On stni, mild days there is often a 
poor flight at dawn, which ceases alto- 
gether at an early hour, and throughout 
the remainder of the day until just be- 
fore sunset hardly a duck will be seen 
in the air. During such weather the 
birds in huge flocks will float quietly on 
the water far out in the middle of the 
bay, where they are safe from the wait- 
ing hunters. 
In the Southern States the duck shooter 
often has fine, clear, mild weather in 
which to enjoy the sport. Some excellent 
shooting is to be had in the South, es- 
pecially in Southern California and about 
the Gulf Coast. 
T he battery may be briefly described 
as a water-tight, cofiin-shaped box, 
large enough to accommodate the 
shooter lying dowm. It has a wide rim 
v.’hich floats on the water, and the box is 
made to sink to the rim by placing 
weights, often iron decoys, about the edge. 
A large screen of canvas on a wooden 
frame is attached to one end of the box. 
This floats on the windward side of the 
box and serves to keep down the waves in 
rough weather, which otherwise might 
swamp the battery. The box is anchored 
out on the water with a long cable and 
anchor tied to the end on which is the 
canvas screen. 
The battery and decoys are carried on 
board a motor boat or sail boat to the 
shooting ground, usually far out on the 
open water. There it is anchored over 
a feeding ground and the decoys, often 
a hundred or more, are arranged on all 
sides nearby. The sportsman takes his 
place in the battery and the baymen sails 
A Bamegat sneak-box 
away down wind to a sufficient distance 
so as not to alaimi the ducks coming to 
the decoys. There he sails about and 
picks up the sportsman’s birds as they 
are killed and drift toward him. 
With head slightly raised above the 
plane of the water, the shooter v/atches 
for sight of the wary ducks. When a 
flock is seen headed for the decoys he 
remains absolutely motionless until the 
low flying birds are almost over the 
battery, then he arises to a sitting posi- 
tion for the shots. The shooting is often 
at close range since the ducks are over 
the decoys and the hunter in the center of 
the wooden .lock. But the position while 
shooting is entirely new to one unaccus- 
tomed to shooting from a battery, and 
therefore the shots are not so easy to 
other than the veterans. 
A flock of ducks which otherwise mightlH 
pass th6 battery without stopping 
often attracted to the decoys by the shoot- 
er quickly raising and lowering a leg. 
The ducks, no doubt, mistake the move- 
ment for that of a bird rising on end 
in the water. After the ducks have once 
turned toward the decoys do not attempt 
to show them the boot again, for then 
they will surely detect the ruse. 
The use of the battery is now prohibited 
in some states. The objection to this 
fomi of sport is that it drives the ducks 
from their feeding grounds as well as 
being very destructive. 
Point or flight shooting at passing 
birds is often practised throughout the 
West. Decoys are seldom used. The 
ducks usually have a well established 
line of flight which they follow day by 
day when flying from one feeding ground 
to another. The sportsman conceals him- 
self in the natural cover at some point 
under the line of flight, and there often 
enjoys some excellent shooting. 
This is probably the most difficult form 
of duck shooting, since the shooting is 
generally at long range and the ducks 
under full headway when they pass. 
Ducks fly with tremendous speed, various- 
ly estimated in different species at eighty 
to one hundred and twenty miles per 
hour. The canvas-back is said to fly at 
the rate of one hundred and twenty miles 
an hour. 
To estimate correctly the rate of speed 
and the distance of a passing duck re- 
quires much practice. It is all important 
that the shooter aim at a point far 
enough ahead of the duck so that when 
the charge of shot reaches the line of 
(continued on page 631 ) 
Photographed by John P. ffolmar.. 
^Sneak-boxes on Bamegat §hoved into a point and covered with sea grass and rushes, making an almost perfect bli) 
