Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-04
SOUTH NOW A HAVEN
FOR MANY SPORTSMEN

anchoring and the distance from shore
where such anchoring shall be done
Florida, hard hit for a time by the
feather and plume hunter. has improved
game laws now and the federal Lacey act
helps It in its work In addition, railroads
and road Improvement have given access to
tracts that were not TO be reached few
wears ago except by long, slow journeys.
There Is a good deal OF deer shooting in
the state The deer are not large. but they
are shy and wise enough to make hunting
a true sport. Occasionally panther can
be bagged in the swamps and thfckets. AL
ligator skin hunting nearly cleaned that
reptile out few years ago. but lately there
has been an opportunity for fun.
THE alligator isn't a game animal, but
his pursuit is exciting as most ordinary
sportsmen can wish. The alligator may be
hunted in day or night time. Each form
has its own peculiar attractions.
IN the daytime he may be 'stalked and
shot with a rifle as he lies on bank or
bar; or the shooter may go In a canoe
which is padded softly toward the reptile
until the hunter is close enough to use a
shotgun with effect.
Might hunting for alligators is one Of
the weirdest forms of American sport. The
canoe glides softly over coal black water,
with heavy trees hanging over the banks
and everything lost in gloomy mystery. \
The dazzle of ii makes d drifting or swim
ming alligator hesitate just long enough to
provide a good chance for a shot Some
times the lantern is affixed to the bow of
the boat Sometimes it is affixed , to the
front of the sportsmans hat so that its
beam of light shines straight in the direc
ton of the line of aim.
This method of night hunting is known
as shining If the gator is asleep wnen
the shine falls on him he will glare stu
pidly at it for moment or two before he
is awake fully enough to get away into the
darkness. Then is the time to shoot. The
shotgun is most used for this kind of hunt
ing and the charge is sent into the joints
between the head and shoulders.
"One of the exciting stages Of alligator
hunting is after the beast has been hit
AS dead alligator sinks almost at once, it
is necessary to get hold of him quickly
Sometimes it happens that the creature
has not died as he should and in that case
there will be vast trouble, a great deal
more interesting to read about than TO eN-
perience. 4 ten-foot alligator, hurt griev-
ously and crazy mad, a canoe that remains
right side up even under ordinary circum-
stances only because the occupants are
lucky, a pitch-dark bayou and black water
full of various undesirable reptiles. from
water moccasins to other alligators, makes
a combination equal to a first-class night
mare.
Everybody ~knows about Florida fishing,
but not everybody knows that the men who
go there to catch big fish really do not
taste the finer degree of sport with rod and
line Estimating the quality of sport by
the hundredweight has a fine pleasure of
its own. But in recent years many tarpon
anglers having caught their ton or so OF
the great silver king have turned with
sigh of relief to the light split bamboo rod
and the thin line and find the true sport in
catching the smaller game fish of the coast