The sun., 1902-09-07
DUCK SHOOTING IN The WEST.
1HE ILOt rs BiGGER THt\ Ar
iNl OTHER IIuE SINfE 1888.
A lhech Put Un the Wholesale slaughter
of Ducks E,pcciaii, by the License
',ws-Nailards FiockIng Together
Now The sport OF shooting Them
In the Rlcchclds OF the Northwest.

Through the Middle West there Ia.
been an unusual Urdntity Of raio during
the summer, h,.j this condition has not
obtained further north. Indeed. many oi
the lakes in the pine forests of MinneSota
..u Wisconsin are lower than they have
l-ren known to be- in years.
This ha. not hurt the ducks, and the
generally low Temperatures have been on
benefit to the young Reports to the
game commissioners of th" various states
in which the ducks nest show that an extra
good crop i 10 h" expected Of all varieties
which breed below "a" Canadian line.
This includes teal, -prlgtail-, widgeonS,
wood-duck, malard~ ard several other
Narictic.
of late years determined efforts have
been made to prevent Indians and market
hunters from robbing the nests of eggs.
II has been impossible 10 check these people
bv force and a better means has been found
in getting pcuplo 20 refuse 10 buy the eggs.
Many large dealers ha," refused 10 handle
wild egg AZ all and the trade has been
discouraged
Ten wears ago it seemed likely that the
Wa- In sight the birds had grown rc-
markably fewer Large areas in th"
pakutns ard cleowh'r" which had once
furnancd good sport were almost barren.
\ theory even became current that the
Gucks. ike lhr Passenger pigeons, had
,miCra,cd To avoid Slaughter. " that
lmr tire new ruforCement OF the game
law. boglu io hayo IT, pffrr'
Thor" wa- fist checking Of Wholesale
tu,l STAT cht"r then ih" number bred
aud reared began ip offset the number
slain and then the total began 10 increase
o. has kept ON increasing, not largely,
hu steadily, and there are now NOR" Wild
ducks in America than AZ any other time
>ince 1883
MANY uf the States have spared mo pains
lp crforc" their Laws agair-t egg stealing
and tie Eilling Of ducks out of season and
his hp, had a good rffaC' Ducks have
been Increasing most largely, however,
through iaN- passed for revenue.
IN The DakOias and ol~cwher" through
the Northwest /; costs an outside sports
man S2J before hp can fire a gun. Tie is
limited 10 the number of days on which
lao NAV shoot and hi skill on each day il
limited
These tariffs Joined 20 railway fares, hotel
bills team hire, guide hire and other eX-
rcnsos have made the shooting Of ducks
on large scale prohibiiive To all except
wealthy gun mon and wealthy gun men do
not make exceptionally large kills, or shoot
for an exceptionally long time. Few men
not al ease financially care to put IN ten
DAYS OF tNo weeks in travelling to North
or South Dakota, plunCing into the woods
above 81 Paul or going To that part Of
Wisconsin Just below superior for the
sake Of a few ducks.
The lucky ones. however. are going 10
have great shooting this fall. The woods
lakcs will b" full vi fowls, and the
Mississippi that gCeat pas>agcway for
southwark bound ducks. Will offer it, usual
sport to field men Between Prairie du
Chcn and ~ Paul are 10 900 islands and zach
island has ii. lake aud each lake will have
it, ducks and SuipeY
Tho ,uipr may he expected down "a far
a, the northern edge Of Illinois by sept.
- The ducks, except the teal. VIII be later,
being thicke~t along the river and in the
lower voois lakes from Oct. - 20 Nov Is,
After that date only the hui'crhails
and ice ducks will remain