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+Project Gutenberg's Fishing and Shooting Sketches, by Grover Cleveland
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Fishing and Shooting Sketches
+
+Author: Grover Cleveland
+
+Illustrator: Henry S. Watson
+
+Release Date: February 21, 2011 [EBook #35351]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FISHING AND SHOOTING SKETCHES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
+generously made available by The Internet Archive/American
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+
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+
+
+
+ Fishing and
+ Shooting Sketches
+
+ BY
+ GROVER CLEVELAND
+
+ Illustrated by
+ HENRY S. WATSON
+
+ NEW YORK
+ THE OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY
+ 1906
+
+
+
+
+ COPYRIGHT, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, BY THE CURTIS PUBLISHING CO.
+ COPYRIGHT, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, BY THE INDEPENDENT.
+ COPYRIGHT, 1903, BY THE PRESS PUBLISHING CO.
+ COPYRIGHT, 1905, BY THE COUNTRY CALENDAR.
+ COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY THE OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY.
+
+ Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England.
+
+ _All Rights Reserved._
+
+ THE OUTING PRESS
+ DEPOSIT, N. Y.
+
+
+
+
+ [Illustration: From Copyright Photo, by Pach.
+                      Yours truly
+                         Grover Cleveland]
+
+
+
+
+ CONTENTS
+
+
+                                                  PAGE
+
+ THE MISSION OF SPORT AND OUTDOOR LIFE              3
+ A DEFENSE OF FISHERMEN                            19
+ THE SERENE DUCK HUNTER                            49
+ THE MISSION OF FISHING AND FISHERMEN              79
+ SOME FISHING PRETENSES AND AFFECTATIONS          111
+ SUMMER SHOOTING                                  139
+ CONCERNING RABBIT SHOOTING                       153
+ A WORD TO FISHERMEN                              165
+ A DUCK HUNTING TRIP                              179
+ QUAIL SHOOTING                                   197
+
+
+
+
+The Mission of Sport and Outdoor Life
+
+
+I am sure that it is not necessary for me, at this late day, to dwell
+upon the fact that I am an enthusiast in my devotion to hunting and
+fishing, as well as every other kind of outdoor recreation. I am so
+proud of this devotion that, although my sporting proclivities have at
+times subjected me to criticism and petty forms of persecution, I make
+no claim that my steadfastness should be looked upon as manifesting the
+courage of martyrdom. On the contrary, I regard these criticisms and
+persecutions as nothing more serious than gnat stings suffered on the
+bank of a stream--vexations to be borne with patience and afterward
+easily submerged in the memory of abundant delightful accompaniments.
+Thus, when short fishing excursions, in which I have sought relief
+from the wearing labors and perplexities of official duty, have been
+denounced in a mendacious newspaper as dishonest devices to cover
+scandalous revelry, I have been able to enjoy a sort of pleasurable
+contempt for the author of this accusation, while congratulating myself
+on the mental and physical restoration I had derived from these
+excursions. So, also, when people, more mistaken than malicious, have
+wagged their heads in pitying fashion and deprecated my indulgence
+in hunting and fishing frivolity, which, in high public service, I
+have found it easy to lament the neglect of these amiable persons
+to accumulate for their delectation a fund of charming sporting
+reminiscence; while, at the same time, I sadly reflected how their
+dispositions might have been sweetened and their lives made happier if
+they had yielded something to the particular type of frivolity which
+they deplored.
+
+I hope it may not be amiss for me to supplement these personal
+observations by the direct confession that, so far as my attachment to
+outdoor sports may be considered a fault, I am, as related to this
+especial predicament of guilt, utterly incorrigible and shameless. Not
+many years ago, while residing in a non-sporting but delightfully
+cultured and refined community, I found that considerable indignation
+had been aroused among certain good neighbors and friends, because it
+had been said of me that I was willing to associate in the field with
+any loafer who was the owner of a dog and gun. I am sure that I did not
+in the least undervalue the extreme friendliness of those inclined to
+intervene in my defense; and yet, at the risk of doing an apparently
+ungracious thing, I felt inexorably constrained to check their kindly
+efforts by promptly conceding that the charge was too nearly true to be
+denied.
+
+There can be no doubt that certain men are endowed with a sort of
+inherent and spontaneous instinct which leads them to hunting and
+fishing indulgence as the most alluring and satisfying of all
+recreations. In this view, I believe it may be safely said that the true
+hunter or fisherman is born, not made. I believe, too, that those who
+thus by instinct and birthright belong to the sporting fraternity and
+are actuated by a genuine sporting spirit, are neither cruel, nor greedy
+and wasteful of the game and fish they pursue; and I am convinced that
+there can be no better conservators of the sensible and provident
+protection of game and fish than those who are enthusiastic in their
+pursuit, but who, at the same time, are regulated and restrained by the
+sort of chivalric fairness and generosity, felt and recognized by every
+true sportsman.
+
+While it is most agreeable thus to consider hunting and fishing as
+constituting, for those especially endowed for their enjoyment, the
+most tempting of outdoor sports, it is easily apparent that there
+is a practical value to these sports as well as all other outdoor
+recreations, which rests upon a broader foundation. Though the
+delightful and passionate love for outdoor sports and recreation is not
+bestowed upon every one as a natural gift, they are so palpably related
+to health and vigor, and so inseparably connected with the work of life
+and comfort of existence, that it is happily ordained that a desire
+or a willingness for their enjoyment may be cultivated to an extent
+sufficient to meet the requirements of health and self-care. In other
+words, all but the absolutely indifferent can be made to realize that
+outdoor air and activity, intimacy with nature and acquaintanceship with
+birds and animals and fish, are essential to physical and mental
+strength, under the exactions of an unescapable decree.
+
+Men may accumulate wealth in neglect of the law of recreation; but how
+infinitely much they will forfeit, in the deprivation of wholesome
+vigor, in the loss of the placid fitness for the quiet joys and
+comforts of advancing years, and in the displacement of contented age by
+the demon of querulous and premature decrepitude!
+
+     "For the good God who loveth us
+     He made and loveth all."
+
+
+A Law not to Be Disobeyed
+
+Men, in disobedience of this law, may achieve triumph in the world of
+science, education and art; but how unsatisfying are the rewards thus
+gained if they hasten the night when no man can work, and if the later
+hours of life are haunted by futile regrets for what is still left
+undone, that might have been done if there had been closer communion
+with nature's visible forms!
+
+In addition to the delight which outdoor recreations afford to those
+instinctively in harmony with their enjoyment, and after a recognition
+of the fact that a knowledge of their nerve- and muscle-saving
+ministrations may be sensibly cultivated, there still remains another
+large item that should be placed to their credit. Every individual, as a
+unit in the scheme of civilized social life, owes to every man, woman
+and child within such relationship an uninterrupted contribution to the
+fund of enlivening and pleasurable social intercourse. None of us can
+deny this obligation; and none of us can discharge it as we ought, if
+our contributions are made in the questionable coin of sordidness and
+nature's perversion. Our experience and observation supply abundant
+proof that those who contribute most generously to the exhilaration and
+charm of social intercourse will be found among the disciples of outdoor
+recreation, who are in touch with nature and have thus kept fresh and
+unperverted a simple love of humanity's best environment.
+
+
+A Chance in the Open for All
+
+It seems to me that thoughtful men should not be accused of exaggerated
+fears when they deprecate the wealth-mad rush and struggle of American
+life and the consequent neglect of outdoor recreation, with the
+impairment of that mental and physical vigor absolutely essential to our
+national welfare, and so abundantly promised to those who gratefully
+recognize, in nature's adjustment to the wants of man, the care of "the
+good God" who "made and loveth all."
+
+Manifestly, if outdoor recreations are important to the individual and
+to the nation, and if there is danger of their neglect, every
+instrumentality should be heartily encouraged which aims to create and
+stimulate their indulgence in every form.
+
+Fortunately, the field is broad and furnishes a choice for all except
+those wilfully at fault. The sky and sun above the head, the soil
+beneath the feet, and outdoor air on every side are the indispensable
+requisites.
+
+
+
+
+A Defense of Fishermen
+
+
+By way of introduction and explanation, it should be said that there is
+no intention at this time to deal with those who fish for a livelihood.
+Those sturdy and hard-working people need no vindication or defense.
+Our concern is with those who fish because they have an occult and
+mysterious instinct which leads them to love it, because they court the
+healthful, invigorating exertion it invites, and because its indulgence
+brings them in close contact and communion with Nature's best and most
+elevating manifestations. This sort of fishing is pleasure and not
+work--sport and not money-grabbing. Therefore it is contemptuously
+regarded in certain quarters as no better than a waste of time.
+
+Generous fishermen cannot fail to look with pity upon the benighted
+persons who have no better conception than this of the uses and
+beneficent objects of rational diversion. In these sad and ominous days
+of mad fortune-chasing, every patriotic, thoughtful citizen, whether he
+fishes or not, should lament that we have not among our countrymen more
+fishermen. There can be no doubt that the promise of industrial peace,
+of contented labor and of healthful moderation in the pursuit of
+wealth, in this democratic country of ours, would be infinitely improved
+if a large share of the time which has been devoted to the concoction of
+trust and business combinations, had been spent in fishing.
+
+The narrow and ill-conditioned people who snarlingly count all fishermen
+as belonging to the lazy and good-for-nothing class, and who take
+satisfaction in describing an angler's outfit as a contrivance with a
+hook at one end and a fool at the other, have been so thoroughly
+discredited that no one could wish for their more irredeemable
+submersion. Statesmen, judges, clergymen, lawyers and doctors, as well
+as thousands of other outspoken members of the fishing fraternity, have
+so effectively given the lie to these revilers of an honest and
+conscientious brotherhood that a large majority have been glad to find
+refuge in ignominious silence.
+
+Notwithstanding this, weak, piping voices are still occasionally heard
+accusing fishermen of certain shortcomings and faults. These are so
+unsubstantial and unimportant that, as against the high place in the
+world's esteem claimed by those who love to fish, they might well be
+regarded as non-essentials, or, in a phrase of the day, as mere matters
+of detail. But, although it may be true that these charges are on the
+merits unworthy of notice, it cannot be expected that fishermen, proud
+of the name, will be amiably willing to permit those making such
+accusations the satisfaction of remaining unchallenged.
+
+
+The Hangers-on of the Fraternity
+
+At the outset, the fact should be recognized that the community of
+fishermen constitute a separate class or a sub-race among the
+inhabitants of the earth. It has sometimes been said that fishermen
+cannot be manufactured. This is true to the extent that nothing can
+supply the lack of certain inherent, constitutional and inborn qualities
+or traits which are absolutely necessary to a fisherman's make-up. Of
+course there are many who call themselves fishermen and who insist upon
+their membership in the fraternity who have not in their veins a drop of
+legitimate fisherman blood. Their self-asserted relationship is
+nevertheless sometimes seized upon by malicious or ignorant critics as
+permitting the assumption that the weaknesses and sins of these
+pretenders are the weaknesses and sins of genuine fishermen; but in
+truth these pretenders are only interlopers who have learned a little
+fish language, who love to fish only "when they bite," who whine at bad
+luck, who betray incredulity when they hear a rousing fish story, and
+who do or leave undone many other things fatal to good and regular
+standing. They are like certain whites called squaw-men, who hang about
+Indian reservations, and gain certain advantages in the tribes by
+marrying full-blooded Indian women. Surely no just person would for a
+moment suppose that genuine Indians could be treated fairly by measuring
+them according to a squaw-man standard. Neither can genuine fishermen be
+fairly treated by judging them according to the standards presented by
+squaw-fishermen.
+
+In point of fact, full-blooded fishermen whose title is clear, and whose
+natural qualifications are undisputed, have ideas, habits of thought and
+mental tendencies so peculiarly and especially their own, and their
+beliefs and code of ethics are so exclusively fitted to their needs and
+surroundings, that an attempt on the part of strangers to speak or write
+concerning the character or conduct of its approved membership savors of
+impudent presumption. None but fishermen can properly deal with these
+delicate matters.
+
+What sense is there in the charge of laziness sometimes made against
+true fishermen? Laziness has no place in the constitution of a man who
+starts at sunrise and tramps all day with only a sandwich to eat,
+floundering through bushes and briers and stumbling over rocks or wading
+streams in pursuit of the elusive trout. Neither can a fisherman who,
+with rod in hand, sits in a boat or on a bank all day be called
+lazy--provided he attends to his fishing and is physically and mentally
+alert in his occupation. This charge may perhaps be truthfully made
+against squaw-fishermen who become easily discouraged, who "tire and
+faint" early, and lie down under the shade to sleep, or go in swimming,
+or who gaze about or read a book while their hooks rest baitless on the
+bottom; but how false and unfair it is to accuse regular, full-blooded
+fishermen of laziness, based on such performances as these! And yet this
+is absurdly done by those who cannot tell a reel from a compass, and who
+by way of familiarizing themselves with their topic leave their beds at
+eight o'clock in the morning, ride to an office at ten, sit at a desk
+until three or perhaps five, with an hour's interval for a hearty
+luncheon, and go home in the proud belief that they have done an active,
+hard day's work. Fishermen find no fault with what they do in their own
+affairs, nor with their conception of work; but they do insist that
+such people have no right to impute laziness to those who fish.
+
+
+Why Fish Stories Should Be Believed
+
+It is sometimes said that there is such close relationship between
+mendacity and fishing, that in matters connected with their craft all
+fishermen are untruthful. It must, of course, be admitted that large
+stories of fishing adventure are sometimes told by fishermen--and why
+should this not be so? Beyond all question there is no sphere of human
+activity so full of strange and wonderful incidents as theirs. Fish are
+constantly doing the most mysterious and startling things; and no one
+has yet been wise enough to explain their ways or account for their
+conduct. The best fishermen do not attempt it; they move and strive in
+the atmosphere of mystery and uncertainty, constantly aiming to reach
+results without a clue, and through the cultivation of faculties,
+non-existent or inoperative in the common mind.
+
+In these circumstances fishermen necessarily see and do wonderful
+things. If those not members of the brotherhood are unable to assimilate
+the recital of these wonders, it is because their believing apparatus
+has not been properly regulated and stimulated. Such disability falls
+very far short of justifying doubt as to the truth of the narration. The
+things narrated have been seen and experienced with a fisherman's eyes
+and perceptions. This is perfectly understood by listening fishermen;
+and they, to their enjoyment and edification, are permitted by a
+properly adjusted mental equipment to believe what they hear.
+
+This faculty is one of the safest signs of full-blooded right to
+membership. If incredulity is intimated by a professional member no
+injustice will be done if he is at once put under suspicion as a
+squaw-fisherman. As to non-members who accuse true fishermen of
+falsehood, it is perfectly clear that they are utterly unfitted to deal
+with the subject. The only theory fitting the condition leads to the
+statement that any story of personal experience told by a fisherman is
+to the fishing apprehension indubitably true; and that since disbelief
+in other quarters is owing to the lack of this apprehension, the folly
+of accusing fishermen of habitual untruthfulness is quite apparent.
+
+
+The Taking of the Leviathan
+
+The position thus taken by the brotherhood requires that they stand
+solidly together in all circumstances. Tarpon fishing has added greatly
+to our responsibilities. Even larger fish than these may, with the
+extension of American possessions, fall within the treatment of American
+fishermen. As in all past emergencies, we shall be found sufficient in
+such future exigencies. All will go well if, without a pretense of
+benevolent assimilation, we still fish as is our wont, and continue our
+belief in all that our brethren declare they have done or can do. A few
+thousand years ago the question was impressively asked, "Canst thou draw
+out leviathan with a hook?" We must not falter, if, upon its repetition
+in the future, a brother replies: "Yes, with a ten-ounce rod;" nor must
+we be staggered even if another declares he has already landed one of
+these monsters. If American institutions are found adequate to the new
+tasks which Destiny has put upon them in the extension of our lands, the
+American Chapter of the world's fishermen must not fail by their
+time-honored methods and practices, and by such truthfulness as belongs
+to the fraternity in the narration of fishing adventure, to subdue any
+new difficulties presented by the extension of our waters.
+
+
+Why the Biggest Fish Are Always Lost
+
+Before leaving this branch of our subject, especial reference should be
+made to one item more conspicuous, perhaps, than any other, among those
+comprised in the general charge of fishermen's mendacity. It is
+constantly said that they greatly exaggerate the size of the fish that
+are lost. This accusation, though most frequently and flippantly made,
+is in point of fact based upon the most absurd arrogance and a love of
+slanderous assertion that passes understanding. These are harsh words;
+but they are abundantly justified.
+
+In the first place, all the presumptions are with the fisherman's
+contention. It is perfectly plain that large fish are more apt to escape
+than small ones. Of course their weight and activity, combined with the
+increased trickiness and resourcefulness of age and experience, greatly
+increase their ability to tear out the hook, and enhance the danger that
+their antics will expose a fatal weakness in hook, leader, line or rod.
+Another presumption which must be regretfully mentioned, arises from the
+fact that in many cases the encounter with a large fish causes such
+excitement, and such distraction or perversion of judgment, on the part
+of the fisherman as leads him to do the wrong thing or fail to do the
+right thing at the critical instant--thus actually and effectively
+contributing to an escape which could not and would not have occurred
+except in favor of a large fish.
+
+Beyond these presumptions we have the deliberate and simple story of the
+fisherman himself, giving with the utmost sincerity all the details of
+his misfortune, and indicating the length of the fish he has lost, or
+giving in pounds his exact weight. Now, why should this statement be
+discredited? It is made by one who struggled with the escaped fish.
+Perhaps he saw it. This, however, is not important, for he certainly
+felt it on his rod, and he knows precisely how his rod behaves in the
+emergency of every conceivable strain.
+
+
+The Finny Hypnotist
+
+All true fishermen who listen to his plain, unvarnished tale accept with
+absolute faith the declared length and weight of the fish that was
+almost caught; but with every presumption, besides positive statement,
+against them, carping outsiders who cannot fish, and who love to accuse
+fishermen of lying, are exposed in an attempt to originate or perpetuate
+an envious and malicious libel.
+
+The case of our fraternity on this point of absolute and exact
+truthfulness is capable of such irrefragable demonstration that anything
+in the way of confession and avoidance ought to be considered
+inadmissible. And yet, simply for the sake of argument, or by way of
+curious speculation, it may be interesting to intimate how a variation
+of a few inches in the exact length or a few ounces in the exact weight
+of a lost fish, as given by the loser, may be accounted for, without
+meanly attributing to him intentional falsehood. The theory has been
+recently started, that a trained hunting dog points a bird in the field
+solely because the bird's scent creates a hypnotic influence on the dog,
+which impels him by a sort of suggestion to direct his nose toward the
+spot from which such scent emanates. If there is anything worth
+considering in this theory, why may not a struggling fish at the end of
+a line exert such a hypnotic influence on the intensely excited and
+receptive nature at the other extremity of the fishing outfit, as to
+suggest an arbitrary and independent statement of the dimensions of the
+hypnotizer?
+
+With the accusations already mentioned it would certainly seem that
+the enmity of those who take pleasure in reviling fishermen and their
+ways should be satisfied. They have not been content, however, in
+the demonstration of their evil-mindedness without adding to their
+indictment against the brotherhood the charge of profanity. Of course,
+they have not the hardihood to allege that our profanity is of that
+habitual and low sort which characterizes the coarse and ill-bred, who
+offend all decent people by constantly interlarding their speech with
+fearful and irrelevant oaths. They, nevertheless, find sufficient
+excuse for their accusation in the sudden ejaculations, outwardly
+resembling profanity, which are occasionally wrung from fishermen in
+trying crises and in moments of soul-straining unkindness of Fate.
+
+Now, this question of profanity is largely one of intention and
+deliberation. The man who, intending what he says, coolly indulges in
+imprecation, is guilty of an offense that admits of no excuse or
+extenuation; but a fisherman can hardly be called profane who, when
+overtaken without warning by disaster, and abruptly hurled from the
+exhilarating heights of delightful anticipation to the depths of dire
+disappointment, impulsively gives vent to his pent-up emotion by the
+use of a word which, though found in the list of oaths, is spoken
+without intentional imprecation, and because nothing else seems to
+suit the occasion. It is by no means to be admitted that fishing tends
+even to this semblance of profanity. On the contrary, it imposes a
+self-restraint and patient forbearance upon its advanced devotees which
+tend to prevent sudden outbursts of feeling.
+
+It must in frankness be admitted, however, by fishermen of every degree,
+that when the largest trout of the day, after a long struggle, winds
+the leader about a snag and escapes, or when a large salmon or bass,
+apparently fatigued to the point of non-resistance, suddenly, by an
+unexpected and vicious leap, frees himself from the hook, the
+fisherman's code of morals will not condemn beyond forgiveness the
+holder of the straightened rod if he impulsively, but with all the
+gentility at his command, exclaims: "Damn that fish!" It is probably
+better not to speak at all; but if strong words are to be used, perhaps
+these will serve as well as any that can do justice to the occasion.
+
+Uncle Toby, overcome with tender sympathy, swore with an unctious,
+rotund oath, that his sick friend should not die; and we are told that
+"the accusing spirit which flew up to Heaven's chancery with the oath
+blushed as he gave it in; and the recording angel as he wrote it down
+dropped a tear upon the word and blotted it out forever."
+
+The defense of the fishing fraternity which has been here attempted is
+by no means as completely stated as it should be. Nor should the world
+be allowed to overlook the admirable affirmative qualities which exist
+among genuine members of the brotherhood, and the useful traits which an
+indulgence in the gentle art cultivates and fosters. A recital of these,
+with a description of the personal peculiarities found in the ranks of
+fishermen, and the influence of these peculiarities on success or
+failure, are necessary to a thorough vindication of those who worthily
+illustrate the virtues of our clan.
+
+
+
+
+The Serene Duck Hunter
+
+
+In the estimation of many people, all those who for any purpose or in
+any manner hunt ducks are grouped together and indiscriminately called
+duck hunters. This is a very superficial way of dealing with an
+important subject. In point of fact, the objects of duck shooting and
+its methods of enjoyment are so various, and the disposition and
+personal characteristics of those who engage in it present such strong
+contrasts, that a recognition of their differences should suggest the
+subdivision of this group into distinct and well-defined sections. Such
+a subdivision would undoubtedly promote fairness and justice, and lead
+to a better understanding of the general topic.
+
+There are those whose only claim to a place among duck hunters is based
+upon the fact that they shoot ducks for the market. No duck is safe from
+their pursuit in any place, either by day or night. Not a particle of
+sportsmanlike spirit enters into this pursuit, and the idea never enters
+their minds that a duck has any rights that a hunter is bound to
+respect. The killing they do amounts to bald assassination--to murder
+for the sake of money. All fair-minded men must agree that duck
+hunters of this sort should be segregated from all others and placed in
+a section by themselves. They are the market shooters.
+
+There are others claiming a place in the duck-hunting group, who, though
+not so murderously inclined as the market shooters, have such peculiar
+traits and such distinctive habits of thought and action, as abundantly
+justify placing them also in a classification of their own. These are
+the hunters who rarely miss a duck, but whose deadly aim affords them
+gratification only in so far as it is a prelude to duck mortality, and
+who are happy or discontented as their heap of dead is large or small.
+They have smothered the keen delights of imagination which should be the
+cheering concomitants of the most reputable grade of duck hunting, and
+have surrendered its pleasures to actual results and the force of
+external circumstances. Their stories of inordinate killing are
+frequently heard, and often enliven the pages of sporting magazines.
+There can be but little doubt that this contingent give unintentional
+support to a popular belief, originating in the market shooters'
+operations, that duck shooting is a relentlessly bloody affair. These
+are the dead shots among duck hunters.
+
+
+The Vindication of the Gentle Huntsmen
+
+The danger that all those who essay to shoot ducks may, by the conduct
+of these two classes, acquire a general and unmitigated reputation for
+persistent slaughter, cannot be contemplated without sadness. It is
+therefore not particularly reassuring to recall the fact that our
+countrymen seem just now to be especially attracted by the recital of
+incidents that involve killing,--whether it be the killing of men or any
+other living thing.
+
+It is quite probable that the aggregation of all duck hunters in one
+general group cannot be at once remedied; and the expectation can hardly
+be entertained that any sub-classification now proposed will gain the
+acceptance and notoriety necessary for the immediate exoneration of
+those included within this group who are not in the least responsible
+for the sordid and sanguinary behavior of either the market shooter or
+the dead shot. These innocent ones comprise an undoubted majority of all
+duck hunters; and their common tastes and enjoyments, as well as their
+identical conceptions of duty and obligation, have drawn them together
+in delightful fraternity. By their moderate destruction of duck life
+they so modify the killing done by those belonging to the classes
+already described, that the aggregate, when distributed among the entire
+body of duck hunters, is relieved from the appearance of bloodthirsty
+carnage; and they in every way exert a wholesome influence in the
+direction of securing a place for duck hunting among recreations which
+are rational, exhilarating and only moderately fatal.
+
+
+The Honorable Order of Serene Duck Hunters
+
+It must be frankly confessed that the members of this fraternity cannot
+claim the ability to kill ducks as often as is required by the highest
+averages. This, however, does not in the least disturb their serenity.
+Their compensations are ample. They are saved from the sordid and
+hardening effects induced by habitual killing, and find pleasure in
+the cultivation of the more delicate and elevating susceptibilities
+which ducking environments should invite. Under the influence of
+these susceptibilities there is developed a pleasing and innocent
+self-deception, which induces the belief on the part of those with whom
+it has lodgment, that both abundant shooting skill and a thorough
+familiarity with all that pertains to the theory of duck hunting are
+entirely in their possession and control. They are also led to the
+stimulation of reciprocal credulity which seasons and makes digestible
+tales of ducking adventure. Nor does bloody activity distract their
+attention from their obligations to each other as members of their
+especial brotherhood, or cause them to overlook the rule which requires
+them to stand solidly together in the promotion and protection, at all
+hazards, of the shooting reputation of every one of their associates.
+These may well be called the Serene Duck Hunters.
+
+All that has been thus far written may properly be regarded as merely an
+introduction to a description, somewhat in detail, of the manner in
+which these representatives of the best and most attractive type of duck
+hunters enjoy their favorite recreation.
+
+A common and easy illustration of their indulgence of the sentimental
+enjoyments available to them is presented when members of the fraternity
+in the comfortable surroundings of camp undertake the discussion of the
+merits of guns and ammunition. The impressiveness with which guns are
+put to the shoulder with a view of discovering how they "come up," the
+comments on the length and "drop" of the different stocks, the solemn
+look through the barrel from the opened breech, and the suggestion of
+slight "pitting," are intensely interesting and gratifying to all
+concerned.
+
+When these things are supplemented by an exchange of opinions concerning
+ammunition, a large contribution is added to the entertainment of the
+party. Such words as Schultz, Blue Ribbon, Dupont, Ballistite and Hazard
+are rolled like sweet morsels under the tongue. Each of the company
+declares his choice of powder and warmly defends its superiority, each
+announces the number of drams that a ducking cartridge should contain,
+and each declares his clear conviction touching the size of shot, and
+the amount, in ounces and fractions of ounces, that should constitute an
+effective load.
+
+Undoubtedly the enjoyment supplied by such a discussion is keen and
+exhilarating. That it has the advantage of ease and convenience in its
+favor, is indicated by the fact that its effects are none the less real
+and penetrating in the entire absence of any knowledge of the topics
+discussed. To the serene duck hunter the pretense of knowledge or
+information is sufficient. The important factors in the affair are that
+each should have his turn, and should be attentively heard in his
+exploitation of that which he thinks he knows.
+
+There is nothing in all this that can furnish reasonable ground for
+reproach or criticism. If under the sanction of harmless self-deception
+and pretense this duck-hunting contingent, to whom duck killing is not
+inevitably available, are content to look for enjoyment among the things
+more or less intimately related to it, it is quite their own affair. At
+any rate it is sufficient to say that they have joined the serene
+brotherhood for their pastime, and that any outside dictation or
+criticism of the mode in which they shall innocently enjoy their
+privileges of membership savors of gross impertinence.
+
+There comes a time, however, when the calm and easy enjoyments of
+in-door comfort must give way to sterner activities, and when even the
+serene duck hunter must face the discomfort of severe weather and the
+responsibility of flying ducks. This exigency brings with it new
+duties and new objects of endeavor; but the principles which are
+characteristic of the fraternity are of universal application. Therefore
+our serene duck hunter should go forth resolved to accomplish the best
+results within his reach, but doubly resolved that in this new phase of
+his enjoyment he will betray no ignorance of any detail, and that he
+will fully avail himself of the rule unreservedly recognized in the
+brotherhood, which permits him to claim that every duck at which his
+gun is fired is hit--except in rare cases of conceded missing, when an
+excuse should be always ready, absolutely excluding any suggestion of
+bad shooting. And by way of showing his familiarity with the affair in
+hand it is not at all amiss for him to give some directions as he
+enters his blind as to the arrangement of the decoys.
+
+
+How to Take Good and Bad Luck
+
+It is quite likely that his first opportunity to shoot will be presented
+when a single duck hovers over the decoys, and as it poises itself
+offers as easy a target as if sitting on a fence. Our hunter's gun is
+coolly and gracefully raised, and simultaneously with its discharge the
+duck falls helplessly into the water. This is a situation that calls for
+no word to be spoken. Merely a self-satisfied and an almost indifferent
+expression of countenance should indicate that only the expected has
+happened, and that duck killing is to be the order of the day.
+
+Perhaps after a reasonable wait, another venturesome duck will enter
+the zone of danger and pass with steady flight over the decoys easily
+within shooting distance. Again the gun of our serene hunter gives
+voice, summoning the bird to instant death. To an impartial observer,
+however, such a course would not seem to be in accordance with the
+duck's arrangements. This is plainly indicated by such an acceleration
+of flight as would naturally follow the noise of the gun's discharge and
+the whistling of the shot in the rear of the expected victim.
+
+This is the moment when the man behind the gun should rise to the
+occasion, and under the rule governing the case should without the least
+delay or hesitation insist that the duck is hit. This may be done by the
+use of one of several appropriate exclamations--all having the sanction
+of precedent and long use. One which is quite clear and emphatic is to
+the effect that the fleeing duck is "lead ballasted," another easily
+understood is that it has "got a dose," and still another of no
+uncertain meaning, that it is "full of shot." Whatever particular
+formula is used, it should at once be followed by a decided command to
+the guide in attendance to watch the disappearing bird and mark where it
+falls.
+
+The fact should be here mentioned that the complete enjoyment of this
+proceeding depends largely upon the tact and intelligence of the guide.
+If with these he has a due appreciation of his responsibility as an
+adjunct to the sport, and is also in proper accord with his principal,
+he will give ready support to the claim that the duck is mortally
+wounded, at the same time shrewdly and with apparent depression
+suggesting the improbability of recovering the slain.
+
+If as the hours wear away this process becomes so monotonous as
+to be fatiguing, a restful variety may be introduced by guardedly
+acknowledging an occasional miss, and bringing into play the excuses and
+explanations appropriate to such altered conditions. A very useful way
+of accounting for a shot missed is by the suggestion that through a
+slightly erroneous calculation of distance the duck was out of range
+when the shot was fired. A very frequent and rather gratifying pretext
+for avoiding chagrin in case of a long shot missed is found in the
+claim that, though the sound of shot striking the bird is distinctly
+heard, their penetration is ineffective. Sometimes failure is attributed
+to the towering or turning of the duck at the instant of the gun's
+discharge. It is at times useful to impute failure to the probability
+that the particular cartridge used was stale and weak; and when all
+these are inadmissible, the small size of the shot and the faulty
+quality or quantity of powder they contain, may be made to do service;
+and, in extreme cases, their entire construction as well as their
+constructor may be roundly cursed as causes for a miscarriage of fatal
+results.
+
+
+How True Duck Hunters Stand Together
+
+When the ducks have ceased to fly for the day the serene duck hunter
+returns to camp in a tranquil, satisfied frame of mind befitting his
+fraternity membership. He has several ducks actually in hand, and he
+has fully enjoyed the self-deception and pretense which have led him
+to the belief that he has shot well. His few confessed misses are
+all satisfactorily accounted for; and he is too well broken to the
+vicissitudes of duck shooting, and too old a hunter, to be cast down
+by the bad fortune which has thickly scattered, over distant waters
+and marshes, his unrecovered dead.
+
+When at the close of such a day a party of serene duck hunters are
+gathered together, a common fund of adventure is made up. Each as he
+contributes his share is entitled to add such embellishments of the
+imagination as will make his recital most interesting to his associates
+and gratifying to himself; and a law tacitly adopted but universally
+recognized by the company binds them all to an unquestioning acceptance
+of the truth of every narration. The successes of the day as well as its
+incidents of hard luck, and every excuse and explanation in mitigation
+of small returns of game, as they are rehearsed, create lively interest
+and quiet enjoyment. The one thing that might be a discordant note would
+be a hint or confession of downright and inexcusably bad shooting.
+
+In this delightful assemblage of serene duck hunters there is no place
+for envious feeling toward either the slaughtering market shooter or the
+insatiable dead shot. They only seek, in their own mild and gentle way,
+the indulgence of the pleasures which the less bloody phases of duck
+hunting afford; and no censorious critic has the right to demand that
+their enjoyment should be marred or diminished by the exactions of
+veracity or self-abasement.
+
+Reference has already been made to the scrupulous care of this
+fraternity for the promotion and preservation, at all hazards, of the
+shooting reputation of all the associates. This is a most important
+duty. Indeed, it may be reasonably feared that any neglect or faltering
+in its discharge would undermine the entire fabric of the serene
+brotherhood's renown. The outside world should never gain from any of
+its members the least hint that a weak spot has been developed in the
+shooting ability of any of their number; and in giving an account of
+hunting results it is quite within bounds for them to include in the
+aggregate, not only the ducks actually killed and those reported killed,
+but those probably killed and neither recovered nor reported. The fact
+that such an aggregate has been reported by an associate should impart
+to every member absolute verity, and each should make the statement his
+own, to the displacement of all other knowledge. Such ready support of
+each other's allegations and such entire self-abnegation are absolutely
+necessary if the safety of the organization is to be insured, and if its
+success and usefulness are to endure.
+
+Thus the great body of serene duck hunters, who have associated together
+for the promotion of high aims and purposes, pursue the even tenor of
+their way. They do not clamor for noisy recognition or make cheap
+exhibition of their virtues. They will, however, steadily and
+unostentatiously persevere, both by precept and practice, in their
+mission to make all duck hunters better and happier, and to mitigate the
+harsh and bloody features of duck hunting.
+
+
+
+
+The Mission of Fishing and Fishermen
+
+
+It was quite a long time ago that a compelling sense of duty led me to
+undertake the exoneration of a noble fraternity, of which I am an humble
+member, from certain narrow-minded, if not malicious, accusations. The
+title given to what was then written, "A Defense of Fishermen," was
+precisely descriptive of its purpose. It was not easy, however, to keep
+entirely within defensive limits; for the temptation was very strong and
+constant to abandon negation and palliation for the more pleasing task
+of commending to the admiration and affection of mankind in affirmative
+terms both fishing and fishermen. A determination to attempt this at
+another time, and thus supplement the matter then in hand, made
+resistance to this temptation successful; but the contemplated
+supplementation was then foreshadowed in the following terms:
+
+    "The defense of the fishing fraternity which has been here attempted
+    is by no means so completely stated as it should be. Nor should the
+    world be allowed to overlook the admirable affirmative qualities
+    which exist among genuine members of the brotherhood and the useful
+    traits which the indulgence in the gentle art cultivates and
+    fosters. A recital of these, with a description of the personal
+    influence of these peculiarities found in the ranks of fishermen,
+    and the influence of these peculiarities on success or failure, are
+    necessary to a thorough vindication of those who worthily illustrate
+    the virtues of our clan."
+
+The execution of the design thus foreshadowed has until now been evaded
+on account of the importance and delicacy of the undertaking and a
+distrust of my ability to deal adequately with the subject. Though these
+misgivings have not been overcome, my perplexity, as I enter upon the
+work so long delayed, is somewhat relieved by the hope that true
+fishermen will be tolerant, whatever may be the measure of my success,
+and that all others concerned will be teachable and open-minded.
+
+
+Lessons the Fisherman Learns from Nature
+
+The plan I have laid out for the treatment of my topic leads me, first
+of all, to speak of the manner in which the fishing habit operates upon
+man's nature for its betterment; and afterward to deal with the
+qualities of heart and disposition necessary to the maintenance of good
+and regular standing in the fishing fraternity.
+
+There is no man in the world capable of profitable thought who does not
+know that the real worth and genuineness of the human heart are
+measured by its readiness to submit to the influences of Nature, and to
+appreciate the goodness of the Supreme Power who has made and beautified
+Nature's abiding-place. In this domain, removed from the haunts of men
+and far away from the noise and dust of their turmoil and strife, the
+fishing that can fully delight the heart of the true fisherman is found;
+and here in its enjoyment, those who fish are led, consciously or
+unconsciously, to a quiet but distinct recognition of a power greater
+than man's, and a goodness far above human standards. Amid such
+surroundings and within such influences no true fisherman, whether
+sensitively attuned to sublime suggestion, or of a coarser mold and
+apparently intent only upon a successful catch, can fail to receive
+impressions which so elevate the soul and soften the heart as to make
+him a better man.
+
+It is known of all men that one of the rudiments in the education of a
+true fisherman is the lesson of patience. If he has a natural tendency
+in this direction it must be cultivated. If such a tendency is lacking
+he must acquire patience by hard schooling. This quality is so
+indispensable in fishing circles that those who speak of a patient
+fisherman waste their words. In point of fact, and properly speaking,
+there can be no such thing as an impatient fisherman. It cannot,
+therefore, be denied that in so far as fishing is a teacher of the
+virtue of patience, it ought to be given a large item of credit in
+reckoning its relation to the everyday affairs of life; for certainly
+the potency of patience as a factor in all worldly achievements and
+progress cannot be overestimated. If faith can move mountains, patience
+and faith combined ought to move the universe.
+
+Moreover, if those who fish must be patient, no one should fail to see
+that patience is a most desirable national trait and that it is vastly
+important to our body politic that there should continue among our
+people a large contingent of well-equipped fishermen, constantly
+prepared and willing to contribute to their country's fund of blessings
+a liberal and pure supply of this saving virtue.
+
+To those who are satisfied with a superficial view of the subject it may
+seem impossible that the diligence and attention necessary to a
+fisherman's success can leave him any opportunity, while fishing, to
+thoughtfully contemplate any matter not related to his pursuit. Such a
+conception of the situation cannot be indorsed for a moment by those of
+us who are conversant with the mysterious and unaccountable mental
+phenomena which fishing develops. We know that the true fisherman finds
+no better time for profitable contemplation and mental exercise than
+when actually engaged with his angling outfit. It will probably never be
+possible for us to gather statistics showing the moving sermons, the
+enchanting poems, the learned arguments and eloquent orations that have
+been composed or constructed between the bites, strikes or rises of
+fish; but there can be no doubt that of the many intellectual triumphs
+won in every walk of life a larger proportion has been actually hooked
+and landed with a rod and reel by those of the fishing fraternity than
+have been secured in any one given condition of the non-fishing world.
+
+This may appear to be a bold statement. It is intended as an assertion
+that fishing and fishermen have had much to do with the enlightenment
+and elevation of humanity. In support of this proposition volumes might
+be written; but only a brief array of near-at-hand evidence will be here
+presented.
+
+Those who have been fortunate enough to hear the fervid eloquence of
+Henry Ward Beecher, and even those who have only read what he has
+written, cannot overlook his fishing propensity--so constantly manifest
+that the things he said and wrote were fairly redolent of fishing
+surroundings. His own specific confession of fealty was not needed to
+entitle him to the credentials of a true fisherman, nor to disclose one
+of the never-failing springs of his best inspiration. When these things
+are recalled, and when we contemplate the lofty mission so well
+performed by this noble angler, no member of our brotherhood can do
+better in its vindication than to point to his career as proof of what
+the fishing habit has done for humanity.
+
+
+What Mashpee Waters Did for Webster
+
+Daniel Webster, too, was a fisherman--always in good and regular
+standing. In marshaling the proof which his great life furnishes of the
+beneficence of the fishing propensity, I approach the task with a
+feeling of awe quite natural to one who has slept in the room occupied
+by the great Expounder during his fishing campaigns on Cape Cod and
+along the shores of Mashpee Pond and its adjacent streams. This
+distinguished member of our fraternity was an industrious and attentive
+fisherman. He was, besides, a wonderful orator--and largely so because
+he was a fisherman. He himself has confessed to the aid he received
+from a fishing environment in the preparation of his best oratorical
+efforts; and other irrefutable testimony to the same effect is at hand.
+
+It is not deemed necessary to cite in proof of such aid more than a
+single incident. Perhaps none of Mr. Webster's orations was more
+notable, or added more to his lasting fame, than that delivered at the
+laying of the cornerstone of the Bunker Hill Monument. And it will
+probably be conceded that its most impressive and beautiful passage was
+addressed to the survivors of the War of Independence then present,
+beginning with the words, "Venerable men!" This thrilling oratorical
+flight was composed and elaborated by Mr. Webster while wading waist
+deep and casting his flies in Mashpee waters. He himself afterward
+often referred to this circumstance; and one who was his companion on
+this particular occasion has recorded the fact that, noticing
+indications of laxity in fishing action on Mr. Webster's part, he
+approached him, and that, in the exact words of this witness, "he seemed
+to be gazing at the overhanging trees, and presently advancing one foot
+and extending his right hand he commenced to speak, 'Venerable Men!'"
+
+
+Mr. Webster's Remarks to a Fish
+
+Though this should be enough to support conclusively the contention that
+incidents of Mr. Webster's great achievements prove the close
+relationship between fishing and the loftiest attainments of mankind,
+this branch of our subject ought not to be dismissed without reference
+to a conversation I once had with old John Attaquin, then a patriarch
+among the few survivors of the Mashpee Indians. He had often been Mr.
+Webster's guide and companion on his fishing trips and remembered
+clearly many of their happenings. It was with a glow of love and
+admiration amounting almost to worship that he related how this great
+fisherman, after landing a large trout on the bank of the stream,
+"talked mighty strong and fine to that fish and told him what a mistake
+he had made, and what a fool he was to take that fly, and that he would
+have been all right if he had let it alone." Who can doubt that patient
+search would disclose, somewhere in Mr. Webster's speeches and
+writings, the elaboration, with high intent, of that "mighty strong and
+fine" talk addressed to the fish at Mashpee?
+
+The impressive story of this simple, truthful old Indian was
+delightfully continued when, with the enthusiasm of an untutored mind
+remembering pleasant sensations, the narrator told how the great
+fisherman and orator having concluded his "strong, fine talk," would
+frequently suit the action to the word, when he turned to his guide and
+proposed a fitting libation in recognition of his catch. This part of
+the story is not here repeated on account of its superior value as an
+addition to the evidence we have already gathered, but I am thus given
+an opportunity to speak of the emotion which fascinated me as the story
+proceeded, and as I recalled how precisely a certain souvenir called
+"the Webster Flask," carefully hoarded among my valued possessions, was
+fitted to the situation described.
+
+Let it be distinctly understood that the claim is not here made that all
+who fish can become as great as Henry Ward Beecher or Daniel Webster. It
+is insisted, however, that fishing is a constructive force, capable of
+adding to and developing the best there is in any man who fishes in a
+proper spirit and among favorable surroundings. In other words, it is
+claimed that upon the evidence adduced it is impossible to avoid the
+conclusion that the fishing habit, by promoting close association with
+Nature, by teaching patience, and by generating or stimulating useful
+contemplation, tends directly to the increase of the intellectual power
+of its votaries, and, through them, to the improvement of our national
+character.
+
+In pursuance of the plan adopted for the presentation of our subject,
+mention must now be made of the qualities of heart and disposition
+absolutely essential to the maintenance of honorable membership in the
+fishing fraternity. This mode of procedure is not only made necessary by
+the exigencies of our scheme, but the brotherhood of fishermen would not
+be satisfied if the exploitation of their service to humanity and their
+value to the country should terminate with a recital of the usefulness
+of their honorable pursuit. The record would be woefully incomplete if
+reference were omitted to the relation of fishing to the moral
+characteristics and qualities of heart, with which it is as vitally
+connected as with the intellectual traits already mentioned.
+
+No man can be a completely good fisherman unless within his piscatorial
+sphere he is generous, sympathetic and honest. If he expects to enjoy
+that hearty and unrestrained confidence of his brethren in the
+fraternity which alone can make his membership a comfort and a delight,
+he must be generous to the point of willingness to share his last
+leaders and flies, or any other items of his outfit, with any worthy
+fellow-fisherman who may be in need. The manifestation of littleness
+and crowding selfishness often condoned in other quarters, and the
+over-reaching conduct so generally permitted in business circles, are
+unpardonable crimes in the true fisherman's code.
+
+Of course, there is nothing to prevent those from fishing who wholly
+disregard all rules of generosity, fairness and decency. Nor can we of
+the brotherhood of true fishermen always shield ourselves from the
+reproach to which we are subjected by those who steal our livery and
+disgrace it by casting aside all manly liberality in their intercourse
+with other fishermen and all considerate self-restraint in their
+intercourse with fish. We constantly deprecate the existence of those
+called by our name, in whose low conception of the subject, fishing is
+but a greedy game, where selfishness and meanness are the winning cards,
+and where the stakes are the indiscriminate and ruthless slaughter of
+fish; and let it be here said, once for all, that with these we have
+nothing to do except to condemn them as we pass. Our concern is with
+true fishermen--a very different type of mankind--and with those who
+_prima facie_ have some claim to the title.
+
+
+How to Know a True Fisherman
+
+No burdensome qualifications or tedious probation obstruct the entrance
+to this fraternity; but skill and fishing ability count for nothing in
+eligibility. The oldest and most experienced and skillful fisherman
+will look with composure upon the vanishing chances of his catch through
+the floundering efforts of an awkward beginner, if the awkward
+flounderer has shown that he is sound at heart. He may not fish well,
+but if he does not deliberately rush ahead of all companions to pre-empt
+every promising place in the stream, nor everlastingly study to secure
+for his use the best of the bait, nor always fail to return borrowed
+tackle, nor prove to be blind, deaf and dumb when others are in tackle
+need, nor crowd into another's place, nor draw his flask in secrecy, nor
+light a cigar with no suggestion of another, nor do a score of other
+indefinable mean things that among true fishermen constitute him an
+unbearable nuisance, he will not only be tolerated but aided in every
+possible way.
+
+It is curious to observe how inevitably the brotherhood discovers
+unworthiness. Even without an overt act it is detected--apparently by a
+sort of instinct. In any event, and in spite of the most cunning
+precautions, the sin of the unfit is sure to find them out; and no
+excuse is allowed to avert unforgiving ostracism as its punishment.
+
+A true fisherman is conservative, provident, not given to envy,
+considerate of the rights of others, and careful of his good name. He
+fishes many a day and returns at night to his home, hungry, tired and
+disappointed; but he still has faith in his methods, and is not tempted
+to try new and more deadly lures. On the contrary, he is willing in all
+circumstances to give the fish the chance for life which a liberal
+sporting disposition has determined to be their due; and he will bide
+his time under old conditions. He will not indulge his fishing
+propensity to the extent of the wanton destruction and waste of fish; he
+will not envy the superior advantages of another in the indulgence of
+the pastime he loves so well; he will never be known to poach upon the
+preserves of a fortunate neighbor; and no one will be quicker or more
+spirited than he in the defense of his fishing honor and character.
+
+
+Truth as Defined by the Honorable Guild
+
+This detailed recital of the necessary qualifications of good
+fisherman-ship serves most importantly as the prelude of an invitation
+for skeptics to observe the complete identity of these qualifications
+with the factors necessary to good citizenship, and from thence to
+concede a more ready recognition of the honorable place which should be
+awarded to the fraternity among the agencies of our country's good.
+
+In conclusion, and to the end that there should be no appearance of
+timidity or lack of frankness, something should be said explanatory of
+the degree and kind of truthfulness which an honorable standing in the
+fishing fraternity exacts. Of course, the notion must not be for a
+moment tolerated that deliberate, downright lying as to an essential
+matter is permissible. It must be confessed, however, that unescapable
+traditions and certain inexorable conditions of our brotherhood tend to
+a modification of the standards of truthfulness which have been set up
+in other quarters. Beyond doubt, our members should be as reliable in
+statement as our traditions and full enjoyment of fraternity membership
+will permit.
+
+An attempt has been made to remedy the indefiniteness of this
+requirement by insisting that no statement should be regarded as
+sufficiently truthful for the fisherman's code that had not for
+its foundation at least a belief of its correctness on the part
+of the member making it. This was regarded as too much elasticity
+in the quality of the belief required. The matter seems to have
+been finally adjusted in a manner expressed in the motto: "In
+essentials--truthfulness; in non-essentials--reciprocal latitude." If
+it is objected that there may be great difficulty and perplexity in
+determining what are essentials and what non-essentials under this rule,
+it should be remembered that no human arrangements, especially those
+involving morals and ethics, can be made to fit all emergencies.
+
+In any event, great comfort is to be found in the absolute certainty
+that the law of truthfulness will be so administered by the brotherhood
+that no one will ever be permitted to suffer in mind, body or estate by
+reason of fishermen's tales.
+
+
+
+
+Some Fishing Pretenses and Affectations
+
+
+I would not permit without a resentful protest an expression of doubt as
+to my good and regular standing in the best and most respectable circle
+of fishermen. I am as jealous as a man can be of the fair fame of the
+fraternity; and I am unyielding in my insistence upon the exclusion of
+the unworthy from its membership. I also accept without demur all the
+traditions of the order, provided that they have been always in the
+keeping of the faithful, and carefully protected against all
+discrediting incidents. In addition to all this, my faculty of credence
+has been so cultivated and strengthened that I yield without question
+implicit and unquestioning belief to every fishing story--provided
+always that it is told by a fisherman of good repute, and on his own
+responsibility. This is especially a matter of loyalty and principle
+with me, for I am not only convinced that the usefulness and perhaps the
+perpetuity of the order of Free and Accepted Fishermen depends upon a
+bland and trustful credulity in the intercourse of its members with each
+other, but I have constantly in mind the golden rule of our craft, which
+commands us to believe as we would be believed.
+
+I have not made this profession of faith in a spirit of vainglorious
+conceit, but by way of indicating the standpoint from which I shall
+venture to comment on some weaknesses which afflict our brotherhood, and
+as a reminder that the place I have earned among my associates should in
+fairness and decency protect me from the least accusation of
+censoriousness or purposeless faultfinding.
+
+I do not propose to make charges of wickedness and wrong-doing, which
+call for such radical corrective treatment as might imperil the peace
+and brotherly love of our organization. It is rather my intention mildly
+to criticise some affectations and pretenses which I believe have grown
+out of overtraining among fishermen, or have resulted from too much
+elaboration of method and refinement of theory.
+
+These affectations and pretenses are, unfortunately, accompaniments of a
+high grade of fishing skill; and in certain influential quarters they
+are not only excused but openly and stoutly justified. I cannot,
+therefore, expect my characterization of them as faults and weaknesses
+to pass unchallenged; but I hope that in discharging the duty I have
+undertaken I shall not incur the unfriendship of any considerable number
+of my fishing brethren.
+
+It has often occurred to me that the very noticeable and increasing
+tendency toward effeminate attenuation and ćsthetic standards among
+anglers of an advanced type, is calculated to bring about a substitution
+of scientific display with rod and reel for the plain, downright,
+common-sense enjoyment of fishing. This would be a distinct and
+lamentable loss, resulting in the elimination to a great extent of
+individual initiative, and the disregard of the inherent distinction
+between good and bad fishermen, as measured by natural aptitude and
+practical results.
+
+As in an organized commonwealth neither the highest nor the lowest
+elements of its people constitute its best strength and reliance, so in
+the fraternity of fishermen neither the lowest hangers-on and intruders,
+nor the highest theorists who would make fishing a scientific exercise
+instead of a manly, recreative pursuit, make up the supporting and
+defensive power of the organization. It is the middle class in the
+community of fishermen, those who fish sensibly and decently, though
+they may be oblivious to the advantages of carrying fishing refinements
+far beyond the exigencies of catching fish, upon whom we must depend for
+the promotion and protection of the practical interests of the
+brotherhood.
+
+It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that the zeal and enthusiasm
+of this valuable section of our membership should not be imperiled by
+subjecting them to the humiliating consciousness that their sterling
+fishing qualities are held in only patronizing toleration by those in
+the fraternity who gratuitously assume fictitious and unjustifiable
+superiority.
+
+I shall attempt to locate the responsibility for the affectations and
+pretenses I have mentioned, not only in vindication of our sincere and
+well-intentioned rank and file, but for another reason, which concerns
+the peace of mind and comfort of every member of the organization in his
+relationship with the outside world. The fact that we are in a manner
+separated from the common mass of mankind naturally arouses the
+unfriendly jealousy of those beyond the pale of the brotherhood; and
+fishing--the fundamental object and purpose of our union--is in many
+quarters decried as an absurd exertion or a frivolous waste of time. In
+such circumstances we cannot be charged with a surrender of independence
+if we attempt by a frank statement to deprive these ill-natured critics
+of all excuse for attacking our entire body on account of faults and
+weaknesses for which only a small minority is responsible.
+
+Bluntly stated, the affectations and pretenses which I have in mind, and
+which in my opinion threaten to bring injury upon our noble pursuit,
+grow out of the undue prominence and exaggerated superiority claimed for
+fly-casting for trout. I hasten to say for myself and on behalf of all
+well-conditioned fishermen that we are not inclined to disparage in the
+least the delightful exhilaration of the sudden rise and strike, nor
+the pleasurable exercise of skill and deft manipulation afforded by this
+method of fishing. We have no desire to disturb by a discordant dissent
+the extravagant praise awarded to the trout when he is called the
+wariest of his tribe, "the speckled beauty," the aristocratic gentleman
+among fish, and the most toothsome of his species. At the same time, we
+of the unpretentious sort of fishermen are not obliged to forget that
+often the trout will refuse to rise or strike and will wait on the
+bottom for food like any plebeian fish, that he is frequently unwary and
+stupid enough to be lured to his death by casts of the fly that are no
+better than the most awkward flings, that notwithstanding his fine dress
+and aristocratic bearing it is not unusual to find him in very low
+company, that this gentleman among fish is a willing and shameless
+cannibal, and that his toothsomeness, not extraordinary at best, is
+probably more dependent than that of most fish upon his surroundings.
+
+While our knowledge of these things does not exact from us an
+independent protest against constantly repeated praise of the qualities
+of trout and of fly-casting as a means of taking them, it perhaps
+adds to the spirit and emphasis of our dissent when we are told
+that fly-casting for trout is the only style of fishing worthy of
+cultivation, and that no other method ought to be undertaken by a true
+fisherman. This is one of the deplorable fishing affectations and
+pretenses which the sensible rank and file of the fraternity ought
+openly to expose and repudiate. Our irritation is greatly increased when
+we recall the fact that every one of these super-refined fly-casting
+dictators, when he fails to allure trout by his most scientific casts,
+will chase grasshoppers to the point of profuse perspiration, and turn
+over logs and stones with feverish anxiety in quest of worms and grubs,
+if haply he can with these save himself from empty-handedness. Neither
+his fine theories nor his exclusive faith in fly-casting so develops his
+self-denying heroism that he will turn his back upon fat and lazy trout
+that will not rise.
+
+We hear a great deal about long casts and the wonderful skill they
+require. To cast a fly well certainly demands dexterity and careful
+practice. It is a matter of nice manipulation, and a slight variation in
+execution is often apt to settle the question of success or failure in
+results. It is, besides, the most showy of all fishing accomplishments,
+and taken all together it is worth the best efforts and ambition of any
+fisherman. Inasmuch, however, as the tremendously long casts we hear of
+are merely exhibition performances and of but little if any practical
+use in the actual taking of fish, their exploitation may be classed
+among the rather harmless fishing affectations. There is a very
+different degree of rankness in the claim sometimes made that an expert
+caster can effectively send his fly on its distant mission by a motion
+of his forearm alone, while all above the elbow is strapped to his side.
+We take no risk in saying that such a thing was never done on a fishing
+excursion, and that the proposition in all its aspects is the baldest
+kind of a pretense.
+
+As becomes a consistent member of the fraternity of fishermen, I have
+carefully avoided unfriendly accusation in dealing with a branch of
+fishing enthusiastically preferred by a considerable contingent of my
+associates. If, in lamenting the faddishness that has grown up about it,
+plain language has been used, I have nevertheless been as tolerant as
+the situation permits. No attempt has been made to gain the applause of
+pin-hook-and-sapling fishermen, nor to give the least comfort to those
+who are fishermen only in their own conceit, and whose coarse-handed
+awkwardness, even with the most approved tackle, leads them to be
+incurably envious of all those who fish well.
+
+It is not pleasant to criticise, even in a mild way, anything that
+genuine fishermen may do--especially when their faults result from
+over-zealous attachment to one of the most prominent and attractive
+features of our craft's pursuit. It is, therefore, a relief to pass from
+the field of criticism, and in the best of humor, to set against the
+claim of exclusive merit made in behalf of fly-casting for trout the
+delights and compensations of black-bass fishing. I am sure I shall
+be seconded in this by a very large body of fishermen in the best of
+standing. It is manifestly proper also to select for this competition
+with trout casting a kind of fishing which presents a contrast in being
+uninfluenced by any affectations or by a particle of manufactured and
+fictitious inflation.
+
+In speaking of black bass I am not dealing with the large-mouthed
+variety that are found in both Northern and Southern waters, and which
+grow in the latter to a very large size, but only with the small-mouthed
+family inhabiting the streams or lakes and ponds of the North, and which
+are large when they reach four pounds in weight. I consider these, when
+found in natural and favorable surroundings, more uncertain, whimsical
+and wary in biting, and more strong, resolute and resourceful when
+hooked, than any other fish ordinarily caught in fresh waters. They will
+in some localities and at certain seasons rise to a fly; but this cannot
+be relied upon. They can sometimes also be taken by trolling; but this
+is very often not successful, and is at best a second-class style of
+fishing. On the whole it is best and most satisfactory to attempt their
+capture by still fishing with bait.
+
+To those with experience this will not suggest angling of a tame and
+unruffled sort; and if those without experience have such an estimate of
+it they are most decidedly reckoning without their host. As teachers of
+patience in fishing, black bass are at the head of the list. They are
+so whimsical that the angler never knows whether on a certain day they
+will take small live fish, worms, frogs, crickets, grasshoppers,
+crawfish or some other outlandish bait; and he soon learns that in the
+most favorable conditions of wind and weather they will frequently
+refuse to touch bait of any kind. In their intercourse with fishermen,
+especially those in the early stages of proficiency, they are the most
+aggravating and profanity-provoking animal that swims in fresh water.
+Whether they will bite or not at any particular time we must freely
+concede is exclusively their own affair; but having decided this
+question against the fishermen, nothing but inherent and tantalizing
+meanness can account for the manner in which a black bass will even then
+rush for the bait, and after actually mouthing it will turn about and
+insultingly whack it with his tail. An angler who has seen this
+performance finds, in his desire to make things even with such
+unmannerly wretches, a motive in addition to all others for a relentless
+pursuit of the bass family.
+
+Another and more encouraging stage in bass fishing is reached when
+biting seems to be the order of the day. It must not be supposed,
+however, that thereupon the angler's troubles and perplexities are over,
+or that nothing stands in the way of an easy and satisfying catch.
+Experience in this kind of fishing never fails to teach that it is one
+thing to induce these cunning fellows to take the bait, and quite
+another to accomplish their capture. It is absolutely necessary in this
+stage of the proceedings that the deliberation and gingerly touch of the
+fish be matched by the deliberation and care on the part of the
+fisherman at the butt of the rod; and the strike on his part must not be
+too much hastened, lest he fail to lodge his hook in a good holding
+place. Even if he succeeds in well hooking his fish he cannot
+confidently expect a certain capture. In point of fact the tension and
+anxiety of the work in hand begins at that very instant.
+
+Ordinarily when a bass is struck with the hook, if he is in surroundings
+favorable to his activity, he at once enters upon a series of acrobatic
+performances which, during their continuance, keep the fisherman in a
+state of acute suspense. While he rushes away from and toward and around
+and under the boat, and while he is leaping from the water and turning
+somersaults with ugly shakes of his head, in efforts to dislodge the
+hook, there is at the other end of the outfit a fisherman, tortured by
+the fear of infirmity lurking somewhere in his tackle, and wrought to
+the point of distress by the thought of a light hook hold in the fish's
+jaw, and its liability to tear out in the struggle. If in the midst of
+it all a sudden release of pull and a straightening of his rod give the
+signal that the bass has won the battle, the vanquished angler has,
+after a short period of bad behavior and language, the questionable
+satisfaction of attempting to solve a forever unsolvable problem, by
+studying how his defeat might have been avoided if he had managed
+differently.
+
+No such perplexing question, however, is presented to the bass fisherman
+who lands his fish. He complacently regards his triumph as the natural
+and expected result of steadiness and skill, and excludes from his
+thoughts all shadow of doubt concerning the complete correctness of his
+procedure in every detail.
+
+My expressed design to place fishing for black bass with bait in
+competition with fly-casting for trout will, I hope, be considered a
+justification for the details I have given of bass fishing. It commends
+itself in every feature to the sporting instincts of all genuine
+anglers; and it is because I do not hope to altogether correct the
+"Affectations and Pretenses of Fishing" that I have felt constrained to
+rally those who should love angling for bass--to the end that at least a
+good-natured division may be established within our fraternity between
+an ornamental and pretense-breeding method and one which cultivates
+skill, stimulates the best fishing traits, and remains untouched by any
+form of affectation.
+
+
+
+
+Summer Shooting
+
+
+As a general rule our guns should be put away for a long rest before the
+summer vacation. There is, however, one game situation which justifies
+their use, and it is this situation which sometimes appropriately allows
+a small-gauge gun to be placed beside the rod and reel in making up a
+vacation outfit.
+
+In July or August the summer migration from their breeding places in
+the far North brings shore-birds and plover--both old and full-grown
+young--along our Eastern coast, in first-rate condition. My experience
+in shooting this game has all been within recent years, and almost
+entirely in the marshes and along the shores of Cape Cod. Like other
+members of the present generation and later comers in a limited field, I
+have been obliged to hear with tiresome iteration the old, old story of
+gray-haired men who tell of the "arms and the man" who in days gone by,
+on this identical ground, have slain these birds by thousands. The
+embellishment of these tales by all the incidents that mark the progress
+of our people in game extermination I have accepted as furnishing an
+explanation of the meager success of many of my excursions; but at the
+same time my condemnation of the methods of the inconsiderate
+slaughterers who preceded me has led to a consoling consciousness of my
+own superior sporting virtues.
+
+While I am willing to confess to considerable resentment against those
+who in their shooting days were thoughtless enough to forget that I was
+to come after them, it must by no means be understood that my gunning
+for shore-birds has been discouraging. I have made some fair bags, and
+any bag is large enough for me, providing I have lost no opportunities
+and have shot well. Besides, I have never indulged in any shooting so
+conducive to the stimulation and strengthening of the incomparable
+virtue of patience. I have sat in a blind for five hours, by the
+watch--and awake nearly all the time at that--without seeing or hearing
+a bird worth shooting.
+
+It is, however, neither the killing of birds nor the cultivation of
+patience that has exacted my absolute submission to the fascination of
+shore-bird shooting on Cape Cod. It is hard to explain this fascination,
+but my notion is that it grows out of a conceited attempt to calculate
+the direction of the wind and other weather conditions over-night, the
+elaborate preparations for a daylight start, the uncertainties of the
+pursuit under any conditions, the hope, amounting almost to expectation,
+that notwithstanding this the wisdom and calculation expended in
+determining upon the trip will be vindicated, the delightful early
+morning drive to the grounds, the anticipation of a flight of birds
+every moment while there, and the final sustaining expectation of their
+arrival in any event just before night. The singular thing in my case
+is that if all goes wrong at last, and even if under the influence of
+fatigue and disappointment I resolve during the drive home in chill and
+darkness that the trip will not be repeated for many a long day, it is
+quite certain that within forty-eight hours I shall be again observing
+the weather and guessing what the direction of the wind will be the next
+morning, in contemplation of another start.
+
+But some will say, how are the incidents of hope and expectation,
+or of preparation and calculation, which are common to all sporting
+excursions, made to account for this especial infatuation with
+shore-bird shooting? I shall answer this question as well as I can by
+suggesting that the difference is one of degree. In gunning for other
+game one knows, or thinks he knows, where it is or ought to be. The wind
+and weather, while not entirely ignored, usually have a subordinate
+place in preliminary calculation, and the pleasures of hope and
+expectation are kept within the limits of ability or luck in finding the
+game. On the other hand, the shore-bird hunter knows not the abiding
+place of his game. He knows that at times during certain summer months
+these birds pass southward in their long migration, but he cannot know
+whether they will keep far out at sea or will on some unknown day be
+driven by wind and weather to the shore for temporary rest and feeding,
+and thus give him his opportunity. Though the presence on marsh or shore
+of a few bird stragglers may put him on his guard, it must still remain
+a question whether the game in sufficient quantities to make good
+shooting is hundreds or thousands of miles away or in the neighborhood
+of the shooting grounds.
+
+I believe the unusual contingencies of shore-bird shooting and the wider
+scope they give for hope and expectation, together with the manifold
+conditions which give abundant opportunity for self-conceit in
+calculating probabilities, account for its quality of exceptional
+fascination.
+
+The sportsman who persists is apt occasionally to find a good number of
+birds about the grounds; and when that happens, if he is adequately
+equipped with good decoys, and the right spirit, and especially if he is
+able to call the birds, he will enjoy a variety of fine shooting. The
+initiated well understand the importance of the call, and they know that
+the best caller will get the most birds. The notes of shore-birds,
+though quite dissimilar, are in most cases easily imitated after a
+little practice, and a simply constructed contrivance which can be
+purchased at almost any sporting goods store will answer for all the
+game if properly used. The birds are usually heard before they are
+seen, and if their notes are answered naturally and not too vehemently
+or too often, they will soon be seen within shooting range, whether they
+are Black-Breasted Plover, Chicken Plover, Yellow Legs, Piping Plover,
+Curlew, Sanderlings or Grass Birds. Of course, no decent hunter allows
+them to alight before he shoots.
+
+I would not advise the summer vacationist who lacks the genuine sporting
+spirit to pursue the shore-bird. Those who do so should not disgrace
+themselves by killing the handsome little sand-pipers or peeps too small
+to eat. It is better to go home with nothing killed than to feel the
+weight of a mean, unsportsmanlike act.
+
+
+
+
+Concerning Rabbit Shooting
+
+
+Some hunters there are, of the super-refined and dudish sort, who deny
+to the rabbit any position among legitimate game animals; and there are
+others who, while grudgingly admitting rabbits to the list, seem to
+think it necessary to excuse their concession by calling them hares. I
+regard all this as pure affectation and nonsense. I deem it not beneath
+my dignity and standing as a reputable gunner to write of the rabbit as
+an entirely suitable member of the game community; and in doing so I am
+not dealing with hares or any other thing except plain, little everyday
+plebeian rabbits--sometimes appropriately called "cotton-tails."
+Though they may be "defamed by every charlatan" among hunters of
+self-constituted high degree, and despised by thousands who know nothing
+of their game qualities, I am not ashamed of their pursuit; and I count
+it by no means bad skill to force them by a successful shot to a
+topsy-turvy pause when at their best speed.
+
+These sly little fellows feed at night, and during the day they hide so
+closely in grass or among rocks and brush that it is seldom they can
+be seen when at rest. Of course, no decent man will shoot a rabbit while
+sitting, and I have known them to refuse to start for anything less than
+a kick or punch. When they do start, however, they demonstrate quite
+clearly that they have kept their feet in the best possible position for
+a spring and run. After such a start the rabbit must in fairness be
+given an abundant chance to gain full headway, and when he has traversed
+the necessary distance for this, and is at his fastest gait, the hunter
+that shoots him has good reason to be satisfied with his marksmanship. I
+once actually poked one up and he escaped unhurt, though four loads of
+shot were sent after him.
+
+In the main, however, dogs must be relied upon for the real enjoyment
+and success of rabbit hunting. The fastest dogs are not the best,
+because they are apt to chase the rabbit so swiftly and closely that he
+quickly betakes himself to a hole or other safe shelter, instead of
+relying upon his running ability. The baying of three or four good dogs
+steadily following a little cotton-tail should be as exhilarating and as
+pleasant to ears attuned to the music as if the chase were for bigger
+game. As the music is heard more distinctly, the hunter is allowed to
+flatter himself that his acute judgment can determine the route of the
+approaching game and the precise point from which an advantageous shot
+can be secured. The self-satisfied conceit aroused by a fortunate guess
+concerning this important detail, especially if supplemented by a fatal
+shot, should permit the lucky gunner to enjoy as fully the complacent
+pleasurable persuasion that the entire achievement is due to his
+sagacity, keenness and skill as though the animal circumvented were a
+larger beast. In either case the hunter experiences the delight
+born of a well-fed sense of superiority and self-pride; and this,
+notwithstanding all attempts to keep it in the background, is the most
+gratifying factor in every sporting indulgence.
+
+Some people speak slightingly of the rabbit's eating qualities. This
+must be an abject surrender to fad or fashion. At any rate it is
+exceedingly unjust to the cotton-tail; and one who can relish tender
+chicken and refuse to eat a nicely cooked rabbit is, I believe, a victim
+of unfounded prejudices.
+
+Why, then, should not rabbit hunting, when honorably pursued, be given a
+respectable place among gunning activities? It certainly has every
+element of rational outdoor recreation. It ministers to the most
+exhilarating and healthful exercise; it furnishes saving relief from
+care and overwork; it is free from wantonness and inexcusable
+destruction of animal life, and, if luck favors, it gives play to
+innocent but gratifying self-conceit.
+
+Let us remember, however, that if rabbit hunting is to be a manly
+outdoor recreation, entirely free from meanness, and a sport in which a
+true hunter can indulge without shame, the little cotton-tail must in
+all circumstances be given a fair chance for his life.
+
+
+
+
+A Word to Fishermen
+
+
+Those of us who fish in a fair, well-bred and reasonable way, for the
+purpose of recreation and as a means of increasing the table pleasures
+of ourselves or our friends, may well regret the apparently unalterable
+decree which gives to all those who fish, under the spur of any
+motive--good, bad or indifferent--the name of fishermen. We certainly
+have nothing in common with those who fish for a livelihood, unless
+it be a desire to catch fish. We have, in point of fact, no closer
+relationship than this with the murderously inclined, whose only motive
+in fishing is to make large catches, and whose sole pleasure in the
+pursuit is the gratification of a greedy propensity. Nevertheless we,
+and those with whom we have so little sympathy, are by a sort of
+unavoidable law of gravitation classed together in the same fraternity,
+and called fishermen. Occasionally weak attempts have been made to
+classify the best of this fraternity under the name of Anglers, or some
+title of that kind, but such efforts have always failed. Even Izaak
+Walton could not change the current of human thought by calling his
+immortal book "The Compleat Angler." So it seems however much those
+who fish may differ in social standing, in disposition and character,
+in motive and ambition, and even in mode of operation, all must abide,
+to the end of the chapter, in the contemplation of the outside world,
+within the brotherhood called "Fishermen." Happily, however, this
+grouping of incongruous elements under a common name does not prevent
+those of us who properly appreciate the importance of upholding the
+respectability of decent fishing from coming to an agreement concerning
+certain causes of congratulation and certain rules of conduct.
+
+We who claim to represent the highest fishing aspirations are sometimes
+inclined to complain on days when the fish refuse to bite. There can be
+no worse exhibition than this of an entire misconception of a wise
+arrangement for our benefit. We should always remember that we have
+about us on every side thousands of those who claim membership in the
+fishing fraternity, because, in a way, they love to fish when the
+fish bite--and only then. These are contented only when capture is
+constant, and their only conception of the pleasures of fishing rests
+upon uninterrupted slaughter. If we reflect for a moment upon the
+consequences of turning an army of fishermen like these loose upon fish
+that would bite every day and every hour, we shall see how nicely the
+vicissitudes of fishing have been adjusted, and how precisely and
+usefully the fatal attack of discouraging bad luck selects its
+victims. If on days when we catch few or no fish we feel symptoms of
+disappointment, these should immediately give way to satisfaction when
+we remember how many spurious and discouraged fishermen are spending
+their time in hammocks or under trees or on golf fields instead of with
+fishing outfits, solely on account of just such unfavorable days. We
+have no assurance that if fish could be easily taken at all times the
+fishing waters within our reach would not be depopulated--a horrible
+thing to contemplate. Let it not be said that such considerations as
+these savor of uncharitableness and selfishness on our part. We are only
+recognizing the doctrine of the survival of the fittest as applied to
+fishermen, and claiming that these "fittest" should have the best
+chance.
+
+What has been said naturally leads to the suggestion that consistency
+requires those of us who are right-minded fishermen to reasonably limit
+ourselves as to the number of fish we should take on favorable days. On
+no account should edible fish be caught in such quantities as to be
+wasted. By restraining ourselves in this matter we discourage in our own
+natures the growth of greed, we prevent wicked waste, we make it easier
+for us to bear the fall between decent good luck and bad luck, or no
+luck, and we make ourselves at all points better men and better
+fishermen.
+
+We ought not to forget these things as we enter upon the pleasures of
+our summer's fishing. But in any event let us take with us when we go
+out good tackle, good bait, and plenty of patience. If the wind is in
+the South or West so much the better, but let's go, wherever the wind
+may be. If we catch fish we shall add zest to our recreation. If we
+catch none, we shall still have the outing and the recreation--more
+healthful and more enjoyable than can be gained in any other way.
+
+
+
+
+A Duck-Hunting Trip
+
+
+It is not a pleasant thing for one who prides himself on his strict
+obedience to game laws to be accused of violating these laws whenever he
+hunts or fishes--and especially is it exasperating to be thus accused
+solely for the delectation or profit of some hungry and mendacious
+newspaper correspondent. It is not true that I was once arrested in
+Virginia for violation of the game laws, or for shooting without a
+license; nor was any complaint ever made against me; nor, so far as I
+know, was such a thing ever contemplated.
+
+
+Sport Versus Slaughter
+
+Equally false and mischievous, though not involving a violation of law,
+was the charge that a party of which I was a member killed five hundred
+ducks. Our shooting force on that expedition consisted of five gunners
+of various grades of hunting ability, including one who had not "fired a
+gun in twenty years," and another who could "do pretty well with a
+rifle, but didn't know much about a shotgun." We were shooting four
+days, but on only one of these days was our entire force engaged.
+There was not one in the party who would not have been ashamed of any
+complicity in the killing of five hundred ducks, within the time spent
+and in the circumstances surrounding us; nor is there one of the party
+who does not believe that, if the extermination of wild ducks is to be
+prevented, and if our grandchildren are to know anything about duck
+shooting, except as a matter of historical reading, stringent and
+intelligent laws for the preservation of this game must be supplemented
+and aided by an aggressive sentiment firmly held among decent ducking
+sportsmen, making it disgraceful to kill ducks for the purpose of
+boasting of a big bag, or for the mere sake of killing. Those who hunt
+ducks with no better motives than these, and who are restrained, in the
+absence of law, by nothing except the lack of opportunity to kill, are
+duck-slaughterers, who merit the contempt of the present generation and
+the curses of generations yet to come.
+
+Our party killed about one hundred and twenty-five ducks. We ate as many
+as we cared to eat during our stay among the hunting marshes, and we
+brought enough home to eat on our own tables and to distribute among our
+friends. It seems to me that gunners who kill as many ducks as will
+answer all these purposes ought to be satisfied.
+
+
+On the Cooking of Wild Ducks
+
+And just here I want to suggest something which ought to greatly curtail
+the distribution of wild ducks among our friends. In households where no
+idea prevails of the difference between properly cooking a wild duck and
+one brought up in a barnyard, a complimentary gift of wild fowl is
+certainly of questionable advisability; for if these are cooked after
+the fashion prescribed for the domestic duck they will be so thoroughly
+discredited in the eating that the recipient of the gift will come near
+suspecting a practical joke, and the donor will be nearly guilty of
+waste.
+
+In Virginia they have a very good law prohibiting duck shooting on
+Wednesdays and Saturdays, and of course on Sundays. These are called
+rest days. We arrived at the very comfortable club-house of the Back Bay
+Club, in Princess Anne County, about noon one Saturday, with weather
+very fair and quiet--too much so for good ducking. From the time of our
+arrival until very early Monday morning, besides eating and sleeping, we
+had nothing to do but to "get ready." It must not be supposed that those
+words only mean the settlement in our quarters and the preparation of
+guns, ammunition and other outfit. Many other things are necessary by
+way of stimulating interest and filling the minds of waiting gunners
+with lively anticipation and hope. Thus during the preparatory hours
+left to us our eyes were strained hundreds of times from every favorable
+point of observation in search of flying ducks; hundreds of times the
+question as to the most desirable shooting points was discussed, and
+thousands of times the wish was expressed that Monday, instead of being
+a "blue bird day," would present us with a good, stiff breeze from the
+right direction. The field of prediction was open to all of us, and none
+avoided it. A telling hit was made by the most self-satisfied
+weather-prophet of the party, who foretold an east wind at sundown,
+which promptly made its appearance on schedule time.
+
+When we were roused out of bed at 4.30 o'clock that Monday morning we
+found our east wind still with us in pretty good volume, and although we
+all knew it was not in the most favorable quarter, and that the weather
+was too warm for the best shooting, it was with high hopes that we got
+into our boats and started in midnight darkness for our blinds. Whatever
+anticipation of good shooting I had indulged met with a severe reverse
+when I learned that my shooting companion and I were expected to kill
+ducks with our decoys placed to the windward of us. I warmly protested
+against this, declaring that I had never done such a thing in my life,
+and in the strongest language I objected to the arrangement; but all to
+no purpose.
+
+As I expected, the ducks that were inclined to fly within our range,
+coming up the wind behind us, saw our blinds and us before they saw the
+decoys, and when we tried to turn and get a shot, a sudden flare or
+tower put them out of reach. As for fair decoying, they had no notion of
+such a thing. We killed a few ducks through much tribulation; but the
+irritation of knowing that many good opportunities had been lost by our
+improper location more than overbalanced all the satisfaction of our
+slight success. That my theory on the subject of windward decoys is
+correct was proved when on Thursday, with a west wind and decoys to the
+leeward, we killed at the same place more than twice as many ducks as we
+killed the first day. This was not because more came to us, but because
+they came in proper fashion.
+
+
+On Having One's "Eye Wiped"
+
+It was on this day that I once or twice had my "eye wiped," and I recall
+it even now with anything but satisfaction. It is a provoking thing to
+miss a fair shot, but to have your companion after you have had your
+chance knock down the bird by a long, hard shot makes one feel somewhat
+distressed. This we call "wiping the eye"; but I have always thought the
+sensation caused by this operation justified calling it "gouging the
+eye."
+
+We left for home after one more very cold day spent in the blinds, with
+some good shooting. Every one of the party was enthusiastic in speaking
+of the pleasure our outing had afforded us, and all were outspoken in
+the hope that our experience might be repeated in the future.
+
+Now, let it be observed that most prominent among the things that had
+occupied us and were thus delightfully remembered, and among the
+experiences desired again in the future, were the rigors and discomforts
+we had undergone in our shooting. So far as the good things and the
+comforts of the club-house itself entered into the enjoyment of our
+trip, it would be strange if they did not present great allurement; for
+nothing in the way of snug shelter and good eating and drinking was
+lacking. It is not so easy, however, to reason out the duck hunter's
+eagerness to leave a warm bed, morning after morning, long before light,
+and go shivering out into the cold and darkness for the sake of reaching
+his blind before daybreak--not to find there warmth and shelter, but to
+sit for hours chilled to the bone patiently waiting for the infrequent
+shot which reminds him that he is indulging in sport or healthful
+recreation. Suppose that such a regimen as this were prescribed in cold
+blood as necessary to health. How many would think health worth the cost
+of such hardships?
+
+
+"The Duck Hunter Is Born--Not Made"
+
+Suppose the discomforts willingly endured by duck hunters were required
+of employees in an industrial establishment. There would be one place
+where a condition of strike would be constant and chronic. If it be said
+that the gratification of bringing down ducks pays for all the suffering
+of their pursuit, the question obtrudes itself, how is this compensation
+forthcoming in the stress of bad luck or no luck, and how is it that the
+duck-hunting propensity survives all conditions and all fortunes?
+
+I am satisfied that there is but one way to account for the unyielding
+enthusiasm of those who hunt ducks and for their steady devotion to
+their favorite recreation: The duck hunter is born--not made.
+
+
+
+
+Quail Shooting
+
+
+We hear a great deal in these days about abundant physical exercise as a
+necessary factor in the maintenance of sound health and vigor. This is
+so universally and persistently enjoined upon us by those whose studies
+and efforts are devoted to our bodily welfare that frequently, if we
+withhold an iota of belief concerning any detail of the proposition, we
+subject ourselves to the accusation of recklessly discrediting the laws
+of health.
+
+While beyond all doubt a wholesale denial of the importance of physical
+exertion to a desirable condition of bodily strength would savor of
+foolish hardihood, we are by no means obliged to concede that mere
+activity of muscles without accompaniment constitutes the exercise best
+calculated to do us good. In point of fact we are only boldly honest and
+sincere when we insist that really beneficial exercise consists as much
+in the pursuit of some independent object we desire to reach or gain by
+physical exertion, coupled with a pleasant stimulation of mental
+interest and recreation, as in any given kind or degree of mere muscular
+activity. Bodily movement alone, undertaken from a sense of duty or upon
+medical advice, is among the dreary and unsatisfying things of life. It
+may cultivate or increase animal strength and endurance, but it is apt
+at the same time to weaken and distort the disposition and temper. The
+medicine is not only distasteful, but fails in efficacy unless it is
+mingled with the agreeable and healing ingredients of mental recreation
+and desirable objects of endeavor.
+
+I am convinced that nothing meets all the requirements of rational,
+healthful outdoor exercise more completely than quail shooting. It seems
+to be so compounded of wholesome things that it reaches, with vitalizing
+effect, every point of mental or physical enervation. Under the
+prohibitions of the law, or the restraints of sporting decency, or both,
+it is permitted only at a season of the year when nature freely
+dispenses, to those who submit to her treatment, the potent tonic of
+cool and bracing air and the invigorating influences of fields and trees
+and sky, no longer vexed by summer heat. It invites early rising; and as
+a general rule a successful search for these uncertain birds involves
+long miles of travel on foot. Obviously this sport furnishes an
+abundance of muscular action and physically strengthening surroundings.
+These, fortunately, are supplemented by the eager alertness essential to
+the discovery and capture of game well worth the effort, and by the
+recreative and self-satisfying complacency of more or less skillful
+shooting.
+
+In addition to all this, the quail shooter has on his excursions a
+companion, who not only promotes his success, but whose manner of
+contributing to it is a constant source of delight. I am not speaking of
+human companionship, which frequently mars pleasure by insistent
+competition or awkward interference, but of the companionship of a
+faithful, devoted helper, never discouraged or discontented with his
+allotted service, except when the man behind the gun shoots badly, and
+always dumbly willing to concede to the shooter the entire credit of a
+successful hunt. The work in the field of a well-trained dog is of
+itself an exhibition abundantly worth the fatigue of a quailing
+expedition. It behooves the hunter, however, to remember that the dog is
+in the field for business, and that no amount of sentimental admiration
+of his performances on the part of his master will compensate him, if,
+after he has found and indicated the location of the game, it escapes
+through inattention or bad shooting at the critical instant. The
+careless or bungling shooter who repeatedly misses all manner of fair
+shots, must not be surprised if, in utter disgust, his dog companion
+sulkily ceases effort, or even wholly abandons the field, leaving the
+chagrined and disappointed hunter to return home alone--leg weary,
+gameless and ashamed. He is thus forced to learn that hunting-dog
+intelligence is not limited to abject subservience; and he thus gains a
+new appreciation of the fact that the better his dog, the better the
+shooter must know "what to do with his gun."
+
+I do not assume to be competent to give instruction in quail shooting. I
+miss too often to undertake such a _rôle_. It may not, however, be
+entirely unprofitable to mention a fault which I suppose to be somewhat
+common among those who have not reached the point of satisfactory skill,
+and which my experience has taught me will stand in the way of success
+as long as it remains uncorrected. I refer to the instinctive and
+difficultly controlled impulse to shoot too quickly when the bird rises.
+The flight seems to be much more speedy than it really is; and the
+undrilled shooter, if he has any idea in his mind at all, is dominated
+by the fear that if the formality of aiming his gun is observed the
+game will be beyond range before he shoots. This leads to a nervous,
+flustered pointing of the gun in the direction of the bird's flight, and
+its discharge at such close range that the load of shot hardly separates
+in the intervening distance. Nine times out of ten the result is, of
+course, a complete miss; and if the bird should at any time under these
+conditions be accidentally hit, it would be difficult to find its
+scattered fragments. An old quail shooter once advised a younger one
+afflicted with this sort of quick triggeritis: "When the bird gets up,
+if you chew tobacco spit over your shoulder before you shoot."
+
+It is absolutely certain that he who aspires to do good quail shooting
+must keep cool; and it is just as certain that he must trust the
+carrying qualities of his gun as well as his own ability and the
+intelligence of his dog. If he observes these rules, experience and
+practice will do the rest.
+
+I hope I may be allowed to suggest that both those who appreciate the
+table qualities of the toothsome quail, and those who know the keen
+enjoyment and health-giving results of their pursuit, should recognize
+it as quite worth their while, and as a matter of duty, to co-operate in
+every movement having for its object the protection, preservation and
+propagation of this game. Our quail have many natural enemies; they are
+often decimated by the severity of winter, and there are human beings so
+degraded and so lost to shame as to seek their destruction in ways most
+foul. A covey of quail will sometimes huddle as close together as
+possible in a circle, with their heads turned outward. I have heard of
+men who, discovering them in this situation, have fired upon them,
+killing every one at a single shot. There ought to be a law which would
+consign one guilty of this crime to prison for a comfortable term of
+years. A story is told of a man so stupidly unsportsmanlike that when he
+was interfered with as he raised his gun, apparently to shoot a quail
+running on the ground, he exclaimed with irritation: "I did not intend
+to shoot until it had stopped running." This may be called innocent
+stupidity; but there is no place for such a man among sportsmen, and he
+is certainly out of place among quail.
+
+It is cause for congratulation that so much has been done for quail
+protection and preservation through the enactment of laws for that
+purpose. But neither these nor their perfunctory enforcement will be
+sufficiently effective. There must be, in addition, an active sentiment
+aroused in support of more advanced game legislation, and of willing,
+voluntary service in aid of its enforcement; and in the meantime all
+belonging to the sporting fraternity should teach that genuine
+sportsmanship is based upon honor, generosity, obedience to law and a
+scrupulous willingness to perpetuate, for those who come after them, the
+recreation they themselves enjoy.
+
+
+
+
+TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:
+
+Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors; otherwise,
+every effort has been made to remain true to the author's words and
+intent.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Fishing and Shooting Sketches, by Grover Cleveland
+
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