The San Francisco call., 1910-12-25

Judging from the reports that have
reached the city during the last week
from the various duck shooting grounds
frequented by local sportsmen, about
the only places where hunters may
be reasonably sure of finding game
plentiful and shooting good are situ-
ated in the San Joaquin and Sacra-
abound. Gun club members who shoot
over preserves in, the valleys have no
reason to be disappointed with these
conditions, provided that they do not
object to the long railroad journeys
their trips to the hunting lodges neces-
state. The market hunter. too, is
doubtless well pleased, but an abund-
ance of game birds at distant places
means nothing to the average owner
of a shotgun. whose time for travelling
and shooting is as rule limited to one
day.
There are ducks enough to be seen
at places nearer home than the Sacra-
mento river and the Los Banos coun-
try, but as a rule they are not show
ing any inclination TO come within
pointed in their direction for the last
several weeks. This is particularly
true of the resorts up San Pablo way,
where myriads of ducks principally
canvasbacks, are loaf1ng out in the
open stretches of the bay within sight
of patient hunters, but out of range
of their guns. Many of the regular
visitors to the resorts on the west
shore Of San Pablo bay took last Sun
do off hox cd
cause OF the lack of sport. They were
only missed by their fellow club mem
bers, however, as the Saturday after
noon and Sunday morning trains car
ried the usual crowds up NovatO way
and In the direction of Black Point.
Slim bags were the rule with these
hunters Sunday night and when any
of them were questioned as to condi-
tfons on the Sonoma marsh they gem
orally answered that some sport was
had with bluebills, but that the "cans"
were wary and would not work in to
the decoys. On the east shore of the
lower bay good bags were obtained
only in few isolated instances. There
was very little doing on the Suisun
marsh, some of the preserves on that
bog being deserted on Wednesday.
The Sunday attendance at the Gus
tine club preserve was unusually light
Ducks were plentiful, but they were
not working any too well. H. E. Pos
ton shot there as the guest of Louis
Rink on Saturday and Sunday, the two
getting 25 birds each on both days. A
joint bag of 35 jaeksnipe was also
gathered by them. ]. Jenkins of Buff
falo. N. Y, had his first shoot on the
coast at the Gustine club as the guest
of L. S. Adams last week. They pulled
down limits of. small birds, sprig,
widgeon and teal on Saturday, and on
Sunday they went down the river and
worked the mallard holes for all that
the law allows. Adams killed a pair
of mallards, a greenhead and hen,
that were as heavy as big canvasbacks.
the pair just falling four ounces short
of weighing eight pounds.
]. Frank Bond and NJ. Gray of Oak
land were guests of Walter Wood on
his Ingomar place near Los Banos last
week. Both of the shooters made limit
kills of widgeon. 1t was not new
experience for Bond, but his companion
modestly admitted that it was the first
time he had accomplished the feat.
Game is more plentiful than ever
around Los Banos and Ffrebaugh and
some big kills of mallard are reported
from the former place. l. Westcott
and several other hunters did very well