154 ON THE WING. 



HARBOR SHOOTING. 



IN New England, all along the coast, we have what 

 we call Harbor Shooting, and it forms a very desirable 

 part of wild-fowl shooting. It is a kind, of sport that 

 cannot compare either in ease or results to duck shoot- 

 ing on the Chesapeake, yet it furnishes to many New 

 England sportsmen a pleasure not to be derided. 



The bleak rough coast of New England hardly fur- 

 nishes an abiding place for any species of game, and 

 the wild fowl that are found here come as visitors or 

 sojourners. It is therefore the duty of the sportsman 

 to be possessed of a knowledge of the times of arrival 

 of the various kinds of fowl, and accordingly to have 

 his house in order. 



Shooting on the coast is called harbor shooting, 

 and consists in taking a small keel boat, large 

 enough to be safe, but light enough to row easily, 

 and from ten to twenty wooden decoys of various 

 kinds, for such ducks as are in season, and anchor- 

 ing off some point of rocks which the fowl are accus- 

 tomed to pass over, and then shooting them either as 

 they fly past, or as they light among the decoys. The 

 decoys should be attached to each other by a strong 

 cord, and placed about twenty-five yards above the 

 boat ; that is, if the fowl are going south, as they gen- 

 erally are in the autumn, have the decoys north of 

 the boat about that distance. If possible, have the 

 boat anchored bow on towards the decoys. The tide 

 and wind will not always allow this to be done. This 

 position, however, should be maintained, if possible ; 



