The sun., 1910-01-09
WILD GEESE AT OCUACOKE
SPORT FOR THE GUNNER on
THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST.
The sink Box the Method Used by the.
Real SpOrtsman-ShiIl Needed In
laying Out Ihc Rig-POInts OF shoot.
Ing Geese and BrRnt Birds A-pl eUty

laying Out Ihc Rig-POInts OF shoot.
Ing Geese and BrRnt- Birds A-pi euty
OcRACoKE. Y. c.. Jan. s.-Between
Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout, form
ing part OF the North Carolina coast line.
lies the little island of ocracoke. Its
shape is as queer as its name. Twelve
miles long and three miles across at it's
broadest point. il looks not unlike the
tapering neck Joined to the meat axe
head Of a giraffe.
It's outer rim is buffeted by the turbu-
lent Atlantic; its inner shore overlooks the
placid and shallow bosom OF Pamlico
Sound. than which the Atlantic seaboard
offers no sheet of water more fruitful for
the fisherman or the hunter OF wild fowl
And OF all parts of Pamlco Sound the
Ocracoke section, forty miles from no
where as regards accessibility. Is beyond
comparison the chosen home of the wild
goose. the wide pinioned brant. the red
head and the sprigtail widgeon.
or this noble array the geese and brant
reign supreme and line up on the reefs
and shoals scattered all about the island
for miles and miles. in countless thou
ssnds. serried rank on rank. The sight
take wing! The music Of them by night
To the sportsman waiting anxiously for
sunup no opera was ever so sweet, no
refrain half so tantalizing.
But no two men altogether agree as to
just what such "A power OF fowl" honking
and talking on the reefs at night sounds
like and SMILES arc as many as the men
who listen. To one the clamor will re-
semble a heavy train clanking over a
metal bridge; to another a distant kennel
with all the dogs barking licketysplit.
or a mena gerie OF wild beasts. every one
on edge. Perhaps the stolid bayman
sums it up at it's unexplainable best when.
asked for his idea. he says: Like? Why
ies' like geese and brant.'
At Ocracoke there is none Of what the
fowler knows as point shooting. On
very stormy days a stake blind is used
deep box OF reeds set up on four stakes
or legs in the middle OF the feeding
grounds. When the tides are very low
and the geese feed on the sand fats the
natives are partial TO the rolling blind.
This is a contrivance OF fiendlsh in
genuity, blind on wheels behind which
the gunner inches up along the hard sand
blunders badly through noise or impa-
tience he can roll the blind up 70 within
twenty feet OF the feeding flock before he
free into the middle Of them. Only
the conscienoeless game hog and the
native market shooter will use the roll
Ing blind. To the real sportsman who
wants to give his game a living show
and who pits his quick eye and aim
against wariness and speed OF flight
the rolling blind is impossible.
The real sport at ocracoke, with its
many acres OF feeding grounds Of lush
grass and sweet water weeds miles out
into the open sound, In found in the bat
terry or sink box. The representative
ocracoke sink box rig is in its complete
ness and comparative. comfort, for COM
fort in a sink box is at the best a oom-
parative term, calculated to make the
battery shooters Of the Great South
Bay sit up and take heap OF notice.
To lay a rig effectively requires years
Of experience and plenty OF brains. As
the guide will tell you. you can't be
too iudgmatic.' Every condition OF
wind, weather. sun and tide has to be
oonned and noted before the strategic
point 10 chosen, for a layout that gives
good sport to-day draw may blank to-
morrow, or t'other way about.
In the early morning Mr.. Goose starts
out from the place where he has spent the
night to get his breakfast. He has in
view a favorite feeding place where the
grass Ii thick and rich and the tide low,
for both geese and brant are shallow
feeders. For that place he wings his
way with businesslike directncss. The
main trick in the layout is by thinking
like a goose to anticipate his route and
have your rig displayed as close az pos
sible to his objective point before he comes
hustling and honking along. The goose.
as the natives will tell you, In very sot
in his mind" and trying to lure him out
Of his direct line of travel Is pretty profit
less occupation.
It will take two husky and expert
enced men a good hour and half to lay
out battery. The coffin shaped sink box
has 70 be brought down to water level
by heavy weights that fasten underneath,
and with a score Of iron decoys weighing
twenty-five 10 thirty pounds Apiece
wings. with two aver age sized sunneTs
in a double decker sink box there will
be close to fifteen hundred weight Of men
and metal keeping the box down to proper
trim.
Beyond the wooden wings at either side
and at the head are jointed canvas water
breaks that lie fat on the water, and
undulatiDg with every motion Of the waves
catch and dispense their force. Simple
as these water breaks are they are won
derfully effective, and IL is surprising in
how heavy a sea you can stay snug and
dry in a sink box.
The box Is invariably laid down head
TO the wind. AL wild fowl get up against
the wind. and the gunner wants it blowing
over his back and over the wooden decoys
which are scattered TO the sides and in
front OF him, from 100 TO $50 OF them. Itis
no child's play 90 put them down so as to
make the most slluring effect. and no Joke
to pull them up each with its heavy
anchorage in the freezing dusk OF fast
dying winter day. ....
good goose rig will include a nice
bunch Of live decoys. The general idea
Is that the live decoy is a sure enough wild
goose crippled by shot and captured to
become the Benedict Arnold OF his race.
This 10 not so. Out OF bunch OF thirteen
live decoys set out to one og the best goose
rigs in Ocracoke only two were old time
cripples. The others were all Matched
for the job. captives from the egg and
brought up in the domestic duck pond
RvnA y ~. ~ -