GROUSE. 121 



There, you have winged one and hurt another one that will fly out 

 of sight and die. 



If you use a muzzle-loader you will get no more shots there, 

 but you can load a breech-loader before the few that still stick 

 will rise. When you get these up let the dog hunt the ground for 

 a hundred yards all around where they rose, and he will probably 

 get you a half dozen shots at a thirty yards rise ; and if your gun 

 is good and you are any sort of a shot, you will get every one. 

 Now go for that pack of five hundred you saw down on yonder 

 hill-side a mile away. You get half way there when your dog, 

 which is a hundred yards in advance, flushes one. Serves you 

 right for not keeping him in ; they won't lie to dogs now. You 

 go a little further, when up gets one right under your feet. Hold 

 on ! you'll miss entirely orcut him to shreds if you don't give him 

 at least twenty yards. At the crack of your gun there is a cloud 

 of feathers and the bird has disappeared ; but there goes another 

 crossing you forty yards ahead ; aim two feet ahead and you will 

 bring him. The grass seems to be literally alive with them, and 

 they get up faster than you can take them, till you have bagged 

 seven or eight. You can go on till you get within three or four 

 hundred yards of " that big pack," when they go off in a body and 

 don't give you a shot. It is now nearly two o'clock and the birds 

 are getting hungry again. However, if you are not too tired you 

 can find some more scattered ones that will add a few to your bag ; 

 but after three o'clock it is useless to pursue them ; besides you 

 have now bagged ten or twelve brace and ought to be satisfied. 



Iowa is probably the best shooting ground for the Pinnated 

 Grouse, within easy reach of the East. Here this game is abun- 

 dant over most of the western half of the State. From Des Moines 

 northwest, one may stop at Grand Junction or Gowrie, north ot 

 there, or at almost any. station west of Grand Junction. Going 

 west from Des Moines, stop at Stuart, and take stage line to Fon- 

 tanelle, twelve miles out, where there are excellent shooting con- 

 veniences. Twelve miles west from Stuart is Casey. Take stage 

 from there to Fontanelle, twenty-four miles. Almost ever)' foot 

 of the way abounds with " Chickens," and at almost any station 

 west of Casey good sport can be had. In most cases it will be nec- 

 essary to go from four to ten miles from the railroad, as the birds are 



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