The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1902-12-03
CIubhouses Plentiful and
Rich Men From Phiiadel-
phia and New York Jeal-
OuSly Guard Preserves.
Only Drawback Is That
Nearly Entire Shooting
Area Is Leased and Re-
served for Shooters.

There is EoOd ground for the general
conviction among spOTtsmen i'm the Cen
trail Atlantic coast zone that the best
all-rOund water fowl shooting in the
United States is found among the islets
and along the innUmerable small bays
inlets, and channels Of Currituck Sound
and thence extending down into Pamlico
as far IS Ocracoke Inlet.
This opinion, particularly Of Wash
ingtOn gunners. must carry great weight
because the mass Of them hail from
all quarters Of the country. and have
hunted on the water fowl sloughs, Iiv-
ers. and lakes OF every State in the
Union. Almost TO a man they believe
Currituck TO be the greatest haunt Of
bird game in this country.
The one drawback is that nearly the
entire shooting area Of Currituck from
Sand Br dge down TO Kitty Hawk IS
leased ana reserved for private shoot
ing. II a man happens to be President,
an admiral in the navy, a general in
the army, or a United States Senator.
with knowledge Of a gun, and q desire
to kill something he can shoot on Cur
rituck Sound. but plain, everyday
sportsmen. no matter how welI-bred OF
expert with the breech-loader. seldom
obtain the privilege.
Many Miles Long.
In a straight line north and south
the sound is about fifty miles long.
In its widest part Il is not ten miles
across. the average being perhaps FIVE
miles. Not less than twenty-five shoot
ing clubs are located along these water
or marsh fronts. They are the lessees.
IN some cases the owners. Of the shores
and islands and related right 90 the sd-
jacent waters. These clubmen are New
Workers. Philadelphians. and some OF
them hail from far-away Boston. Sports
men from Rhode Island. Connecticut,
and New Jersey have long had foot
holds on Currituck Sound
Their club houses and boat houses dot
the shores Of the sound and its islands.
Some OF them are very pretentious ar
fairs. Their shooting grounds" are
guarded with Jealous care by superin-
tendents. who live permanently at the
club headquarters. having in some cases
several assistants. The sound is con
stantly patrolled throughout the day and
oftendmes deep into the night by the
watch boats Of these guardians Of the
waterfowl They are ever on the alert
for poachers. And there are many
poachers TO be warned OF.
Watch All Game.
No English grandee keeps a more jeaI-
Gus watch and ward over his game pre-
serve than do these Northern clubmeu.
Tto'- --1r -'-r- -Dlts. OF stewards. are
generally natives. with fun knowledge
Of all the water side. laws and customs
OF the country. This enables them to
easily protect every interest Of their
employers. and they generally do fl
faithfully and successfully.
Currituck has long been the sports
mans paradise. The leader Of the first
English expedition 20 those coasts. near
" 300 years ago. was compelled 10 note
the extraordinary flight Of waterfowl up
what afterward became known as Curri-
tuck Sound Before the Introduction Of
the destructive modern firearms. their
numbers must have been astounding. A
hundred years ago there was probably
not a leased shooting place on the At
lantic Coast. from Maine to Florida. In
those days there was free shooting"
for everybody-the clodhopper as well as
the gentleman.
About fifty years ago a gradual change
set I'm in this regard. Gunners found Il
advantageous to own or control eligible
shooting districts. 20 shut out pot-hunt-
ers and Objectionable itinerants. This
movement began near the dcnsely DODu-
lated centers. but gradually extended TO
the raSre remote shores Of the Chesa-
pcake Bay and Currituck Sound, where
the shooting was best. Thus began the
sporting club system as we now see Il
developed.
Not From the North.
There were a few formal local organi-
cations with vague rights" on Curl
tuck Sound some years prior to the civil
war. but they lacked the cohesive eIe-
ments Of snap and interest which charac-
torize the later organizations. Then
there were no Northern men on the
sound, they were strongly objected 10 by
the slaveholding gunncrs Of North Caro-
lima and Virginia. in whose estimate no
Yankee" could be a true sportsman.
All such puerile prejudice IS uou o. thing
OF the past While stu few OF the
members Of the modern clubs are Viz
giniaus. Baltimorcans and Washing
toniaus. the great mass Of the member
ship is from the far North. and much Of
81 from original Yankec-lund itself.
After the war a new spirit was speedily
manifest on CurIiuck Sound. backed by
greater means and more definite PUP
pose. About 1870 the business Of secur-
Ing shooting rights and erecting club
houses shooting stations and stocking
the sound With sailing craft for sporting
purposes began IN earnest BY 1890 the
best shooting was all taken" either by
purchase or lease.
no Free Shooting Water.
In the thirty-dve miles OF Upper Cur