering away long before he is
within reach Of the best gun.
Always wild enough to make 1t
amusing the goose has kept up to date
better than the most modern gun store
Ducks still take chances on the range of
modern gun when they consider 1t
too much trouble to wheel off enough
Most all other game still does the same
at times. The turkey, sand hill crane
and his big white cousin, the whooping
crane, are about the only living things
that are not too proud to admit that
they cannot figure the exact range of
q choke-bored gun with nitro powder
end chilled shot.
Goose shooting is associated with the
idea of big guns and heavy shot. The
goose is, of course. hard to kill, heavily
feathered and very solid in flesh and
bDne If nothing but very Iong-shots
can be had. then the larger the gun
AID the larger the shot the surer the
work, everything else being equal. But
on the other hand If you are making long
SLOTS the proportion of cripples will be
SO great that it is really cruelty rather
tnn sport. A far better way is to have
everything prepared for close shooting,
use an ordinary gun and about number
five shot, and take nothing but close
shots. At distances where you would
reasonably expect to kill a well-feath-
cred duck you will do nearly as we'll.
on geese as with the heavier gun; and
up to forty yards, certainly up to thirty,
are quite sure to kill more birds and kill
them deader with the lighter shot with
a heavier charge of powder.
Such shooting as this can now be had
only from pits in the ground on a well
defined fly way" and with decoys. A
natural blind always was very unrei-
able for this wary bird. and he has now
become shy of ground having anything
In sight that could conceal q man. In
pit one can get well out of view. and
should stay there until the birds get so
close you can hear their wings. Even
then one must remember that the slow
nignr OF the goose is apparent only and
comes from ms size. In fancy r. mouse
appears TO run raster than an elephant
Out II you ever have your choice of
pelng chased by one or the other. redbot
with rage, you would better choose tbe
mouse. The goose is much more ra Rid
bird than he appears, and even whon
very close 1t will be safe to hold tha r,,,,
well ahead of his bill. . '''
Pits have not been used to any
in this part of the country. but In ,,,s.t
of the prairie states they have for Yea re
been about the only certain wav ~
getting reliable shooting at this warv
bird. have always found anytbine
like a bush unreliable after geese he,
gan to get wild. A break in n banI,
or the bottom of an arroyo, is far more
certain to hide you. and In some verv
shallow ones have foundit necossorv
to lie face downward with gun undor,
meath me and jump at the sound of their
wings Raising the head to see If thew
are close enough is very apt to mako
them swerve just out of shnt. and with
geese as wild as they are now II is
doubtful II much could be done in this