The Washington herald., 1907-09-22
SHOOTING IN CHILE
Feathered Game Is Plentiful
Near Valparaiso.
BLACK TIGER" NOT FOUND
Puma, Deer, Fox, and Abundance of
Waterfowl Can Be Located by
POaching, but Owners Also Adopt
Summary Methods OF Their Own.

Before starting for Chile betook my
self to a firm OF gunmakers which is
reputed 10 be minutely Informed Of every
kiad Of shooting in any part Of the uni
verse. Being a customer. that informa-
ton was freely placed at my disposal,
writes Baron Won Bissing in the London
Times. Il was contained in tome the
size Of an old-fashioned family Bible.
On turning up in Chile We drew blank.
but the universally informed manager
told me with good luck might get
black tiger There was no feather
shooting in Chile. except, perhaps, some
stray wild swans in the extreme South,
certainly nothing worth bagging within
easy reach Of Valparaiso or Santiago.
However, on the of chance I took a
couple Of guns and a few hundred cart
ridges. and I am not sorry. for there is
every prospect Of my having excellent
feather shooting when the season begins
in March. the equivalent 10 the European
September. I have not been able TO dis
cover anything here about the BLACK
tiger" which, according to the gun
makers haunts the Chilean hills and
mountains On the other hand, I have
ascertaiRed that there Is plenty OF sport
to be got in Chile with the gun. even
within an hours ride OF Valparaiso.
Here is a list OF the game: duck, wild
geon. poachard duck, snipe. partridge.
California quail, doves, wood pigeon,
golden plover. wild swan and geese. be
sides the chance Of occasional snapshots
at eagles, foxes considered vermin),
wild cat, and puma.
POaching Is Punished.
"The shooting is rough. mostly over
dogs, frequently also without that aid.
In the latter case the retrieving is either
done by the shooter or by an accompany
ing boy. If there are several guns a man
is reauisitioned on horseback with big
bags slung on either side of the saddle to
collect the game. also to replenish the
stock of cartridges. There is a legal pen
atty for poaching, but Of so trivial a kind
that the owners Of land or shooting pre-
fer TO protect themselves by a summary
procedure Of their own. It generally takes
the form Of a thrashing. with warning
to the culprit Of being shot if seen again.
1T may be Of interest TO quote a few
items from last years shooting record Of
my host, Mr. A. D. Price, OF Las Zorras
Valparaiso: February 3. at Las Cenizas
(elose 10 Valparaiso), l35 ducks (six guns;
March 81, at Laguna del Ray {close to
Melipilla). 202 ducks, l wild swan (six
guns; April Il. at Culipran, IS partridges
and four sundries Ohree guns; April 80,
at Cenizas, 81 duck and quail 1.-TWO
guns; May p, at Cenizas, 81 poachard
duck two guns; June 14-l5, at Chilan
Gin the south, 495 snipe and wild geese
(three guns). In the course of last years
season-end Of February to July 22-my
hosts party bagged altogether 2,09l head
Of feather game of which total exactly
1,000 fell to his share No mean result
considering the rough condition, the
ToCghness Of the country and-I may add
from my own experience-the thorns Of
the Chilean jungle.
ITO I'LL up the interval between now
and the opening Of the feather shooting
season, am leaving for Terra del Fuego,
which is said TO be teeming with game Of
great variety-puma. deer. fox and an
abundance Of waterfowl"