The San Francisco call. [volume], October 20, 1907, Page 47, Image 47

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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Fishing
Record catch of striped bass madefy H. P. Draper in San
Antonio slough, below" Pelaluma. Center fish is 42 inches long, as
can be verified by means of the jjarJ stick, and weighs 29 pounds. To
. the right is a 22 pounder, tvhile the one. on the left tipped the scales at
. ii/ 2 pounds.
•j- ___.$;
Large Catches of Black and Striped Bass Are
Reported by Enthusiastic Fishermen
Hundreds of anglers, attracted by the
big catches of striped and black bass
ai^L brought into the city
ia.-#\veek. will go fishing today. The
barks of the San Antone sloughs,
XVhitehouse pool. Point Reyes, the piers
of Lesrunltas and the decks of "arks
anchored' around T'buron. will be cov
ered with rod sportsmen. Some of
tlu-m will fish with bait, the others
with Hies.
Many more of the fishermen r/11l
jcurru'y t<> !>•-! river. Fishing there
is reported excellent for this time of
t'.-.j; sticon and som<: g^od catrhes of
steelbeads have been made t!:ere. Most
\u25a0 >.- the Eel rive! fishing will be doti?
by By casters. That river is said
to be tiie one place in t!ie vrorld where
ifteelheads will jump to a fly. As the
most of th«? fish therp arie of unusual
sSz". tiit» sport i» unexcelled.
liters ft in rod sport has increased
s!nce tUe fish bare begruu to run in
liTe .--io-jgrhs and r.*ators around t:ie bay. ;
"!io mouth of tin- Eel riv«r Is said t<»
be iilcraily alive with lishes of th<j j
g.i!S» variety, an] the first freshet will j
« ?:ry ti:em Oown into ilie waters of
tho lowlands. Sum': few of the more
roving kind of tho f.sh have already
iound their v.iy down, which accounts
for the strings of last week.
Rodnif-n who are anxiously waiting
for the first run of stoelJieads in Rus
sian- river will not have much longer
to wait. A few "of the fish that found
their way over the bar have been
''auprht. As soon as the bar opens
fishing will be in full v swing and Rus
sian river. will become one of the most
popular haunts of the fishermen. >!*
Ai* fishing records for these parts
w(\Y shattered last week. H. P.
Draper, a local angler, who was fishing
.-it San Antonio, landed a-I'9 pound ba:;s,
;h*» lfirges*t. caug-ht here in years.
Draper's record for three hours' fishing
besides the" 2S pounder was one weig-h
ing 22 pounds,, another %veighing 12
pounds and five Others averaging six
pounds each. After landing the 12
pounder Draper grave his place to -a
fisherman who had been less fortunate
and quit fishing for the day.
\u25a0' Only once before has a fish as large
p.s" the big-gest of Draper's string been
taught near this city. One of about the
same weight was landed last year by
YV'ill Burlingame. Burlingame claimed
the record until Draper returned to
the city with the 29 pounder and the
oilier large ones caught by him. Bur
lingame then acknowledged that he
had been beaten. Prior to last year
the record was held by Bushnell, a pho
tographer, since deceased, who landed
a 23 pounder. All the record breaking
fish, by a strange coincidence, were
weighed by the same man. P. McFar
land. captain of Kittles ark, / which
happened to .be In the neighborhood
when the fish were caught. Draper's
fish was not vfeig-hed until five hours
after being taken from the water and is
conceded to- have shrunk at least a
pound and aj half, it was taken at
flood tide — a* time when big fish are
n-ot supposed to bite. It was taken with
a 15 thread line and with a hoko little
larger than is used for smelt. It waa
riot landed until aftet a game struggle
left it exhausted on the surface of the
water.
•\u0084 • •
David Sachs. Louis Rondeau, Bill
fcjillesass. W. R- Eaton, Theodore Roth
cbilds and Deputy Fish and Game Com
missioner Samuel Wells "spent two
weeks fishing in Eel river. They re
turned with plenty of fish and re
ported the sport exceedingly good. The
fishermen were divided into two par
\u25a0 ties One was located at Davis, and
the other at Greigg's. They fished the
Davis and Weymouth pools principally,
although smaller pools and the many
r'ffles between them were not over
looked. One day was spent at High
Rock with ordinary success and an
other at Slngley's riffle. At the latter
place the fishermen had good sport
Wells reports that the preparations for
a railroad which would put San Fran
cisco and those fishing grounds but a
half day's journey apart are well under
way ft Is expected that the railroad
will be operating in less than a year.
A movement is on foot to license
fishing rods. It is believed that fully
$50 000 could be raised In this manner
•without especial inconvenience to the
•fishermen and that Judiciously expend
ed this money would* go a long way to
bettering the fishing conditions of the
state The proposition was broached
at the last session of the legislature.
Only fishermen above a certain age
will he forced to pay a toll and the
-proverbial small boy with his bent pin
and willow pole will not be bothered.
The plan- meets with the approval of
nef&rly all rodsmen.
Colonel Toungr, ex-president of the
Fly-casters' club.. Is at Point Arena,
"Vhere he will divide his time between
angling and hunting quail. Both- sports
are said to be good at that locality.
• • •
The 60,000 fish planted in the slough
between I>asrunitas and. Tocaloma three
Game Preservation Made Possible by Hunting License
weeks ago are reported to be doing
well. The fish are all of the, rainbow
and steelhead variety and range in
size from 1% to 3% Inches. They were
turned loose In a stretch, of wa^erelght
! miles: in length. Very few of the larger
I fish are in that water to .molest the
! "plants." The "fish were spawned In the
I Shasta hatchery.
,'.•./- • • ' - ', \u25a0 '
Kncouraged by the success met with
in the planting- of these fish, the Cali
fornia Anglers* association will soon
j transfer 50,000 more of the minnows to
PonoT.a crfrok. The same variety of
f:sh will be "planted." but none smaller
than three inches will be. taken fror.*=
tin- hatchery. Fish of that size are sup r
posed to be able to take care of them
selves with the larger of the breed.
* . • -, • -'"-
The shores of Lake Merrltt are al
tnot-'t deserted by fishermen nowadays.
Fishing In those waters is not expected
to pick up for at least a roonth and will
not »>oj?;n to jg-et really good until along
toward the close of the season. One
<.r two solitary rodsmen, however, per
sist in trying their luck there daily.
> . • «
Fishing in Rogue river Is reported
to be attracting many rodsmen and it
in said that a boat cannot be obtained
there without notice being given a
week In advance. Grants Pass is also
said to be well filled with steelhead,
rid anglers there are doing well. Otto
Feudner received information yester
day from friends who have been there
during the past week that fishing is
of the best.
WILL RAISE 200,000 TREES
TO ORNAMENT DRIVE
Central 7 Counties Land Company to
Construct Immense Lath
house at Benvenue
Special fep Leased Wire to The \? all
VAL.LEJO, Oct. 19. — To ornartient the
S4 mile drive which, the Central Coun
ties land- company will- "construct
around the borders of Clear lake In
I^ake county, a great lath house is be
ing- built aVßenvenue on the banks of
tiK* lake near Lakeport. In this build
ing, which is being erected under the
supervision of Assistant State For
ester C. B. Sellers, will be propagated
200.000 gum and pine trees.
This is one of the greatest tree
planting feats ever attempted in Cali
fornia and is In line with the policy
advocated by State Forester j Lull for
the reforestation of the great areas in
California that have been ; denuded by
the lumberman's ax.
STRANGE SEA MONSTER
CAUGHT IN TACOMA HARBOR
Fishermen Land Fierce Looking
Specimen That Has Appearance ;.
of a Gigantic Snake
TACOMA, Wash., Oct. 19.— A sea
monster weighing, .700 pounds was
caught In a net in the harbor by An
ton Berry and his crew of six fisher
men. It required their combined force
to, land the ugly monster, : which has
hideous eyes, a large cruel mouth, two
strong looking prongs In the head, an
enormous oval shaped body S and two
fmlikc propellers. He resembles wax.
In some ways the monster looks like
a gigantic snake, but it is a puzzle to
all the fishermen.
WILL ILLUMIXATE *AVEXUE
STOCKTON. Oct. 19.— A private
lighting system will be installed in
Weber avenue by the merchants and
property owners there. The" business
men of the street met last night and
decided that the same system as that
being Installed In Fillmore street in
San Francisco would be installed to
make the avenue as well lighted by
night as by day. The conduit system
of wiring will be used. There will be
six poles to the block, each pole hold
ing a cluster of five lights. The ave
nue will be lighted \u25a0In thfs way , from
Center street to the Southern Pacific
depot, a distance of 10 blocks. /The
board of supervisors Tias appropriated
a sum sufficient to cover the county's
pro rata of the . amount . necessary to
make the Improvement; :
"Well," remarked- a close observer
after Nealon had galloped off with the
Municipal handicap, "that race should
help to settle a grievous point ; with
Handicapper Vosburgh.". for, the form of
the horse has been so bad •' lately that
the question" of top ; welgrht"for; the
handicaps, next spring was certainly
a puzzling one. But after Nealon's mag
nificent showing: here you; can put him
down at the top of the list when these
weights are made public ; '- for the * big
handicaps the first-of next ' February."
R./C. Brlen '.was at Latonla ;a few
days ago and; said that j Kercheval,;hav
ing gone wrong, .would not '^tart'again
until the opening "of/ racing..here.
THE SAN" FRANCISCO! CALL; ...^Sl^roAY^.rouTOJggK^zb^isjuT:
Sportsmen Pleased With fa
Attained ] in First Season
\u25a0\u25a0'-... .... - . . _ - \u25a0 . . - \u25a0 . .-\u25a0,\u25a0-\u25a0 * - ,
1 California is on the eve of a notable era in game protection which should
make it a great gathering place for sportsmen in the years to come.- Through
the passage of a law by the last legislature licensing the men who go. afield in
quest of game the fish commission has at its disposal , at the present ,tirrie a
sum approximating $80,000. -A fund of possibly larger proportions will bis
available in July of each year. This great fund must be applied to the "preser
vation, propagation and restoration of game," and opens up. a bright vista for
the sportsmen of \u25a0' the state. Commencing with this issue of The .Call will
present a notable series of articles on game protection and propagation by
H. T. Payne, president of the California, game and fish protective association.
He is called the ."father of game protection in_this7state."_ For,47 ."years he has
hunted . and fished throughout ; the entire coast, and thus .brings a practical
knowledge of prevailing conditions to bear on this big subject
H. T. Payne
The hunting license, which in the first, season 'of its operation in Cali
fornia-has netted the -magnificent sum of $80,000,iis in^ fact a voluntary con
tribution by the sportsmen' of the state for the /purpose of maintaining; and
increasing, if possible, a game supply jwhich is an asset of the state equal in
value to half of her gold product. ,;: .' ! .. f- - \u25a0- ; -
"The proposition to license^ the hunter for the purpose of raising a fund
adequate to the necessities of consistent game preservation originated at the
last annual meeting, of the California game and- fish ; protective/ association
and the bill "was introduced in the senate -by Senator: Willis at. the
of the president of that' association. When the bill creating^thi* : license
came up before the fish and game com- •
mittee of the senate the, spokesman of
the then fish commission made-- the
Statement that "it wouldn't amount to
anything* as not more than 's7.ooo 'at
the. most could be collected, and It
svould cost all of that to collect it." To
this the president of the protective as
sociation, who had made a careful study
of 'the subject, replied: "Figuring by
the. same percentage of the total popu
lation'that had, taken out licenses in
the ( states of Oregon and "Washington,
and estimating the population of Cali
fornia at 1,700,000. the license should
produce $82,000 per year." Nevertheless
the senate committee opposed it and
reported the bill back with the recom
mendation' that "it do not pass." The ;
sportsmen of the state were earnest In <
their desire to contribute this money
for the better preservation • of : . the j
gams' and urged their representatives
in the. legislature to stand bythe bill.
It finally became a law, with the'happy ;
result, of placing upward of $80,000. at
the disposal of the board of fish com
missioners for the preservation, restora
tion and propagation of game. ;. ,
SPORTS OF THE FIELD . ; - ,
The payment of \u25a0' this large sum "of
money Into the state, treasury to th«
credit of the game preservation fund
has awakened a deep interest' In the
minds of all classes of people. Those
who were not in touch with the sports
men of the state were astonished to
learn of this widespread Interest' in
the sports of the field and the. large
number of persons who shoot for pleas"
ure :ir.d recreation, and those who>are
not posted on the game conditions" of
the state :md the mans; advantageous
uses to. which this large sum can be
put arc asking the questions: "What
is to be done with it? Hoy/ will it be
used? What new varieties of gramu
are to bo introduced into the state?"
The proper expenditure of this money |
will require the most careful consider- ;
atio:i of the c'ommisslpncrs'i coupled
iWith the best advice the>« can -obtain
from the experic need sportsmen oi*. the
state, and therefore should not be . t*>o
hastily undertaken. But therc'are two
• uses to which a large portion: of this
I sum must be put that demand the Im
mediate attention and prompt action
jof the board. The first is the employ
men of a number of experienced patrol
men, who are practical sportsmen, with
their hearts In the work, to enforce the
laws, and enforce them properly, espe
cially in this city, where they are. be
ing almost openly violated by the g-anie
dealers and restaurant . keepers every |
|day in the week. Secondly, the restora
tion of the native quail in sections
where they have been depleted by eon-
I stant shooting-. This should command
i the Immediate attention of the commis
sioners, for, if this work is not taken .
up at or.cc it will soon be- too- late to ;
accomplish anything- until another;
j year. In fact, this should have be°n j
commenced six weeks or twortiohths |
apo, although quail . can be trapped ;
fairly well for the next two months, j
and if properly handled a. considerable
startjn the right direction may yet be
made. '
MUST UNDERSTAND THE BIRDS
The trapping, transportation and dis
i tribution of quail will require the spe
i c'.al attention of a man-witb a practical
\u25a0 kr.ovvledsre of \u25a0 the habits and food of
these' birds, as well as a wide acquaint
ance with the conditions of the supply
of quail In the several sections of the
state. This and the, handling arid dis
tribution of new species that must later
be introduced Is of sufficient Import
ance and will require such Intelligent
care and understanding of the subject
as to be /worthy of being made, a-sepa
rate department of the work of the
board.
California is a state of widely vary
ing climatic conditions/caused | partial
ly by its great latitude. but ! more par
ticularly by its remarkable " variations
of habitable altitudes." In the. distri
bution; of our 'native' quail 'even this
climatic difference must form an im
portant factor in the work to' be done.
When one speaks of California; quail,
even to the great majorlty; s of active
sportsmen, it conveys buj one Idea;,; yet
in Californla-we have two separate spe
cies and one subspecies of 'the same
genus, not Including the; mountain^ va
rieties. \u0084These. three . varieties of \u25a0 the
valley quail are known to" the ornothol
ogist as the lophortyx calif ornlcus, In
habiting the humid regions of the coast
mountains and valleys | from the ' bay ; of
San Francisco north; the lophortyx cal
if ornlcus vallicola. Inhabiting the val
leys and foothills of the coast from' San
Francisco -' south, the Sacramento and
San Joaquin valleys and the foothills
of the Sierras; for their" entire length;
and/lastly, .the lophortyx -gambeli, in
habiting . the Colorado desert \to /.the
eastern slope of the, Coast range north
word to . the ' Panamlnt mountains and
eastward/into southern Nevada^/ This,
species 'enjoys the distinction' of being
generally L known in California as S the
Arizona quail and In Arizona; as \u25a0Cali
fornia quail. ,
RESTRICTED OX HABITAT
A little study of the flora of the
three sections :Of ; the state inhabited
by these . three/varieties, of Uhe, same
genus will showVhow. each; has selected
a habitat peculiar to itself^. It is a well
known- /fact., that /the : distribution-, of
both , animal • and plant - life : Is ! governed
by !the temperature'; and; humidity,- and
while \u25a0 birds ' are = more Easily : migratory
than other, animal ; life, •they., are "often
more closely: restricted^ In; habitat
cause of the effects of temperature and
humidity/ on/:; certain" endemic/ plants
necessary, to their; existence. %\u25a0 ; ... : ;
j Callfornia ! has been/divided: into. four
faunal. zones as relating to; animal life
generally, andiiit is lnterestingVtb; note
that these! faunal/zones {correspond Vex-/
actly; In j their ' demarcations; to s the. hab
itats of the^ several?', varieties vof j Call-^
fbrnlaiquall.'f The 'humid- zone, "of f the
coast v Is ;the : habitat fot l, the f. first '; men
tioned fspecles *; (callfbrnlcus)lv The • Sler
ran: zone iis h the; habitat -of ? i the jmoun^
tain - varieties. - ; ;TheXCallfornia't zone*
la 1 / the habitat of /.the vallicola,;. or; the
valleyjquall/ proper\r and ; th>e arldizbne
the"; habitat of | the. gambel ; qua il.V While
originally-each' of .these species ; >was
f- \u25a0'\u25a0'\u25a0' '. C '. '''"-.. '- - '\u25a0" V- '"\u25a0,. ;.'- '.-"*;
found in great abundance • in ' It's . par
ticular zone, ( no one of -them encroached
upon"' the domain -of the other. : The
species Inhabiting the humid j coast lone
are found \ln rank growths of "under
brush, weeds, ferns /and other' moist
, places. ' .Those of the California zone
are frequenters of the sage districts,
the open hillsides and the dry sandy
washes, while those of the arid zone
limit, their, .range to the ; dryest , sec
/ tions of the state, where as a rule there
Is but little" brush, and undergrowth
is almost entirely absent.
.'.'\u25a0 SECTIONS NEED RESTOCKING
Whether It is because of the temper
ature and humidity of themselves or. of
• their effects upon; the plant life -of
these sections, experiments have al
' ready determined that the gambel quail
1 will not become acclimated In . either
of the other zones. A few yearfe ago
the Country club turned out- a large
amount of this species on its preserves j
at Point Reyes, but. within a short time
they had entirely disappeared. The
writer, on- two occasions; liberated a
number of the'same species In the Cv
; camonga valley, San Bernardino coun
! t^ r , and even In that dry " section the
, same result, was had. Therefore, In
i any scheme "of rehabilitating /depleted
i coverts the gambel quall : must be elim
inated from consideration. The eec
> tlons that need restocking > the most
. are the natural habitat of the valli
• cola, or valley quail proper. .This
' species can be" secured in great num
• bers in certain sections of the state.
' Trapping: should begin about the mld
! die of August, and can be successfully
' continued, until about the first of Jan
uary. A large lnclosure should be
provided, sheltered from, the storms
; and furnished' with plenty of dry fine
sand. In thfs the birds should be kept
and fed until the close of the hunt
ins season, when they should be lib
erated in bunches of about a dozen
pairs, care being taken to; see; that this
Is done, near. "3omV<,sultable '.roosting:
place and close to such coverts as they'
are wont to select' for nesting purposes.
Handled In. this way the. birds will/be
In "healthy condition when liberated and
will soon pair off and; begin nesting.
For each dozen pairs /so 'liberated there
should be at least eight or -nine fine
bevies ready -for thei gun 1 when the
' season opens In ' the October follow
ing. ' - ' .. " '~> . ''?'.*
FAVOR HUNTING LICENSES
It was with the expectation of having
this important work intelligently and
: conscientiously handled that the sports
men of the state imposed this hunting
license upon themseives. It is also be
cause of the importance of this work
and the special care with which it must
i be handled — not for one year, but- for
all the", years to : come— that it should
be. made a special department of the
; labors- of/ the commission. By the
proper, handling of this /work, all the
coverts of the state around tho big
cities, notably Alameda, San Mateo,
Santa • Clara, ; Contra / Costa and Los
Angeles counties, .where • the constant
shooting of the large nufiber of sports
men of these cities will deplete any
naturally, produced supply, can ' be kept
in good shooting condition from year to
j ear, -furnishing- excellent ."sport ; for
those, who are voluntarily , furnishing
ample money f or : the purpose j and. who
are placing at 'the/same time \u25a0millions
of other dollars in general circulation
for the benefit of the. whole people.
There are 'other species/of quail that
will -be" better' adap'te'd: to! the'. conditions
of certain/. sections of the state', than
'. our, native species, and.*-, which; are 'su
perior to them- as -a game -bird, but
of these I shall . speak in a future
article. .. \u25a0 / . . * l
.'The problem of introducing these, as
well as other species" of ' upland game
, birds, -.will; require tthe. still more care
ful .consideration of the ; climatic con
, "ditlons of the several/s ections of the
'state '.wherein 'they are to be liberated,
as well as the habitat and habits of the
varieties: selected for. importation. ;. In
p the solution of ; this the the-.
. oretical opinions of the naturalist will
; 'avail',';- but /.little." < The 'knowledge / of
; sportgmen of wide;experience and close
: observation should bej freely "consulted.
, Because 'a bird thrives / well : and/: is
. popular 'with' the 'gunners ; of -Its -native
. heath Is no argument that it will ; flour
; lshJ?ini' a • country t' whose: temperature/
• hutnid; conditions • and flora are •'', rad
:' ically.vdifferent. In I, a • future ? article I
. shall speak of other species i of. upland
, game -birds, -and give my reasons why
1 they," /will' or will 'not do well in the
i state,' or to/' what /sections', they will
; be/best adapted. ~>-
Few Limit Bags Are Secured
by Sportsmen This Season
Quail Shooters Have Better Luck
Than Duck Hunters
Theodore N Kytka.; opened (/the quail
season; at?. his uncle's ranch iOhHowell
mountain. -.Kytka.f easily, the
limits although /one or .>two- of : his birds
were \ lost in *the > vineyards -i after being
knocked I ". down. // His -I first; bird r t orl; tho
season / was • of .-, the i mountain -.variety.
It \u25a0 was !\u25a0' a* ' large specimen ;of \u25a0£ its r kind
and .wasV thought i when ; first 'seen to -be
a; young; chicken.*. '. - „" \u2666'
. Dr. Jules. Simon and Dr.' Lacoste shot
Wednesday on the i ßlack. Jacks ponds
near • Collinsville. -UDr.v, Simon; bagged
13, and,^/although, he? tried^f organs hour
after killing/ his 'thirteenth; \cbuld : not
pret / beyond > the unlucky % number. v Dr.'
Lacostefdid/as well: /The; hunters;re
port the birds ' are working; better than
usual ; and ;\u25a0 In V larger lumbers. -V-They
will " be ' bri : th'elr preserve again today.
'/Hunters >who /- went ; . to '\u25a0 Monterey
mountains -j in iquest' of' the; mountain
quail) had;, fairly good" sport. V/Ar>numi
ber,:^of|; local /•gunsmen- were among
those .presents . " '""'/\u25a0 .' ;- . • .-.
r^Hunllng; mallard; in the stubble fields
aiound . Oxalis 'has /"been "found to ./-be
Some of the greatest game birds of America. The upper picture shows. two varieties of the mountain
quail. The center picture shows a' brace of Arizona quail, while the lover one is the much sought fcr
California quail, so popular with sportsmen. -
Swedish Yachtsmen
Feel Slighted
Possibility ' That \ ' Challenge to
' Race for A mericai , Cup
:MayßeCaUed:Off
STOCKHOLM. Oct. 19;— The Royal
Swedish yacht j club is | still awaiting
the reply of the secretary of the Swed
ish legation at -Washington, who' was
requested ;to ascertain : the \u25a0 attitude of
the New York yacht club regarding.ac
cepting a challenge" for the America's
cup in behalf of a "Swedish yacht, of
the 70 foot class. Unless an answer is
received by Monday there is a possi
bility of the enterprise falling, as the
Swedish yachtsmen feel slighted at the
seeming' unwillingness of the New York
yacht club to give a clear and unquali
fied answer to their inquiry concerning:
the size of the boat.
capital sport . and hunters seldom fall
to get the limit in a few hours'* shoot-
Ing. : Early in the morning and late in
the afternoon the birds settle on tho
tiny ponds in the. grain /fields -to" feed
and are "walked up" by the hunters,
who shoot them as they rise. By many
this Is considered ; the -best -kind ;of
s>port. More, limit bags arc? killed In
this manner than, in • any other. Ox
hunters, with their muzzle loading guns,
Rometlmes/kill the -limit in one shot
at , these birds. /Under cover of- their
trained cows they* are'*- able to - get
within close range of large flocks
feeding so close/together as to entire
ly cover the / water spots. '\u25a0 Complaint
is made that: these hunters do not stop
at the limit, but sometimes kill as
many as 200 birds ln'one day. Several
arrests were made last week and a
number of additional ' game .wardens
have been appointed to run down ( the
offenders before the birds are entirely
exterminated. . T. A. Deering and
Thomas Woodward were r among the
local sportsmen to secure 35 birds
there last week. -. : •'/ ; V^/ ; -t-' : f;
Several members -of; the Joyce Island
club .hunted over their preserves below
Suisun , on * Sunday and Wednesday.
George Gall and H.E. Rose scored high
gruns:'on /Sunday, with 18 birds/each.
The" Marsh club members shot on ad
joining -ponds and-averaged 13. The
Family club gunners shot j adjoining
the Marsh club, and secured anfavery
age of seven each. ,. Shooting 1 improved
in the. last days of 'the week on 1 these
ponds, and fair sized bags are. expected
today. Only a small quota of the mem
bers, however, /will be in /the f blinds,'
quite'^a; number taking to the hills to
sho'St" quail.
The argument has been raised'wheth
er or not, the- many clubhouses- which
have .been-; erected 'in the ;',Suisun
marshes "during the last year have had
anything to -do with the -sbarcity; of
ganiebn" those t waters i this' season. .The
affirmative 1 side- of 'the Question "has : a
large number of /exponents.; Many - say
that l the presence of \u25a0 these ; houses will
seriously affect-the shooting after the
flight of northern birds sets In. ; They
argue that the leaders of the flight' will
beUurned by.; the evidences of'civiliza
tion, and instead of crossing^ the Suisun
marshes -will pass : above those of Yolo
county, thence - down " to / the overflowed
lands in the'southern parts of; the state.
Others say.' that the sport will always
be grood on the marshes; no matter how
thick the clubhouses -are -built.-
'. .Otto Feudner and; J. N." McLeod will
shoot today at Nicassib. / Today's "shoot
will open ,the season f or;quail for,Feud
ner.' \u25a0 In years } past, Feudner -has\ never
missed /opening* day.^/ This year was an
exception.V'He.also missed* the first-day
of. the duck season. > :
i ; : A: dozen , members : of the 'Empire . gun
club shot over the /duek r arid quail pre
serves of \u25a0•\u25a0- the ; club "f.: on j the . Elkhor n
plough. Quail ' were hunted in |the ; fore
noon and -afterward -the * attention of
the ; gunners was 'turned towardV the
quackers.';/ Limit '; strings /or i close ..to
them V.were J the ?' rule ") on the smaller
birds. ; The'. ducks, were'not so plentiful,
and -10- blrdsfwas'high; gu"n>i;,The'Emr
plres;who "j shot -..were ; A.- IJalfbur, H.\ F.
Elliott,".Dr.\ Sylvester.- Dr. ! ; Gere,"; George
A-'Bachelder.vJ.' Peltier and, guest,, Dr.
Alden;and ; MrsJV'Alden, 1 } Dr. ? Graves, >Dr.
Bodkin,' F: J. Atkinson and F. S. Chase:
i - R/Restbrlck,'- Charles McDonald, Gil
\u25a0Summers,- F.' Walhauser,' W.;D. Millard,
'EarlyiWright.'J.sH. Miller. : J.M. Stone,
\u25a0AT^ Miller. *J: H.\Tate,"G. Durker.' George
Murphy,: QfiY.\ Hutton, :L. p/llacDow-;
eli;/<K;; Ay; Londry,. A. G. Dunlop. 'John
Hards, J.'V D.^ Brown';- J. j Stone,: / Barney
Ransom.'^. M.:R^ ~ Williams, E., Llnr.ell.
the.v Sterling stable .and the/j.'Sprbule
stable v(areV : among i, the Kownef 3^ whose
.horses "are/ at T Ascot.Pnrk>gettlnff)reac!y.
for' the "opening \u25a0of -the "Arcadia meet-"
Ing /*\u25a0<//. '\u25a0: •-. /••'-\u25a0"->'.-" ;--. •\u25a0:>"'.' :
". /The, sheriff Cwho I was responsible ; for
theVt'declaririg^ off S; of } the J Churchill
Downs j meeting* at "v Louisville,*^ Ky.*., has
only "five } more s , weeks \u25a0: to \u25a0: serve before
the'.exDlratlon'rof "his term of.'ofllce.
Hunters Desert Duck Ponds and Turn Their
Attention to Quail Shooting in Valleys
Lawrence Lavers
Continued reports of plenty of quail
will induce large numbers of hunters
to take to the woods today. The duck
ponds will be almost deserted. Many
quail shooters, who are also anglers,
will . take their rods \u25a0 and tackle and
after the limit of quail is obtained,
which ought to-be secured easily, will
finish the day on the banks of a stream
: fishing for bass or trout.
The supply of quail seemed undlmln
lshed last week, despite the fact that
more of the little game birds were
killed during the five days the season
has been open than probably ever be
\u25a0 fore for a corresponding period of time.
Limit bags were as easily obtained
] yesterday as on opening day. Many
hunters say that the shooting had 1 im
proved. The, large coveys have broken
up into smaller ones and the shooting
is more- regular.
' Quail : of every size were among the
strings brought to this city. Birds
scarcely^ three-quarters grown predomi
nated in: some bags that had been
killed in the mountain counties. Far
ther tothe south and in the lowlands
the birds killed were nearly grown.
The" gknie was so plentiful that most
hunters did not fire a shot Into coveys
where there were undersized birds.
1 \u25a0 Birds • have :been .seen this season at
pointswhere they have".- not ranged for
years. - In several places in the Marln
hills limit bags were killed within short
distances of dwellings- it is believed
that one-fourth of, the' local hunters
will shoot through those Marin hills
today. •
The presence of quail in large num
bers along the banks of the Eel river
: has been - reported by* fishermen who
spent last week there. Several parties
that expect to; be gone a week or 10
days are. making preparations to leave
or have already left for that country.
They will divide their time between
hunting and fishing.
Although" birds are plentiful every
where there seems to be more of them
around St. Helena and above Potaluma
than anywhere ; else. \Th*e vast areas
of vineyards furnish plenty of cover
for the, birds. The leaves on the, vines
have not fallen yet, and until they do
the sport will riot be at It 3 best. Hunt
ers -who". shot there during the last
week -complain that many of the birds
knocked down .could not be recovered i
from"*.the -long, trailers, even with a i
do'gvyJT -Many. / .mountain Tiuail were |
bagged there. /These are unusually thlclc
in the hills; above /the town. A half i
dozen large , "bands ; were found in j
Blanchards canyon, six miles out, and |
many'Jof , these,,, birds fell before, the.
guns of the hunters. The sport of
killing, mountain quail Is considered so
good \u2666 by\' some; marksmen -thatsqulte a
number, will hunt" them exclusively tb
day. v £iSs£§(|||j§£§2pQHi
j vHollister shooting did not decrease
during; the'- first five day 3of this sea
son. /--Hunters who are on the quail
grounds around there today, should bag
as many} a3 others did on opening day.
Good"; shots; secured ';the limit there in
"a/few' hours/last .week. *•"\u25a0•",; i ;.
>;Napa valley/ hunters have been. hard] y,/ ,
as successful as those who shot in-other
sections,', although, the sport there' h£s
' been r far . from i'dlsappointlng..*:* £«mft
I; bags were --not "the rule,: but /bags •; of . '
IS' and 20 : were /common..- It was tho
i same? in' the vicinity : of • Suisun. Local
I gunners ;3h*ot' through ,TV"or>den .valley. I
, on'the r slqpes of the Twin peaks and. on f
[\u0084 the '\u25a0•road A. to S ,Vacavllle»"; and " ordinary •
i strings -of birds were secured. Occa- t
sionaily a.hun'er; returned v,*ith a limit '
j ba^. \u25a0 -.\u25a0:\u25a0" SJE3SB \
['. Farther. to. the south, near \u25a0 Fifebaugh >
i and below. ; Del Monte, the quail are j
\u25a0abundant: .. " In \u25a0s'oms - sections the young I
birds/, are -yet too small to be -killed. I
Enough old birds a re' to be foam*, how- i
ever, Viimajce the sport interestSnjr. "-In i
another month the;best shooting in: the?
State will b> f«jui*<2'at /those pl.ues.
,>i';The.r farmers are no"w> realizing the •
value 6* game birds. Not a tew hunt- I
ers,-wlio' have had- regiilar ;ff»oiirnl3' on '
Hunting
which to hunt quail for th« last fly«
or ten years have been hald up by th»
owners of the land for a small toll
before being allowed the privilege o£
killing the birds found there. Th«
prices charged range from 1 5 to fXX
In some cases farmers are reported to
have held out for $50 tor the ceaaon's
privilege, but these cases are rare. la
almost every case the hunter paid th*
toll, but hard feeling resulted. , "No
Hunting" > signs adorn almost vf*ry
fence where there Is anything to hunt.
In very few cases, however, U th«
warning conveyed by the sign enforced.
Duck Shooting on the Marshes;
Reported to Be Very Poor
While duck shooting: on the minhs*
is still poor and will continue to b« aa
until after the flight of northern bird*
sets in in November, the shooting last
week improved a little over that of
the week before. The ducks wer«
killed as they Sew over the blinds. In
twos and threes, and all of the shoot*
Ing was Ion? distance win? shoottnr.
Chronic duck hunters visited th»
marshes - on Sunday., and also oo
Wednesday. The sportsman who killed
15 was extremely lucky. Few limit
bags were secured on the Sulsua
marshes and on ponds whet* the/
birds were plentiful earlier la
the season. At Point Reyes, wher^
there were less than half a dozen hunt*
ers, limit bags were obtained.
Straggling canvasbacks showed up
on the marshes once or twice. They
Joined with bands of sprigs and teal
in circling about the jay. The cans
appeared to be lost, were very weary,
and only one or two of them were killed.
Their presence here at' this time of
the year, even in such few numbers,
has not been explained. Duck hunter*
are hoping that it is a sign of an early
inrurfh of northern birds.
Hunters in the inland country, espe
cially near Merced; and other point*
along he upper end of the San Joaquin,
continue to have good sport. The sup
ply of birds remains about the tarns.
As fast as they are killed off or driven
away others from around the bay drop
in to take their places. Near Saori
mento the duck flocks are beginning to
show signs of being depleted.
Bay shore shooting picked up con
siderably during' the week. This kind
of shooting has grown more popular
than formerly and daily many guns are
In evidence among the boatman off
Marin county and farther to the north
east. Some very grood strings are be
ing killed there dally. Most of thag«
ducks find their way into the m iriaLs.
although bona fide market hunters are
not often seen on these waters, pre
ferring to go farther south to gat la
on ' the ' pot shooting.
.In the vicinity of Petaluma sports
men are dividing their "time b^tweea
rod and gun. and were it not for thej
excellent sport provided with th« lat
ter In : the waters of tha San Antonl*
f many hunters who are also 'fishermen
: would not be among those prssaat oa
;> the. marshes. At that some very good
({string^ of the quackers were brought
in from there last week.
At CollinsviUe and oth it pot its oa
| the Sacramento river tho shooticjr Is
(better than the average of other
! place?, but at that it is not good
j enough to enthuse any one but \ dyed
i in the wool hunter. The waiting la
[the bllnil3 between shots gets tlreaoa*
: and the mosTJitoes, .which are un»
[ usually, thick there. . detract frim th»
I pleasures of , hunting.'
The local, market for. ducks dropped
i a „ little Friday and Saturday. The
F prices ".of the birds varied but slightly
f durir.^r the week. The. supply «ild not
r fall off any, as market hunter* have
I located . the spots where the giroe is
1 thickest andcontinue to- bag the limit,
'"orlmore, as the case may be. daily.
47