The San Francisco call., 1909-01-14
RAIN AND WIND ARE
NOT WELCOMED
BY HUNTERS
Recent Storms Drive Ducks to
Interior Ponds and Shoot.
ing Is Poor
By Frank O'Donnen

The sport of duck hunting has re-
ceived another setback through the
action of the elements, and from pres
ent indications shooters of the festive
wild fowls will find their favorite pas
time productive of good results only
in few favored sections. The stormy
weather has caused a general scatter
ing of the game and in districts in the
immediate vicinity Of the city. where
ducks were plentiful week ago, hunt
ers are hardly able to bag enough in
a single day to make a visit to the
shooting grounds prontable- On the
marsh areas around the bay, where
ducks were found in abundance during
the greater part of the current season,
hardly feather is seen now. the re-
cent heavy rains and accompanying
winds having sent the game scudding
to the newly formed ponds in the in
terror.
Canvasback and bluebill shooting is
still good on the upper reaches of San
Pablo bay, as the stormy weather does
not drive these birds away from their
CHOSEN haunts, but merely sends them
In from deep water to the shore. while
on the marsh areas. where such birds
as teal, WfdgeOn and mallard are found
In favorable weather, there is nothing
at the moment to offer an incentive
TO hunters. On the Suisun marsh last
Sunday shooting was the poorest ex-
perienced since the season opened, and
nearly all of the bags brought to the
CITY from that region were small
Ihere was large attendance at the
Nolante club grounds on the northern
end or Joyce islands, but results were
poor as rule, Jim Maynard being the
only member to return with limit
Dag The Ibis club grounds were de-
serted, even Justice Henshaw and Ed
McGeery failing to snow up. The alb
sence OF guns from that preserve
spoiled the shooting on adjoining
grounds, as what few birds were in
sight remained on the Ibis ponds
where they Were unmoIested.
Captain Seymour, who shot over the
old Harvey ponds with a friend, re-
ported that there was very little game
in sight, and AchilIe ROos found sport
ports from the San Joaquin valley say
that some good shooting was had on
the Gustfne and West Side club grounds
ABOVE Newman, While there was very
little doing around Los Banos
A long spell of dry weather or cold
weather would effect a complete change
throughout the country ducks are TO
be found either in small or large num-
bers, feeding on the new grass and
enjoying themselves generally. Even
in places where fresh water ponds of
an lnch or less in depth have been
formed. nocks of the birds will light
and there they will stay unless the
water disappears or becomes covered
with coating of ice. The lack of
rain to replenish these ponds or freez-
ing weather Will send them back to
deep water and to the marsh lands and
the gun clubs will come into their own
again Until such time as this hap
pens the sport will be off as far as
gun club members are concerned,
though the market hunter may benefit.
Apropos of the market hunters. their
troubles do not seem to be growing
lno LfNr<
claiming that the encroachments of the
gun clubs have closed nearly all of
the best shooting grounds to them and
they have been wishing that rain and
wind would come to scatter the ducks
and send them beyond the reach or
the sportSmen Now that the rain has
come and the flocks have been scat
tered, the new green feed that the
birds are eating fails to fatten them
and such as they do bag are too thin
to command much of a price in the
Hunters who shot from brush blinds
on the Marin and Sonoma shores of
San Pablo bay last week were we'll
repaid for their trouble most of them
vasbacks and bluebills. Pete Walsh
| of Black Point got several limits dur
ing the week around Reclamation, and
| Jack Karney. another we'll known hun
ter of that vicinity. was equally sue
cessful. julius Bruins of this city who
has long been contemplating a trip to
| his lodge at Sears point, was about
| to start for that place last Wednesday
when he received word from friends on
the ground that the sport was not good
| enough to pay him for his trouble In
the event of his leaving town. and he
promptly gave up the trip. He subse-
| quently learned that his friends were
| not truthful, and he is now mourning
the loss of an opportunity to secure
| a limit bag of fine. juicy canvasbacks.
The shooting of ducks from launches
| on San Pablo continues and the whole
| sale manning of the birds by alleged
| sportsmen who indulge In this prac-
| tice is arous1ng much resentment and
provoking severe criticism from legiti-
| mate hunters, who are unable to stop
/ it, however.