The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-30


Protected QuaiI--Wiid Goose shooting
At sandbars on southern Rivers
In all that part OF the country wstered
by the lower Mississippi River ducks of the
earlier migrating varieties are now plenti-
full. In louisiana Arkansas and Misss-
sippi the shooting In the forepart of De-
cember IL well orth while. Though the
birds are not SO numerous as they will be
later. when the packed swarms Of them
ere on swamp and bayou, vet they are ten
derer now and less wary. and satisfactory
bags are made without special effort
The vanguard of the down-swee ping
hooks has even reached the southwestern
part Of the Texan gulf, In the territory
running 200 miles eastward from Brow ns-
vile blue winged and green-wingcd teal
made their appearance in September
They were followed in October by the spoon
bills, pintails and widgeons, and in the
first week Of November the heralds Of the
nallards sounded he notes Of the coming
army
Happy the man who forsaking the chills
and rigors Of the North, spends his winter
days in a land where the temperature never
falls below an agreeable coolness, where
the only bad weather is the rainy weather
that the du,k hunter loves, and where he
may shoot, If he pleases until his ears ring
and his head aches and his gun is so foul
that 1t will scatter shot all over the side Of
. barn. Those are dreamless nights " hen
The wood in the open fireplace has burned
70 faint flicker and only the rustic Of the
falling ashes vies with the tick Of the clock
In making noise.
1t used to be the fashion among gunner
Of the North to go to the far Pacific Coast
for their winter sport. OF late years they
have come more and more to realize that
they get better sport much nearer home.
This has resulted in gradually increasing
invasions Of the South by folk who spend
their money there and have a royal time
over field and marsh and lake and come
away liking the land and its people and
with it's people liking them. There used
to he an old fellow down South who " ould
say;
IL the Yanks would just send us down
every year 5000 Of their shotgun folks
the sections would got together a good deal
faster than by reading essays on eternal
brotherhood
The duck shooting country Of the lower
Mississippi Valley offers every variety OF
the great sport and art Of wild fowlinp with
the Ice left out. The ducks are there;
wind and cloud and sunshine, the free
breath Of the open, the glorious fatigue.
the sense OF satisfaction which comes after
arduous fruitful toll are there but no man
has to squat in blind for hours while his
decoys are turned over by the weight of the
water frozen on their backs.
Young men-very young men-still take
Il delight in crouching alf-congealed
with their aching fingers too stiff to pull
the trigger, while a spoonful goes by every
half hour just out Of range, but there never
was young man who had any sense abou,
shooting and 1t is one OF the unaltera-
Die DEGREES OF nature that there never
shall be
The men now fowling in the South
do not wear woolen underclothing half an
inch thick. dead grass rubber clothing over
enough other clothing to make tent Of
two pair Of wooden stockings and home
Knit mittens, They dress lightly that they
may move easily, loosely that they NAV
be comfortable and they do not care al all
whether they get Wet or not.
They are after the birds and they run no
danger OF pneumonia Furthermore, they
are not bothered by laws which saythat thew
may shoot up 10 midnight of certain day,
out after the stroke Of the hour shall not
ehoot again. and consequently they are not
h hurry to kill all the ducks at once
They have plenty Of time and, being In
the South. plenty OF leisure. They get
sport in its highest form, which is ra, ional
enjoyment, relaxation. homes, competition
end the exercise Of such skill az they nav
have, natural or acquired
The shooting there tests thoroughly
che shooting part of the hunter though not
his capacity TO endure exposure. In fact
there are many problems set which the man
whose experience is confined 10 the North
hrsrely called upon TO solve.
There H. for instance, the bayou shooting
Of mallards in flight Running down into
the large swamp lakes are many of those
bayous or sloughS nearly stagnant and
not more than thirty yards vide. If IN.
ducks flew up and down them In going
from and to the lake, the proposition would
b. a simple one.
The man would hide upon the bayou's
bank and take his birds passing, learning
In little while to gauge accurately ,h.
amount OF STAGE 10y which he should lend
them, as the woods grow close to each
side OF the stream and the duck. mus
pass within a hundred feet or els, get c,nr
over the tree tops altogether and So remain
out Of shot.
The mallards. however. learn in n day
or two the danger Of these passaccv.ays
and ny across the hayous to certain pnu'.
whore the trees are thinne.t and l.a.r
likely to interfere with their flight In
this way they establish a mallard mss
and the man who finds one Of these pass. :