The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-29
PRAIRIE CHICKEN HUNTS.
SHOOTING BETTER NOW THAN AT any
TIME FOR FIVE YEARS.
IT'S n Hardy Bird and Thrives Despite Ex-
terinin ating Raids ON It-Ciever ways of
HidinR-The Long Flights-The Sport IL of
the LAZY KInd-Ths Flavor of tho Meat

rolling prairie, blotted here and there by fields
! Of yellowing corn, the wind Of the October morn
| ing blows fresh and free and cool. OF the beat
en- track OF the road grasses grow to the horses
| knees Rise upon rise the water moulded land
| runs away to the horizon. Though for ten
| nights past the sky has been as clear as bell
there is little moisture the weeds and corn
| blades for 1t is dry country aud only slight
! dew falls In the hoows between the swes
| vegetation is more rank. In these coverts the
| fox often makes his lair 80 that he may the more
| readily steal upon the sleeping birds. Along
| the banks of the narrow stream which cuts its
way through the prairie cottonwoods and ash trees
and willows is tange Of smaller bushes of trail
ing vines and of brars. II is much too thick
| for shooting and the bird which seeks shelter
| in IL must be driven out before tho gun can be
| used with effect
Along the road at a slow tro, comes a four.
seated ambulance" the covered road wagon
is called in this part of the Union, The men in
| II wear brown canvas coats with enormous pock-
| cts. brown canvas hats with vcntatng bands
| inside Of them, and legginga Each has a shot
! gun, hammerless, engraved and constructed al
| most as carefully rs a chronometer Each has
acouple OF side pockets stuffed with shells These
| shells are loaded with No o shot for the season
IS growing late and the birds, in preparation for
| coming cold weather, are putting on their thick
the vehicle and 200 yards away four dogs are
| guessing 10 and fro. quartcring back and forth
and nosing every square foot of the ground All
| OF the men are watching them eagerly No AT
tention Is paid to the understood and poorly teshed
! horses. They are farm horses and know too much
to get out Of the road there being harder pulling
| on the grass narrow section Of the upper
| edge Of the sun is showing in the east The
start was made long before daylight and the party
| has already driven ten miles. The birds have
| been astir since it was light enough 10 enable
| them 10 and the trail OF Il covey ought to be
! struck pretty soon
! Suddenly 10 the left one Of the dogs n double
nosed liver and white pointer female and there
| fore more eager for the work stfIens into iron
Her legs are planted widely apart. her tail stands
straight behind her with Just the slightest trcmor
! at its tip. her head is within six inches OF the
| ground and is Slowed round nearly TO her shoulder
| Her nostrs of deep crimson are flarng her eyes
are OF molten gold. 1t is button hook point,
| The other dogs. at distances varying from fifty
! to 400 yards, have stopped as il transformed TO
! stone. They are backing" The wagon il
! checked and the four men throw themselves out
| They spOrtsmen. however and as they wall;
| toward the liver and white statue they look APP
| preciatively at their dog friends Good work"
| they say. They are at intervals Of five Yards
| apart They pass the rigid figure going slowly
| Five yards further on and the air is filed with
the thunderous roar Of wings and brown bodies
| speeding. Eight successive reports snap spite
| fully and five birds strike the tops of the high
grass killed instantly twenty feet above the earth
| The remainder Of the flock shoots away with
| lightning rapdity weaving slightly from side
TO side as it goes 1t is late in the season and
! they will cover good mile before they pitch
! They have gone hundred Yards when it is seen
! that one o! their number lacS Its legs hang
! piufully down and its speed becomes slower and
| slower Ii has been hard hit and the chilled shot
are doing their work An instant later and it
| pitches headlnng. Each Of the dogs has dropprd
| belly 10 the ground the guns spoke and now
! lie painting but quescrnt The one furthest
| away. beautifully hammered setter is brought
| forward by wave Of The arm and told To get tho
| distant bird. The others 10 work rctrirv-
ing the prey near at hand In five minutes the
hack has resumed lis journey the dogs s,ill cast
| ing about the prairie
| Owing TO restrictions placed upon chicken
shooting of late years the shortening Of the open
| season and the limitation of the number OF them
| one man may cgitimatcly Stay in a day. the birds
| have increased They have stood the hard win
tiers well and there has not been sufficient drouth
| to prevent the raising Of the young bruods In
: Iowa. Nebraska. southern Minnesota and South
| Dakota shooting is better than it has been fox
|
! course Ia restrict utterly the market hunter or
to prevent the killing Of game out Of season, but
| the game wardcns have been hard at work and
| backed by awakened public sentiment they
/ have done much to discourage the wholesale
| butchcrcs Of the past. Still. prairie chickens
are being shipped out Of the State in barrels
billed to the caterers OF the big cities all sorts
| OF produce from potatoes 10 pumpkins 1t il
estimated that in Nebraska alone the killing for
this season will not fall short Of 100 600 birds
| This includes slaughter by all sorts of pcoplc
| from the farmers boy who takes an occasional
pot shot to the man who makes n living by it,
Shooting licenses, however gun licenses the
cost OF teams, the necessity Of having highly
trained dogs. the amount Of time that must be
| taken from other work, have tended 10 keep many
men out Of the field. Only those in comfortable
circumstances are able TO shoot chickens steadily
as an amusement Pap" Reynolds a hotel
man, who has been pursuing them with vigor
| for twenty years. estimates that every chicken
! he has brought TO bag cost him not less than 81
| in cash and since he lives here in the heart of
the chicken country his cS penscs have been much
| lighter than those saddled upon men who come
! from the big towns far away for day or two on
! the prairie. The time has long gone by when n
man could throw his gun over his shoulder whistle
| To his dog, walk a mile out Of Emerson and make
! bag OF dozen in an hour or two Now To get
! good shooting 1t is necessary to make a long
| drive into the country where corn fields do not
! line each side Of the road making it n lane. and
! where there is some grass and Witness left
The hardness and fccundity Of the prairie
chicken need no further proof than its survival un-
der the steady butchcry 10 which it has been sub
| jected. 1t has been shot down to a fifteth mart
Of its former numbers. but like the quail It seems
10 fight successfully against the most hostile en-.
| yronmcnt GIVEN the slightest chance and It
breeds us way back into the thousands in a year
! or two The average number If a brood is twelve
| though there have been brOodS which contained
! thirty individuals. Also 1t is not an uncommon
I thing 10 find two large broods merged. and when
this occurs the MpsprnE' ng Of them may be heard
| a mle away. The habitat Of the CHI cken extends
from little south Of the Canadian line 10 the Gulf
! Of Mexico but II does not raise two broods in
| year in any part Of the country as does the quail
| Its young, however, develop so rapidly are hAtchcd
with such instructive watChfulness and shyncSs
are carly SO swift Of foot and possess such iron
| constitutions that tho percentage Of mortality Is
! slight until man begins the chase. The hen ~
| especially careful Of her offspring, and will moi
hesitate 10 offer bait 10 mink fox or any other
| one of the small predatory fauna whchhkc chicken
| meat Formerly the coveyS suffered severely at