Evening star., 1901-10-17
Sportsmen Animated Over Approach.
ing Quail Season.
C0VERfS ARE FILLED WIFE C0VEYS
In One or Two Nearby Neighbor-
hoods They are Scarce
ELSEW HERE PLENTIFUL

Quail shooting begins generally through
out the region favored by this most popu-
lar Of game birds November 1. and except
In the District of Columbia and tae por-
tions of Maryland Immediately contiguous
thereto the prospects for excellent sport
are alluring. There are very few coveys in
the District or In nearby portions of Mont
gomery and Prince Georges counties, but
from every other section easily attainable
from Washington the punches are plentiful
and large in numbers. while the birds are
bigger and stronger than they have been
for many years past at this time.
Last winter was a particularly good one
for the quail family. There were no storms
of much magnitude and consequently the
surviving birds got along well and found
spring weather just to their liking also.
Singular Conditions.
The limited number of coveys in the
nejghborhoods above mentioned is surpris-
ing when the conditions of the spring are
considered. When the CHEEKY pipe of Bob
White began it was heard everywhere in
the District and its environs. So pro-
nounced were these notes, so grateful to
sportsmen's ears, that there was a general
feeling that breeding would be general and
productive of many birds. Despite these
early favorable indications, however it was
Iouiu dlttT the nesting season was over
that the old birds had either left the coyerts
or had failed to breed young families. A
number Of nests filled with eggs but de-
serted by the birds were found after har-
vest in the vicinity of Rockville, Bethesda.
Bladensburg and other points, but for what
cause the couple left their nests could not
be ascertained- 1t was regarded as impos-
slDie that so many parent birds could have
been Killed by hawks or weasels and SIM
lar predatory animals, but no one could
give any reason for the desertion. Quite a
number of migratory coveys have been
noticed in the past ten days in these de-
pieted sections and maybe enough of the
travellers will stay to make sport available.
Where They Are Numerous.
In the rest Of the quail country, however,
as stated above, the birds are plentiful
Reports from Virginia, far and near, are
all to the same effect-that Quails are re-
markably numerous. Similar assurances
come from Frederick, Washington. Garrett,
Anne Arundel, Charles St Mary's and
other Maryland counties, so lovers of the
gun and dog who cannot make long trips to
enjoy the best of field sport are awaiting
the seasons opening with pleasant antici-
patton.
Sportsmen who have the leisure and
means to go the distance favor North Caro-
lima for quail shooting, and the news from
there Is to the effect that the birds are more
plentiful than ever known before At the
offices of the Southern and Atlantic Coast
Line railroads, which reach the best coyerts
In the state, reports are sent each year by
station agents regarding quail conditions.
and from all of these sources the informa-
tion is the same-plenty of BIRDS 1t is
believed the vigorous enforcement Of the
North Carolina law forbidding the exporra-
tion of killed birds from the state has been
largely instrumental in increasing the sup
ply so notably, as 1t prevented the shipping
of quail killed or trapped by market hunt
ers to the big cities, which in former years
reached thousands Of dozens of birds an
nualiy.
The coming season will find more small
gauge guns in the field than ever before.
The little 2S-gauge has been growing stead
lily in favor with those men who are expert
in the use of breech-loader, and there is
bigger demand than ever for these and
for 20-gauge guns also