The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-27


ducking trip to Virginia is quite largely
due to the opportunity thus afforded me
to correct some misstatements that have
been published in the newspapers con-
corning the expedition.
1t is not pleasant thing for one who
brides himself on his strict obedience to
game laws to be accused of violating
these laws whenever he hunts or fishes
and especially is it exasperating to be
thus accused solely for the delectation
Or profit OF some hungry and mendacious
newspaper correspondent. 1t is not true
that l was arrested in Virginia for vio-
lation OF the game laws, or for shooting
without license; nor was any complaint
made against me, nor, so far as 1 know
has such thing been contemplated.
SPORT VERSUS SLAUGHTER.
Equally false and mischevious, though
not involving violation of law, Is the
charge that our party killed 500 ducks
Our shooting force consisted of five gun
ners OF various grades of hunting ability,
including one who had not fired a gun
III twenty years." and another who could
do pretty we'll with rifle, but didn't
know much about a shotgun" We were
shooting four days, but on only one OF
these days was our force engaged. There
was not one in the party who would
not hive been ashamed of any compile
ity in the killing OF 500 ducks, within
the time spent and in the circumstances
surrounding us; nor Is there one OF the
party who does not believe that, if the
determination Of wild ducks is to be pre-
vented, and if our grandchildren are %
know anything about duck-shooting, eX-
cept as a matter Of historical reading,
stringent and intelligent laws for the
preservation of this game must be sup
plemented and aided by an aggressive
sentiment firmly held among decent duck
ing sportsmen, making it dlsgracetul to
kill ducks for the purpose of boasting
of a big bag, or for the mere sake of
killing Those who hunt ducks with no
better motives than these, and who are
restrained in the absence Of law, by
nothing except the lack OF opportunity
to kill. are duck slaughterers, who merit
the contempt of the present generation
and the curses of generations yet 10
come.
Our party killed about one hundred
and twenty-five ducks. We ate as many
as we cared to eat during our stay among
the hunting marshes, and we brought
enough home to eat on our own tables
and to distribute among our friends. 1t
seems to me that gunners who kill as
many ducks as will answer all these pur-
poses ought to be satisfied.
ON THE COOKING OF WILD DUCKS.
And just here l want to suggest some
thing which ought to greatly curtail the
distribution of wild ducks among our
friends. In households where no idea
H. Il 49,
ly cooking wild duck and one brought
up In a barnyard, complimentary gift
or wild fowl is certainly of questionable
advisability; for if these are cooked after
the fashion prescribed for the domestic
duck they will be so thoroughly discre
dited in the eating that the recipient of
the gift will come near suspecting prac
tical joke, and the donor will be nearly
guilty Of waste.
In Virginia they have very good law
prohibiting duck sooting on Wednesdays
and Saturdays, and of course on Sundays.
These are called rest days. We arrived
at the very comfortable clubhouse of the
Back Bay Club in Princess Anne county,
about noon on Saturday, with weather
very fair and Quiet-tOo much so fer
good duck shooting. From the time OF
our arrival until very early Monday
morning, besides eating and sleeping, we
had nothing to do but to ''get ready"
1t must not be supposed that those words
only mean the settlement in our quarters
and the preparation of our guns, ammuni-
ton and other outfit. Many other things
are necessary by way of stimulating in
terest and filling the minds of waiting
gunners with lively anticipation and hope.
Thus during the preparatory hours left
to US our eyes were strained hundreds
of times from every favorable point OF
observation In search of flying ducks;
hundreds of times the question as to the
nest desirable shooting points was dis
cussed, and thosands of times the wish
was expressed that Monday, instead of be-
ing a blue bird day. would present
us with good, stiff breeze from the
right direction. The field of prediction
was open to all of us, and none avoided
it. A telling hit was made by the most
self-satisfed weather prophet of the party
WHO foretold an east wind at sundown,
which promptly made its appearance on
schedule time.
When we were reused out of bed at
4:S0 O'Clock Monday morning we found
our east wind still with us in pretty
good volume, and although We all knew
IL was hot III Clc ulOSC favorable quarter,
and that the weather was too warm for
the best shooting, it was with high hopes
that We got into our boats and started
in midnight darkness for our blinds.
Whatever anticipation of good shooting
l had INDUCED in met with a severe re-
verse when 1 learned that my shooting
companion and l were expected to kill
ducks with our decoys placed to the wind
ward of us. l warmly protested against
this, declaring that 1 had never done
such thing in my life, and in the strong
est language l objected to the arrange
ment; but all to no purpose. AS 1 ex-
pected, the ducks that were inclined to
fly within our range, coming up the wind
behind lis, saw our blinds and US before
they saw the decoys, and when we tried
to turn and get a shot, a sudden flare
or tower put them out of reach AS for
fair decoying, they had no notion of such
thing. We killed a few ducks through
much tribulation, but the irritation OF
knowing that many good opportunities
had been lost by our improper location
more than overbalanced all the satisfac-