204 



WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 



where they can be seen from a distance ; avoid putting- 

 them in the shadow of grass, brush or trees. Keep 

 them in an open space, and, if possible, so the sun will 

 shine on them from the direction the ducks are coming 

 from. This will make them conspicuous, and loom 

 up attractively. Use all the decoys you have, the more 

 the better. Large flocks allay suspicion. Build your- 

 self a blind, not too high to interfere with your shoot- 

 ing; hide your boat, keep your eyes open, your tongue 

 still, and if birds are moving, you will soon have busi- 

 ness on hand. 



Red-heads are scattered pretty well throughout the 

 United States. The finest shooting I ever had was in 

 the spring of 1888, on the Missouri river bottom, about 

 four miles north of Missouri Valley, Iowa. I had prom- 

 ised my friend, C. C. Williams of that place, if he 

 would telegraph me when red-head shooting was at its- 

 height, I would put in a day with him. He did so. 

 We left Missouri Valley in the afternoon at four, drove 

 to the shooting grounds, and at half-past four, my com- 

 panion, McPherson and myself, with about thirty de- 

 coys, started out in a Bond boat. The spot was fully 

 three miles from the Missouri river. It was in early 

 spring, the snow had melted and the bottom land was 

 overflowed for miles. The preceding night had been 

 cold, and sheet ice to the thickness of half an inch had 

 formed running from the shallow shore toward the 

 deeper water some two hundred yards. McPherson 

 pushed and I broke ice, and at five o'clock we were in 

 our blind, with decoys set out. My companion was a 

 man of acknowledged skill as a shot, but insisted that 

 I should do all the shooting, as he had been enjoying it 

 for some days, and he was resolved that I should 



