Evening star., 1960-01-08

shooting was spotty. One guide,
Nedford Capel of Chestertown,
Md. said that he had seen only
a fourth as many ducks as in
the past.
All this would indicate that
Fish and Wildlife. is right. AS
D. H. Janzen, director of the
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and
Wildlife, put it, Everything we
have seen to date has substan-
tiated our summer survey fore
cast Of a substantial decline in
the fall flight"
Nevertheless, even Fish and
Wildlife can't be sure until it
completes its winter inventory
of birds and studies the kill
data of hunters. Furthermore,
this fall and winters generally
mild weather further confuses
the situate Waterfowl do not
move of such bodies of water
as the Susquehanna Flats until
there is a good freeze.
Geese Plentiful
With geese it was different
There was no shortage and it
led TO many a good days sport,
Pass shooting is one Of the
most exciting and unusual ways
of bagging geese in these parts
and we had a wonderful late
season hunt with Tony Malio,
District deputy f1remarshal, and
Jim Cook, a District building
inspector.
The hunt took place on the
farm Of Charles B. Shirley be-
tween Rock Hall and Chester
town. Shriley's fields adjoin
Remington Farms. that huge
experimental tract owned by
the arms company. Cover crops
are grown for all types Of Wild
life and it serves as a refuge
for waterfowl.
Originally we had planned
to go duck hunting with Frank
Abbo, Connecticut avenue res
taurateur, from a blind in
Chesapeake Bay But MaliC
and Cook much preferred the
goose hunting and after listen
ing to their glowing descrip-
tions. we decided to join them
for awhile.
All these arrangements were
made long before dawn in a
roadside restaurant. With the
first streaks Of daylight we
were trudging along rows OF
corn stubble toward a patch oi
woods and thick brush that
separated Farmer Shirley's
acres from Remington Farms
The patch was not very wide
probably not more than 20C
yards. and on the edge OF the
woods were several gray
wooden blinds.
/ On the other side Of the
woods could be heard a honk'
ing as If 10000 geese were con-
gregated there. Ten Thousand
or more there probably were
because a shallow pond just
beyond the woods and in II
as we'll as in the nearby fields
of the refuge the geese were
clustered shoulder to shoulder
Shortly aTter dawn they
began to take off in ordered
fight, some in prefect v forma'
tions. others in half-V'S strunl
out either to the left or right
Their powerful wings beat 6
SLOW but steady cadence anC
each had a black neck out.
thrust, for these were Canadian
geese. Mixed with them were
occasional flights of ducks thai
gained altitude more quickly
and flew with quick beats Of
their wings in sharp contrast
to the geese.
The hunters had posted
themselves at intervals alone
the edge of the woods and con.
cealed themselves as we'll al
possible behind trees. AS tht
geese passed overhead, they
picked a bird and began shoot
irg.
Birds Hard TO Hit
Now geese are are not cas-!
to kill. They are protected BY
thick layer of feathers anC
down for one thing. Secondly
they were flying high, although
some flew lower than Others
especially If there had beer
no recent firing.
Because of the height, gun
ners needed every inch o
range they could muster anc
most used IL gauge guns will
30-inch barrels and magnun
No. 2 shells. One even brough
a 10-gauge double gun tina
fired 3l4 Inch magnumS.
We we're a bit outrangeC
with a 28-inch over-and-undel
but tried to pick the lowest
flying birds. The trick was Il
take cim at one as it passed
A,,4.lAoI kAnnnnen