. The water-fowl family . and a perfect multitude of duckstake flight, joined, as they leave the water, bysmaller flocks. This is Pearsons Pond. At itsfarther edge a small strip of sedge is surroundedby quite an area of open water, which, with anorthwest wind, makes a lee. Here the puntersets his decoys, then shoves back into the is no need of a blind. A few quill reedscut and stuck in front of the bow make a completecover. Before everything is ready comes the firstshot. Four black duck, high up, answer the call,and dropping into range circle in against the windwith wings set, then
. The water-fowl family . and a perfect multitude of duckstake flight, joined, as they leave the water, bysmaller flocks. This is Pearsons Pond. At itsfarther edge a small strip of sedge is surroundedby quite an area of open water, which, with anorthwest wind, makes a lee. Here the puntersets his decoys, then shoves back into the is no need of a blind. A few quill reedscut and stuck in front of the bow make a completecover. Before everything is ready comes the firstshot. Four black duck, high up, answer the call,and dropping into range circle in against the windwith wings set, then jump high in the air as themistake is realized. One drops, the next barrelmisses. The morning stillness has been the report thousands of ducks rise from theponds and marshes. A gun sounds off to theeast, and others toward the club, but there is suffi-cient to attend to on Pearsons Pond. A flock ofsix, in which a green head marks a mallard, arehovering over the stool. The mallard and a black -*r ■*»■*■ RED-HEADS AND CANVAS-BACK Duck-shooting 51 duck part company with the rest, and before thegun is loaded is a chance at a single duck. Adozen more are almost in range. Two cut in, andone stays. The flight for a few minutes is steady;then the birds seem to have risen higher, and donot decoy as well. Guns on all sides in the marshkeep them moving. A flock of something differ-ent now flashes by, and a dozen hooded mergansersdart over the decoys. A pair of green-winged teallight; and as they stop, a double folds them few minutes black duck, in twos and threes,sometimes a small flock, call forth shots. Thisshooting lasts until noon, and then comes a briefrespite. There is an opportunity to look hundred yards off are the dead birds, driftedagainst the edge of the marsh. There are fortyodd, and a number of cripples have crawled off;not once has the boat been pushed out. Lunchseems in order, but it is cut short by another littleflight. Three or four
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectfowling, bookyear1903
