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THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 



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WILLAMETTE VALLEY DUCK SHOOTING. 



By J. W. Hobbs. 



There has been considerable interest and discussion in the papers by 

 the sportsmen throughout the state lately as to changing the season for 

 duck shooting, and especially as to the best season for the Willamette Valley 

 sportsmen. I will have to take issue with my brother sportsmen of Albany, 

 who seem to want to extend the season to shoot and not begin until Novem- 

 ber 15th. They recommend this, claiming that the birds do not come down 

 from the north until this time. 



I will say that I have for the last seven years been a member of a club 

 in Eugene, which is forty-three miles farther south than Albany, which has 

 a duck shooting preserve on the Long Tom and Coyote Creeks, some ten 

 miles west of Eugene, and I have kept a complete record of the number of 

 ducks shot on this preserve for the past seven seasons. The place we have is 

 a low, swampy marsh, between the two creeks. Few if any ducks are raised 

 there, other than a few wook ducks and perhaps a few mallards; but this is 

 a natural stopping place for them on their flight south in the fall. The club 

 is composed of from six to seven members, and the shooting is done two 

 days in the week, on Sundays and mid-week, but mostly on Sundays. The 

 record kept for the past seven years is much the same as the records of the 

 other clubs in this vicinity. It is as follows: 



Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Totals 



Law prohibited Feb. shooting 

 1 1 n n tt 



11 " shooting after Feb. 15 



tl " shooting after Jan. 15 



Totals ..630 2611 2139 1167 288 6835 



In the October months most of the birds were shot in the latter half of 

 the month. The poor showing of the record for October the last season was 

 on account of the very late season, and the law prohibiting the shooting of 

 wood ducks. The entire month of November each year has been good; in 

 fact, November is the best month by far we have here, showing that our 

 Albany brothers are mistaken when they say that the southern flight does 

 not commence until later. December is our next best month and is always 

 good. January is not nearly so good as November or December, with Feb- 

 ruary rather poor. This last season I will admit was an exception, being a 

 very warm and late season, and the birds did not come down until much 

 later than usual. Yet November again, as usual, was the best month of the 

 season. In 1912 they came down early, and October was a good month. I 



Pag* f iv» 



1907.. 



.. 22 



135 



171 



64 



. . . 



392 



1908.. 



..149 



362 



324 



124 



... 



959 



1909.. 



.. 47 



227 



338 



304 



71 



987 



1910.. 



..166 



444 



181 



83 



6 



880 



1911.. 



.. 24 



528 



197 



231 



21 



1001 



1912.. 



..190 



447 



478 



271 



190 



1576 



1913.. 



.. 32 



468 



450 



90 





1040 



