Canada Goose 



271 



One successful method of hunting these birds in autumn is to dig a pit in a 

 cornfield and cover it with corn-stalks. The hunter here conceals himself and 

 shoots the Geese when they come into the field to feed on the corn, which for 

 some time has been daily scattered over the ground as a lure. Along the South 

 Atlantic Coast many are shot from 'blinds' erected on points of marsh or shal- 

 low shoals where the Geese come to feed or rest. These 'blinds' are constructed 

 of four strong stakes driven into the mud, forming a square three feet or more 

 across. These, in turn, support the blind which consists of a boarded floor and 

 sides made of long grasses or reeds cut from the neighboring marshes. In this 

 the hunter crouches and shoots the Wild Geese as they approach the wooden or 

 live-Goose decoys anchored nearby. A modification of the blind-shooting is 



CURRITUCK WILD FOWL HUNTERS PAINTING THEIR CANADA GEESE DECOYS 

 Photographed by T. Gilbert Pearson 



battery-shooting. Here the hunter lies on his back in a box shaped like a 

 coffin, and protected from the waves by wings of boards and canvas. Around 

 him on the water are the bobbing wooden dummies of Geese. Live decoys, 

 too, are always used when available. These are of great help for they will 

 honk and call to the gunner any of their kind that chance to be passing within 

 half a mile. 



Until the passage of the recent Federal laws which make it a misdemeanor 

 to sell the bodies of wild fowl, Canada Geese were annually killed in large 

 numbers and sold in the markets. When properly prepared this bird makes 

 a most acceptable addition to the menu. Adult Canada Geese weigh from eight 

 to fourteen pounds, hence one is indeed a prize for the game-bag. 



