The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-05-07
KANKAkEE sNIPE SHOOTING.
Great Illinois Marshes Where the
Birds Are Found in Thousands.
From the New York sun.

From the New York Sun.
The past week saw the close of jack
snipe shooting even in those states
which permit spring shooting for few
days or weeks. There have been thous-
ands of birds in the great Kankakee
marshes of Illinois, probably the most
noted snipe ground in the United States,
and some good scores have been made.
The snipe came up from the south ear
lier than usual this year and they found
the warm days and sunshine much to
their liking, remaining in bulk until
forced out by stress of sun.
Shooting on the kankakee marshes is
commonly the most strenuous sort of
work. In the marshes proper the sports
man Is forced to step or jump from
clump to clump of solid ground, with
black mud between, and after an hour
or two of this kind of toll his legs bend
under him and he fain would sit down
in the ooze. Shooting under such con-
ditions is extremely difficult, for no man
knows how or when a Jack is going to
get up, and with insecure footing the
shooter falls down almost as often as
he kills.
This year, however, there has been
considerable water on the marshes,
which runs for miles. and whenever this
happens the birds are forced out into the
fields over corn wheat land the
walking is good though the shooting is
still hard.
Many of the old corn stalks are still
standing, the jacksnipe fushes among
them and by the time he gets up into
clear view he is so far away that a good
gun is needed to bring him down. Snipe
shot in a cornfield near Kankakee are
nearly all of them killed beyond the
forty yard mark and they often go down
at fifty or even at sixty yards.
There is much sport in 1t. Since the
marshes are under water, the sports
man knows that the birds are in the
fields, because they cannot be anywhere
else He has tens of thousands of acres
to shoot over and can take his time, GER
| tain that no rival will interfere with
him
OF warm bright spring days the snipe
| lie closely after 10 o'clock in the morn
| ing If place can be found where old
grass or weeds still cling to the sides OF
| the rows there Is pretty sure to be bird
or two in it.
The snipe are disincined to move and
| they spring In air and dart away utter
ing their hoarse call when the sportsman
has approached within five yards of
them. The heat is more telling upon the
man than upon the bird, and he is apt
to have perspiration running into his
! eyes when he brings the gun up.
The earth is brown, the bird Is brown,
the cornstalks bent and twisted in every
direction are brown, and it takes a train
| ed eye to distinguish the darling, zigzag-
| ging flyer. The stalks interfere with
vision and shot. and unless an opening
can be had the man is forced to wait un-
| til the snipe has come up into the open.
| Then he needs "A close-choked barrel
with a lot of No. s chilled shot-No. IS
are even better.
No excessive scores are ever made in
| Kankakee, because though the birds
are there in thousands the walking is
| too difficult and the territory Is toe
great 1t is the custom of parties visit
ing the marshes to shoot ducks morning
and evening and to go after the snipe
| only between the hours of 10 in the
! morning and in the afternoon.
Between those hours fair sport may be
had by walking for 1t. If man is a
| good shot and knows enough about snipe
TO walk down wind and hunt for them in
| soggy places and makes score of twen-
! ty birds in a day he has done WE'LL he
| ought to be satisfied with fifteen. This
will mean the expenditure of from forty
to sixty shells, and that ought to be
enough shooting in one day for any man.
The snipe come up from below in good
| condition They are generally seal fat
when as far north as Illinois, and this
also makes them disinclined to move.
Once going. however, their fat has no
appreeiable effect on their speed.