. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. 1828, the area became more of a hun- ter's paradise when Currituck Inlet closed. The fresher sound waters allowed wild celery and other water- fowl foods to grow in the marshy areas, attracting hundreds of thousands of birds. It also attracted hunters, like Midgett's father, who could sell their spoils in Northern markets. During the heyday, there were no hunting seasons, says Midgett. "When the ducks began to migrate from Canada to North Carolina, that's when the season ; The geese and d
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. 1828, the area became more of a hun- ter's paradise when Currituck Inlet closed. The fresher sound waters allowed wild celery and other water- fowl foods to grow in the marshy areas, attracting hundreds of thousands of birds. It also attracted hunters, like Midgett's father, who could sell their spoils in Northern markets. During the heyday, there were no hunting seasons, says Midgett. "When the ducks began to migrate from Canada to North Carolina, that's when the season ; The geese and ducks were shipped in barrels out of Stumpy Point by train to New York and Baltimore. "I heard my daddy say that the most he ever shipped was 16 sugar barrels of geese," says Midgett. In each barrel, 16 geese were stacked around a stovepipe filled with ice shavings and salt. Each goose was worth about $1. Jerry Wright of Currituck heard the tales, too, because his grandfather and uncles were also market hunters. He remembers hearing one story in which two gentlemen shot 700 redhead ducks in one afternoon. Accounts like this spurred wealthy hunters from the North to visit North Carolina's coast. To accommodate them, the natives built stately hunting lodges and started large clubs. Dews Island Hunting Club in Currituck, which opened its doors in 1852, cur- rently is operated by Wright's father. Like other lodges, the club enter- tained, fed and helped guide the Yankee sportsmen. In the 1920s and 1930s, increased concern about depletion of waterfowl led to the enactment of several laws, rules and regulations for hunting. The government set seasons and bag limits for waterfowl and other game, and took measures to enforce them. When the market closed, most market hunters became guides for visiting hunters. Serving as guides is a tradition the Midgetts and Wrights continue. Today, waterfowl such as Canada geese, snow geese, blue geese, tundra swans, wood ducks, mallards, pig
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
