The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-09-09
PRAIRIE CHICKEN SHOOTING.
of the Bird that Has
NcnrIr Hccn Mipcd out.


H. s. Ccnhed in September outing.
The size of prairie chicken depends
upor whether the observer has, or has not
gun. II he is unarmed. the bird is nearly
as large as a turkey; II he is armed, it Is
but little bigger than quail and flies faster
as well as more crratcally An unarmed man
is unable to understand how It could be
missed 1t hides half the sky line. When
he locks over the barrels. however it is
only buzzng bit of brown, given to sudden
strange rises and falls, or In or out-shools'
Then shot have a fashion or patterhlh6 50
widely that they hum on every side OF the
quarry without touching IT, The powder Is
too quick or too slow. We nave all hau eA-
Perlenoe OF the weapon wmeh is oraihariy
all right, but pulls very hard on the triSscr
In moments OF emergency. There is also
the over-eager dog, and the solitary oush, the
only one in miles, which swings abruptly ne
tween one and the vanisning BIRDS ana lh I.
base -instncted chicken which comes straight
back over ones head. and the miserable TUT
OR clod, upon which the heel SIPS just as
the stock touches the shoulder.
Why is it that when ten fowls rise ana
they are solid wall save for an open space
in their center, which is not two rect III
diameter, and both charges go INTO the center
of this circumference-why Is II mat Iodn
of No shot, containing 40 pellets %lll rlp
along the back, and rip along the helly' and
get of a hatful OF feathers, and leave .he
triumphant cock unshinned? why is II thar
when you make a particularly auocous miss
there is always some fellow stenuly saAins
at you, who ought to be busy marking ms
Kill; and why is 1t that his silence Is y
thousand times more eNasperatinG than j
he rolled upcn the ground in laughter Anu
why is it that one clean Kill OF eross'ns
chicken ut nifty yards. going down Wlhd' VI
one smart double, VIII wipe out ever! WVui'
Org of previous failures, and cause the mar
behind the gun to throw out ms chest an Il,
smile fatuously, and look as II that sing ..
execution were an hourly matter with nm
These are all unexplained, ineNpiloanIe, thlus'
OF the field, and they 80 10 make up ~
agCnles and alleviations
! In most of the Western and Northwestern
States prairie chickens have been rigidly pro
tected for some years past, aud the resu'
has been steady increase OF their deplete'
numbers The shooting season has oeen SNORT
ened to three months, and game Weraens ar ar
active. OF course, there is still marNe
shooting and the birds are SIN shipped Il
Z the cities in barrels marked porh,
eggs, or potatoes, or ahytDWs Wu'C
happens TO strike the shipper iahcy; oo M = !
estimated that in Nebraska alone -''o1T .
the flyers Will be slain this season; ny
however, is only tenth of the slanshte
which was annual decade back;
( So hardy is this bird. so feound, SO lhaus
trious. so competent to cover great distance
in search OF food and so WHY IN SET pEu
lection, that It asks only half chsneS
hold tg own Floods drouths, bllGHarus an
hot winds are alike powcrless TO eN.er',tn ,i
ii. cut down in one winter by hor'dl ~
exceeding 60 per cent. in the next spring IN
loug-drawn hoot OF its challenginB' or Voc
male sounds from prairie ana th.eAel anu /.
the autumn the undepleted coNeyS sutsC ~
ward from every section Of unculuVatcu lan'
i A drawer, stuTdier fowl does not I'VE
tenacity with which il hangs on anna ~
lmicsl conditions Is sometimes litte snort
the marvellous. 49, main,
Iohicken pairs 'early in May As its hablta
extends however. from the Canadian line
the eulf, there is wide divergence u ~
respect In the level country ABOVE IiuuS' ~
lTt yas the young are shootable durlnb "
first week OF August, In Nebraska mere
mo nesting before May, The chicks ar
, hatched In June, an average OF Yen 10 ~
brood. though family VIII someun,es haI
her twenty They grow with rap'dty, 81
two weeks after emerging from the sheii ~
allie to care for themselves with out sHsl
assistance from the mother. ny Sep.tul
they have reached nearly 10 iul' sta'u.
They are then as swift Of wing as they WI
ever be. though not capable OF so prolons'
: Tbs mother, during the infancy Of her Of
spring, is extremely faitntui 70 mem, a. =,
will do battle readily against proving Il
or skunk In common with all momOeV9
the galllnaceous tribes In a Wild state ~
has Inc pathetic trick OF ptifully sinruiauT
a broken wing when danger threatens n
dear ones, and she does IL wen.
she is not assisted by the male IN az
manner after lovo-malCng is ended lie ",
lrot feed hsr during incubation, nor tal
lher Mace upon the nest when she Is huntli
Tor food. He hangs about, pretending d
yotion AZ this period. but II is faith wliho
works When the chieks appear he pecom
a rover and so lives until the autumn. Wh
lSa tnins some convey. most probably not !
own. and so passes his years until ineViisa
ending. which is death by violence,
rhe prairie chicken rears but one flro
a, summer. II Is homogeneous but ,oI
partive scarcity OF males does not afiect I
sron The rovers Visit other impressionah
kinswomen This monogamy from choice a.
nolvgpmy from necessity obtains wheneV
me semales outaumber the males. Knowie3
M, his lact Leads many shooters 70 Stay {
males By preference. The MARKINGS o.
, sexes are distinct. Il requires, OF course,
lc,irt eve 10 pick out the cocks n a rial
, lcoyey. but il can be done readily with
little practice 49, A.. ,
use OF the is-ssuge against the chicken IN