Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-02-10
WILD GEESE IN THE SOUTH.
Wise Decoy Fowl That Are Used o
Lure Their Own Kind to
the Hunters.

In many parts of the south wild geese
breeding is carried on for the benefit
of sportsmen. especially among the
eed-bound shores of Hyde county, v.
c.. where years ago some one wounded
goose. bred from it. and spread its
product through the district Here ara
goose yards. and as soon as 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
tc 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 each stake and allowed to
stand on the sod. Thus placed. the
goose has the appearance of resting.
The hunter retires to his blind to watch.
not the sky line. but the tethered geese.
Suddenly one stirs. another follows
suit, muffled sound is made by one.
and then away off Will be seen a streak
cf moving gray dots which quickly de-
velop into a flock. gander and goose
N the lead, goslings to the rear. The
birds drop we'll out of shot. to see if
the quality of geese on the odspermits
| q visit without loss of caste. The Cos
hngs. needless of social forms, gayly
start forward to gossip with the de-
ccys, but the parents head them off.
scolding. cackling with many modula
| tons and much emphasis of tone. CAB
| bling wise saws and modern instances
innumerab Bile, as wise parents have done
| TO children since the world began. IN
| Ill gradually the gander himself yields
| to <he clamorous gable of the de~ny
flock, which has kept up a flood of
| praises of the choicest feeding ground.
He slowly drifts down with much i'm
| portance, his females behind. the
| youngsters in their train. His eye is
glued on that patch of reeds, and even
p mans eye at an opening no bigger
| than a dollar. a bright coat button
glinting in the sun. the CLEAN of dia-
| mond or the lock Of a gun, even the
| awkward flop Of a tethered goose from
| eff 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 I'M
| til the strangers paddle to one side OF
| the other of the decoys, and failing
| that, he must let his chance go by.
| for if once he fires directly over the
| tethered birds they are nervous, and
at the approach of stranger fiocks re-
| member what happened. and, showing
! fear, disturb and unsettIe 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 a gun go up, down charge" like
| veteran setter or pointer, on their
piece of sod, chattering like parrots
| after the wild birds have been dropped.
Tanned geese have been used on Long
| Island and other places, but not SO gen
| orally 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 water or may be pushed along
On ice by the occupants, having steel
| runners underneath. When the geese
| are around. the hunter in a white over
| suit pushes off from the shore and pad
| dies over to the foe. his impetus carry
| ing him TO it. Then with the iron-Shod
| oar he pushes over it, across the next
| open water and the next foe, until he
| gets to the piece of open water he aims
| al, far enough removed from the shore.
Then he places his states. draws &is
white apron over him, and. with his
| gun across-his chest, lies back in his
! boat to freeze until the geese come.
| If any are around some are generally
| Jagged, but it is cold, hard work.
| Nevertheless, the grounds could not be
reached by any other method. the ice
being too treacherous to bear an or
| binary blind. This the geese appear to
| know.-Chicag Inter Ocean.