Evening star., 1941-11-02
More Sport Offered
As Maryland Opens
Season Tomorrow
Lower Chesapeake Boy,
Eastern Shore, Premise
Good EorIy Shooting

Scattered barks of shotguns her
aided the opening of the wildfowl
hunting season in Virginia at sun
rise this morning, with all other
Southern States permitting firing
starting tomorrow. Virginia is al
lowing Sunday shooting for the first
time this season.
The Maryland season starts to-
morrow, with the exception of the
SuSquehanna Flats. where shooting
Is restricted to Tuesdays, Thursdays
and Saturdays. This exception is
according to law passed by the
last Assembly at the request of
Maryland wildfowlers. The hope
was that by curtailing the season
the United States Fish and Wild
life Service would extend the shoot
ing through January, but the plea
failed. The season for all Southern
States ends December 81.
Elsewhere normal regulations are
In prospect. There we're a few
changes from those of last season.
They are noted in the regulations
These stamps must be on the back
of the license of every hunter over
Is years of age after wild water
fowl. They are obtained at any first
or second class post office at 81 each.
Heavy Flight Predicted.
Virginia authorities are predict
Ing heavy flights of ducks this sea-
son. Reports of field men and
Vardens show more birds than usual
at this time of the year. Numerous
blackheads have been reported on
the Potomac The best going comes
about the middle of the' season.
CanvasbackS, scaup, redheads and
other divers are the last to arrive
here.
In Upper Chesapeake Bay waters
and on the Susequehanna Flats cam
vasbacks and redheads have been
noted for the past several weeks.
They are earlier than in other years.
Chances now are better there than
In the middle bay area, where, in
spite Of early flights of teal. pin
tails and blackheads. there seems
w bC a lily VI lONl
Reports from the mouth of the
PatuXent show few birds coming in.
With a good rice crop in the Patux-
ent marshes, there should be better
shooting than was experienced dur
ing the early days last year, how
ever.
The best shooting on the Chesa-
peake for the first four weeks of
the season, unless duck weather re-
places the present bluebird days, will
be in the lower bay and on the
Eastern Shore. Early flights in that
section are promising. In Isle of
Wight and Sineapuxent Bays the
flights already are in midseason
form.
On Albemarle. CurrituCk and Pam
Gco Sounds, in North Carolina, the
opening day shooting promises TO be
better than for many years. Teal,
pintails, black ducks and Canada
geese literally blacken the skies
when they raise from their feeding.
First birds in the Chesapeake and
Potomac areas are the puddlers, or
surface ducks, which include blue
wing and greenWing teal, pintails,
baldpates and mallards There also
are many so-called black mallards
With few early blackheads, or
scaup, these will be the birds that
opening day WildfoWlers will be most
likely to get.
Best Season in Years Looms.
The later ducks to come in this
area are the shovelers, bufleheads,
sprigs ruddy ducks, golden eyes,
mergensers, oldwives and scaUp.
The Chesapeake and Potomac WIN
ters more species than any other
section along the, Atlantic seaboard.
with the exception of the North
Carolina sound country.
The season, not expected to prove
up to normal in the early days, will
be the best in many years later.
Federal bag limits are 10 a day.
30 in possession, in which must be
counted the special daily limit of
one wood duck and not more than
three buffleheads or three red
heads or three of these two species
together.
The bag limit on Canada geese
continues at three a day. six in
possession, except in Hyde County,
N. c., where the limit is six birds
In seven days. Ross geese. snow
geese, brant and whistling swan may
be shot
Shotguns not larger than 10 gauge
fthree-shell limit on repeaters) or
bow and arrows are the permissible |
weapons. Live decoys and batting
are prohibited, as we'll as the use of |
cattle horses or mules in Wildfowl |
hunting. Shooting hours are SUM-
riSn "a I, ~ oxca,,t i,, CANA son