The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-10-28

| to confine yourself to these days un.
less some other member does not &c
, on the day assigned to him and he
let's you shoot in his place. You 20
to the grounds the night before. your
meals and sleeping quarters are well
provided and you shoot under the di.
rection of captain, who assigns the
blinds by drawing lots. Your decoys
are set by the caretaker the night be.
fore, you are called before daylight
given breakfast and escorted to your
position. Blinds are provided with
stools and bench for shells. No one
Is allowed to retrieve game until given
permission by the captain, then all
leave their blinds at the same time.
In this manner no one disturbes the
flight. The shooting is great and the
llmit-twenty-is nearly always got
ten. | of course do not belong to any
club. Had an application in but learn
ed that the share was sold to the high
est bidder of applicants that had been
passed on and my bid was not accent.
ed, so | am now what is known as a
poacher, and have to take my chances
with the herd that is kept on the out
side of the grounds and only get to
shoot at the birds that leave one To-
cation for another. There is one place
that the four sections are all pre-
serves, and the intersection of the road
is very highly priced position for
poachers. My experience this morn.
ing, however beat anything that |
have ever seen or heard of. | took a
street car to the hunting grounds
which are located about three miles
from where | live. Had to walk about
ten blocks through an alley known as
speedway for automobiles. Both
sides of this alley are built up with
summer cottages, one-half block froh
the ocean, at the end of which Is the
city limits. From this point on is the
beach of the ocean and shooting is al
lowed. All the way down the alley I
was passed by hunters, consisting of
men, women and children, afoot, on
motorcycles, automobiles, in wagons,
horseback, pushing baby buggies, and
every old way-hunters going for the
opening shoot. | located myself on a
pile of sand behind some brush and
waited for daylight. When this time
came | could distinguish hundreds of
moving objects in every direction and
soon the shooting started in the pre-
serves.
Such bombardment you never
heard unless you have experienced
the same thing. Presently could see
thousands of seagulls rising and COM
ing towards us going to sea. These
birds one is not allowed to shoot A
little later, however, I could occasion.
ally see bunch of ducks, all the time
guns cracking continuously. and pres.
emily the flight started our way.
Every bird that passed out was shot
at from one to fifty times by several
hundred hunters. After about an hour
of cannonading there came a second
flight of birds, consisting of curlew,
bull snipe and some other species that
am not familiar with. These got the |
same treatment that the ducks got, |
and at about 8 o'clock all was over
and everybody went home. l got five
birds in the lambasting and was well
with the trip. Went home, |
my clothes and was at work |
by 10 O'Clock. So much for the ducks. |
The quail season is also open, and |
expect to go some day this week. |
However, / have been out twice al |
ready on locating trip and think I |
IAN find some. This shooting is also |
1ifferent from the Nebraska quail |
shooting, as the birds are in the noun |
aims, which are about one mile from
our house. The underbrush is very
heavy and you shoot without dog,
ma these birds are given to running
and will not lay well. They are in
,oveys of from forty to sometimes sew
eral hundred, and they get up when
1ushed on all sides, and you have to
stand with one foot close to your neck,
'r twisted out Of shape on account of
he mountain rocks and brush.
The deer hunting is also great. The
1lks club here has several deer hunt
'rs, and / have had venison twice. In
oS', thClc nave Deeu eighteen DUCKS |
brought in by Santa Monica hunters
his year. One of these was killed
within three miles of our house.
l could go on indefinitely relating
he great sport that exists here. Deep
ea fishing can be had within five min
ties walk from my office, and you
lont have to take fishing tackle, as it
AN be rented on the pier. Where we
ish bait is also to be had at the same
'lace, and one asks for the kind of
'ait that is suitable for the fish he
wishes to catch, and no one ever
caves the pier without a basket full
# fish of some kind. Launches are
lso obtainable to go out in the ocean
With, which are provided with tackle
nd bait. Deep sea rock bass are
aught with light tackle. They weigh
everal hundred pounds and it takes
bout an hour of good work on the
art of the fisherman to make a land
ng, and then the gaff is used