The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-09

ebeWnere. 1ney ma as much food there as
elsewhere and want to be near the water
for drinkin purposes; tho grouse will
drink at least twice day. and II the woods
are dry, oftener.
By getting into boat and floating
down for five miles man will get a good
many pot shots az grouse on the banks
and IL he has boatman with him to pole
back he will get a. many more. This il not
high-class shooting II means meat, but
il swells the total of n hunt and enables
the man when he gets back home "a raw
that he bagged fifty or sixty or seventy
grouse, without entering into particulars
as to how he bagged them IL Is. at least,
one degree better than buying dead birds
from market hunters and adding them
to the score.
For the hunter who wants to kill par
tridges, no matter how or where. the cocker
spaniel il the thing. A pointer or setter
il of no good In the woods for the reason
that 1t Is ont Of sight most Of tho time,
points silently and when the birds fiush
considers its duty to he done. A man
hunting with one of them does not know
that the birds have been found until he
hears the roar OF the wings and then most
of the lime he cannot see the birds or
have any knowledge Of the direction they
have taken,
The cocker. however. little and woolly.
potters about always within fifty yards
and makes no pretence Of pointing when
il strikes the trail, but runs the birds up
and yeps joyously when they rise. II
we'll trained IL marks the course of the
flight observes the tree In which the grouse
have perched, goes straight TO the tree.
stands "A little way from IL and yelps con-
tinuously a. II IL we're squirrel dog
The man follows the barking. the dog
shows him the tree and he has the cartridges
at his mercy. for they are watching the
dog. not him. There may be three. or
five, or eight. or ten In the spruce or pine
L,,t 10 az Of bar, Ia Oh Inn
the lower birds first. so that the noise OF
their falling bodies crashing through the
branches will not disturb the others.
Often In this way the greater part OF
fine covey IL exterminated without the
shooters moving from his tracks after
the first barrel has done its work, The
cocker continues It's shrill yelping land
the birds fall stupidity one by one until
the limbs are clear.
II the man be "A sportsman he Will get
fewer birds but will have more fun and
be better sat isfied with himself Approach
ing the tree and taking a fair position.
he will either throw stick al the branches
or else let out an Indian warwhoop.
That will start one or two Of the birds,
possibly all OF them, and he will have one
Of the hardest shots In all the range OF
gundom. A grouse flushing from an alti-
shell driven by cordite will fool the best
Of shots sone Of the time and the worst
all Of the time
When a kill Ia made. however. there is
something in the sudden check Of the dart
ing body and its many revolutions before N
hits the ground sixty yards away that atones
for all previous misses With a good cocker
even IN bright autumnal weather. man will
find a dozen coveys Of grouse In a day al
, most In northern Minnesota, Wisconsin.
or Michigan, and with light snow on tho dog
discovers and follows them even more
| easily.
There IL good sport TO he had Of them
with rifle Of 20 calibre near sunset when
| they are budding most freely, At that
hour the wind has probably died away and
| tho woods are deadly still save for the
| whirring chatter of the red squirrel, so that
| the clicking Of the working heaks sounds
"A good way "a.
| Without a dog TO attract their attention
| II Is difficult for man to approach nearer
than thirty yards to tree containing
| grouse and the light IL not Of the best
still the birds are big and In plain view and
at that distance offer a fair mark.
| The little - particularly II smoke.
| less cartridges be used, docs not disturb
| them at all, surprising always that those
lower down be shot first man may
| get two or three from tree shooting them
| through the heads II he be a good enough
marksman and can 20 back TO camp with
the Consciousness that though he puts In
| fifty weeks of the year AZ a city desk his
nerve is still something like what it used
| to be when he was boy.
Ofall forms Of part ridge hunting. however
| that which most appeals TO the man with
sportsman blood In him Is the walk through
| close shouldering woods with the tang OF
| winter In the air and half inch OF snow
under foot. without aid Of dog and with
the firm belief that a bird shot sitting Is Q
murdered bird.
| He will walk slowly and follow the sharply
/ Id he W "a N "a a fa "
| but he will look not for the bird on los
| but for a bird In air. upepring cling whil'
| the forest resounds 70 the beating rol
of the wings That Is shooting TO MAKE
| an old man young. for II Is snap shootiH
| pure and simple and tests 20 the highes
| that semi hanical skill which makes
the good shot.
There Is brush to Interfere. there are tre'
| trunks in dozens. there are low -hangtnt
branches. At best there II only glimpse
CT the laundering target.
The educated snap-shooter does not SCI
his gun He only iastens both eyes upor
the darting bird and the gun comes TO hi
shoulder and goes of.
Perhaps he has undershot; perhaps h.
has shot behind; perhaps there is handful
| of beautiful feathers floating and the sol
thud Of a plump body striking earth. Tn
| chances are that he has missed clearly
The fastest and best marksman that eve
put double-barrel TO shoulder cannot d.
| better than one In three in the Northwestern
woods, and If he does 40 well az one In 81!
he need not be ashamed,
For of all wing shooting furnished b.
the countries of the world this indubitabl,
il most difficult, II IL harder than wood
cock shooting, because. while the cove
Is as dense az woodcock cover, the target /
stronger and faster, and Pushes at muc
greater distances. II is harder than snip
shooting, because snipe, though they have
swift and widely weaving flight are shot ii
the open, which il true of quail, of prairi
| chickens, of ducks.
But on the brushy side OF n steep hill
| where pines, hemlocks, sprlces and maple
grow every ten feet, in a light that il one
third bright sunshine and two-thirds blac
shade, the riffed grouse bounds upwar
and PUSHES afar, steering with "A marvellou
skill A moment and IL IL in plain view
| the jetty run about its neck cleaning in
81 roaming shaft of sun; another and shade,
has swallowed it. only the hollow roll of it
pinons coming back through the dir
| aisles.