84 



HUNTING AND FISHING IN FLORIDA. 



be found along the St. John's River and in and about the small lakes 

 which abound in the interior. 



Following down the coast from Jacksonville, we come to the well- 

 known shooting grounds near Oak Hill, although, as I have re- 

 marked before, any one desiring to simply hunt quail and snipe may 

 get fair sport at almost any of the small towns on the line of the 

 road. 



At Oak Hill there is a small hotel kept by Frank Sams, who is 

 also the proprietor of the hotel at New Smyrna. Oak Hill is situated 



at the head of the Indian River, 

 and fine duck shooting may be 

 had there at times. Deer may 

 also be killed in this vicinity, 

 although they are not as plenty 

 as formerly. There are parts of 

 the old Turnbull Swamp where 

 turkeys are still common enough, 

 but difficult to get at, and one or 

 more bears are usually killed by 

 hunters from Oak Hill in and 

 about the swamp during the season. 



The country below Oak Hill on the east coast is the property of 

 the Canaveral Shooting Club and is not open to the public. Ducks 

 are numerous, as bears were also at one time, but I have assisted 

 in reducing their number considerably in that locality. 



From Titusville southward there are many places on the Indian 

 River where good duck shooting may be had. In the vicinity of 

 the Ten Thousand Islands the duck shooting is sometimes very 

 good. 



At one time ducks came in great numbers to pass the winter on 

 the east coast of Florida, attracted there by an abundance of their 

 favorite food. A bag of one hundred birds in a day's shooting over 

 decoys or " stools " was not uncommon. I must plead guilty to hav- 

 ing done this myself on one or two occasions, but none of the birds 

 were wasted, and I am glad to say that I have many times killed 



