Duck-shooting 55 



decoys a couple of hundred yards. My brother 

 tended the sloop. There was some little sea, and 

 a breeze from the west. We put up a big bed of 

 canvas-back near the spot, but it was an hour or 

 so before any came in. Then a steady flight kept 

 up all day, in small flocks of from six to ten. A 

 flock of six was the first to come into the stool. 

 They dropped in, and didn't seem to want to rise. 

 I worked up within forty feet of the bunch, killed 

 three on the water and the rest in straight shots, 

 with a pump gun. I picked them up and got a 

 shot at two before I went to my anchor, dropping 

 one. The birds came in like this all the morning, 

 and I didn't go down on the decoys once and get 

 less than three. Most of them gave me a shot 

 on the water. The best scoop I made was on a 

 flock of fifteen: only one got off; eight on the 

 water, three as they rose, three more circled 

 and came back after I reloaded. It was blowing 

 harder all the time, and decoys began to drift. 

 About four o'clock the sloop came, and we 

 'took up.' 



Xi There were fifty birds on board and seventy 

 odd in the skag, all canvas-back. I didn't shoot 

 broadbill, and there were no red-head flying. 

 That was the best day last fall, and the best 

 score I ever made." 



