The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-02-14
Were Never Thicker in Kansas
Than Ducks and Geese
Are Said to Be on the Rivers
of Alaska.
RETURNED TRAVELLER
Declares He Has Seen the Sky
So Full of Them
AS to Obscure the Sun for
Thirty Minutes.

st. Louis, Feb. 14-AccorGing to DR..
w. V. Kingsbury, Alaska is a verita-
BILE Klondike for the sportsman Ducks
and geese swarm there by the million.
The rivers and lakes are black with
them in the spring, and fall. They are
so thick in the air at times they cast
a shadow over the face of the earth.
In numbers they equal, if not surpass,
the now obsolete pigeon roosts in their
palmiest days. Any hunter may lay
in enough duck and goose meat in few
days to last for a year.
DR.. Kingsbury spent several years in
Alaska with the United States survey
ing commission which fixed the bound
airy of the territory. During that time
he experienced some remarkable en-
counters with ducks and geese.
Yes, sir, Alaska is the greatest coun-
try for ducks and geese in the world,
said DR.. Kingsbury today Every per
son who goes to Alaska should be pro-
vided with a good 1O-bore shotgun.
Enough ducks can be killed in the
spring to last until the fall In the fall
another supply can be laid in to tide
over the winter months.
why, 1 have seen ducks so thick
overhead that the sun would be OBJ
scured for 80 minutes. During the sec
Ond year we were in Alaska the ducks
made so much noise along the Yukon
that we could not sleep. We could not
frighten them away from near our
cluded to lay in a big supply of duck
meat for the coming winter. Besides,
our meat supply had grown very scarce,
and we were in actual need of flesh
food.
There were 10 of US, with good shot
guns and plenty of ammunition. Well,
the way we slaughtered the ducks and
geese was a caution. We had duck for
breakfast, goose for dinner and duck
for supper The next day we ate goose
for breakfast, duck for dinner and
for SIM Toll aIn fiT1cr
80 quailS in 80 daySi That feat isn't
in it with the feat of eating duck and
geese three times &, day for six months.
Say, when it comes to eating, don't say
duck to me. 1 have had enough duck
ortgoOse to last me lifetime. I have
eaten all varieties and species of the
bird. Duck hash, duck soup, duck salt
ed, duck in every conceivable way, duck
at all ages, duck till you couldn't rest
was our lot that winter. And the most
disagreeable part of it was that the
birds were all fishy.''
How many did you kill?'' asked the
reporter.
Dr.. Kingsbury turned to diary
which he kept during the ttip. Pres
emily he looked up, and in the most
nlatter-of-fact manner said:
1.-Two thousand five hundred and for
ty-nine ducks; four hundred and eigh-
Why, that's nothing continued
Kingsbury we only hunted a short
while. If we had gone into it in dead
cal A1OoL We COulO nave DdSS9Q DIS many
more. But what was the use of vast
ing ammunition? We killed too many
as it was and got very sick of the sailed
meat before we were through with it.
Take the Indians, for instance. They
lay in a big supply of duck and goose
meat every fall. They generally pre-
fer the geese, because they are larger
and can be preserved better. They
hunt geese with clubs and manage to
kill hundreds in one night. The geese
generally land on sandbars at night.
Two Indians will watch a certain sand
bar until it is pretty well covered with
game. They will pull out from bank
in their canoes. One lands at the head
of the island and the other at the foot
When each has time to affect a land
ing and tie his boat, the man at the
head of the island gives a signal and
both start in beating the geese with
their clubs. The geese are usually
sleepy, weary, and when they are dis
turbed suddenly loose their heads Be
fore they can clear the island, hundreds
have fallen victims to the clubs At
dawn the island appears to be full OF
dead geese. On one occasion over 500
geese were bagged by two Indians on
an island in one night"