The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-01-06

ration was revealed. This so tlckleC
 them that several of them gave hin
 permission to shoot as often and as
 long as he pleased.
 When he discovered a band of geese
 on the prairie Gregorio dismounted q half mile away and got behind the fore legs of his horse He held his bun
 hidden by the horses body, in one hand
 and in the other a small switch With
 this he tapped the horse, causing it to keep moving slowly and in a wide cir
 cle. In this way he would go around
 the flock half dozen times, always
 gunshot he stepped suddenly from be-
 hind his animated shield, waited until l the geese rose and then turned loose i two barrels from a ten-gauge gun. He
 had been known to bring down a dozen | Wiid geese at a shot in this way, which
 meant three dollars to him. Once when some Cincinnati spCrtsmen were on 1 Fulton's ranch, in this county, Gregorio, | purely as a matter of exhibition, actu- 1 ally went in among a flock of some five 1 hundred blue geese and picked out a single snow white goose that was there. l The bird, of course, was near the edge of the band, but, all the same, the Mex 1can and his pony passed within fifty yards of several individuals in order to get close enough for the shot. With all of his precautions however, and despite the aid of his animal, it often happened to Gregolio that he sagacity of the geese proved too much for him and he hunted all day without getting feath-
 CT He found that he did much better r1,nt, 1,n l. L,,,.l
 saddle and blanket, giving it every ap-
 pearance of n prairie pony feeding.
 Gregorio was run over by train two years ago. No one knows what became of the dun.
 A great many wild geese are killed in Aransas county each winter, but not while they are grazing. In little while they develop regular lines of travel, and it is the custom of shooters to station themselves in these paths and drop the birds in early morning or late afternoon when they are going to or coming from, their feeding grounds. One notable drive" as it Is called, is near the Chil- tapin dam. Here the bay comes within a hundred yards of the dam, which is built to hold fresh water in a small
 
 between the dam and the bay the geese fly steadily at dawn and near sunset. There is no cover but the shooters dig pits nearly shoulder deep and crouch in them. As the dark comes down they grow to be invisible to birds flying over, though the fowls themselves are out lined distinctly enough against the sky. This makes good shooting, but the Chil- tapin pits cannot be used oftener than twice a week, as the geese would other wise desert the drive" altogether. There is nothing which so disturbs wild fowl nothing which has so strong tendency to make them leave a section of country altogether, as the flash of q gun in the dusk, followed by the result ing detonation, Much of the sand-pit shooting is done In the dusk when the birds can see the gunfire half mile away. For this reason the Chiltapin pass" is carefully guarded and only those with permits are allowed to shoot there
 It is believed that great deal might be done at wild goose shooting in Aran- sas county if decoys were used, but there has never been a goose decoy in this section.T The birds have been so plentiful that there has been no need of 1t. For similar reason, no one here has ever practiscd goose calling" though, in the case of solitary goose, 1t is easy for an expert caller, careful ly hidden, to bring 1t down from q height of a mile. When alone the goose | loses much of it's caution for it is a gre I garious bird and Is so intent upon find | ng the missing members of its flock | that it pays no attention to signs that | 1t other times would warn it instantly. I Perhaps the most satisfactory form of . the sport is to be had on the banks of Mud Flats" in the pasture of the Full on Land and Cattle company. Mud | Flats" is misnamed, since there are no fats and no mud It Is an immense ank, three miles long by half mile vide made by confinng the waters of small stream into which the shelving prairie on either hand drains the rain foods. There is heavy dam at the over end of the tank, and t,e water is backed up far from the sea. It is a fla ,orite roasting place for geese all trough the winter, and in the night ime they cover it's surface for dozens of cres. They all teave it shortly after daylight. but in the afternoon they be- in flying in when the sun is still half our high. Standing a that time near Mud Flats" the observer will see a early solid line of geese stretching way to the horizon and all flying to- yard the tank. As the sun sinks they ome closer to the ground, and at dusk re flying in many instances, not more han fifteen yards high. The gun man ill take his stand on the bank of the ank, facing the water, with his back to 1e prairie, from which the birds are oming in. Almost any cover will do
 bush as high as his head, though at his season bare of leaves, a small leaf 'ss tree, whose trunk is not more than alf the thickness of his body, anything, , fact, which will partially conceal ] i'm. The main thing Is to stand still. S the birds are at his back. they can l ot see his face and his hands will be lowed. He will stand absolutely rig ] , his head slightly bent, his gun in ont of him, it's stock resting on the ] round. The honk-honking of the geese ill sound nearer and more near. It i'll be trying on the nerves. Suddenly. rectly over his head, will be the beat g of the wings. Te will glance sud | anly tip then and the gun will spring
 his shoulder. The birds will be sail g away from him at a distance of irty yards. In this position their ''