Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-02-21

gun with their repeaters, with the re
suit CT simply frightening the flock
which clrcied once and then making a
bee line to the south rose high over
Buffers Head ana passed out 10 sea in
the teeth Of the gale.
I cannot close this article without an
aliusion TO that great evil, the repeat
ing Shotsuh-as witnessed daily in this
famous ducking ground. II is Ger
talnly 4 serious matter and one which
must shortly be reckoned with If our
Shooting is TO DE preserved. In max
il ms broad statement | Voice not
only my own views. bat the candid
opinion of many Of the older native
gunncrs Of the bay shore. whose OBJ
serVat!ons Of the results have extend
ed over many years. and who. them
selves, have been forced TO adopt the
use Of these terrifying magazine guns
in order to hold their own" as they
express II, with others. who bring
them 10 me bay. Such nave repeated
l.: assured Inc Of the great harm
these furious fusillades have done to
the birds and are even now doing to
the limited number that are left, and
even asked if something could not be
done to prohibit their use. They say
they would welcome the day when
every one would be obliged to go back
TO the old double barrel breech loader.
The birds would lhen have 4 show at
least, aha ali the gunners would be on
an equael footing as far as firearms go.
The evils are tWo-fOd. \ repeater
or magazine gun in the hands of a
good shot Will III ip, ~ i
| nate flock Of six or eight if the birds
can be sculled within thirty-five yards.
while in the hands of an amateur or
poor shot The entire six shots will be
banged away at the birds utterly re-
gardless of whether they are In within
reasonable distance or not. This is.
perhaps. the greater evil Of the two.
II is 50 handy" to have six shots at
ones elbow, that ii seldom happens,
ANA | will not except the expert or the
able native gunner who knows better
but what II he fires at all at rising
flock he will empty his gun at them
even if he knows the birds are out of
range.
THIS terrible and senseloss cannon
ading-I can can il nothing else
fright"ns such birds as escape, into Il
perfect Irclizy ai:d it is little wonder
that thousands Of them are driven III
distraction from the bay only to re-
visit il tor their favoritc food under
cover Of darkness.
The advent Of tho "Aut0matic" gun
is Il step further in The process of cX-
termination. This ncfarimls machinn
needs no pumping, but shoots It's cn-
tire contents with lightning rapidty
with but the pressure OF Il finger and
without removing the gun from the
shoulder.
As for myself, have never used
anything but an ordinary double gun.
and tW"iv" &a'ig" ut mat, and brtieTr
anything more destructive or noisy
works 1" Tie ultinlat, disadvantage OF
II" %unlIer as Wcll as III" birds.
1h""" illustrations and will close.
| haV" also witnessed a good shot
scull a bunch Of birds. and when
through mIskiiiful manruvcrin" thr
birds rose wild. seen tWriv. shots fronI
two rcp".It,ls fired into their retreat
ing rank; in less Tin" than it takes to
relat" it, with the. result only OF Il
scns"lcss frightening Of the birds.
! have also Witnessed a good shot
carefully Scull Il bunch of six Black
Ducks, getting TWO with the first shot
on the water. ANA then as they rose.
pick off in rapid sucresssion one BY
one. tile other rcltrainng four With his
deadly repeater, eXtcrminating the
flock.
Again, when waiting on the shore Of
the bay i'll Octoi,erxI observed q a,bunch
of Twelve Black Backs fly oveh the
woods ana make for Il small pond hole
where | knew three gunnerS We're ly-
ing in wait with repcaters. In 4 fow
seconds fifteen shots We're fired with
such a rapidity that they could scarce
" be counted and one lone duck came
out over the tree tops the sole sur
viv0r Of the hapless flock.
These illustrations of the workings
Of the magazine gun must convince
any fair minded sportsman of the de-
STABILITY of prohibiting their use, ana
by all means let us work to that end
before it is too late.
There is little use in locking the
stable door after the horse is stolen.