Evening star., 1899-03-14
HINTING WILD GEESE.
Decoy Fowl That Are Glad to Entrap
Their Own Kind.

From the Chicago InterOcean.
In many parts of the south wild geese
breeding is carried on for the benefit or
sportsmen. especially along the reed-bound
shores of Hyde county, n. c., where years
ago some one wounded 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 are 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 eacn
stake and allowed to stand Oh the SOD
Thus placed, the goose has the appearance
of resting The hunter retires to his bind
TO watch not the skyline, but the tethered
geese Suddenly stirs, another fol-
lows suit a muff1ed sound Is made by one.
and then away off Will be seen streak OF
moving gray dots, which quickly develop
into a flock tsander and goose in the lead
goslings to the rear The birds drop well
out of shot. to If the quality of the
geese on the sods permits visit without
loss of caste. The goslings, needless OF
social forms. gayly start forward to gossip
with the dccoys, but the parents head them
OF scoIding. cackliug with many modula-
tions and much emphasis of tone. gabbiing
wise saws and modern instances innumer-
able as wise parents have done to chill
dren since the world began. until gradu-
aIly the gander himself yields to the
clarnorous gabble of the decoy flock. which
has kept ND a flood of praises of the choice
feeding ground. He slowly drifts down
with much importance his females behind.
the youngsters in their train. His eye Is
glued on that patch of reeds, and even
mans eye at the opening no bigger than
dollar, a bright coat button giintfng in the
sun. the gleam of diamond or the lock OF
a gun, even the awkward flop of tethered
goose from off its sod. is sufficient to send
them away bag and baggage, and good-day,
good-day to them.
A 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-
coys, and, failing that, he must let his
chance go by, for if once he fires directly
over the tethered birds they get nervous,
and at the approach of stranger focks re-
member what happened. and, showing fear,
disturb and unsettle the strangers. Firing
to the side they do not appear to mind, and
the older birds 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
dropped. Tanned geese have been used on
| Long Island and other places, but not so
generally as in Hyde county.
On the great South bay, Long Island the
geese are shot from quaint boats which
| are so designed that they will float on wa
| ter may be pushed along on ice by the
occupant, having steel runners underneath.
When the geese are around, the hunter in
| a white oversuit. pushes off from shore and
paddles over to the foe, his impetus carry