The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-12-13
CANVASBACK DUCKS
SWARM MARSHES
AT LAST
Clear, Cool Weather Gives
Promise OF Good Sport for
the Coming Week
BY Frank ODonneII

The fight of canvasback ducks from
the klamath lake and other northern
regions to the grounds frequented by
local sportsmen has at last commenced
A few days ago word reached the city
| that these much priced birds Were ar
irving in large numbers at the upper
end of San Pablo bay and they were
also reported to be numerous in the
I Sacramento valley.
These reports were not given much
I publicity. as the favored few who were
posted preferred for obvious reasons TO
keep their knowledge to themselves.
| However, when two members of the
Empire gun club made known that they
had killed SO large cans on the club
grounds at Elkhorn last Wednesday.
what had been closely guarded secret
became public property.
The arrival of the northern canvas
backs and the return of the clear, cool
weather will give added impetus TO
duck hunting which received a tempo
rary check when recent visitationS of
the storm king sent the game scudding
from the hunting areas around the bay
to the Ravens of refuge in the interior.
AS a result of the severe weather sport
was poor on the SonOma and Suisun
marshes last week. while hunters who
Journeyed to Los BanOS, Cuisine, New
man and other points in the San Joa-
quin valley were well paid for their
trouble.
In the valley all kinds of ducks that
are found on the coast, with the excep-
numbers; the iocks OF teal. widgeon
and sprig being particularly large The
storms have also sent birds flying in
all directions throughout the Sacra-
nento valley and the fact that there
was not rain enough to foIn many
new new, ponds, ,l In thar region leads sports
their way back to their old haunts on
the bay shores
MANY LUCKY HUNTERS
Duck shooting did not furnish all of
the sport in the vicinity of Los Banos
bags of snipe killed. At the Newman
club grounds, Ben Woolner OF Oak
land got limit bags of ducks and snipe
Feudner and Theodore Kytka, who shot
with him. were content with 50 ducks
each.
There was a big delegation of Los
Banosl club members out and limit bags
Of snipe were obtained by George Fl.
rer. j. D. Coleman. c. M. Osborn. DR..
r. X Smith, Drs. E. f. BrowneU, T. p.
Bishop and j. Cadman. At the Gus
tine club Bert Patrick, DIR. Sylvester,
| DIR. Clyde Payne and DIR. Redmond
| Payne had a splendid shoot. There
were thousands of birds on the grounds
| of the West Side club near Los Banos.
but none of the members was out.
/ A successful shoot was enjoyed by
+ Empire gun club members at Elkhorn
sunday. f: S. Judah and Charles Laing
of that club got so ducks and Is quail,
most of the ducks being anvasbacks,
while j. B. Hauer got limit bags of both
| quail and ducks.
w. o. Cullen and Rod Guyett got the
largest joint bag of ducks for the day.
| killing As birds between them. Fred
Chase of this club and a guest were
responsible for the bag of SO canvas
backs killed Wednesday, and they also
[ got IS large sprig.
The shooting at Cordelia and other
places ON the Suisun marsh was such
as to disgust many of the members of
gun clubs in that region, even so re-
nowned shot as Frank Bond being
unable to get anything like q limit bag.
/ Clarence Nauman of the CIoverleaf
I club. who brings down a bird almost
every time he sights a gun. had to be
content with one teal and one mallard.
Ducks were so scarce on the ClOverieaf
grounds that Nels Nielsen was obliged
to turn his attention to mud hens. and
| Jack Marks was found asleep in blind.
/ In fact members of this club put in the
| day in idleness, waiting for the train
| for home.
At Achille Roos' Allegro preserve
shooting was merely fair and W. L
GerstIe and G. Gauld who shot around
Cygnus got small bags. On Joyce
island there was fair sprlnkhng OF
sprig and a few cauvasbacks late in
| the week, but there was much sport
| to be had on Sunday.
lQUAIL ARE PLENTIFUL
/ Last Sunday was an ideal day for
| quail shooting in Monterey county, as
rain had been falling for several days
/ previously in that section and the
ground was in excellent shape for dogs
! to work on. In addition to the results
attained on the Empire club grounds
| many unattached hunters secured limit
| bags and the late trains were laden
with homeward bound nimrOds, most
of them displaying % of the game
| broilers as trophies of the days hunt
Around the bay quail shooting was
| Indifferent except in instances where
| shooters obtained admission into. vine
| yards and other inclosed lands. In
| Marin county there were many hunters
| out but few of them got what could
be called good bags. 5. Grand and Mrs
! Grandi of Point Reyes were out last
Sunday and bagged Is birds. most of
| the killing be done by Mrs. Grandi, who
| is an enthusiastic and expert hunter.
\ Thus far this season this sport has
been very poor in SOnoma and Marin
| counties. and sportsmen- besides being
E. disappointed. are puzzled over their IN
ability to bag the game as il was gen
orally believed TO be plentiful. and II
was thought that the cool weather COM
ing after the rain would bring the
| birds out from the thick underbruSh
/ into the open The last rains were
| heavy enough to drench the thick COW
/ ering but somehow the game has sue
| ceeded In eluding hunters thus far