Duck-shooting 55 



decoys a couple of hundred yards. My brother 

 tended the sloop. There was some little sea, and 

 a breeze from the west. We put up a big bed of 

 canvas-back near the spot, but it was an hour or 

 so before any came in. Then a steady flight kept 

 up all day, in small flocks of from six to ten. A 

 flock of six was the first to come into the stool. 

 They dropped in, and didn't seem to want to rise. 

 I worked up within forty feet of the bunch, killed 

 three on the water and the rest in straight shots, 

 with a pump gun. I picked them up and got a 

 shot at two before I went to my anchor, dropping 

 one. The birds came in like this all the morning, 

 and I didn't go down on the decoys once and get 

 less than three. Most of them gave me a shot 

 on the water. The best scoop I made was on a 

 flock of fifteen: only one got off; eight on the 

 water, three as they rose, three more circled 

 and came back after I reloaded. It was blowing 

 harder all the time, and decoys began to drift. 

 About four o'clock the sloop came, and we 

 ' took up.' 



" There were fifty birds on board and seventy 

 odd in the skag, all canvas-back. I didn't shoot 

 broadbill, and there were no red-head flying. 

 That was the best day last fall, and the best 

 score I ever made." 



