4 ; 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
«04 
good sport kept us there another day. We kept no count 
of the numbers of fish caught. In fact, the trout rose so 
readily we fished only a small part of the day. My own 
best sport was in leaving the sure places and going'clown 
along the rocky and difficult shore, snapping my fly 
through the. undergrowth into the stream and having the 
ochls against me in a fight, It is not easy work to use a 
light rod through the brush, to play and tire powerful 
fish, and then, with rod and network one's way down to 
the water’s edge and securo tire prize. The line could 
hardly be kept taut, and with a moment’s slack the trout 
is gone, a fly lost, or hook detached. Yet, with all these 
odds, I took into camp five fish, the smallest three pounds 
and the largest three and three-quarter pounds. It was 
wonderful sport, and in as delightful a place as ever my 
lines were cust. 
We broke camp on Tuesday morning and went on up 
the river. The scenery up to Little Flat Rock Portage 
is of the grandest description. Above that, in the route 
to Lake Nepigon which we followed, it is comparatively 
tame and u nin teresting. A few miles above that portage 
we left the river, turning off to the left through the artifi¬ 
cially deepened channel of a little stream, the outlet of a 
shallow lake known as Big Sturgeon Lake. The stream 
has been improved by the Indians removing stones from 
the bottom and piling them on the sides of the creek, so 
the depth is increased and the water way narrowed, and 
the passage of loaded canoes made practicable. 
This narrow and shallow “canal” is known by the In¬ 
dian name “ AVaupchekinnegan”—at least that is as near 
as 1 can spell it. It is the usual passage way of canoes 
going between Red Rock and Nepigon House, and makes 
a shorter route than by Nepigon Falls. 
We had a hard, pull against a heavy wind and sea 
through Big Sturgeon Lake. The canoes were heavily 
loaded, and only the most skilful management brought 
us safely, with but little water shipped, to the foot of 
Big Flat Rock Portage, which is well named. Thence a 
tramp of nearly two miles over a smooth path and we 
stood upon the high, bare rocks, whose bases were washed 
by the clear and beautiful waters of Lake Nepigon. 
C. C. H. 
■» <e* - 
OUT WITH THE DUCKS. 
DECK SHOOTING ON THE CHESAPEAKE. 
H AVRE DE GRACE is the headquarters of the “ sink 
boat” shooters — about forty professional outfits 
being licensed ($30 each). The outfit cousists of a small 
sailing craft, twenty-five to fifty feet long, a small llat- 
bottomed row-boat, a “sink box,” and BOO to 000 decoys. 
It requires three men to work these boats, decoys, etc’ 
Borne of the shooters live constantly aboard their crafts, 
others only the night previous to the legal days for shoot¬ 
ing, viz, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after the 1st 
of Nov. By law these craft are not allowed to go upon 
the shooting grounds before 3 o'clock fit the morning. 
And shooting cannot commence until one hour before 
sunrise, and may continue until half an hour after sunset. 
No shooting from sink boxes is allowed within one-half 
a mile of the shore. 
Many craft anchor near the line within one-half mile 
of shore, and immediately after 3 o'clock go upon the 
grounds and proceed to set out the decoys as soon as they 
can see to do so, usually about 4 or 5 o,clock, which re¬ 
quires an hour for the three men : then shooting may 
commence if it is light enough and within one hour of 
sunrise. The first two hours of the morning are usu¬ 
ally worth as much as the remainder of the day ; some¬ 
times as many as fifty to one hundred birds are gath¬ 
ered on the first trip out of the batteau. The sloops are 
usually anchored one-quarter of a mile from the sink 
box. Nearly all the boxeB are single, that is, but one 
person can shoot at a time, though there are a few dou- 
Fe ones ; convenient whem two persons wish to shoot 
together, but a disadvantage practically, as the ducks do 
not dart so well to them, owiug to the fact that two per¬ 
sons can be seen more readily than one. 
It is an advantage to have two guns, the spare one 
loaded with long-range cartridges; preferably Ely’s wire 
shot cartridges,' to kill cripples. I cannot speak too 
highly of these long-range cartridges in any kind of duck 
shooting, particularly in “punt shooting 7 ’ and “hush- 
wlmckiug” where you may kill at more than 100 yards. 
Tliese cartridges may be hud of the principal gun deal¬ 
ers in the large cities, already loaded with shot varying 
iu quantity from one ounce to two and three-quartern, 
from the small sizes of shot up to a bullet of gauges 8, 
10. 13, from seventy-five cents to $1 per dozen. In 
ordering them, state gauge of gun, size and quantity of 
shot required. Krider, ot Second and Walnut streets, 
Philadelphia, and Squires, of No. 1 Covtlandt street, 
New York, keep them. I should think that they might 
he used in choked guns, hut your gunsmith should be 
consulted on this point. Concentrators, to he had every¬ 
where, arc very serviceable for moderately long-range in 
cylinder borea. 
For' ten gauges, four to five drachms powder and one 
and one-quarter to one and a half ounces No. 4 Chilled 
elmt are generally used. The writer used an eight gauge, 
twelve and three-quarter pound English gun, made by 
Thorne, of Pall Mall, paper cases, four and a quarter 
inches long, eight drachms Hazard’s coarse No. 4 best 
duck shooting; also Curtis & Harvey’s make of Colonel 
Hawker’s “puntpowder and two ounce No. 4 chilled 
shot concentrator in left-hand barrel, water-proof, white 
felt and pink edge wads over powder. Delaware fibre 
wads over shot glued in. It is a great error to cut off 
cases • put in two or three pink edge wads over powder, 
pound down with mallet, and you may shoot five drachms 
of powder in No. 10 shell without cutting otf ; load to 
leave an eighth of an inch to turn in. If you have very 
long shells, as I had—four and a quarter inches—which I 
could not load to nearer than one inch of the top, creas¬ 
ing with a ereaser, or Still better, gumming or glueing, 
are the only proper methods of loading extra long shells, 
the cutting off practice of many otherwise good gun¬ 
smiths to the contrary, notwithstanding, 
I arrived at Havre tie Grace, the evening of November 
10th one week after tlie shooting commenced ; the 
weather was very unfavorable — warm and calm—though 
at the opening on tiro third and fifth—the first cold days 
•we had_the weathur was all that couldhave been desired. 
The night was spent at the Harford House, quite near 
the depot (terms about $1,50 per day). 
Qn Tuesday I engaged my gunners, the price being 
$35 per day; sloop, batteau, sink-box, 350 decoys, 
services of three men, and such meals as I whose to eat. 
The first night was spent on the sloop, whose cabin 
about 0 feet by 6, and 3 to 4 feet high, was by far the 
most uncomfortable place I ever occupied ; mostly on 
account of my companions, composed of three snoring 
men and a hot stove. What a long sleepless night, from 
(j in the evening to 3 in the morning. 
We proceeded across the line at 3 o'clock, came to 
anchor at 4; set out decoys, and began to shoot 
hs soon as one could see, which was about 6 o’clock. 
The flight is the best at this time of any part of the 
day, and if a large bag he an clement in the sport, the 
best and moBt experienced shot should be in the box for 
the first two hours. 
Good shots find the awkwardness of the position in the 
box very trying at first—all this, with the errors in judg¬ 
ing of distances, do not give many dead ducks to 
amateurs. On signal from the shooter, men come from 
the sloop in the batteau to gather dead, kill over cripples, 
and relieve the shooter for an heiur or two. 
Redheads and blackheads are the principal kinds of 
ducks killed ; after these canvas hacks, bald pates, and 
black ducks. Greasers and moor hens are not shot hv 
professionals. We killed about twenty ducks of all 
kinds each day, being out two days, hut one of which 
was a canvas back. One should he able to recognize the 
different varieties of duck while on the wing, otherwise 
in shooting at a moor hen one may spoil the chances of 
a possible shot at a canvas buck. Professionals have a 
great advantage here. 
The men with whom I was, killed 1G0 ducks the first 
day ; netting them above $60. Other men have been 
known to kill above $100 worth of ducks in a clay, only 
one person shooting at a time in the box. Of the 160 
above referred to, 100 were redheads, twenty canvas 
hacks, remainder principally blackheads, 
On Nov, 13th, ducks sold at Ilavro de Grace, first 
hands, canvas backs, $1.60 to $3.00per pair ; redheads, 60 
to 80 cents; blackheads, 30 to 40 cents. By many, red¬ 
heads and blackheads are thought to he quite as good 
eating as canvas backs. One may see from tliese figures, 
why these men charge such enormous prices, viz.:—from 
$35 to $100 per day, (about $40 being the usual price 
for really good, men iu good weather). There are about 
forty licensed sink-boxes, with prices varying according 
to season, weather, and shooting abilities of the men, 
from $15 to $100, 
The first days of the season, all things being equal, are 
tho best, as the ducks become more and more shy. 
Mon day is probably abetter day than any other of the week, 
as they have two day’s rest, instead of one, until after the 
1st of January, when Saturday becomes a shooting day. 
I was unfortunate in having selected a very unencrgetic 
man, who feigned sickness, or was too lazy to go to the 
shooter when signalled. 
On both days large bodies of floating grass fouled the 
decoys to such an extent that it was necessary to take 
them up and reset them, by which, much time was lost. 
If I was going again I should employ a man by the name 
of Seightbizer, who charges $40, he is an excellent shot, 
and a live, active man. 
There i3 a man by the name of Dobson who is said to 
he the best shot among the professionals. Jones, the pro¬ 
prietor of the Harford House, could probably furnish the 
names of many others, and of all prices. A party of two, 
three or four could find enough to amuse them for a day 
in one of these expeditions. One of the party might 
“bushwhack,” which is a kind of “ sneak boat,” or ordi¬ 
nary batteau, with, a curtain around the how to conceal 
shooter and sculler. These men have fifty decoyB set out; 
stand off and scull when ducks alight. More canvas- 
backs can be shot in this way on calm days than from 
the sink-box. These men charge much less ; probably 
$10 to $15. If economy is to bestudied, Chesapeake is to 
be scrupulously avoided, Barnegat and Brigantine being 
better places, where $8 per day will cover all expenses. 
My two days on Chesapeake cost me, all included, $110. 
No license is needed to shoot from the boats or boxes of 
professionals, but to shoot from the shore, whioh may be 
done on all days, I should think it would be needed. Po¬ 
licemen are stationed in cabins to enforce the laws, 
“Point shooting" iB for the most part monopolized by 
clubs, some of which have small houses. The shares in 
some of these clubs cost $1,000. The nearest public house 
to the Point shooting is, I am told, at Edgewood, ten 
miles beyond Havre de Grace, on same line of rail¬ 
road. 
Persons engaging professional gunners should have 
some written memoranda Of what they are expected 
to do ; how many decoys they are to put out; that they 
are to be ready to shoot one hour before sunrise, or as 
soon as it is light enough to see, and not to take up until 
after sunset: to keep the decoys clear of grass ; to come 
to shooter as often as signalled; to carry a gun with 
them to kill cripples in their journeys to the box; to have 
something fit to eat aboard, such as coffee, sugar, butter, 
milk, beef, etc. Inquirointo the condition of then-larder 
before going aboard. 
The outfit should ho visited before engaged. One 
should stay at hotel until 3 o’clock in the morning, and 
then go aboard, as the accommodations are simply 
beastly. If there is a likelihood of a calm morning, ne¬ 
cessitating the towing of the sloop by the men in the 
batteau, this should also he provided for in. the contract, 
obliging the men In be on the ground before sunrise. 
To illustrate the importance of such a contract, I will 
detail tho following experience: Of the three men prom¬ 
ised, one turned out to be a small boy—one of the irrepres¬ 
sibles, His father, the “boss,” feigned sickness, and 
only by the most persistent urging did they perform their 
duties. On neither day did they put out all their 
decoys. On both days they insisted upon taking up very 
early. Our rations were salt ham; one day no butter— 
the other no sugar; seldom carried a gun to kill cripples, 
and then, though they had two breech-loaders, he pro¬ 
posed to use a muzzle-loader to save ammunition : and 
all this in the face of a fee of $35 per day. J. S. H. 
BUCK SHOOTING ON DELAW ABE BAY, 
Our party, consisting of Capt. R. G. Wilkins, Morris 
Clark, John Mayberry, William Patton and the writer, 
loft Cooper's Point, N. J., on the Otli of November for a 
trip down the bay. As we thoroughly understood each 
other, having all “been there before,” we resolved to 
make the trip a thoroughly enjoyable affair. 
After encountering rain, snow and a dense fog, we ar¬ 
rived at Back Creek (seventy-one miles) on the evening 
of the 7th, and came to anchor directly upon a bed of as 
fine oysters as ever tickled the palate of an epicure. On 
the morning of the 8th we set our gill-net on the ebb tide, 
and took out about four dozen black-hack perch and 
rockfish, and on the laBt hour of the ebb tide tongued up 
about six bushels of oysters. About three o’clock put 
out our decoys, and had splendid shooting until dark at 
black ducks, mallards, broad-bills and teal, and certainly 
feasted upon “the fat of the land” and water. 
The weather continued mild for more than a week, 
and as we had more ducks than we could consume, 
shipped a barrelful up by a passing oyster pungee, We 
had ducks “stuffed” with oysters and roasted, duck 
stews, duck fries, and ducks in every shape eatable, and 
yet many of our ducks spoiled, and had to be thrown over¬ 
board. For about ten days the weather was so mild that 
a coat and vest were burdensome, and the mosquitos an¬ 
noyed us to such an extent, that for two days we did not 
go on the marsh. Our gill-nets averaged about nine 
dozen fine perch and rock each day, and after catering to 
our own table we had plenty to share among the oyster- 
men whom we met now and then. 
At last the long-looked for change iu the weather came 
about. The wind shifted to northwest and blew a gale, 
accompanied by a heavy flurry of snow. Our little yacht 
was snug enough in the creek, but the gale increased to 
such an extent, that we had to get out two extra anchors, 
and these did not hold her for some time, and after 
dragging about a hundred yards, we fetched up under 
tho lee of a high mud-bank. The wind continued heavy 
for two days, driving the dusks out of the bay, inland. On 
the third day the wind lulled, and Clark and I took one 
of our ducking skiffs and pulled up to the "Tweed" 
(seven miles), put out the decoys, and pnsliing the skiff 
into a hunch of high grass, prepared for business. The 
sun was almost down, and flock after flock of black ducks 
and mallards passed over our heads. When the light be¬ 
came uncertain the ducks flew closer, evidently attract¬ 
ed by the decoys, and—whiz ! a bunch of mallards 
whirled over the decoys with the speed of lightning. 
“ Steady, now,” said 1; “they’ll lie back again and 
before I finished speaking down they flopped just outside 
the decoys, and about thirty yards distant. 
“ Shoot! ” said I; and hang 1 bang 1 hang ! bang ! four 
barrels belched forth their contents. We picked up nine¬ 
teen dead ducks; three cripples crawled into the grass, 
which we also secured, and two more, wing-broken, 
fell into the water, which I shot, over with a small gun. 
Just as we were about to take up the decoys a small 
bunch of teal whirled by us, when Clark picked up the 
small gun and sent twoloads of No. 6 after them, which 
brought down three stone dead. It was a beautiful shot. 
We bad in all twenty-seven, and our little boat was 
literally loaded down with ducks. - These birds were all 
in splendid condition—fat, juicy and tender. 
We were stooling off Back Creek Point one afternoon, 
when Mayberry shot into a bunch of black ducks ap¬ 
parently far out of gunshot, and directly over his head. I 
watched them for awhile, when I saw one lag, and 
shortly afterward, fall into the hay about a mile from 
shore. An hour afterwards we picked it up drifting by 
our decoys, the wind and tide having set it ashore. 
The same afternoon Captain Wilkins was shooting off 
Ben Davies’ Point, and shot at a broadbill; the duck 
flew at least 300 yards out into the bay, then wheeled 
and'flew shoreward, and dropped dead on the marsh not 
six feet from his blind, 
I was stooling one evening about dusk at “ Leather - 
Belly ” ponds, when a hunch of mallards went past me; 
I stopped one, and as it struck the water it went down ; 
in a moment afterwards I heard a slight pattering, and 
peeping cautiously in the direction of tlie sound, saw the 
crippled duck walking towards my blind; it came directly 
to me and 1 caught it by the leg. I mention these inci¬ 
dents as singular, and can vouch for their truth. 
We all performed our share of hard work on the trip. 
Captain Wilkins was sailing master; Patton did the 
cooking, and the other three helped to supply the larder. 
Many little jokes might be mentioned, which helped to 
enliven the time and add to our pleasure. 
Coming to an anchor,on one occasion, Wilkins shouted 
to Patton to let go tho anchor. As the yacht went up in 
the wind, Patton let it go, by going down to the bottom 
with it (one of the flukes caught in his knit jacket and 
carried him overboard). Cap walked forward and met 
Patton climbing up over the rail, looking like a veritable 
drowned rat. 
‘■A-a-anchor all r-r-right, Cap; I’ve b-b-heen there,” 
said Patton, as he wiped the salt water off his lips. 
We had a late supper that night, and the cook went 
without his grog for liis unseamanlike conduct. 
Patton “ got square ” with the Captain. One afternoon 
Wilkins was crossing a spongy place on the marsh, when 
he slipped into a 1 ‘ salt hole ” with both feet far above the 
tops of his gum hoots, and stuck there. 
“W-w-what are yon d-d-doing down there, Cap?" 
asked Patton, with a wicked twinkle in his eye, and, de¬ 
liberately lighting his pipe, marched off to the yacht to 
tell the boys the joke. Six hours (so Wilkins said) after¬ 
wards Patton came along and pulled the Captain out of 
tlie hole, and plumed himself on having performed a 
kindly Christian act. 
The next day, the weather continuing cold, with wind 
from northeast, put everything aboard and stood down 
along Egg Harbor, when we crossed the bay (twenty-five 
miles) to the breakwater under Cape Henlopen, with a 
heavy sea, under three-reefed mainsail, with jib stowed. 
Passed Brandywine Shoal Light and anchored under lee 
of the “ Stone-pile,” whero we found 174 weather-bound 
vessels of all sorts and sizes. Stopped here two days, 
when the wind shifted and sea calmed down. It is a sad 
sight to look along the iron-bound beach and see the 
number of wrecks strewed there. 
Got under way at daylight of [the third day ; doubled 
the cape, and stood out towards the “great briny.” The 
long, regular swell brought new life into our bodies, and 
in a l'ew hours we crossed the bar at Indian River, and 
entered Rehaboth Bay, 155 miles from the starting-point. 
This is the home of wild geese. Our old friend Benson, 
once proprietor of tlie Ashland House, Philadelphia, used 
to send from this place tons of wild geese, brant and ducks 
some years ago, with but one man to assist him—the 
eccentric Doebler, of Lewes. The wind having “chopped’ 
