Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-10-08
coot Shootina.

The coot has the contour of a duck,
he taste of a ripe fish, the eonstitu-
ion Of cobble- stone and a head like
Il peanut. ot-shooting is very
popular with some persons, on account
Of The superficial resemblance between
a duck and coot. coot fly around ii
the air like duck, and have to be shot
to death in an unusually enthusiastic
manner before they can be taken
home. In this way, the hunter gets
some of the excitement which goes
with shooting a. regular duck. Some
hunters claim that they get even more
excitement. because coot takes twice
ms much killing. Other hunters
shoot coot because they have eaten
specimens of the bird in the past, and
have a grudge against all other mem
bers of the family. Practically every
one who shoots them has a good ex-
cnse for doing so. II he didn't have.
his friends would think he was a trifie
queer in his conk.
The coot shooter gets out of com
Portable he'd at three o'clock on a cold
October morning, hastily wraps him
self around a wedge of cold pie and IL
glass of cold milk which some thought
full soul hats left on the dining-room
table, and stumbles down To the shore
of that popular body of moisture, the
ocean. As the cold gray dawn begins
10 illuminate the waste of waters Ito
say nothing of the waste of time) the
coot shooter is seen to be ensconced
in the bow of an under sized dory
which smells So violently of defunet
fish that If ii should sink, the occu-
pants could easily ride on the smell
The dory is anchored three miles
from shore, in the immediate vicinity
of large submerged reef; and there
is always q delightful possibility that
some particularly high wave, travelling
Just ahead of a particularly deep hole
in the water may come along at any
moment and drop the dory onto the
reef with such vigor that it will he
knocked into bunch of toothpicks.
Disregarding any such unpleasant
prospect. the hunter places as much
of his right hand as possible in his
mouth, in order to keep it as warm as
possible, if not warmer. After he has
sat In this position until he is so cold
that he could be split open with an
ice pick, a large flock of eoot bears
down upon him and gives him the
once over.
Earnestly praying that his rapid
movements will not cause any of the
most important portions of his frozen
but otherwise perfectly good body to
become hopelessely fractured, the
hunter yanks his fingers from his
mouth and levels his gun at the on
coming flock. Nearer and nearer
come the coot. until the eager hunter
can lamp the whites of their in
quisitive little eyes and the tips Of
their daintily- curved toenails. With
that the hunter let's them have it good
Pam, ling, two barrels-right n
the beak,
70 the hunters establishment. moth
ing drops The great speed with
which the coot have been travelling has
carried them far beyond the hunter
but as soon as they can stop they re-
turn at once to the boat in order -
discover, if possible. the reason for the
loud noise which they heard in pass
ing This shows up the speed of the
coots mentality. If il weren't for the
fact that he got hungry and had to
eat lie would keep returning TO the
person who was shooting at him until
his curiosity was completely satisfied.
Al any rate. as the coot approach the
hunters for the second time he again
greets them with tive generous charges
of No, 4 shot, and again the coot are
forced Ia pass on unchanged
After taking Is or 20 cracks at the
patiently returning flock, the hunter
learns that the coot's feathers are two
and one half inches thick, woven into
a tight mat and llnotted heavily on the
inside of its chain mail skin Realiz-
ing that if the coot is shot While tray
cling head-on the bullets will merely
bury themselves harmessly in its
feathers or bound merrily from its
breast. he finally begins to shoot at the
flock as it is going away from him.
If he sticks to it long enough bullet
eventually works between the feathers
and brings down Il bird.
After the bird has hit the water it
must be shot AT at least FIVE times
more before it will consent to stop div
ing and allow itself To be picked up
This is on account of its toughness.