Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-10-02
Duck Hunting Calls for
Keenest craftsmanship
OF ONE OF AMER.
IcA's FINEST SPORTS is UP
TO HUNTERS


kind Of craftsmanship. Duck hunters
must have red blood in their veins
and stout hearts, be able to enjoy dis
comforts, laugh at the weather and
put up with things that would con-
vince the tenderfoot that duck hunt
ing is no pastime for the spineless
man.
When conditions are right for duck
ing they are usually wrong for any
other hunting. When once the duck
hunter is bitten by the germ, the moe
ulation is complete and his sporting
star hangs high forever after. Ameri-
can sportsmen enjoy all that goes
with day outdoors. That's why more
men are converted to battery and
blind and right here comes the
thought that more guns must of neces
.tv take their toll of more game.
Duck shooting is genuine sport, but
with it comes the imposition of an obi
cation. This sport will continue only
in the ratio that each sportsman does
his share to aid that continuance.
Granted that you obey the law-this
is important, why shouldn't you? But
saving Amen to the set of rules
stretched out in the code book will
not produce more game. For every
duck you shoot another must be rails
ed. Nature is willing to do it's share,
but we've got to furnish the means
by which Nature can function. If we
take we must put This goes for you,
Mister Duck Shooter, and no excep-
TONS Nature cannot balance produc-
ton when the odds are weighing
down the other scale.
Time was when marsh land was
within a short ride of the city, when
the farmer only needed to slip down
to the edge of his field for a fairway
shot at wildfowl. That time was, as
things are clicked off in this day,
that time has gone, and gone forever.
Marsh lands are being drained; the
farmer talks in terms of bygone days
when he points to the old ducking
grounds; the autOist glides over
smooth roads to miles and hours away
and the birds themselves are hard put
to find a nesting and feeding ground.
The individual gunner has hard
time to lind a place and then it's usu
ally matter OF long launch ride
with guide hire to settle for. The
ducking clubs of the more influential
type are becoming more numerous and
restricting hunting!
Every gunner should belong to a
club-every gunner has AN individual
responsibility which comes COLLECTIVE
ely to the club. Nothing for nothing
gets you to the same place you're
starting from. Your obligation as an
individual and as club is to pay
your way as you go along, and from
these dues set aside sufficient funds
to breed wildfowl. Your club should
arrange to raise at least twenty-five
ducks per year per member Follow
here suggestions on propagation and
feeding:
First buy ducks for breeding and
get them from different places This
is better than raising from eggs One
drake to three ducks on a small pond
Wild birds will come to pair with
them.
Do not burn the marsh in the dry
season. Seeds carried over winter in
the fruiting heads of bayonet grass or
tule furnish valuable food. Burning
the marsh destroys mats and tangles
for breeding ducks, insurilg success
of dead vegetation that form shelter
full hiding of their nests and later pro-
tecting the young until they are strong
enough to venture out in the open.
Prevent, if possible, the moving of
areas along river banks and overflow
land for wild hay. In many instances
club can for reasonable considera-
ton induce the owner to permit this
hay to stand. When moving is neces
sary, it should be done after the mid
die of July. In any case the vegeta-
tion bordering the channels should be
left untouched. comparatively few
ducks locate their nests more than
hundred feet away from the waters
edge. Ducks have their natural enc
mics, and these vermin must be kept
in control Among the worst. offenders
are the crow, maybe, duck hawk, fox
and coyote.
FEEDING HABITS
The gadwall feeds either on dry
land or in shallow water near the
edges of ponds, lakes and streams.
The baldpate feeds similarly to the
gadwall but favors less seeds The
widgeon likes to feed on salt water