File:The wild-fowler - a treatise on ancient and modern wild-fowling, historical and practical (1864) (14771221603).jpg

Identifier: wildfowlertreati00folk (find matches)
Title: The wild-fowler : a treatise on ancient and modern wild-fowling, historical and practical
Year: 1864 (1860s)
Authors: Folkard, Henry Coleman
Subjects: Fowling Waterfowl shooting Game and game-birds
Publisher: London (England) : Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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mallards : feelingfully convinced that Unwearied patience, persevering toil,Alone can crown the fowlers eager hopeS;Wliateer the season or whateer the sport. I have often shot entirely by guess, without seeing a bird, andkilled two or three pair; and I have as frequently shot by guess,without killing a single bird, but with the mortification of seeingforty or fifty rise from the grass within a few feet of the spot where Ihad supposed them to be feeding. If wild-fowl detect the least suspicious noise or movement of theenemy, whilst they are feeding at night, a death-like stillness in-stantly prevails ; when, if they discover no object near them, in a fewmoments they resume their dal/blings. I have sometimes found itanswer my purpose to endeavour to find them by making a slight noise,which causes them to stretch their necks, rear their heads, and lookaround. This manoeuvre, however, requires more than ordinary pre-caution, or it will operate in tlie very reverse manner to thatintended.
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<K WILD-DUCK SHOOTING. 241 A keen wind and hard frost, with deep snow, are pecuHarly favour-able for wild-duck shooting-, and, indeed, for wild-fowl shooting-geneially; though too much wind may interfere with the operationsof the punter. As a g-eneral rule, where the wild-duck finds food and quiet in-land, it invariably returns. It is, therefore, a frequently-successfulmeans of obtaining- a shot, by watching during- the day for strayfeathers and such-like sig-ns, at the water-side ; and then, by lyingin ambush near the spot, about flight-time, they will, in all proba-bility, offer a fine opportunity to the sportsman; who, if there beseveral birds, can take his time, and Wait before pulling triggeruntil he gets them well together, or in line. If the sportsman finds they do not return on the first night of hislying in ambush, after discovering- their feathers at some particularspot, he should not be disheartened, but lie-by another night or twO)as variation of wind or weather may hav

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