American Game 153 



Louis and 185 miles east of Kansas City. It is a lively 

 little town of about 7,000 inhabitants, and its number 

 of sportsmen is large. Like river towns of the South, 

 visitors are made welcome, and sportsmen can find there 

 congenial fellows who will do all possible to put one on 

 the right road to the game and fish localities. The 

 Missouri river flows past the city, and in its sloughs and 

 bayous in season duck, geese, and snipe are numerous. 

 There are no better places in the state to find geese than 

 on the great sand-bars near the city. 



Five miles up the river, where Gray's creek joins the 

 Missouri, there is a sand-bar several miles in length and 

 from one to two miles wide, covered in places with wil- 

 lows, from which the bar gets its name of Willow bar. 

 In places there are sloughs and small ponds near large 

 sections of sand, covered with plantain and other wild 

 plants the geese feed on, while on the higher part of the 

 bar there are small fields of corn and turnips. Geese 

 can be found there in great flocks from October until 

 April, except in the severe winter weather of January. 

 Duck of many kinds come in there, as well as snipe. 

 Brown rabbit and quail are numerous in the willows 

 and grass of the high bar ; fox can be found there also. 



One can find any number of blinds along the water, 

 and in the great heaps of driftwood in various places. 

 Decoy geese and duck will prove valuable in these 

 places. They can be bought in town, or rented of 

 several dealers in shooters' goods. Boats can be rented 

 on the levees at moderate prices; and if one wants a 

 negro to row the boat, he can hire one for a small sum 

 per day. They are lazy and good-natured, and will do 

 any amount of work for a shooter for very small pay. 



