32 The Water-fowl Family 



BATTERY SHOOTING 



Battery shooting is practised more or less all 

 along the coast and occasionally inland. The 

 battery, when well built and equipped, is the 

 deadliest of all the different methods of decoy 

 shooting. In fact, the destruction of ducks by 

 this method has been legislated against in many 

 of the resorts for wild fowl, in others limited to 

 a certain number of days, and some states permit 

 only residents this privilege ; but the same provi- 

 dent states allow any one to become a native for 

 five dollars — this is true in North Carolina. The 

 battery is a coffin-like box so shaped that it con- 

 ceals one or two men when lying at full length ; 

 it is provided with head and tail pieces of canvas 

 to break the force of the waves, and weighted 

 down so the sides are just above the level of the 

 water. From this description it can readily be 

 seen that moderately calm weather is essential 

 for successful shooting. Painted lead color and 

 carefully concealed by a hundred or more decoys, 

 few ducks, however wild, will distinguish the 

 counterfeit if their line of flight is near by. A 

 good-sized boat known as the tender is required 

 to carry a battery and the necessary stool. This 

 lies off at a sufficient distance from the gunner 

 to pick up his birds, and otherwise attend to him 

 should emergency arise. 



