The New York herald., 1922-08-20
CUNNING SEASON ON
FOR SHORE BIRDS
Black Bellied and Golden
Plover and Greater and Lesser
Yellowlegs Are Here.
By WILL WILDWOOD.

The sport of shore bird shooting, now
In season. attracts many New York city
sportsmen TO the marshes and sea beach
species OF game birds specified in the
national migratory bird law as legal
prey for the gunner from August is to
November 80. inclusive. except where
State laws specify later other dates
for opening or closing the season. The
dates given apply to New York State
and New Jersey. but the season for
shore bird shooting In Connecticut does
not open until the first day of Septem
ber.
Under the restrictions OF the Federal
law the shooting or killing or several
OF the smaller species of shore birds Is
permanently prohibited. the sportsmen
being permitted to kill only black bellied
and golden plover and greater and lesser
yellowlegs, and not more than fifteen
birds OF any or all these species may be
legally taken in one day by any shooter.
Another very essential point In prepar-
ing for this or any other branch of game
bird shooting, is that in either State
license must be secured, the fee in
New York being S110 for resident
American citizen. or $1,000 for non-resf-
I dent American citizen or alien: while
in New Jersey the hunting license costs
$1.65 to resident American citizens and
s10.50 to nonresident Americans or
aliens owning $4,000 real estate. other
aliens being prohibited from owning rifle
or shotgun, and the use of guns that
can be fired more than twice without
reloading is Illegal. as is also Sunday
hunting or hunting from automobiles at
any Time
Protection for Small Birds.
I Absolute protection of the smaller
birds, while probably Objectionable to
greedy gunners, will meet the hearty
approval Of sportsmen working In har-
mony with the purposes of the various
| organizations devoted to the cause Of
conservation. the determination to pre-
vent II possible the threatened extinc-
tion of several srecies Of game birds
and insectivorous birds.
or the four species OF shore birds men,
toned as legal prey for shooters, the
black bellied plover Is largest In size
about a foot in length. and vary to
certain extent, but readily enticed
| within gunshot by the sportsman In his
blind, skilled in the use of the call. The
flight Is not erratic like that of the
snipe, nor swift like the woodcock. but
rather slow In comparison. and the big
plover--known chiefly as "bullhead" or
''beetlehead" plover-presents, when on
| the wing, an easy mark for the SKILL
| full shooter Half century ago many
gunners. especially those known as mar
ket hunters. killed shore birds by raking
| shots at ''flocks on the ground, often
| boasting OF the number thus slain. and
| even the famous world champion wing
shot, Capt. Bogardus. mentioned such
records with pride in his instructive book
OH field and trap shooting. When these
! birds first arrive from the uplands.
usually about the middle of August, they
are considered fair though not choice
bits for the table, but few days on
the mud flats which they frequent rem
der the flesh strong and sedgy In flavor.
The golden plover is far handsomer
| than the big "beetlehead." and on ac-
count of being more dainty In selecting
food, both on the uplands and at the
shore. it's flesh is more palatable. The
birds breed in the Arctic regions, then
migrate far south to the pampas OF
South America, returning in early sum-
mer along the Mississippi Valley. and
reaching the shores of the northern At
lantic section about the same time as
their larger kindred. Golden .ployer
/
sportsmen as a preparatory course for
the ideal season OF autumn shooting.
A shore Birds Warning.
A shore bird awakening conflicting
emotions, when putting in appearance
along the coast Is the greater yellow
legs. bearing the nicknames of Greater
Tell-Tale." "Tattler'' and "Yelper." by
reason Of the warning call needed by oil
other birds within hearing. as the
alarmist takes wing. This trait does not
make for popularity with the shooters.
but the circumventing of its wariness,
the difficult calling down. and then
bagging the culprit, seems to be in the
nature OF retribution and solid satisfac-
ton. When circling overhead as 1t ap-
proaches the beach. the clear musical
call of the bird is entirely different from
the loud warning whistle and naturally
far more welcome to the shooter waiting
in his blind. Ordinarily the birds fly
In small punches" OF about six. but oc-
casionally quite large flocks appear when
the flight Is of the olden time order
Yellowlegs frequent the meadows.
marshes and shores OF ponds streams.
II