The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-09
Autumn Joys in the Woods
for the Gunner.
TRAIL OF The RUFFED GROUSE.
L Leads to the Hardest OF All
Wing Shooting.
Partridge Hunting in Its various Forms
-Enects Of High Power Bullets on
Deer-Grest Fight with . Muskai.
Ionge-stnl Some Fishing to he Had
A Foolish Buck In . Cabbage Patch.


A Foolish Buck In Cabbage Patch.
Over miles Of the Northwestern woods a
hight snow, first of the winter. IL lying
II IL only enough to turn the brown sur
faces Of the leaves 10 white-they still
crackle under foot unless a man move
carefully-but II gives pale look 70 the
ground contrasting sharply with the dark
O! the tree trunks. and therefore the part
ridge or rured grouse is having the hardest
time Of its life.
Unlike the ptarmigan and snow grouse.
this bird does not change hue with the
advancing season. It's color remains the
same rich brown. and this plumage. ad-
mirably adapted 10 It's protection before
the snow comes. betrays IL wofully when
the color Of the landscape has changed.
For countless generations its protective
coloratl ton has been developing. but II has
not advanced TO white In the winter. like
the fur Of the northern rabbit and some
ether animals and birds Consequently.
Just now the partridge is forced TO trust 10
such holows free from snow az II can find.
or to It's speed Of foot or wing Both are
great.
A man hunting rufTed grouse now finds
them with much less trouble than a week
ago. They are not only seen more readily.
but they leave plain trail In moving about
and a person unable to follow such trail
has no business In the woods
There are places where they feed much
that are 40 marked with their tracks that
the surface resembles a barnyard In which
a hundred hens have been scratching.
Partridge sign" when the snow is on the
ground. IL almost plain enough for O blind
man.
The hunter. walking slowly between the
trees and coming upon one Of these trails
simply follows II carefully. keeping his
gun cooked and In readiness. II may nun
for only hundred yards. or II may run for
n mile-the grouse Is a great traveller on
foot-but II ne sticks to II. sooner or later
the air will be Allied with thunder Of wing
and he will see a large brown body darling
and swinging between the trees with almost
the speed Of light.
That for the amateur hunter who II In
che woods for a holiday only. The pro-
fessional. the man who lives there and
shoots for the market. will follow grouse
so slowly and carefully. stopping to ex-
plore each bit Of underbrish In his front,
that he will get more shots on the ground
than on the wing.
He travels at a speed but little greater
than that OF the birds and they get used to
him, 1t being certain that they see him long
before he sees them. So. trotting In his
'front.' hiding from him and taking ad-
vantage OF all cover. they come to regard
him as a pottertng nuisance. not at all dan
gerous.
Soon one Of them will trot boldly across
an opening or hop upon a log and look
back standing In bold relief. That moment
marks the passing OF one Of them.
The others take wing. flying possibly 800
yards before they perch In some pine,
spruce or hemlock. The hunter. no longer
regarded as harmless. pursues them, match
ing his wit against theirs, and often succeeds
In bagging half the covey before the sur
vivors. In despair, make long fight OF a
mile or so. going clear out Of his range.
In hunting grouse In the woods without
dog the first requisite Is stealth. which
means slownees the careful placing Of one
foot before another. The mans eyes should
be everywhere, except behind him. and he
should search as carefully as possible all
cover before he comes TO Il.
The chap who hurries. striking his ordi-
mary road gait. may get one or two birds
that have grown careless, but the chances
are that he will get nothing. Deliberate
progress is necessary to all woods hunting,
but more so in shooting partridges than In
anything else, for the bird has an acute
hearing and acute vision and, whether
much shot at or not, Is shy.
The man must know, too, the kind OF
territory the coveys like. They have a
strange partially for the sides Of hills,
lsaf covered and not SO thick with trees
and bushes but that rays of sunshine can
And the ground. II a patch of sticktights
or beggar lice be found, It is almost certain
that birds will be in il. for they are fond OF
the black seeds Of these bushes.
II is rare that grouse are found In dank
damp hollows, though they go % them often
when flushed. At this time Of year every
spruce tree should be- carefully looked over.
because the birds are feeding on the spruce
buds, which they tear from the sheaths
with their strong bills making a shipping
clicking sound audible fifty yards away Of
"a still day.
The man will go as slowly as possible.
keeping his eyes skinned, listening either
for the shipping of the buds or the sharp
querulous cheep-cheep which the grouse,
utters sometimes when running; and he
will listen. too. for the PARKWAY muffled
thunder, which comes from the cock drum
ming. He will make his way cautiously
toward the sound in the hope of catching
tho drummer exercising upon stump or
log, infamed with vanity and therefore an
easy prey.
II the bird declines to run further and
takes TO wing the man will throw his gun
down and shoot for general results. trusting
to luck and the scattering power Of his
weapon, for such thing a. aiming exactly
at grouse on the wing in the northwestern
woods is practically unknown.
There IL an easier way TO hunt grouse
without the aid of a dog and many ANA
teurs follow it, The coveys in the after
noon are fond OF roads and trails If the
ground be dry. They come out to dust
themselves.
Walking on these trails IL much more
comfortable than climbing logs or forcing @
way through hazel brush In the woods, and
the hunter simply strolls along looking IL
his front Often he will SEQ a bird come on,
Of the cover on one side and pause before
sitting dust upon itself.
Oitener still, az he walks quietly. he viii
sce one move slightly in the cover on the
road side not three yards distant. anxious
to let him pass but unable to keep quit,
still Flushing "A bird OF this kind the mar
ought 10 get II IL he only be passably expert
because hs knows where IL Is and when 1
Is going to fly and, generally. the direction
II will take.
II is can easy matter just now to pick NJ
half dozen grouse in an afternoon 10y til
sort Of hunting II a bigger bag be wante,
The shooter has only to hire a ight rig, get II