The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-04-01
MIGHTY KILLING OF DUCKS.
Forty-seven at One Shot the Record
of o. C. Guessaz of Texas.


Cleveland Plain Dealer)
In the southern part OF the country,
especially along the Gulf Of Mexico.
the green-winged teals sometimes band
in enormous fiocks.
When they take their fight in the
morning the sound Of their wings is
like low roll Of thunder and is audi
bic more than a mile away.
It takes them some time to get sepa-
rated, and even in the middle Of the
afternoon fiocks numbering more than
LOU individuals are occasionally seen
hurting themselves steadily through
the air, or STOPPING and roaring down
upon some pond ike a huge black col
umn falling from the sky.
When a half-d6zen duck hawks get
above band of this size they gorge
themselves, and the whirling motions
of the pursued focks which contain
more than 5000 teals are not uncom-
mon. How they rush through space
without collision is one of natures
mysteries.
If man were within easy range of
horde Of this kind there is no telling
how many he might kill with both bar
not get half as many of them as he
could get from one of the flocks Of rice
birds which winter in the far south.
The people down there call these lit
tie fellows blackbirds, and the record
on blackbirdS is believed to be 343 with
two barrels. Anyhow, if a man were
within thirty yards of one of these
punches Of teals with a cylinder bored
ten-gauge gun, loaded with four and a
half drains Of slow powder and two
ounces Of No. S shot in each barrel.
maybe he would kill 100.
Q. G. Guessaz Of San Antonio is one
Of the best field shots Of the south, and
mighty duck hunter. He was squat
ting once in SIENNA weeds in Arkansas
county waiting for something killable
to come along It was forenoon and
the sky was as clear as a beIl-One Of
those days when a man can see ducks
five miles distant and they are all go
ing the other way.
He had a rusted, pitted, old-style
ten-gauge Parker, which he had abused
for years and its temper was vicious.
It's stock had been broken by a wagon
wheel rolling over it; It had lain for
two days at the bottom of a lake; its
right hammer Wabbled like q drunken
sailor. This gun had been known to
run into a farmers flock of tame tur-
key in the woods and slay one Of its
own volition.
GuesssZ, who IS a lieutenant colonel
in the Texas National Guard. and chief
inspector Of its rife practice. lay low
in the damp and thought Of the good
times he used to have. Suddenly he
heard first a murmUr, then a roar Of
wings behind him, and glancing up saw
( a huge flock of teal, down swoOping
Probably a hawk was after them.
He threw up the gun as the flock
! passed over forty yards up, and pulled
the forward trigger. the left barrel be-
ing empty, as happens in such cases.
The hand Numbered upward and a
rain Of dead began.
They struck the shallow water in his
front with a succession Of rapid
sp1ashes and thumped upon the hard
ground on either hand For a mile
away wounded birds could be seen
dropping behind and sinking from the
flock.
No EFFORT was made to retrieve them.
No effort was made 70 retrieve dozen
or two which fell into the water, bro
ken winged and swan away among the
weeds
Only the stone dead were recovered
and they numbered feTty-seven.