The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-02-15
WILD GEESE

codot Jts shape Is as oooNA
- nama. Twelve miles oI1 6est
+5,aa miles across at taper
point. it looks not = meat axe head
fng neck .cAi0o
Oh d ,1ar rim is buffeted IN the .
s,lent Atlantic; its inner nho. ,nsom
sonks the placid and shallow y
1T Pamiico Sound. thah .haa+ IF
n+ic seaboari offers no S.eeI
<Aeian nore fruitful for the fsherthan
W. tho hunter of wild foWi Anu
-, narfs Of Pamlico SOUND the ~.
coke section. forty Hli,es 80 10
xubere as regards accessipiAi'1s' ~
vond comparison the CHOSEN n;ia,ad
80 wild goose, the wide plnloheu
brant, the red-head aAo NAo
ryidgeon. and
Of this noble array the geese anu
want reign supreme and line up ou
the reefs and shoals, scaeteieu
Sbout the island tor miles anu iaIie
in countless thousands, serrled RAM
IN rank The sight Of them III the
early morning before they take WINS.
The music of them by night. 10 the
sportsman waiting anXloussly LOT SUI
SD. no opera was ever SO sweet. Ao
gelrain half SO tantailzlng.
Put no two men altogether agree
as to lust what such "a power OF
fowl" bonking and talking on the
reefs at night sounds like II si.niles
are as many as the men VINO iiseeh.
TIC one the clamor will resemble q
heavy train clanking over a meta,
bridge: to another a distant kenhei
with all he dogs barking licketysplit,
ar 2 menagerie Of wild beasts. every
one on edge. Perhaps the stoilo
bayman su1nmed it up at its unespialn-
able best when, asked for his idea. ne
says: Like? Why. jes' like geese
and brant."
1890 - ~orn 70 what
the fowler knows as point snoou1iig.
Or very stormy lays a stake bslnd Is
used, q deep box OF reeds set up on
Jour stakes or legs in the m1doie Oh
the feeding GROUNDS. When the
tides are very low and the geese e
on the sand fats the natives are par
tial to the rolling blind.
This Is a contrlvance Of fiendish in
genuity. q bind on wheels behind
which the gunner inches up along the
hard sand on the u~nsuspectlng FOWL
Unl.s he blunders badly through noise
or impotence he can roll the blln0
up to within twenty feet of the feed
ing flock before he browns into tbs
middle Of them. Only the con
sclenceless game hog anu the nau.t
market shooter will use the rolling
blind. TIC the real sportsman, VIII,
wants to give his game a living SHOW
and who pits his quick eye and ain
against Wariness and speed of flight
the rolling blind Is impossible.
The real SPORT at Ocracol,. will
its many acres Of feeding grounds o
lush grass and sweet water weeds
miles out into the open sounu |
found in the battery or sink box. An,
the representative OcracOke sink DO.
rig is In it's completeness and com
parative comfort-for comfort in
sink mox is at the best a comparativ
terTn-calculated to make the batter
shooters of the Great South Bay 81
up and take a heap Of notice.
To lay q rig effectively require
years Of experience and plenty c
brains. AS the guide will tell you
lone SAINT be too j~udgInatic-" Ever
condition Of wind, weather, sun an
ride has to be conned and noted bt
fore the strategic point is chosen. fe
q layout that gives good spot toda
will in all likelihood draw blank Il
morrow, or 'tOther way about
In the early morning Mr.. Coos
starts out from the place where /
has spent the night to get his breal
fast. He has in view a favorite fee.
Ing place, where the grass Is thie
and rich and the tide low, for bo1
geese and brant are shallow feede
For that place he wings his way wi
business-like directness. The ma
trick in the layout is by thinking Iii
g goose, to anticipate his route a:
have your rig displayed as close
possible to his object point before
comes hustling and honking alon
The goose, as the natives will tell va
is very set in his mind and tryiI
TO lure him out of his direct line
travel is a pretty profitless occupatic
It will take two husky and expe,
enced men a good hour and a half
lay out a battery. The coffin shap
sink box has to be brought down
water level by heavy weights IT
fasten underneath, and with q sec
Of iron decoys weighing twenty-f
to thirty pounds apiece that are
around its broad wooden wings. W,
two average sized gunners in a dou1
decker sink box there will be close
fifteen hundred weigh of men a
metal keeping the box down to prc
er trim.
Beyond the wooden wings at eitl
side and at the head are .Oirted c.