214 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 



The sculler must be constantly on the watch, and, 

 when coming down stream, the formation of the timber 

 or the ground shows him that he is approaching a pond, 

 bayou, slough, bed of rice, of smart-weed, or willow 

 flash. He must drift or scull slowly, keeping the bow 

 with blind headed toward the point he intends making ; 

 for the best blind is on the bow, and it is the most per- 

 fect shield. 



No man can make a good duck-sculler unless he is 

 thoroughly posted on the habits of the duck. He must 

 know when and how to approach them, and to read 

 their thoughts as they sit on the banks, or float on the 

 water. This he does by their actions, and the expert 

 can tell almost every time, long before he gets near 

 them, whether or not he will get a shot, by the way 

 they act while he is approaching them. 



The scull-boat demands the best of care, and must 

 not leak a drop. The bottom is half filled with dry hay ; 

 the sculler sits there for hours on the hay, and the boat 

 must be in perfect condition. This requires careful 

 attention, and when not in use, the boat should be 

 kept under shelter, and thoroughly looked over and 

 painted at least once a year it is time and labor well 

 spent. 



How to trim a scull-boat for timber and overflow 

 shooting, I have fully explained in the article " Scull- 

 ing ducks on the Mississippi ; " how to trim for ice 

 shooting, in the chapter on " Canada Goose shooting.'* 

 And now that you may see how we scull them in the 

 wild rice, and where tiny lakes abound, imagine yourself 

 comfortably seated on the hay in the bottom of the boat 

 while I am both engineer and pilot. On the bow, we 

 have placed a goodly sized portion of an old muskrat 



