Evening star., 1898-12-16
WILD GEESE IN THE SOUTH.
DecOy Fowl That Are Glad to EntraD
Their Own Kind.
From the Chicago Inter-OceG

From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
In many par of the south wild geese
breeding is carried on for the benefit of
shores of Hyde county. N. c., where years
ago some one wounded a goose, bred from
it and spread its product through the dis
trict. Here are goose yards, and as soon as
a hunter enters the yard the inmates know,
like dogs, that they going hunting. and
squawk fight and struggle to be the first
to be taken out and placed in the coop or
bag in which they are carried to the
grounds. Pieces of green tough-rooted turf
are cut and staked out in four or five inches
of water. and a goose is tethered to each
stake and allowed to stand on the sod.
Thus placed the goose has the appearance
OF resting. TEe hunter retires to his blind
10 watch, not the SIX line, but the tether-
ell geese. Suddenly one stirs. another fol-
lows suit. s1uffled sound is made by one,
and then away off will be seen a streak IF
moving gray dots which quickly develop
into a flock. gander and goose in the lead,
gOslings to the rear. The birds drop wen
out of shot, to see If the quality of the
geese on the Sods permits "a visit without
loss of caste. The goslings. needless of So
cia1 forms. gayly start forward to gossip
with the decoys, but the parents head them
off, Scol1ing. caCking with many moduia
tiCns and much emphasis of tone gabb ing
wise saws and modern instances innumera-
BILE wise narents have done to children
since the world began, until gradually the
gander himself yields to the clamorous gab-
ble of the Cecoy flock. which has kent up Il
food of praises of the choice feeding
ground. H. slowly drifts down with mucn
importance, his females behind. the young
sters in their train His eye is glued en-
that patch of reeds, and even a mans eye
the opening no bigger than dollar "a
bright coat button giinting in the sun, the
gleam of diamond the lock of a gun,
he w 6nr of tetberpl
from off its sod, is sufficient to send them
away bag and baggage, and good day, good
day to them
4 curious feature of these live decoy
geese is that they must not be shot over.
The hunter is warned that. no matter what
happens, he must wait until the strangers
paddle to one side or the other of the de-
cCys, and failing that, he must let his
chance go by. for if once he fires directly
over the tethcred birds they get nervous,
and at the approach of stranger fiocks re-
member what happened. and, showing fear,
disturb ana unsett!e the strangers. Firing
to the side they do not appear to mind and
the older birGs who have been out one or
two seasons, when they see the gun go up
down charge like a veteran setter or
pointer. on their pieces of sod, chattering
like parrots after the wild birds are drop
ped Tanned geese have been used on Long
Island and other places, but not so general
ly as in Hyde county.
On the great South bay, Long Island, the
geese are shot from quaint boats which are
50 designed that they will float on water or
may be pushed along on ice by the occu-
pant having steel runners underneath.
When the geese are around the hunter, in
a white oversuit. pushes off from shore ami
paddles over to the foe, his impetus carry
ing him onto it. Then with the iron-shol
oar he pushes over it, across the next open
water and the next foe, until he gets to the
piece of open water he aims at. far enough
removed from the shore. Then he places
his stales. draws his white apron over him.
pI oh l;np
back in his boat to freeze until the geese
come. If any are around some are gen.
orally baggcd. but it is cold. hard work
Nevertheless, the grounds could not be
reached by ANY other method, the ice be-
ing toe trcacherous to bear an ordinary
bIind. IhlS the GeHSG anueal. q knnu: