The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-10
The Hunting Season
is Only Four Days
Away.
PROMISE OF RARE SPORT.
cartridges Will Be Plenty
So the Bird Shooters
Say.

Friday is the day for which sportsmen
nave been waiting for eight long
months. September 10 marks the begin
Alng of the hunters calendar. With the
season but four days away, all eyes are
turned toward the covers, and the days
are being checked off.
Thursday at midnight ruffed grouse
and Woodcock, that have been secure
beneath the shelter of the strong arm
OF the law, will he legal game and must
take chances against man and dog and
gun. The season, from early indications.
promises to be enc of rare good sport,
Tar and away beyond the average. By
way of brushing up the dog and whet-
ing the appetite for the fun to come,
olrd shooters have been doing deal of
quiet prospecting during the past
months, and unless all signs fail there
Is plenty of birds.
Early season shooting is never the
best. The woods are still thick with the
heavy foliage of summer, and the only
available covers for the September
shooter are the alder runs and small
patches of woods. Not until the heavy
LAboLo VI OClODeE nave TODDeQ the trees
of their summer garb and stripped the
hard woods of leaves is the sport prime
and later still when the first light SHOWS
of winter make ideal trailing for the
setter or pointer is the season at its
best
In the sluggish days of Indian sum-
mer, when the still warm sun makes
work hard for both the hunter and his
dog there is not the Zest to the sport
that comes later when the keen crisp
biting air of the morning makes 10 or
20 miles through the covers seem but a
short stroll with nature, to the accom-
paniment of the cracking of the leaves
and twigs as they crumple frostily I'M
der foot
Nevertheless bird shooters will be out
on the opening day. They will not await
the coming of the ideal days. The open
ing day is always the signal for a gen.
eral exodus for favorite covers and Fri
day will be no exception. The same old
rivalry for the heaviest jacket when
the kill is counted out at night prevails
and whatever the weather and however
the day, sportsmen will be out and
cracking away at the birds. The name
of Worcester bird hunters is legion and
everybody will be out Friday Even the
occasional hunter who goes out once a
month and bags his dozen birds sea-
son feels in duty bound to be out and
at it on the opening day, if not again
until the ground is white with snow.
And birds are abundant. Reports
from all parts of the country indicate
that cartridges bred splendidly. The
focks are large and numerous. The
erratic and migratory woodcock may
have his attractions for some; there is
plenty of excitement in starting flock
of quail, but the piece de resistance of
New England game birds is the ruffed
grouse He is Incompatible in all the
qualities that make for superb shoot
ing. He lies beautifully to the dog and
when he rises he is strong and fast on
the wing. His biff -biff- biff- whirr as he
rises and smashes away into the near
est thicket is thrilling in its sudden
ness, and is enough to push along the
blood through the veins of even the
most hardened veteran when he stands
ready for his rapid flight.
In no section of New England are
cartridges more plenty or prolific than
in Worcester county. The past breed
ing season was an ideal one. Wet
weather is the bugaboo of the ground
nests of the birds and continued
drenching rain is deadly among the
chicks. The continued drought of
the spring and entire absence OF the
cold northeasters which annually kill
and weaken the broods marked the
nesting season of this year as one Of
the ideal seasons within the memory
of the veterans. Indeed so dry was the
nesting season that at one time it was
feared the drought would force the
flocks to scatter in search of food, or
drive the hen from her nest, and so de-
stroy the prospects of favorable sea-
son. Tut the drought broke In time to
allay fears and sportsmen believe that
weather conditions were never better
than last spring and summer for hatch
ing and rearing the young birds.
This makes for good sport for the
season just opening. Then, too, the
heavy SHOWS of last winter at the close
of the season throughout December
were prohibitive of hunting in the
most deadly month of the year. There
was practically no hunting during De-
cember last year, and it is believed an
abundance of old birds were left over
to replenish the covers. Whatever the
reason, there is not a bird shooter in
Worcester county but believes the sea-
son which opens Friday will be one of
heavy shooting coats.
Early season woodcock shooting is
not ideal, although no small quantity