The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-11-18
Willy Birds EN- phasize
Their Reputation
for Cunning.
GAME bags ARE LIGHT AS
CONDITIONS ARE ADVERSE
Weather Has Given Quail More
Protection Than the Law
.. Rabbits Are
Plentiful.
BY JAMES T. KENNEDY,
(Staff Correspondence.)

n ARROLLTON, Nov. 15. - The
hunting season Is a week on and
sportsmen are beginning to take in
ventory Of the amount of game kill
ed and draw comparisons with other
years as to its abundance. All reports
are to the effect that quail are scarcer
years. The covies are hard to find
and many Of them are made up Of
small. late-hatched birds.
This is not the opinion of any one
hunter, but from all who have been
afield the same story comes Of the
scarcity of birds. The difficulty of Sc
curing large bags of game is increased
by the warm, dry weather that makes
it impossible for bird dogs to do any
effective work. They cannot scent the
birds at any distance, and pointing Is
almost impossible. A setter or a point-
er is not of much more use than a
cur, as about all the dogs can do Is
to scare the birds up and let the
hunters take chances at them.
Not only do the weather condi-
tions interfere with the olfactories of
the CANNES, but II also robs them of
their power Of endurance and after an
hour or two Of hard hunting the dogs
are played out and have that tired
feeling" which is transmitted to the
hunter when he comes to a nice stub
BILE or promising bit of cover and
finds the dogs more inclined to lie
down in the shade or hunt for water
hole than to hunt game.
Some fair bags, however. have been
made in this section in spite of the
untoward conditions. Tuesday of the
present week was the only day when
dogs could do any good. 1t rained in
tie morning for an hour or two and
during the day the weather condi-
tions were favorable so far as humid
ity was concerned, but still too hot for
real good hunting.
1t is an exasperating fact that pheas-
ants Cruffed grouse) are more plen-
uful than for years. Exasperat-
Ing because the law does not permit
the hunter to shoot them. They are
fonnd In large numbers in the heavy
cover and are tantalizing when they
get up with a roar like thunder and
the sportsman has 10 stand and see
them fly away without his making
an effort to shoot them. This is espe-
cially true II there are witnesses pres-
ent. Just what the hunter does back
In the brush when the bird attacks
him, has not been demonstrated, but
the spirit OF self-protection is general
iy stronger In a hunter. than in the
average citizen. There have been no
reports as yet of any pheasants run
ming hunter out OF the woods. nor
has the game warden located any con-
trahand stun In the hunting coats of
the nimrods.
The clearing out OF the timber and
allowing the second growth to flourish
unmolestei Is bringing the pheasant
Dack In 1ts CORNER numbers and with
two years protection 1t Is expected
that by 1904 there will be large num-
bers to elude the sport who imagines
he has some skill with the gun.
Rabbits are quite plentiful. Large
bags are reported every day. but the
great trouble is that the weather is
80 hot they do not keep well and must
be disposed OF almost as soon as kill
ed unless put In cold storage. The
popular style of hunting them Is to
tramp them out, as the rabbit dogs,
except early In the morning, cannot
do much good ut tracking them. :.
Quite number of Canton hunters
spent the week among the hills of
Carroll county. Where they have
friends they have a good time, but |
there is a pretty strong feeling against |
foreign hunters, and some Of them
are ordered to move on when they get |
upon certain farms.
Game Warden Truman Myers has
been active In protecting the game,
and several Cleveland hunters who |
came into this county come weeks ago
were detected In violating the law and
were fined heavily.
/. Myers allows the spirit of the Law
instead OF the letter to control In the
matter Of hunting permits, He takes
It that the complaint should come