CHAPTER II 



DUCK-SHOOTING (CONTINUED) 

 RIVER SHOOTING 



IN many parts of the United States it is pos- 

 sible to get good duck-shooting on the rivers. 

 This is the case in various parts of the West, and 

 especially the South, where sluggish streams wind 

 through brush and brake. For this manner of 

 ducking, a low flat-bottomed boat is essential, and 

 should be made as inconspicuous as possible by 

 means of sedge and grass piled in the bow. If 

 managed by a single gunner, he must be an ex- 

 pert sculler. Usually one man paddles another, 

 keeping the craft close to the shore, noiselessly 

 rounding a bend within easy range of the adjacent 

 bank. With loud quacking, the startled birds 

 spring into the air from a wooded pool, and a 

 flock of mallard offers an easy mark. An old 

 green-head falls at the first shot, and his compan- 

 ions, soaring high, wend their way down-stream. 

 Every little while, from the sloughs alongshore, 

 where grass and thick weeds afford cover and a 

 feeding-place, ducks jump within range. They 

 are mostly mallard, though wood-duck and teal are 



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