44U 
I 
Forest and Stream 
GUNNING FOR THE RUFFED GROUSE 
THE STORY OF A DAY’S SHOOTING IN THE EARLY SEASON WHICH CON- ' 
TAINS A GREAT DEAL OF PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR THE HUNTER ; 
By GEORGE S. BROWN 
I T was the evening of October 7th; 
the next day would be the first of 
the open season on partridge in Con- 
necticut. Our plant employs in the 
neighborhood of 500 hands, and being 
situated in a small borough of about 
3,500 population, with woods, rivers and 
lakes all around us, it is only reasonable 
to imagine that many of the boys find 
much pleasure with the rod and gun. 
Reports showed the usual number of 
ruffed grouse, quail, rabbits and gray 
squirrels. For the previous two or three 
Saturdays, there had been increased at- 
tendance at the traps to see if we still 
had the knack of hitting flying targets. 
Take it all in all the shooting fever had 
struck us hard, and some of us even 
laid awake at night a little longer than 
usual viewing ourselves in our mind’s 
eye, as we brought down birds under 
most difficult conditions. 
During the summer everyone had ex- 
erted himself to the utmost to bring our 
plant efficiency up to the top notch. 
Some of the boys had stuck to their 
jobs not only through the regular week’s 
run, but also on Saturday afternoons to 
keep things up to the scratch. The hunt- 
ing season was coming and some of 
them were hunters. I’m one myself, so 
I knew what would make them forget 
all that extra time and hard labor ; a 
day off now and then after the game 
birds ; a chance to get up early and 
get into those old canvas trousers and 
hunting coat ; to pick out a good load 
and then pick out a *good place. Best 
of all, the boys knew that I knew what 
they liked. 
I went into our power house where 
the steam turbine was whining away as 
it furnished the “juice” to drive our 
spindles and looms. The assistant super- 
intendent and the master mechanic were 
there and I felt quite sure that they 
were telling each other just what crack 
shots they were. 
“If I’m half an hour late tomorrow 
morning will it be all right, Mr. 
Brown?” inquired the assistant superin- 
tendent. “I’d like to skip over and get 
a crack at a partridge.” 
“Why don’t you take the whole day 
off?” I answered. “Take Mr. Cheney 
with you. I cannot go myself till late 
in the afternoon so I’ll stick around 
while you get the limit. Of course, if 
you don’t wish to go — ” 
“Oh, we’ll go all right !” was the an- 
swer and I saw that I had hit them on a 
tender spot. Already they could smell 
the wet leaves, could see themselves 
stepping along gingerly with every nerve 
on edge and every muscle tense as they 
closed in on a thicket of wild grape- 
vines and bull briers where they knew 
a ruffed grouse was crouching. Why, 
blame it all, I got the same smell and 
ankle-high shoes with “Neolin” soles and 
leather heels. The rubber composition 
soles prevent all slipping when creeping 
up ledges and give the sportsman a sure 
foothold which adds much to his confi- 
dence and also allows him to pay atten- 
tion to business and not be compelled to 
pick out every spot before he steps. The 
leather heels are to be preferred to rub- 
ber for they retain their shape. The 
rubber heel when subjected to severe use 
over rocks and sharp stubs soon has its 
edges worn away and becomes rounded 
to such an extent that one has trouble 
with ankle strain from the rolling of 
the shoe. I can cut a pair of rubber 
heels to pieces in one good day’s hunt in 
New England pastures. 
I wear the heaviest canvas trousers I , 
can secure. Double at the knee and seat. ' 
Single thickness canvas soon becomes 
punctured when pushing and tearing 
one’s way through brier thickets. In 
such places the gun is held by the grip 
in the right hand raised above the head 
with the barrels pointing straight up. 
The left hand may be covered with a 
light flexible glove and used to fend 
from the face objectionable briers and 
branches, but the sportsman’s coat and 
trousers must stand the grief. And it 
takes double canvas to do it. Get a 
rugged suit and when you start to go 
through a thicket you will come out on 
the other side. 
Strong heavy canvas leggins are a 
necessity. They prevent sticks and 
other foreign matter from getting up 
inside your trouser legs and inside your | 
shoes. What is more disagreeable than 
to have a broken twig get into your shoe 
and work down underneath your foot i 
when you really haven’t the time to 
waste in taking off your shoe? Snug- 
fitting leggins prevent this. They should 
have a spring fastener on the side and | 
thus avoid all buckles, straps or lacings | 
which are forever catching in the under- 
brush and pulling at one’s legs if not 
tripping the sportsman to his discomfort 
and danger. 
If you can get a smooth, snug-fitting 
leather cap with just a small visor to [ 
shade the eyes when facing the sun, you i 
have the best head equipment there is j 
for this sport. A leather cap will not 
catch in the brush or briers and keep 
getting yanked off your head. It always i 
seems that just when you turn to pick j 
up your hat that has been flirted from 
your head while you are working your 
way through a thicket, an old grouse i 
thunders out and away. Don’t have a 
wide brim on your hat. It is a handicap 
when snap-shooting where you must be | 
able to instantly locate the spot where 
the first rustle of a flushing bird occurs. ; 
You must wheel like lightning, clap your ! 
gun to your shoulder and — if you are 
On the ground 
was fi^'uring out whether that bird would 
make a clean get-away through the thick 
early season foliage or would I get just 
one quick glimpse telling me where to 
slam that bunch of number eight shot. 
“Well, good luck to you !” I wished 
them and I went on through the plant. 
On Saturdays we shut down for the 
week at 11.30 A. M. and I had it pretty 
well figured out that not many minutes 
after I got things cleared up I would 
be burning mid-day gasoline in my 
endeavor to reach the grouse coverts. 
My plans materialized all right, but 
there was all sorts of delays before I 
got aboard the runabout and left for 
the country. It was after three o’clock 
before I entered the woods and by that 
time the outlook was gloomy indeed, 
for the sky had become completely over- 
cast and immediate rain threatened. 
A WORD about my outfit for grouse 
hunting might not come amiss. 
Every sportsman has some particular 
things to which he gives special atten- 
tion. I must have suitable footwear or 
my day is spoiled. Not that I have 
tender feet, but when hunting ruffed 
grouse without a dog, the hunter must 
be nimble on his feet and also sure of 
not slipping, I wear a pair of rugged 
