American duck shooting

Front matter

QDDieS^HSfib

93. ^0

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Preface

HIS VOLUME DEALS WITH duck shooting, past as well as present, and li'itli the different ivays i)i which the sport has been and is practiced. It tells of an abundance of foiul in the land, not to be seen to-day, nor perhaps ever again. It contains accounts of shooting, often by iin^vise methods, often to unnecessary excess; of shooting zvhich has reduced the multitudes of our fowl from what they were to zvhat they are. "Such accounts may zvell serve as zi'arnings to us, teaching t(s nozu the exercise of a moderation zve were too thoughtless to deem necessary in the old days.

Since the several methods of duck sJwoting necessarily grade into one anotJur, there zvill often be in one account repetition of zvhat has been said in another. This seems inevitable, however, if a clear idea is to be given of each variety of the sport.

4 PREFACE.

In tJic accuracy of the descriptions of the different species of wildfowl every confidence is felt, for they have passed under the eye of Mr. Robert Ridgway, the former President of the American Ornithological Union, ivhose eminejice in his chosen field of life work is so zvell known. I oive him cordial thanks for his kindness in this matter, as well as for various suggestions, looking toward making more complete the technical portion of the book.

The book covers — as it should — a wide range of territory; for a volume on ivildfozvl shooting, if limited to the experiences of a single individual, would furnish but an inadequate presentation of the subject for the whole continent. In the endeavor to make the volume justify its title, assistance has been asked from gun- 7iers ivhose experience has been longer than mine, or has extended over shooting grounds with which I am not familiar.

My friends, Messrs Wm. Trotter and C . R. Purdy, both duck shooters of long experience, have kindly aided me on different points, and my acknowledgments are due to them.

The portraits of zvildfowl by Mr. Edwin Sheppard,

PREFACE. 5

so tvcll known as the illustrator of Baird, Brewer & Ridgzvay s great work and of Mr. Elliot's trilogy of game bird volumes, speak for themselves.

The pen sketches drawn by Mr. Wilmot Toivnsend hardly need be commented on. Mr. Townsend is an enthusiastic gunner and has devoted much time to studying wildfowl in their homes. The draivings which he has made will call up to every giuiner of experience memories of a happy past.

Mr. William Brexvstcr has kindly permitted me to use the photographs illustrating the nesting of the Golden Eye, zvhich accompanied his interestijig paper on the subject in the Auk.

The very useful chart of the duck, in the back of the book, is taken by the kind permission of the autJior from Mr. Charles B. Cory s Birds of Eastern NortJi America — Water Birds. G. B. G.

October, igoi.

Contents

PAGE

Preface ■. . 3

Part I. The Duck Family

SWANS 33

American Swan 34

Trumpeter Swan 36

GEESE AND BRANT 39

Blue Goose 43

Lesser Snow Goose 46

Greater Snow Goose 48

Ross's Goose 51

White-fronted Goose 53

HuTCHiNs's Goose 58

Western Goose 58

Cackling Goose 59

Barnacle Goose 65

Brant 67

Black Brant 69

Emperor Goose 72

8 CONTENTS.

PAGE

TREE DUCKS 75

Black-bellied Tree Duck 76

Fulvous-bellied Tree Duck 79

THE TRUE DUCKS.

NON-DIVING DUCKS 85

L Mallard 87

Black Duck or Dusky Duck 93

Florida Dusky Duck 95

Mottled Duck 97

European Widgeon 107

American Widgeon. Bald-pate no

European Teal 116

Green-winged Teai 118

Blue-winged Teal 122

Shoveller 131

Wood Duck 139

DIVING DUCKS 143

Rufous-crested Duck 145

Canvas-dack Duck 147

Redhead Duck 160

Little Black-head 167

Ring-necked Duck 170

Golden-eye. Whistler 173

Barrow's Golden-eye 178

Buffle-head Duck 181

Old-squaw, Long-tailed Duck 185

Harlequin Duck 189

Labrador Duck 192

CONTENTS. 9

PAGE

Steller's Duck 195

Spectacled Eider 197

Common Eider 200

American Eider 202

Pacific Eider 205

King Eider 208

American Scoter 211

American Velvet Scoter 213

Velvet Scoter 216

Surf Scoter, Skunk-head 217

Ruddy Duck 220

Masked Duck 223

FISH DUCKS 225

Part II. Wildfowl Shooting

SWAN SHOOTING 244

On the Stubbles 251

On the Sand-bars 254

With Live Decoys 260

Driving 274

From a Battery 279

Bar Shooting 294

10 CONTENTS.

PAGE

DUCK SHOOTING 3i7

Shooting in the Overflow 333

Cornfield Shooting in the Middle West 371

Point Shooting i77

Wading the Marshes '. 430

Shooting from a House-boat 440

Winter Duck Shooting on Lake Ontario 453

Sailing 460

Stubble Shooting 461

California Marsh Shooting 464

Chesapeake Bay Duck Shooting 472

Part III. The Art Of Duck Shooting

How TO Hold 502

When to Shoot 506

Flight of Ducks 508

Etiquette of the Blind 510

DECOYS 522

Wooden Decoys 522

CONTENTS.

II Page

BLINDS. BATTERIES AND BOATS 546

How Blinds are Made 546

The Battery 549

Other Craft 573

THE DECREASE OF WILDFOWL.

Spring Shooting 589

Contraction of Feeding Grounds 593

Size of Bags 594

Natural Enemies 596

Lead Poisoning 598

Self-denial Needed 603

Batteries and Bush Blinds 605

Night Shooting 607

What Shall be Done?. ,.„ 608

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FULL-PAGE PLATES.

PAGE

The Canvas-back .... Frontispiece

From Audubon's "Birds of America\"

The Black Duck . . . . . .63

From Audubon's "Birds of America."

The Shoveller . . . . • • 127

From Audubon's "Birds of America."

The Redhead . . . . . . ■ iQi

From Audtibon's "Birds of America."

A Golden-eye Nesting Place . . . . . . 255

Photographed by Wm. Brewster.

"A Bird in the Hand" ...... 3^9

Photographed by Wm. Brewster.

A Prairie Shooting Wagon . . . . . . 509

Indians Gathering Duck Eggs in Alaska . . . 578

14 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PORTRAITS OF SPECIES.

PAGE

American Swan 34

Trumpeter Swan 36

Blue Goose 43

Lesser Snow Goose 46

Greater Snow Goose 48

Ross's Goose 51

White-fronted Goose 53

Hutchins's Goose 57

White-cheeked Goose 57

Cackling Goose 59

Barnacle Goose 65

Brant 67

Black Brant 69

Emperor Goose 72

Black-bellied Tree Duck 76

Fulvous-bellied Tree Duck 79

Mallard 87

Black Duck or Dusky Duck 92

Florida Dusky Duck 95

^loTTLED Duck 97

European Widgeon 107

American Widgeon, Bald-pate no

European Teal 116

Green-winged Teal 118

Blue-winged Teal 122

Shoveller 131

Wood Duck 139

Rufous-crested Duck 145

Redhead Duck 160

Little Black-head 167

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 15

PAGE

Ring-necked Duck 170

Golden-eye, Whistler 173

Barrow's Golden-eye 178

BUFFLE-HEAD DuCK l8l

Old-squaw, Long-tailed Duck 185

Harlequin Duck 189

Labrador Duck 192

Steller's Duck 195

Spectacled Eider 197

Common Eider 200

American Eider 202

Pacific Eider 205

King Eider 208

American Scoter 211

American Velvet Scoter 213

Velvet Scoter 216

Surf Scoter, Skunk-head 217

Ruddy Duck 220

Masked Duck 223

GENERAL ILLUSTRATIONS.

Goose Decoys on a Bar 281

The Battery Rigged. Facing page 434

Swivel Guns from Spesutia Island, Facing page 435

Plan of Single Battery 551

Plan of Double Battery 5:^3

Sneak Boat 558

Nee-pe-nauk Boat 560

LoYD Boat 561

Sassafras Dug-out ^62

Mexican Cypress Pirogue ^g^

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PACE

Wolf River Canoe 563

Bob Stanley Boat 564

Senachwine Iron Skiff 565

Hennepin Duck Boat 566

Monitor Marsh Boat 567

De Pere Red Cedar Boat 567

Mississippi Scull Boat 568

Koshkonong Flat Boat 569

koshkonong monitor 569

ToLLESTON Boat 570

North Canoe 571

Fifty I'igitcttcs in Text.

Chart of Duck Bound in ivith Back Cover.