The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-09-25
DUCK HUNTERS
ARE PREPARING
Ban Placed on Shooting is Off
Next Saturday.
WHAT THE CLUBS ARE DOING
MILLIONS OF BIRDS ARE READY
FOR HUNTERS GUN.


orce again be in clover 1t viii be the
opening date for the fall duck shooting.
and myriads of the feathered tribe are
fat and juicy for the slaughter that is
bound to follow on this day. The open
ing of the duck season in Utah is one
OF the memorable days of the year
among q large class OF its citizens. for
Utah has more duck hunters than any
other state in the Union. As soon as
a boy is old enough to carry a gun his
first thought is to go out and kill
enough ducks for the family dinner,
and this laundering for the sport never
leaves until the eyesight become too
dim to draw bead or the finger too
weak to pull trigger.
Duck hunting could properly be called
the national sport of Utah, and inter
est will be at fever heat on next Sat
urday, Oct. I, the date set when the
strong arm of the law no longer acts
as protector for the millions OF ducks
raised annually in this state. The
rusty muzzle- loader in the hands of the
farmer boy and the latest Browning
automatic carried by the city chap, the
pump gun of the market hunter and
the double-barreled breach loader han
died by the true sportsman viii be
cleaned and oiled for. the occasion.
These instruments will all be brought
into use, and ere the sun sets on the
first day thousands of ducks will have
fallen before the deadly aim Of the man
behind the gun
Advent of the Duck Club.
It is always customary to say that
the prospects for ducks this season are
better than ever before" and there is
no reason why the stock phrase should
not be quoted again this year and there
is every reason why it should. The ad-
vent of the duck club. an organization
hardly known couple of years back
is doing wonders for the game in this
state. Nearly all of the available duck
| shooting grounds are now controlled
by some one or other of these clubs
and the club members are doing more
| to protect the nests, the young and The
ducks out of season than the law itself
Some of the clubs feed the ducks, some
! hire watchers to drive coyotes away
/ from the nests and the young. and
nearly all of them keep deputies on The
/ ground to prevent shooting out Of sea-
!
! son.
| The duck clubs are also increasing
| the shooting area by building bitches
/ constructing lakes and flooding ground:
that have heretofore been dry land
Each club improves its own propert!
year by year in this manner. and thou
I sands of additional ducks find feeding
! grounds in this state that would leave
as soon as the young are able to fly.
Then again, the duck clubs have
! learned that many thousands of egg
are destroyed each year by the higi
waters that come late in the spring
To offset this dams are constructed
during the winter to hold the waite
hack all spring, forcing the duck Il
| high land to nest BY doing this tn
NESTS are plenty high enough when tn
spring freshets arrive, and many
| plump duck is saved for the fall hunt
er that would not otherwise have seel
the light of day.
Makes Big Increase in Ducks.
The net result of all of these effort
is a great increase in the supply o
ducks. But where does the unattached
hunter come in? Every year he kick
about the encroachments Of the duel
club. as he is crowded out of some IA
vorite spot of past years, but 1t IS o
no use. He has TO cOnfine his shooting
10 a smaller area, (which VIII decreas
as the duck clubs increase
This year, however. the unattache
hunter is better off than he has bee
for some time. Water is more plenti
ful than it has been for a number o
summers and large pools still stand a
o~F Of this comfy
The West lakes, Williams lake, Beck
lake Jordan river and numberles
small slouehs southwest of the city ar
stul omen territory and shelter duck
nv the thousands. The hunter who
not fortunate enough to belong to som
\ dnck club therefore stands a goo
!, chances of having a days sport mex
Saturday.
new feature in duck bunting d
I-tah will be the use of automobiles. /
the past horses, bicycles, wagons an
carts of all descriptions have bee
used to carry the army of hunters fror
the CITY to the various rendezvou
where ducks are known TO be How
ever. this year one may expect TO Sc
large numbers of hunters take to In
automobile as 4 quick mode Of trave
and the bonk honk of the red deN
NAV take the place of the reed ca
used so extensively by the hunters.
STORMY Weather is Wanted
The only disappointing outlook fc
) the >opening of the season is til
weather. Ducks fly high IN cies
weather. and from all indications
win he clear and bright next Saturda!
should a rainstorm, or heavy "a
!, weather blow up the coming week.
win mean thousands OF additions
ducks in hunters bags on the openin
: day.
/ Although the opening OF the seaso
; is still a week of. hunters nave pee
preparing for the event for some tim
| The local sporting goods houses a
busy these days selling new guns, r.
nairins the old ores, and hundreds
tons of ammunition have been sol
one duck club that has its grounds
the mouth of Bear river placed an o.
! der~for 20. 600 shells last week, with II
structions to have this many mo-
, ready for shipment if called upon TO
so This club supplies shells Tor men
: hers. who come from all over the Uni
[. : ed STATES TO have a couple or week
: outing shooting Utah ducks. The
men tell great stories about the mi
lions Of ducks in this state and ea6
: wear adds 10 the list of hunters IN
come TO Utah 10 enjoy this sport.