The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-28

His wings are short and rounded and ca
pable of surprising bursts of speed There
As no iumDerIng awkwardness when this
bird rises, as after the manner of the prai-
RE chicken He springs from the brush
with the speed OF a rocket and it takes
quick shooting to get him. And doubles
on rufed grouse in thick cover are the
most difficult things to do in shotgun
shooting. They are strong birds and re-
quire to be hard hit to be brought down,
unless when a stray shot breaks a wing or
hits them on the head or neck. Like otner
birds of the grouse family and the guam.
the ruffed grouse when struck in the head
If not killed outright will tower as il Is
called, flying straight up into the air to
quite a hight. When a hunter sees
grouse tower" all he has to do is 10
watch where the bird falls. When he
finds the game 1t will be a case of dead
bird"
In the alder bushes and foothills OF the
New Hampshire mountains l have found
the birds in fiocks of from a dozen 10
twenty grouse. The natives hunted them
there with a cur dog and a shotgun or
rifle. The dog ran ahead and scared the
birds up into the trees, barking at them
vigorously after they were freed. The
grouse would not fly, but would watch the
dog. The hunter would slip along as soon
as he heard the dog barking and pot
Ntho OiAhS d5 tllGy sat Dtt NIE AiflBa. w HGn
a shotgun was used the flock would gener-
ally fly after one or two shots But with
a small rife a number of birds could be
shot from one flock by shooting the under
birds first, then the scattered ones, ana
keeping perfectly quiet. 1t was murder
Gus way of getting grouse, not much be-
ter than sharing them with "twitchups,"
and gave the birds not the slightest chance
for their lives. This habit of the ruffed
grouse Is well known. The Illinois game
law provides that the pinnated and ruffed
grouse must be shot during September,
and with the shotgun. But that law as TO
ruffed grouse is dead letter In the re-
gions where the birds are now to be had
you can find some one in the neighborlng
towns of the country round about who will
get them and not use the shotgun only"
1t is pity, but so it is.
The drumming" of the ruffed grouse Is
a peculiar habit of his, and has been the
subject of more discussion and dispute
than almost anything else except the her
It's of dogs. The booming" OF the prairie
chicken or pinnated grouse is acknowl-
edgd to be produced from the birds
throat, but how the partridge" does his
drumming" Is a moOted question. But
he does drum" and the resonant wood
land roll of the tattoo is one of the strik-
ing sounds of nature, as are the sonorous
notes of the bu,Ifrogs. the basso profundo
and the never o-be-forgotten moan OF che
"kill-a-ioo bird"
The hills were brown, the heavens were
blue;
A woodpecker pounded pine-top shell.
While a partridge whistled the whole day
through
For a rabbit to dance in the chaparral;
And gray grouse drummed: "Alls well!
ANS Well"
Like the quail, the ruffed grouse is sus-
ceptble to deceit, and he is trapped and
shared in the Eeastern and Northern
states particularly in great numbers by
the farmer boys and by the market hunt
ers. He Is especially foolish about snares,
and puts his head into them with q fatu-
Gus confidence that Is rapidly thinning out
his numbers. even where he was once nu-
merous. Only the most rigid application
Of non-selling game law will effect any
adequate improvement in the sltua ton |
When the deep SHOWS come he is sufi-
GENTLY hard pushed to take almost any
chance to get food, aud box traps and |
figure fours" take him in out of the
Indictment weather into the hospitable fry
ing pan with dismal frequency. Yet. like !
an the grouse family nearly. he shows |
great cunning when wing-tipped, and he |
Is sagacious enough when hunted But
the traps and the snares are TOO much for |
him, and are responsible in great meas
ure for his deprecated and depreciatine |
numbers. If he Is to be kept in the woods |
he must have better protection. The pres |
ent law is a good one for him, end IL the |
game wardens would resfock a little with |
Pennsylvania or Michigan birds 1t would |
help matters along.
Hunting the ruffed grouse requires about
the same paraphernalla as ordinary quail /
shooting, except that No. shot, instead of |
9s or SIS. should be used A twelve-gauge |
gun Is heavy enough, and a good dog Of /
either pointer OF setter blood will answer |
The setter In ragged cover will stand the
going better, and in most ruffed grouse
cover there will be wafer enough, so that |
a setter can get drink occasionally.