The San Francisco call., 1908-11-22
.Duck Shooting Better
Despite Weather
Prayers for Rain and Storms
Unanswered, but Hunters
Get Good Bags
By Frank 0'DonneH

for rain and severe weather, the pur-
suit of suceulent wild fowls continues
unchecked, and while the elements may
not be doing their share toward fur
nishing ideal hunting conditions,
sportsmen are expressing less .dissatis-
faction with the general situation than
they were a few weeks ago. OF course
without rain there is much room Tor
! Improvement, but despite the absence
of moisture the sport has improved 10
a considerable extent Thin birds are
not so much in evidence as heretofore
while fat fowls seem TO be more nu-
merous than at any time since the
il localities where complaints OF the
general thinness of the game were
loudest. This change in conditions is
attributed by experts 10 the fact that
the birds are flying to the interior
grain fields for food, and besides, the
northern fowls have had time TO rest
and fatten after their long flight
The sport is best on the gun club
preserves. where ponds are well baited,
and nearly all gun club members are
getting good results: but their luck is
pendent scout hunters, the best shoot
ing grounds being closed to them, and
game does not frequent the few ponds
on the unleased lands, where there are
no Inducements in the way Of feed.
While a majority of hunters are en-
5oying good sport, limit bags are not
so numerous as might be expected
considering the vast numbers of ducks
| that are seen around the bay. On
/ both the upper and lower bays there
is an abundance of game in sight, but
the ducks have become familiar with
the habits of hunters and are more
wary and Nigilant than ever
DUCKS ARE WARY
They come into the baited ponds and
70 the grain fields at night, but leave
the marshes at the first streak of
dawn. when the daily bombardment
generally commences, and spend the
greater part OF the day Ioafing in the
open stretches of the bay. This is
particularly true of the Suisun and
Sonona marshes. and the hunters in
those districts hardly ever get more
! than one crack at them in the morn
ings. in the vicinity of Tubbs island.
at the mouth Of Petaluma creek, and
along the Marin shore the birds are
seen loanng IN countless numbers, but
hunters have little chance to get them.
Fine large northern birds are seen
\ here. but they show no inclination to
come within shooting distance OF
huntsmen.
DR.. Wiborn cruised around the upper
end of San Pablo bay in a launch last
Sunday, and he stated that the water,
which was as smooth as glass al the
time was covered for miles with all
kinds of ducks. The doctor was not
/ hunting al the time, but he stated that
there were great many launches out
! carrying hunters who were worrying
| the game and chasing st from PLACE to
/ place. but with little success. This
! practice of pursuing hocks of ducks
! around the bay in launches is frowned
/ uDon by sportsmen. as it is invariably
unsuccessful, deprives the birds OF rest,
and does much TO keep them thin and
poor. Hunters who spent last Sunday
! at Reclamation. Ignacio, Millers and
! other places on the Marin shore report
/ ed that over 20 launches were en-
ployed in this questionable sport. and
/ they were bitter in their denunciation
! Of the practice. claiming that it would
tend 70 drive the game from that part
/ Of the country altogether.
GOOD IN SAN. JOAQUIN
On all Of the preserves throughout
the San Joaquin valley shooting rs re-
! ported good and steadily improving,
and the condition of the birds is also
showing decided improvement. Not
1 only are ducks plentiful, but millions
OF geese are seen in the valley from
lCrows landing to Firebaugf. There are
! many hunters who take as much de-
light in baggiug geese as they do IN
getting limit bags Of ducks, and to
them the sirustion in the valley is most
satisfactory -A1. Q. teQdDer. and c. Q.
i Huber spent Saturday al Newman and
got limit bags and stayed over until
Sunday. when they repeated the per-
NJ. MagrUder. Fred Willett and. John
Chace in their. second days shoot, and
all Of the quintet got large and well
assorted bags of teal. spOonbill. NAL
lard and widgeon. Pete McRae and
4 Arthur J. Burton shot over the grounds
of the West side club in the same vi
cinity and returned TO the city with 81
birds each. Some northern canvas
backs have appeared in this region, but
not in very large numbers, While nc
northern sprig have been seen as yet
On some Of the preserves of the
Suisun marsh gun club, members are
/ doing well. but they would prefer tc
see the northern canvasbacks spend
more time around the club ponds thar
. I in The
AchiIie Roos gets the limit every tim,
he visits his Allegro preserve, anc
Frank Afaskey and his guests have ha6
uniform success ever since opening day
Afaskey left town yesterday morning
for two davs' shoot In company viii
two fellow club members and a party
Of guests.
tinue TO bring IN glowing reports oi
the fine shooting to be had on .theil
grounds at E1lzhorn IN Monterey coun.
t.. Last Sunday Colonel NJ P. Maus
was guest Of the club, and he and J
Peltier got 40 sprig and widgeon.
MANY REACH LIMIT
Wednesday Commodore Irving goi
q limit bag of the same birds, and
DR.. George K. Erink duplicated their
performance J. 3. Hauer broke the
I clubs record for the number of birds
bagged in one day, bringing in 8;
ducks, nine English snipe and Il quail
a remarkable fea ture Of his kill wa,
|, / that he got al OF ms olrcS within
radius Of 800 yards of his duck blind
IF. s. judah and DR.. z. K. Hopkins
were among the other members whC
did we'll and they paid no attention
10 small birds, getting nothing bu
! mallard, sprtg and widgeon.
The situation as to quail hunting /;
anything but satisfactory, and in som,
t parts Of the upper bay counties tn,
sport is practically of Very few hunt
ers are going out after this game, a,
past experience has proved that ther,
would be little use in doing so. Tn,
! birds continue to hug the heavily tim,
bered foothills and the thick brush
from which they are not likely Il
emerge until the rain drives them Il
; the valleys and canyons for food anC
warmth. IN the southern counties. par
ticularly in Fresno, MERGED and Kern
the shooting is good, but few loca
hunters venture so far from home il
the quest for game
Snipe shooting has not been gooc
thus far for the season, as the grounC
near the marshes is too hard and feet
for the birds is scarce. This sport
Ike that OF quail hunting, Is not gooc
| withouT some rain. and until that /:
had hunters win have nothing to en-.
thuse over
Hair cut French OF English style.
cents. Franco British style, a great