Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-15

alright shooting
An entirely different kind of duck shoot
ing, and one entirely new to the writer,
should be spoken of at length. Sprinkled
throughout the country are numerous pref
ty little ponds or lakes, one or more to
every stream Each has a Swampy, wood
ed area at the upper portion, often of con-
siderable extent. and each contains one or
more pairs of wood or summer ducks. 1t is
generally conceded that the summer duck
Is the handsomest of all American water
fowl in plumage, rivaling the gorgeous
Chinese mandarin duck, and one of the
very finest favored not even excepting the
far-famed canvas back. Each pair of birds
annually raises brood of some ten or fif-
teen, so that in the fall these ponds are
pretty plentifully supplied with ducks, and
| no end of sport is to be had Like every
thing else, the pursuit of summer ducks
must be learned for summer duck is as
wild as any turkey that ever ran on two
legs.
During the day the birds feed singly, in
pairs, or in companies of five or six al
though there is not much conviviality about
them. Just at dusk they fly either up or
down stream, as the may be, singly
or in companies, just as they have been
feeding. They fly just skimming the tree
tops as rule. and for half hour from
some advantageous point the shooting is
fast and intensely exciting. AS many as
a dozen have been killed on this flight by
a friend of mine in the short space of an
hour This rate would, of course, quickly
depopulate given pond, but the supply
is kept up by a system of batting. sum
ner ducks are constantly looking for good
feeding grounds, and a few good places
are selected and regularly baited with corn,
with the result that the birds come from
neghboring ponds, and the fun can be kept
up all the fall-in fact, into the winter, I'M
til ice forms.
Another method of hunting them is to
shoot over bait. Two places are usually
selected where the water is not over foot
deep-for the summer duck is not diver
and must get his food in shallow water.
These places are at least a mile apart. and
occupied each by a gunner, so that When
frightened from one feeding ground the
birds will in all probability pitch to the
next. They are well baited with corn.
blinds are built behind which sits the gun
ner. This is great sport, much like shoot
ing over decoys, as the birds are apt TO
drop in at any moment, and one has TO be
constantly on the alert. OF course, the
bats cannot be shot over every day; once
or twice a week is often enough as the
birds must not be taught a feeling of inse-
curity on the feeding grounds. One rule
must invariably be observed when shooting
over baited ground-all shots must be at
birds sitting on the water-no wing shoot
ing allowed. Shot at in this way they for
some reason appear not to be frightened
away, but return again and again while a
few shots taken on the wing over the feed
ing grounds may drive them away for good
and break up the sport. These methods of
duckins were entirely new to the writer
but they appear to be the only successful
ones for this particular kind of duck. Bait
ing Is begun in August and continued twice
week until the season opens in Septem-
Der when it may be increased, care being
taken to avoid the place as much as posi-
bic in the intervals Of shooting. The main
object IS to get the birds accustomed to
coming there with feeling of security
Sometimes two ponds are baited, shooting
being carried on first at one and then at
the other
Goose shooting Is excellent down the
n INIT Tylo
cape Charles. one can get most excellent
goose and brant shooting. On the bay side
the best sport is to be had in the vicinity
of Hollands and Deals islands Here the
swans congregate, and to kill a wild swan
Is worth long trip, and is an event to
date from.
These selfsame marshes that afford such
flne duckfng furnish also in it's season the
finest kind of ortolan and reed bird shoot
ing. although 1t must be confessed that the
gunners Of the eastern shore pay but little
attention to the latter The ortolan shoot
ing, however, is not to be excelled any,
where in the country. Thousands of acres
in September contain hundreds of thou
sands of water rail, and one can shoot on
tide Just as fast as he can load and until
ne stops from sheer exhaustion. Bags of
lbs. 155 and 1919 were successfully made by
one gentleman last season, who stoutiy
refused to lie for the last bag and call it
2oo, saving he could not tell lie for one
ortolan! OF course, some ultra fashionable
sportsman CD will call him a game hog
but he isn't the game was distributed
among friends and brought pleasure to
many families, not one bird being wasted
and the disposition of the birds formed a
fitting climax to a days grand sport.
Beach Bird Sport.
Lastly. and by no means least, is the
shore bird shooting, and very pretty
sport it is. To enjoy it we must go to
the coast and seek the outer shore of the
outlying islands. Here every few hundred
yards or SO at low tide are exposed rich
feeding grounds, and here the birds flock
where for a few hours they are left high
and dry. Willets, robinbreast snipe red
backs. sanderlings. yellow legs. black-bel-
lied plover, knots and curfews all feed
there, flying from one to another.
Decoys called stools are roughly made
out of wood. painted any old neutral color
fastened on sticks and planted in the mud
broadSide to the flight, and a blind is hastily
constructed of any materials lying handy,
behind which the sportsman lies in wait
The shooting is often fast and furious, the
birds dropping down from goodness knows
where. and often returning for a second
and even third shot. For the benefit of the
uninitiated it would be well to say: Don't
rush to pick up your birds soon as killed.
give the flock a chance to return if it wants
to. OF all the birds that are apt to come
in the curlew Is the rarest. To get one is
equal to capturing a f1ve-pound brook
trout where half Founders are the rule,
and makes one feel just as good. AS they
generally travel in pairs there is the pos
sibility of feeling double glad" or, as the
writer found it, double sorry"
A trial trip to this delightful region is
well worth the serious consideration of
sportsmen. Once made it is bound to be re-
peated, while for short trip and a small
cash outlay 1t is doubtful If its equal can
be found on the Atlantic coast.
The Condition of the Laws.
There is a widespread opinion that nom
residents of the state of Maryland are re-
ouired to take out a license before being
able to hunt within the borders of the
state A careful perusal of the game laws
will fail to find any such discrimination,
save only as applicable to wild fowl shoot
ing, and even then where one shoots upon
invitation or pays for the privilege of
grounds, with deceys, boats. ETC., the law
is never enforced.
The law regards killing game out of
season In r:gidly enforced when evidence
can be obtained sufficient to convict, al
though as the number of game Warciens ia