The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-27
FOR BIRDS AND DEER
Gunner. Seeking Autumn Sport
In the Woods.
XooDcocK A TRYING MARK.
Tricks OF Flight That Test the
Snap Shots Skill.

Tne Second Among Game Birds In Point OF
Dimculty Of shooting-Ground They
Frequent and the Kind Of Gun to Use
Tho New Hunting Licenses in Maine
Important Advice for Deer Hunters
Good Shooting and Good Eating
Furnished by the Despised Mudhen.
The man who shoots woodcock. whether
for the market or his own amusement.
IA always a sportsman, presumably because
he cannot be anything else and get the
birds. Now and then 1t may happen that
an incsutious male may show himself upon
q bit Of bare ground near spring and 80
die the death Of the rash: but not one wood
cock is shot sitting to every fifty shot on
the wing.
No bird makes harder demands upon
tho resources OF the gunner. Quick and
sure must be the hand, arm and eye OF
him who makes decent bag. The wood
cock always seeks the most difficult cover
and always knows how to take instant
advantage Of It.
II Ia not especially swift Of fight. Either
the quail or the jacksnipe in fair contest
would be able to fly rings around IT. lts
comparative safety lies In the popularity
Of its fight.
Many men who have written upon wood
cock shooting have described the manner
In which it springs straight upward from
It's hiding place, spirals toward the sky
until it attains a sufficient height above
trees or canebrake, then drops almost
straight down. They have said that when
tho woodcock Pushes so, the only moment
when it may be shot Is just as it poises
beforo it, plunge.
That Is correct 20 far as 1t goes. but this
manner Of flight is only one of the birds
many lodges to get out Of the way OF the
shot, More often IL will rise not more
than six feet from the ground and dart
away bet ween the trees or saplings, steer
ine itself with remarkable dexterity. and
in a flight Of from 10 to 20 feet will put
an impervious wall Of vegetation between
itself and its pursuer.
Frequently, too, when jumped ten feet
IN front OF the man 1t will spring straight
backward above his head, going not more
than five feet above him and dropping
10 tho ground inside of ten yards. Another
Of it's tricks, and a highly effective one,
ia to flush rot moro than two yards high.
flap rapidly to right or left and drop in
side Of twenty feet.
This ID done only in the thickest cover.
Once the bird has made flight OF this
kind It Is as much trouble to man and dog
70 find It a II it had never shown itself,
and IN the little time 1t Is half visible the
man does not live who can hit 1t oftener
than once in Ave, day in and out.
An old gunner who has shot all sorts OF
feathered field game states their compare
tive dificuhy a. follows: The hardest OF
Of it's wariness, the habit Of Jumping at long
distances, speed and smartness In bringing
trees between it and the shooter;it inhabits
the thiokest OF cover.
Next to the grouse In difficulty comes
the woodoock, which u slower and nushes
nearer at hand. but lives IN cover j1st as
dense and has a more eccentric flight.
Next to the woodcock Is the jacksnipe.
which, though bird Of the open, has zig
nag flight and great speed; and next TO tho
jacksnipe the quail, also bird Of the open,
with straight, or at least widely curved,
manner OF going and high velocity.
when II rises within fair distance. Is the
prairie chicken, which Is four times as big
"a q quail, flies a. straight and is not more
than three-quarters as fast. The more
experience men get In the field the NOR
apt they are to agree with this estimate;
for, while mon are found who shoot jack
to their personal peculiarities. The cor
rectness Of the estimate 10 shown IN their
averages.
Chokebores are of no value in going
after tho woodcock. The only gun Tor
this bird Is the cylinder bored double barrel.
good workmen prefer q l8-gauge,. with the
weight taken out OF it-as far as 1t can be
done with safety; but the l6-gauge, even
when cylindered, Is apt to shoot too closely.
throwing the pellets too much In mass
and better work can be done with L.
gauge Of, say Ok.
This gun Of straight stock, and with the
stock short enough TO come up to the shout
der readily, should have barrels not ex:
ceeding 20 inches in length. and a gun OF
24-inch barrel Is long enough. When I,
man has Q gun built along these lines ss. and
6nds that It distributes it's shot evenly
within q four foot circle. he will have q
Woodcock shooting is almost wholly
snap shooting, and snap shooting IL one OF
the highest forms Of the art: Briefly, the
snap shooter does not see his gun at all
He looks only at the bird.
Tho gun swings to the shoulder me
chemically and It comes up as soon as the
bird b seen. The man having both eyes
fastened on the bird the weapon swings
into line also automatically and the trigger
"a pressed automatically or sub-con,
sciously. When the bird checks and
falls, II the man looks backward and tries
to remember whether he noticed that
his barrels were in line he will find that
10 cannot do It,
A man who knows the woodcock is able
to find them-some OF them-without the
aid OF dog, because at certain times OF the
day they affect only certain sorts OF ground
and II II useless to look for them elsewhere
ANY hunter however, no matter what his
expsrtneas. will be the better of for good
The woodcock is not only hard to find
when II b alive, but very hard to find when
Il n dead, and many bird will 60 into the
bag through the services OF retriever
That else would 60 to waste. Some mer
prefer the spaniel for woodcock shooting
some the setter. some the pointer; but
the comparative usefulness Of the dogs
will depsnd largely upon the character o.
the country to be hunted through.
In swampy ground, thick grown witt
briars and canes, such az Ia the common
home OF the woodcock wintering In TN
South the spaniel ID the thing. A small
cocker will get through the canes and mut
1t lsss cost than either Of it, big rivals
II has the merit OF going ahead constantly
barking when the game Is flushed, 50 that
~ master may know where II is; and, beinl