The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-19
ne to me on the sound Of the gun

ard came to me on the sound Of the gun,
and since their owner did not object
used them Upon that day and on several
otl.tr occasions. and they did excellent
work. The ground was peculiarly suitable
for their use, however. good part OF 1t
being a long. narrow strip between two
channels. Starting out with the wind
my back, the dogs ranged we'll ahead and
flushed the birds which flew towards
ne. often passing Immediately overhead. A
\ few which went out over the water re-
turned and pitched often quite near me.
and having marked them down went to
then at once with my dogs at my heel.
Ono day took with me an excellent set
ter, which l borrowed from the proprietor
of the Star Island Hotel. and shot over
him. with the Spanies. keeping the latter
at heel and using them as retrievers l
MS satisfied that for that location, at
least. the spaniels were the more service
allie dogs.
They Were both good retrievers and In
dustrious workers when a dead bird was
10 be found, but the setter soon tired
himself out in the tall sedge jumping
about in it in his search for game. while
the little spaniels worked always on the
ground, forcing a passage through and
under the grass where the setter could
not so. The spanes were very quick,
and retrieved most of the birds and re-
NAMED fresh at evening. when the setter
was thoroughly used up
Upon another occasion I took the same
setter to an island where l had heard.
there We're several coTeys Of partridgeS
Cor quails, as some say in Michigan). He
worked well in the neld and on scattered
birds in the woods. but was unable to
get about in the sedge which grew along
the edge of the fields / had been shoot
ing snipe in the morning wl.n the setter
and spaniel. and much regretted leaving
the latter at home, since he surely would
have retrieved for. me several birds which
were lost in the high grass.
/ made an excellent bag Of snipe one
day in Illinois, using only a retrieving
spaniel. a dog which had made a repu.a-
ton upon ducks and geese, and he per-
formed very Well, retrieving every bird
killed. There We're prairie chickens and
rails in the bag besides the snipe. and
many of the birds.fe! far out in slough
where the grass Was very heavy. The
sportsnaen who go West to shoot in a
country where there is much heavy grass
will dc well to take a brace of spanels
and try them on s.lipe. When shooting
at ST. Clair, l used to send the dogs
long distances ahead; sometimes across
a slough or channel too deep to ford,
and they ran a merfy race and flushed
all the birds on the ground, and most of
them came my way since needed the
advice of the old English bard to ..al-
ways mind.'t and turned my back upon
the wind
AGAINST SPRING SHOOTING
The snipe are shot nearly everywhere
in the spring of the year. More birds.
I believe, arc killed each year in the
spring than in the fall. Forester adj
ranced the argument that this spring
shooting was all wrong since every bird
then Killed represented the killing Of an
entire family. Estimating the number of
eggs that might have been, the loss to
the shooting fraternity was made evil
dent 1t always occurred to me- when
reading this. that the main reason offered
in favor of the shooting Of Snipe in
spring is that il we DO not then shoot
snpe there Will be no upland shooting
at that season. tits further argued sue
| cessfully that if the snipe are not shot III
tho spring Uncertain localities there will
be no s.ipe shooting. since the meadows
are always dry ana hard in the autumn
and unsuitable for the birds. While this
is quite true the birds which so North in
the spring return beyond doubt with
their young in the autumn. and although
the stopping places my not be the same
they will not be so very far away; trans
| portation is rapid and there is no reason
| why the sportsmen should not SO to the
sn;pe grounds.
| I have had many good days shooting
| su;pe in the spring. but have. come to the
opinion that 1t is now necessarSto stop all
spring shooting to preserve the snlpe Tor
future years. Spring shooting IS nov
prohibited in several States.