The San Francisco call., 1909-02-07
HUNTERS EAGERLY
AWAIT COMING
OF GEESE
Season Is Practically Closed So
Far as Ducks and Quail
Are Concerned
By Frank O'DonneH

If there was anything like good
hunting of wild ducks or geese to be
had anywhere within a radius of 100
miles of the city last Sunday. or an
any day during the last week, local
powder burners were unable to locate
that particular spot; and, Judging from
the meager arrivals in the markets and
the small bags brought in by sports
men, those hunters who said two weeks
ago that the sport was off for the
season were right.
Both duck and quail hunters are
down on their luck, and with the end of
the open season for both kinds of game
only one week away it is safe to say
that hunting on a large scale is i'm
gade will have to content themselves
with bagging wild geese or turn to
trap shooting for recreation.~
Reports from all sections last week
limit or even a fair bag of ducks,
as the abundance of feed in the inun-
dated grain fields of the interior and
the river delta proved too strong an at
traction for the birds and they evinced
no disposition to leave the overf1ows
and come within range of the hunters
guns; Conditions, governing quail
the preceding week, all reports telling
of small results. limit bag of either
ducks or quail last week would have
DSOii q ldI1ty Cdl1IuS lOE
ment and hearty congratulation.
Returning duck hunters, when ques-
uoned concerning their luck last week,
would say after some hesitation that
they managed to bag a few birds, or
that they had heard of some one else
who was reported to have bagged as
many as 10 or II, while quail hunters
would generally offer the excuse that
the ground was too wet and that there
was no excuse in stalking through
mud looking for game when it was a
would be fruitless.. In fact, no one
had anything to enthuse over, and the
lack of enthusiasm spoke palmer than
words for when a hunter has had any
clined to be enthusiastic to the point
of eXaggeration
1t Is the consensus of opinion that
there will be nothing doing in hunt
ing circles to speak of until the lat
ter part of the current month or early
IN March, when wild goose shooting
Will furnish some good sport. Wild
geese offer the last hope to the shoot
Ing enthusiasts. as they are not pro-
tected by law, and they generally come
In from the grain fields to the valleys
ing on their northern hieht. Around
Davisville and Willows in the Sacra-
mento valley goose shooting is always
sood in March. as the birds are found
there In great numbers. fattening on
the pepper grass, which is plentiful in
that region.
Plans for this years trap shooting
are taking definite shape and the of
ficials Of the Pacific Coast trap shoot
ers' league expect to open the season
on Washington's birthday or on the
day preceding with q two day blue
rock tournament.
From present indications there will
be a return to the old system of hav-
ing only one man up to shoot at a time.
Under this plan each man shoots over
five traps In a so foot line and the sport
is thereby made more beneficial to the
shooter by giving him more field prac-
tice 1t is argued that the plan of hav-
ing shooters work over only one trap
makes the sport mere mechanical
proposition and deprives the shooter
who is possessed of only ordinary
ability of a chance to make anything
like a fair showing. and the result is
that the trophies always go to a few
crack shots.
Another argument In favor of a re-
turn to the old style is that the sport
would be made more popular thereby
as the expenditure for shells would be
greatly reduced and contestants would
be more numerous. The league has
eight handsome trophies to be shot for
this year.