The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-03
PL0YER SHOOTING IN JERSEY.
BIRDS UNUSUALLY PLENTIFUL
AND THE SPORT GOOD.
Fatal Curiosity Of the Yeliow-Legs
Newspaper Scraps . Successful
Dcooy-Monins Bass Of the Gunner
Market Hunters Abroad In Force.

| -NowspupcF scraps SuCccesiui
Dccoy-MorninE Bags Of the Gunner
Market Hunters Abroad In Force.
SEA ISLE CRY, N. j, Nov. 2.-For several
weeks past great fiocks Of plover have been
coming down the coast from the far north
to the meadowlands Of South Jersey. The
birds come south every October, but not
In q decade have they migrated In such
numbers as this year.
Their principal stopping places in their
flight southwark are the extensive Marshes
that fringe the coast line Of Cape May
county. Here among the wiry sedge
grass and the black muck Of the countless
creeks and salt ponds the birds feast on
dainty morsels Of tender sedge roots and
sea life for two or three weeks. They
grow plump and fat and then renew their
journey TO their winter home in the Caro-
hnas and Florida.
70 the cane coast meadows and enjoyed
the finest. kind of shooting. To the native
gunner there IL no classification of these
gam birds. To him they are simply bay
L,sds, be they greater or lesser yellow-leg
plover, merlin. knot or robin-breast snipe,
gray-hsck plover or bull-head plover.
In the migratory journey It is no unusual
thing TO see half a dozen species Of plover
and snipe side by side in the same flock.
This fall the greater yellow-leg plover
predominates, o~utnumbering the other
species three to one. This plover IL the
prettiest and most gayly attired of the bay
birds. Its dress at this season In a pleasing
combination of white. gray and black, 80
nicely distributed as TO make the bird par
tlculariy noticeable 10 the gunner; On a
bright day the hunter lying in his blind
can see "A flock of yellow-legs a couple of
miles away, for as they fly through the
air the sunbeams resting on their feathers
send forth a reflection ike the purest and
brightest silver. The greater y~ellow-leg
plover Is the equal in size of the woodcock
At this season of the year when the birds
are on their way South they fall an easy
prey to the gunner, be he professional or
amateur. Like all va rieties of plover and
snipe the ~yellow-leg is a foolish bird, in
quisitiveness being one of his traits. IL il
not an unusual thing for a gunner to kill
every bird out of a large flock.
Capt. Bill Sutton, who has been for years
the acknowledged champion gunner Of
wild fowls h~ereabouts. has been doing sone
great shooting this month. In the past
fifteen days he has killed s22 bay birds.
and most of them were ~yellow-leg plover.
On Tuesday morning ne and his thirteen
year-old son Norman slowed themselves
away in their blind Oh the Mill Creek mead
ows at daybreak. Soon a bunch of "A dozen
plover espled an equal number of natural
looking decoys, apparently feeding in a
salt pond adjacent tO the blind.
Thu birds slackcned their flight, wheeled
about and quietly settled on the edge OF
the pond. -Four sharp reports rang out.
and the Hook that arose in fright was but
half its former size. Capt. Sutton declares
that he never had better shooting than
that morning. In less than two hours with
the assistance Of hiS boy sixty-four plover
were bagged. That is not the captains
best record this fall, for on Oct. II he spent
fbrpp hours in tho Al ma lnpality and shot
seVenty-one birds.
In Speaking Of the foolishness displayed
by the birds he related the following;
bay birds are the duInbest OF all game
birds and If ducks and geese were only
half as dumb my record of kills would be
counted in six figures instead Of five.
About five years ago last spring ] went
down into Ware thoroughfare before day
light one morning after claims. IL was
early in April, and | never dreamed that
there were any bay birds on. ] had taken
my gun with me, expecting TO kill a few
shell ducks.
Il reached the claiming grounds about
daylight and was on the point Of getting
10 work, when there came To my ear the
familiar piping whistle Of the y~ellow-leg
plover and probably half . mile away |
saw a large flock of birds coming toward
me. ! answered their call and they
dropped closer Ia the meadows. They
came within twenty-five feet II my boat
hlNA U XIV y Nv F"NA'AA VI WV $500
loads of No. 5 shot and gathered seven
fine birds.
Il had hardly rcgained my boat when
the ployer in big hucks began 60 come
from the south. There were thousands
Of them Going ashore ! gathered n heap
of sedge grass and placed II on the eIR"
81 "a small salt pond, intending To u" upon
II and shoot al the birds A. they flew aver
In taking my SHELLS from the locker In
my boat, all m" while Tegretting that |
had no deCoy~, an idea 81 making "a sub
stitute came to me This | did bv tearing
n newspaper into long -trcdm"rs and ticing
them 10 IA" long -rag" stalks ihat grew
along the banks Il the pond
well. thu-" pits's uf paper huttering
In the brrcYr fairly hyuutiIod the birds
Flock after hnok came hviug over, wheeled
about aud strange a- D. may seem would
! not light, bui would hover a few feet above
my novel l,y'uls lad i"ss than fifty
sholl-. but they were all gone b. half al
hour and | had killed eighty a. inu plover
a. | ever saw itiurH ~ since.
Il v,.' 80 th" meadows al daylight next
morning. bat There was not a bird 10 IL"
r,p.u Th,y disappeared A. myrt"rluurly
~ they oaulr and h Vac we'll along ~ May
before ttv-Hiri shooting amounted 10
much that r'A-uu
no pl.,rr viii np doubt remain here
until .sriy h,Al mouth Ia, market
hu.i.r- af, abroad 'E'iy daN d. ipi,' aud
tIr, 49," kl'|Iug i,udu.i. Of hirir fYf wiirh
tU,y hud q UadN ralr at - 20 q dorm
ITO, ,a.llN rnIu a. Hua a. % daN Many
pIIui,IVlla ant N,u luIk rpuItru'u
have l~su af taI-Hu.- lfl.I. stone nal uI,
sea l-lr tIN. tfuHrN Sound tud Aug'rrra
d. ITO last ffH IIN#. t.|.s .HE f| r HHHT