WARE WIREWARE WIRE!
When they are about a fortnight old begin to give them some wheat in their drinking water; that known to farmers as "seconds" is best. I am a strong advocate of steeping the wheat before feeding, as I think it renders it more digestible, though this is not so necessary if one uses "seconds." The ducks having got to eat wheat nicely, introduce a little barley, and by the time they are seven weeks old you can afford to do without meal entirely, and it will be time to take the birds down to the water which is to be their home. The greatest obstacle to success in rearing during the early stages of a young wild duck's life is the extraordinary knack they have of getting their heads and backs dirty. This is a most serious matter, and causes great mortality unless attended to. It is generally caused by the food adhering to their heads and cheeks; being of a sticky nature, it will often, if neglected, cause inflammation to the eyes and eventually blindness. If once theirheads get dirty, their backs soon follow suit, as the act of "preening" soon transfers the dirt from the head to the back.
This curse to young ducks is most prevalent in wet weather, and it is therefore most necessary to constantly change the ground so as to keep the birds as clean as possible; if once the old bird gets dirty, it is good-bye to the general good health of her brood.
The only remedy, if matters become serious, is to get some tepid water and soap, and carefully wash the affected places with a soft sponge, taking care to free the down or feathers which have adhered to the skin. A hot sunny day is the best for the purpose, as the young birds then have every chance of getting dry. If the old bird is dirty, try to allow her a good wash in a tub or small tank; she must, however, be watched, otherwise she may leave her young ones in the lurch. If your ducks are pinioned it is easy to manage this bath, and to prevent the birds straying afterwards from their young. When the ducklings are seven weeks old choose a nice warm day, and take them down to the water: I say a warm day, as owing to their delight at getting to their natural element, they are very liable to overdo their bathing at first, and, should the day be cold, the casualty list will be a big one next morning.
WIRED IN ON THE WATERWIRED IN ON THE WATER
At this time it is best to wire off a piece of land and water, making the whole into one large run, and taking care that there is some shelter on land for the young birds. It is a good plan to bring down the old birds, coops and all, to their temporary home, keeping the mothers shut up in the coops for the present. Their presence gives confidence to the ducklings, and their sharp warning "quacks" tell them when danger is about, and also emphasise the fact that there do exist such things as gulls, carrion crows, cats, dogs, &c., and that in future the young hopefuls must look out for themselves. Willow trees planted at the water's edge and kept about five to six feet high form admirable protection from bad weather and winged vermin, and also give welcome shelter from the heat of the sun, whilst they undoubtedly add to the amount of insect life in the run.
If you wish to study economy in feeding, an excellent plan is to mix barley meal with your duck meal; commence in the proportion of four parts duck meal to one of barley meal, and increase the proportion of the latter until the mixture is half and half. Too much barley meal is, I feel sure, a bad thing, and causes indigestion, and if expense is no object it is best to stick to the wild duck meal until the ducks are weaned to corn; if, however, you do decide to feed on barley meal, it is a good plan to mix a little bran with it, in the proportion of one part bran to four of barley meal.
You should get the ducks on to corn as soon as possible, and teach them to eat it in shallow water; they don't eat it so fast if this plan is adopted, are less liable to get indigestion, and in searching for the food are constantly drinking water at the same time as the food, as well as a certain amount of grit, sand, &c. Ducks must have water with their food, and the sooner they are trained to take corn and water together, the better will their meals be digested; moreover, if fed in this way birds certainlyrequire less, and there is consequently a gratifying reduction in the grain bill at the end of the year.
To return to the run at the water's edge, let it be assumed that the birds have been ten days to a fortnight in their new home, have become thoroughly accustomed to it, and naturally look upon it as the place where food is to be obtained at stated times.
It is now time to enlarge them altogether, but before doing so liberate a few of the least vicious of the old ducks. These birds very soon take charge of a certain number of young ones, and directly the wire is pulled up will teach them where to look for food. It is a very pretty sight to see an old bird swimming at the head of twenty or thirty young ducklings, who form a compact mass behind her, and always accompany her in foraging expeditions. She it is who warns them that it is nearly feeding time; it is her eye which has detected a well-known figure hovering overhead, and her voice which warns them to make for the nearest shelter.
By this time I am sure that my readers will be getting impatient because I have saidso little as to the cost of food. A golden rule is to give your ducklings all they will eat during the first seven or eight weeks, and after that make them hunt for their natural food, giving them just sufficient to keep them fairly fat and prevent them from straying. It is quite possible to get them fat enough for the larder by increasing the supply of maize during the last fortnight or so before your shoot takes place.
I am of opinion that, provided a man feeds and looks after his ducks himself, is in possession of a supply of coops and runs, and is fortunate enough to have a suitable piece of water of his own, as well as a bit of ground to rear them on, that he can make his accounts balance at the end of the year. In other words, he will be able to give his friends some very enjoyable shooting, and supply himself with a hobby of which he will never be tired, at no expense to himself. In support of my statement I propose to give a few figures. The breeding stock has of course to be purchased, and for the sake of simplicity let us put it at twenty ducks and fifteen drakes, making an initial cost ofabout £7. In an experience of some years, however, I have found that my stock at the end of the season numbers practically the same as at the commencement, and I found it always possible to fill up any casualties by catching and pinioning wild birds which join my own. On these grounds I consider that my stock at the end of the season is of the same value as at the beginning, and that one side of my account balances the other.
The stock fed on maize will cost about 12s. 6d. a month, and, supposing that the first birds are hatched out about the middle of April, and practically all, except a very few retained for breeding purposes and some immature birds, are killed the first week in September, this calculation brings the price of feeding the breeding stock for seven and a half months to £4, 13s. 9d.
Now for the food of the young birds. I assume that from the above-mentioned stock about 250 ducklings will be reared, and, taking an average of several years, their food from the date of hatching (mid April) to early September works out roughly at £16. This includes wild duck meal, wheat, barley,and barley meal, a little maize, and the many etceteras, such as crissel, grit, and cardiac.
To this should be added a little extra for the feeding of the immature birds, which are not quite ready for killing. Put this at 15s.
In addition there is still the expense of sitting hens: if twenty hens are purchased at 3s. each and afterwards sold at 2s., this item will work out as an expenditure of £1. They have of course to be fed, but their food—maize is the best—has been taken from the food purchased for the ducks, so that no further amount has to be charged under this heading.
The debit side of the account will now work out as follows:—
Food for ducklings£1600Food for old birds4139Extra food alluded to above0150Expenses for sitting hens100£2289
As against these figures there are 250 young ducks for sale: deduct from this number fifteen for casualties of various kinds, such as dead birds unpicked at theshoot, odd birds that may stray and be killed, &c., and this gives 235. If the birds are properly fed a game-dealer will be glad to give 2s. each for them, especially if the shoot is timed to fit some popular function, such as Doncaster Races; so that the credit side of the account shows a sum of £23, 10s. for the sale of 235 birds, giving a small surplus of rather over £1, which can be used to meet incidental expenses, such as purchase of wire, &c. Each young bird will cost about 1s. 3½d. to rear, and will sell for 2s., leaving 8½d. a bird profit with which to meet the other expenses. Many of my readers may think the margin of fifteen birds set apart as casualties far too small, but I can assure them that, so far with me, it has never reached that number, and need not do so provided the birds are kept at home by proper feeding, and the right people propitiated.
Naturally one does not sell all one's ducks, or anything like it. Some are given to the friends who come to the shoot, and many are given to the farmers round, but in considering accounts, I think I am justified in including the value of birds given away asone of the assets. In any case I have made an honest attempt to help those who wish to look before they leap. Ducks are very fond of maize; it certainly brings them on quicker than anything else, and I have had young drakes of the year in full plumage on August 1, when maize has been the only corn used. It is, however, too fattening, I think, and a bit apt to make the birds lazy. I do not believe that birds fed solely on maize fly so well or are as good for the table as those whose diet is composed of a mixture of wheat, barley, and maize. The birds must be encouraged to seek their natural food, as only by this means will the wild duck's flavour be retained.
The birds must be fed at regular hours, as this is the only guarantee that they will be at home when wanted.
I hope that in this chapter I have succeeded in showing how wild ducks can be fed in the best and also most economical manner, and I shall endeavour in the concluding one to give my readers some hints as to how the birds can be made to show reasonably good sport.
SHOOTING
Quite tall enough."Quite tall enough."W.L. Colls, Ph. Sc.
The chief difficulty confronting a host who desires to give his guests good sport lies in the fact that it is no easy matter to get young hand-reared wild ducks to fly well, and I propose in this chapter to endeavour to show how it can best be done.
I sayyoungbirds, as I think it will be admitted that wild duck, if shot in late October or November, will nearly always fly well. Many sportsmen will, however, for various reasons, not want to keep their birds so long, either on the score of expense or for fear of their straying from home. Young wild ducks hatched about the second week in April should, if properly fed, be in good plumage and fit to shoot by the first week in September; and why, their owner naturally asks, should they go on eating their heads off when they are ready to beshot and eaten themselves. Partridge driving has not begun and the first edge has been taken off the grouse, so why should not the ducks be shot now; moreover, if fed well they will fetch a good price in the market at this time, as they will be in the nature of a treat so early in the season. The methods of shooting hand-reared wild ducks may be divided into four:—
1. Posting the guns at different spots on the margin of a lake or near it, and flushing the ducks by means of dogs and beaters.
2. Teaching the ducks to take a particular line of flight by means of a horn, and then, without using the horn on the day of the shoot, intercepting them during their flight.
3. Catching the ducks beforehand, liberating them in convenient numbers, and then driving them over the guns.
4. Flight shooting.
To deal first of all with No. 1 method. Let it be imagined that the host is fortunate enough to possess a lake or piece of marshy ground of considerable extent, and bordered by reeds or flags, which form good cover.Possibly the lake may narrow at some part, and if so our host's dispositions are easy; he places his guns on either shore at the "neck," and if there is room he fastens a punt in the water, midway between the guns on land. A second line of guns might, of course, be placed farther back.
If the lake winds about a good deal the ducks will probably cut across country, and in any case can be easily made to do so by being flagged in or by being fed in a certain direction; there will very likely be some belt of trees in their line of flight, and if so some delightful sport may be had at high birds, the guns being placed in the open and well back from the trees, unless the birds are very shy.
When the dispositions of the host are made, spaniels and keepers will beat the rushes on either side of the lake, driving the ducks over the guns, and the dogs can then be taken to the farther end and a return drive given when the ducks have been over the guns once; the latter will probably have to conceal themselves for this return drive, as the birds will now be more wary, andmany that have not settled at the farther end of the lake may be circling high overhead.
After a time it will probably be necessary to rest the birds for an hour or two for fear of driving them clean away. Don't forget when the shoot is over to have a thorough hunt for dead birds and cripples; the "pick up" is always a big one, as very few birds are missed entirely. The best time to shoot at a high-flying duck is just after he has passed overhead, as then the shot gets behind the feathers and penetrates more easily.
The best shot to use is, I think, No. 4.
The disadvantages of the above plan are: (a) all the birds are frightened badly, and some are sure to be lost; (b) some birds, which strictly speaking are barely ready, are certain to be shot.
AN INEFFECTIVE CRIPPLE STOPPERAN INEFFECTIVE CRIPPLE STOPPER
Many a good day's sport have I enjoyed with the ducks in India. In the North-West Provinces, where I was once quartered, there are a number of "jheels" or huge lakes, and during the cold weather these are tenanted by countless wild-fowl of nearly every variety. The plan usually adopted is to post the guns some distance apart and where they can best command the favourite feeding grounds of the birds; natives are then sent to different parts of the lake to stir the fowl and afterwards to keep them on the move, should they settle at a distance from where the guns are placed. Well I remember the keen pleasure, not unmixed with anxiety, with which I received an invitation to shoot a celebrated "jheel" which had not been disturbed that season. Ten guns, I was told, were coming. Now I knew that there were not more than half-a-dozen really safe guns in the immediate neighbourhood, and I determined that in my case discretion should be the better part of valour. I accepted the invitation with certain mental reservations.
Arrived at the rendezvous, I found an old friend and good shot; in addition several good fellows, some of whom, though charming from a social point of view, plainly showed by the rather defiant manner in which they handled their guns that they were best avoided on the present occasion. Fortunately for my friend and myself we were rather short of boats, so with apparent goodnature we insisted on staying on shore, where we could get well out of range if necessary. We speedily secreted ourselves amongst some tall reeds, and well away from the direction towards which the fleet of boats was making. One of these, strongly resembling a three-decker, had three guns on board, all of whom stood upright throughout the action. Her we christened theMan of War. The smaller craft skirmished in her vicinity, and for two hours the battle raged furiously. No distance was too great, no waterfowl too small or insignificant for their attention; but endurance has its limits, and at last we noticed that even theMan of Warwas silenced, having fired upwards of 600 rounds. Slowly and solemnly the "Fleet" worked its way back to tiffin.
BEFORE THE EVENING MEALBEFORE THE EVENING MEAL
In the meantime my friend and I had some capital sport, killing several pintail before these birds, always the first to leave, had finally departed. In addition we got some grey duck, gadwall, and a number of garganey and pochard. Later, when the boats had all left the "jheel," the fowl slowly began to return, and we now realised with satisfaction that we were well placed. Never have I had better sport or enjoyed myself more, and when at length we were peremptorily informed that the return train was shortly due (and even Indian trains don't wait for one more than half-an-hour), we staggered into the little wayside station, followed by our coolies, carrying enough ducks to feed the station for a week. The second method has now to be dealt with.
Nothing is easier than to accustom the ducks to come to feed at stated times.
At first a horn may be used and then gradually dropped, and in a very short time the birds will know the time of day as well as their feeder does; the latter must be stern with them, absolutely declining to feed them except at the regular hours, one of which will be timed to suit the hour it is intended to commence the shoot. Before commencing this tuition the host will have to select the place from which he wishes the birds to fly, and also the feeding ground which is the end of their journey.
Ducks prefer to rest during the day, and are very fond of shade; provide them, therefore,if possible, with a plantation on some sloping ground fairly near water, where they can get shelter from sun and wind. I have found willows excellent for this purpose, as by topping they can always be kept at the required height. Such a spot will do admirably as jumping-off place, and here the birds may regularly be expected to rest after their night's wandering in search of food. The next step is to select the feeding ground, which should be some little distance from the spot described; preferably it should be on high ground, so that the ducks in their flight have to pass over some sort of valley situated between the two places. In this valley the guns are placed shortly before the feeding hour, and as that time approaches small detachments of ducks will wing their way across the valley for their meal, and give most sporting shots. It is, of course, essential that the resting-place by day and the feeding ground are not too close together, as if this is the case many birds hearing the firing close at hand may be scared from coming to their food.
A RIGHT AND LEFTA RIGHT AND LEFT
After this the birds may be driven back the reverse way, though naturally this practice cannot be repeated more than once or twice in the year, or the birds will be scared away from the feeding ground altogether.
If the host has a piece of water at right angles to the flight of the birds many will scatter after passing the guns and settle; and later on these birds can be driven up and down the water as described in the first method.
One great advantage of the first stage of this plan is that the birds mostly fall on dry land and are easily retrieved. If the ground does not lend itself favourably for high birds the difficulty can be largely overcome by planting a belt of trees and then placing the guns in the open a little distance back; birds inclined to break out at the sides can easily be flagged in.
It is a good plan to run some wire along the slope of the ducks' resting place, as it facilitates their rising at once, and they get into the habit of flying the whole distance instead of walking part of it.
The third system has now to be considered. It is the most artificial of all, and is most suitable in cases where the ground does notlend itself well for high birds, or the host is not a man of unlimited means, but is fortunate enough to have the shooting rights over a fine stretch of water. The ducks probably vary considerably in size and age, as the owner, not having a large breeding stock, has not been able to put down a large number of eggs at once.
The time has, however, come, when he has sufficient to give his friends a very nice shoot. It is, of course, undesirable to frighten or damage either the pinioned or immature birds, and these latter will have to be sorted from those which are fit to kill.
The first step will be to accustom the birds to feed inside a wire enclosure, with some dark building, such as a barn or stable, at one end of the enclosure, and connected with it by means of a door. The birds all having been coaxed inside the enclosure to feed, shut the door of the enclosure quietly, and gradually drive the birds into the dark building. Here the birds will be left all night, and owing to the darkness will not damage themselves. A certain amount of ventilation and some water will be necessary.
AT THE END OF THE DAYAT THE END OF THE DAY
It is a bad plan to give them any food beyond a light meal the evening they are caught, and certainly nothing next morning, as otherwise they will fly badly and heavily when liberated.
Next morning, those ducks that are fit to shoot will be separated from the pinioned birds and those that are immature, and these latter can be conveyed in hampers to any convenient building, and fed.
They will be kept in confinement during the shoot.
Now for the shoot itself. The man who feeds the ducks has for a considerable time trained the ducks to fly in and out of the paddock or yard, in which the enclosure is situated. This is easily done by stretching a piece of wire, which can be gradually increased in height, across the boundary of the paddock into which the ducks come for their food. They soon get accustomed to this wire, and realise they will get no supper if they don't take the trouble to fly.
As has already been mentioned, the owner of the ducks has the shooting rights over a fine piece of water, and on this water, and inthe cover which grows round it, the birds pass the time between their feeding hours. There is sure to be a line of willow trees of some sort or other near the water's edge, and it is over these the ducks must be made to fly. Provided that a small clump of low willows, or other cover, is planted some distance from the rearing field, with the high willow trees standing between the two, it is quite easy, by occasionally feeding in this little cover, to accustom the birds to look on it as their sanctuary, and when liberated from their enforced confinement they will make straight for it, and over the tops of the intervening trees. All that has to be done now is to place the guns between the tall willow trees and the little cover, but well in the open, so that the ducks may see them and be induced to rise higher in consequence.
A little false cover can now be put along the wire before alluded to at the edge of the rearing field, to make the birds rise better, and to prevent the guns from getting any inkling of your plan of operations.
COMING ON A SIDE WINDCOMING ON A SIDE WIND
All is now ready, and at a given signal the birds which have been shut up all night will be liberated in detachments of varied numbers, first from the dark building, and secondly from the wire enclosure. Thoroughly frightened with their unaccustomed imprisonment, they take wing at once, and make the best of their way to the sanctuary, giving the guns most sporting shots. Should the wind be across their line of flight to the sanctuary, you will of course have to flag them in, as ducks always rise up wind, and love to fly against it; nothing they detest so much as getting their feathers ruffled. It will be found that they always fly best on a dull stormy day.
The piece of water behind the guns should preferably run at right angles to the line of flight of the birds from the paddock to their sanctuary, as after the birds have passed the guns they will split up right and left, and settle at one end or the other. The guns will next be placed so as to command the water from bank to bank, one of them being placed, if necessary, in a boat moored for the purpose in midstream.
The ducks are now driven over the guns again, down wind for choice, and this can befollowed by a return drive, which ends the day's sport.
An hour later some one must search the lake thoroughly for cripples, and when this has been done the breeding stock and immature birds should be released.
A modification of this plan may be tried, though I do not recommend it. Instead of the birds being liberated from the enclosure as already described, they are caught, placed in hampers, and conveyed to some convenient spot at a distance from home, and then liberated in the numbers required. The birds naturally fly straight home, and sometimes fly well. Care must be taken to set them free amongst surroundings they know, otherwise they are cowed like a rabbit liberated away from its burrow. It is also advisable to place some obstacle across their line of flight, and about sixty yards in front of the guns, so as to make the birds rise well. The last plan has the obvious disadvantage that the ducks must be cramped to a certain extent by their imprisonment in the hampers, and it savours too much of the artificial to ever prove a complete success. On the other hand, the method described as the third works well; the birds are not crowded, but on being liberated are glad to escape; they are frightened and mean to fly well: but best of all your breeding stock and immature birds will, if this principle be adopted, know nothing of the shoot, and on being let go, will settle down in a very few hours and will assist in taming those birds which have been shot at but escaped. Whatever you do be careful to conceal all your plans from your guns, when artificial methods are adopted; the day is always more enjoyable if the guests cannot see how their host manages matters.
LADIES IN WAITINGLADIES IN WAITING
Ducks are extraordinarily good barometers, and by their behaviour on the water invariably give warning of coming rain or storm.
No one who has kept wild ducks long has failed to notice their peculiar uneasiness before bad weather.
Suddenly one bird with outstretched wings will dash madly on the surface of the water, and behaving much in the same way as a flapper chased by a dog, throw itself into the air, and dive suddenly on alighting again: in a moment this is taken up by every bird onthe water, until one sees the extraordinary sight of two or three hundred ducks behaving just as if they were mad. They dash in all directions and appear quite unable to control themselves. When all this is noticed there is pretty sure to be rain within twelve hours.
The last but by no means least sporting form of duck shooting must now receive a little attention. I allude to Flight Shooting. As winter comes on the ducks' natural instincts have begun to assert themselves, and regularly at dusk, heads will go up, and a peculiar uneasiness manifest itself: very shortly the birds will fly off, after one or two preliminary circles round, to the feeding ground they have selected, though if properly fed they will not go far. All that has to be done is to observe where the ducks feed, and place the guns either in the line of flight between the birds' home and their feeding ground or round the feeding ground itself.
No sport is more fascinating than this—the absolute solitude, the dull red glow of the light fading in the west, gradually getting fainter and fainter, the light shiver of the reeds, as a breath of wind rustles throughthem, and best of all the whistle of beating pinions high overhead, betokening the welcome intelligence that birds are circling round, and making a full inspection of the feeding ground before alighting. Don't move now whatever you do, your retriever, sitting close at your side, will move his head quite enough, without your stirring as well: if you watch him you will soon get a pretty good idea as to where the birds are.
Presently the noise becomes louder, and then with a loud "swish" the birds come right at you. Throw up your gun quietly and quickly and fire at once—don't dwell on your aim, and let us hope that the dog has no difficulty in retrieving a bird that was evidently cleanly killed.
Ducks, like other birds, always alight facing the wind, and this fact must be borne in mind when selecting the stand. Should there be no wind to speak of, it is best to face the fading light, unless the ducks are known to make a practice of coming from one particular direction.
They are most capricious birds, here to-day, and gone to-morrow, but this all adds to thefascination of the sport. I remember once killing eight ducks at a particular spot one evening, and not even getting a shot the next, although there were hundreds of ducks in the neighbourhood. Very different sport to this does one get in the East. The man who goes Flight Shooting there is almost certain of good sport, provided he knows what he is about. Well I remember a certain evening in Upper Burmah. It was at Alon on the river Chindwin, and during the last Burmese war.
We were not supposed to go far from the Fort, but if we took an armed escort with us, no objection was raised.
There was a large "jheel" about two miles from the Fort, which was much overshot by the small garrison quartered there, and during the day little could be seen on its surface besides a few whistling teal, a duck that gives poor sport, and is only just worth eating.
I discovered, however, that at dusk hundreds of ducks returned to the "jheel" from all directions, remaining there probably until dawn.
Followed by my soldier servant as an escort, I made my way to the "jheel," and having made our passage in one of the frail boats, known as "dug-outs," we eventually arrived at a small island which I had selected for my stand.
Never shall I forget that evening. For about twenty minutes I shot nearly as fast as I could load, and not too well, I am afraid.
Ducks of several different varieties were coming fast, and at all angles and elevations.
Many an old sportsman will understand my difficulties. I had of course no second gun, no ejector, and at times I utterly forgot the motto "Festina lente."
At last it was over, and I went home moderately satisfied with about five-and-twenty ducks, leaving, alas! a large number unpicked, as we had no dog.
When your shoot is over, and the season is drawing to its close, the only work left amongst the ducks is to select the breeding stock for next season.
The best to keep are long and well-furnished birds, as they always fly better, and lay more eggs than the short thick-set variety:they should have rakish-looking heads, with long bills, chrome yellow tinged with green in the case of the drake, and dull brown fringed with bright orange in the case of the duck. The eyes should be set high in the head, and the head itselfappearto be slightly angular in appearance, and not too round at the crown. I believe in fairly light coloured birds, as I have always noticed that any strange birds that arrive appear lighter in colour than my own, and I think that the darker and coarser birds do not fly so well. In any case get rid of all short thick-set birds—they will do for the table, but not for sport.
In taking leave of my readers, I hope that I may have been fortunate enough to secure a little of their interest, and that this book may prove of some assistance to those who, like myself, love wild duck, and consider a few hours spent daily in their company an education and a treat.
Printed byBallantyne, Hanson & Co.Edinburgh & London