The Washington herald., 1907-12-01

when a bird hidden i'm a slight depression
made 10y a horses hoof whirred for the
nearest smilax thicket and made a clean
getaway.
One of the prettiest sights / have ever
witnessed was in a thick underground.
Old Bob had come 10 a stiff point, and
showed very plainly that the bird was
directly under his nose.
Bird Wins Hunters Mercy.
Try as I would. could see nothing. For
once I trusted the old dogs better sense.
For fully five minutesH looked and looked
when suddenly something bright caught
my gaze. and there was little black eye
peering out at me- the bird being buried
beneath a bunch Of dead leaves. For
some moments l looked at it and wished
for a camera, and then called my com
panion TO see. too. II was a grand pic
ture Shoot him? No, Ten thousand
times no, I looked ar the picture until
satisfied, then kicked the bird up. gave
him a fair chance as he cut through the
bushes thirty yards away. and missed
him, but ] got more pleasure out OF that
one bird than from a dozen shots
Did you ever hear Of COW peas? In this
section they are planted quite a good deal.
but in the South they are one Of the main
crops. \ bed of cow peas is the one
great feeding place for birds and If YOU
can once md patch i'm your days hunt.
you Will almost certainly find a covey OF
birds either in it or not very far from it.
Wheat stubble is famous place, as is
also any grain field. and when every other
place has been hunted. try the steep hill
sides and little swales bordering the
woods.
Advice for the Novice
For the man who tries the sport for the
first time this year-and there are num-
bers every fall who are ushered into the
great army Of shooters-I would suggest
a little farther away from the city than
ordinarily Thirty miles down the river
on either side will land one in good ter
ritOry where there are birds. King George
County. va. is fairly well stocked.
Charles and -. Mary's Counties. Nd.
have each a fair quota Of birds. while
nearer home one can get a little sport in
Fairfax, or Prince George Counties. or
course. the famous grounds of the Caro-
linas are open to everybody who can spare
the time, but that requires money. and a
license as we'll If you have no dog you
will have 10 work harder and play dog
yourself, but you can still get some quail,
and probably will get a number Of shots
in the course of the day.
Being without a dog. it will be neces-
sary to be always ready. When you run
into "A covey YOU will get no warning
whatever until the birds spring from be
meath your very feet, and, in addition to
startling you. they are mighty apt 10
catch YOU just when in a bad position.
The writer once killed one by mere luck.
lying on his side IN a mud puddle. where
he had slipped and fallen just as the birds
broke cover. Quail hunting with a dog is
work enough but without one il unoues-
tionably becomes one Of the hardest kinds
of hard hunting
Give Them H Chance.
You may come upon quail in the most
unexpected places. and the opportunity
may present itself for a fine pot-shot at
a whole bunch OF birds. Don't. I beg Of
YOU. ever soil your reputation as a gen
tleman and a sportsman by taking advan-
tage of it, II you can't kill your bird
neatly on the wing. far better come back
empty handed. but with a clear record
as 10 craftsmanship. Give every bird you
shoot al fair chance for his little bunch
OF feathers then get him If you can.