The San Francisco call., 1909-12-26
GOOD SPORT FOR
THE DUCK HUNTERS
Game Plentiful Along Lower
Bay for First Time Since
Season Opened
By FRANK o'DoNNELL


Generally speaking. duck hunters
found sport good during the last seven
days, but if shooters had not been scat
tered over widely separated parts of
the country frequented by the web foot
ed wild fowls. there would have been
an entirely different tale to tell for
although the game was plentiful at the
old haunts, conditions underwent a
radical change about the middle of the
week For the first time since the
opening of the season shooters along
the lower bay shores found ducks plen-
tiful and conditions favorable for sue
cessful hunting, while there was de-
cided slump in results at resorts in
other parts of the country. Ducks We're
so hard to get on the Suisun marsh that
limit bags ceased to be the rule on the
VOlante grounds and on other preserves
on Joyce island, which had heretofore
been the most favored resort around
the bay. while it was reported that the
freezing weather had driven immense
f1ocks of birds from the Los BanOs
country to the more hOspitable south
ern country.
Members of the dozen or more gun
clubs on the AlvaradO and AlvisO
marshes did very well last Sunday.
more limit bags being made in that
region on the first day of the week
than at any time during the current
season Ed KerrisOn. of trap shooting
prominence, with John Billie and George
Thomas were at the Pastime club
grounds on the AlvaradO marshes and
all three of them brought down the
limit with comparative ease. their bags
consisting chiefly of spoOnbills with a
sprinkling of teal.
Al Shave and Harry HaughwOut were
also on the Alvarado bog and returned
to the city with II and 20 birds re-
spectively. Arthur Priest and Mike Me-
Donald shot near Mount Eden with
several others and every one in the
party was the proud possessOr OF 25
ducks on the journey home. The salt
ponds on the west bay shore in San
MateO county also yielded limit divi-
dends to sportsmen. Will Hogan re-
peated his performance OF the preced-
ing week by getting all that the law
allows on these ponds and George Mil
Ter and his two sons, who were with
Hogan, also accounted for % each.
Quite a few canvaSbacks were bagged
by this party and according to report
the cans are more numerous on the
southern bay than ever before.
ON JOYCE ISLAND
Drs. Leonard and McGettigan, Nat
BOas and Jim Maynard Jr. were among
the shooters on the Volante club pre-
serve on Joyce island Sunday and they
managed to connect with enough ducks
White was on the Volante ponds for q
midweek shoot and came near to get
ting a full bag. and DR.. Sharpe did fair
ly well on W. W. Richards place. but
on the whole there was a scarcity OF
game in the Suisun marsh region Billy
Hynes. Jack Fillmer. Jake Nichols and
Ed WandS tried the Cook ponds sun
day. but their joint kill was several
birds short of one limit Hynes was
authority for the statement that mush-
rooms were more plentiful than ducks
on their preserve.
Large numbers of bluebills We're
killed from the San Pablo bay shore
blinds during the week. but very few
cans" were winged therabOut. Jack
McGOvern. Jack Carney and Bill Muir
ply had fair shoot near Sears point
The two Jacks made a joint kill OF
about 80 ducks. 1 gray goose. II Eng
lish Snipe and Jack rabbit. Ray
Mecchi brought 21 canvasbacks and
bluebills in from Ignacio Sunday. near
ly all of which were killed toward
dusk. Jim Black. Louis Meyer and
Lon Radigan and about a dozen other
hunters burned powder with good re-
suits on TOmales bay. where b1uebills
and canvasbacks were plentiful.
ABUNDANT At Los BANOS
In the Los Banos country game was
in abundance and the usual good shoot
in that region Sunday. but the sport
received a setback later in the week.
Walter Woods intended to go to his
Ingomar preserve near Los BanOs with
some friends for the holidays, but re-
ports that the cold weather had frozen
the ponds and driven the birds out
caused him to postpone his trip.
The usual delegation of Empire club
members went to the Elkhorn pre-
serve Sunday. The weather was raw
and the rain interfered with shooting,
but considering these drawbacks IL
was a good day in point of achieve
ment, the shooters averaging from Is
to 25 birds each. Dr. Hopkins. J. G..
Simms. J. POltier. r. S. Judah, j. z.
Hauer and F. W. SanbOrn were the
most successful hunters in the party.
Quail hunters are getting some good
sport In various parts of the country.
Clarence Haight and Chester Jordan
were at Livermore recently, but they
did not do very well. while j. Peltier
got the limit. as usual, at Elkhorn Sun
day. Clarence Nauman. Dick Dyer.
Jack Marks and Harry knight were at
Bakersfield for a Saturday to Monday
stay and found the birds plentiful
enough to make their trip a profitable