The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-06-13

SUNNI
TI()0'IlN G
sEx-Psesid dent cleveland IN Gives
sports i a. Few Pointers

- 800
7ss5Sss$ AS a general rule our guns should
AVA a long rest before before
e&days of$sum MN er5 cation, writes
ssexzPresidents Cleveland in the indie.
pend r1t i. There IS, however, one,
game asitua ton; which justihes their.
and / hi situation which
some INES appropriately allows
ssmal I-gauge gun to be placed beside
the rod and reel in making up a va
cation nti
ssSs8 In july or August the summer mi
grafton from their breeding places in
the TAR N orth brings shore birds and
ploFer bot I'll old and full-grown
81 yol,n a long our Eastern Coast. in
:first-rate condition. My experience
lin shooting this game has all been
wit in recent years, and almost en-
stirel IN The marshes and along the
shores OF Cape Cod.
ss While T am willing to confess to
Considerable resentment against
those who in their shooting days
were oughtless enough to forget
Il that was to come after them, it
must by no means be understood
y that my cunning for shore birds has
been discouraging. have made
some fair bags. and any bag is large
enoush for me. providing have lost
no%opportunities and have shot well.
Besides "a have never indulged in
amy shooting so conducive to the
Stimulation and strengthening OF the
+ incompatible virtue OF patience. I
have sat IN a blind for five hours. by
ssthe " tch-aWake nearly all the time
55Ss tn a thout seeing or hearing a
BIRD worth shooting.
i oWeyer neither the killing
Of bird IS nor the cultivation OF pa
Submission to the fascination of
shore bird shooting on Cape Cod 1t
rs hard to explain this fascination.
II but my n otionsis that it grows out of
"a concefted attempt to calculate the
direction of the wind and other
wealth er conditions overnight. The
elaborate preparations for a daylight
start the uncertaintie of the pur-
suit under any conditions, the hope,
amounting almost to expectation,
that Notwithstanding this the wis
dom and cal culation expended in de-
Hstermining upon the trip will be vindi-
Gated the delightful early morning
drive to the grounds, the anticipa-
ton OF a. ght of birds every moment
while there, and the final sustaining
ssexpectation Of their arrival in any
event Just before night.
sI believe the unusual contingencies
of shore bird shooting and the wider
scope they give for hope and expec-
tation, together with the manifold
conditions which give abundant OPP
portnnity for self-conceit in calcu-
" Iating probabilities, account for its
qualities of exceptional fascination.
The. sportsman who persists is apt
Occasionally to find a good number
Iof$ birds about the grounds, and when
s## hat happens If he is adequately
equipped with good decoys and the
right spirit, and especially if he is
able to call the birds, he will enjoy a
4 variety of fine shooting The mi
tiated will well understood the impor-
X lance Of the call. and they know that
Il the best callers will get the most
birds! The notes of the shore birds,
though quite dssimilar, are in most
n cases easily initiated after a little
practice, and a simply constructed
& contriyance, which can be purchased
at almost any sporting goods store,
viii answer for all the game if prop
sSerly used. The birds are usually
heard before they are seen and if
\ their notes are answered naturally
and not too vehemently or often,
\; they will soon be seen within shoot
Il ing range, whether they are black
4 breasted plover, chicken plover, yell
4 low legs, piping plover, curlew, san
SderlingS or grass birds. OF course, no
decent hunter allows them to alight
4 before he shoots.
would not advise the summer va
vasionist who lacks the genuine
sporting spirit to pursue the shore
bird Those who do SO should not
disgrace themselves by killing the
z handsome little sandpipes, or peeps,
too small to eat. 1t is better to go
a home with nothing killed than to
y feel the weight of mean, unsports-
y manlike act
ONE FARE=FoR THE ROUND TRIP
p-~,,ht;o,- h,+;a,-t