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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 1889)
WKST SHOKK. Jill The former cornea in early in tlie full and remain till j the Reverent weather i8 over, when it wend it way to j the breeding ground of the far north. Thin in the i hunker, or Canada eoose ho common in America. In i the spring the brant goose, which winter in the val ley of California, storm here a few week on it way north and fall a victim to the ortnmn' gun. Probably no where else in the I'nited State ran be found such admirable shooting grounds within so easy niveau from a large city as Sarn ie's island pre sents to the HHrtsmcn of Portland. A the island is all owned by various ersons, and a there i a Ires pass law in the Oregon statutes, the zealous sports man ia able to sivure private shooting grounds by pay ing a rental to the owners and oting up notice warning all persona not to trespass tion the projierty, The rentals vary from I'.'") to tl.V) for the mason, the larger wapato and canvas back hikes, such as Mor gan' and (iardiuer's, bringing the most, and generally licing rented by several men associated together. There are, however, a number of small lake and little marshes, where "trash" duck only are to la found, that are not rented, ami these are the resort of the spasmodic Nimroda who have no private grounds of their own, at least during the intervals when they have bivn driven off from the U tter slutting grounds. Although more or less shooting is done during the week, Sunday is the great day among the duck. At two o'clock every Sunday morning a steamer leave for the awaiting grounds, the fare for the round trip being 11.00 and everyone i free to take passage, the Isiat U'ing run for the accommodation of all and not for the use of any club or private parties. The sort ing contingent numlcr from '.'' to 7' men, who go aboard with their dog and accoutrement at all hour until the time of sailing, and a infect bedlam of sound emanate from the vessel from midnight until she begin to land her passengers at the shouting grounds. Poistcrous laughter, singing, story icinng. yelping dog and scuffling of f.rt combine to make a 'composite of noise fur from agreeable to one with sen- . sitive nerves. The greatest of g.d nature prevail, nearly all the hunters king ac.ihiintnnre nnd felU . ss,rtmcn of long standing. No H viit the rye of those on Uard, and H ho d,. not take the pre.. tion of retiring earlv Saturday night and rising again in season to catch the boat, must " l" ,U with rye unfreshed with similiter. Commencini almt six mil lW the -'ty the steamer Irgin to make landing, the hunt' r. getting off In small knot. a. their favorite .U.t K""""' are reached. In thi. ajr she go aUii th.r.r nnle. down the .lough, lying at the ..t landing unt.l in the afterms-n, when she begin, the nturu trip, pil ing up the hunter, at the various .Hi"" l' she come along. When the ortiuen leave the Imal they at once seek their shooting stations, which gener ally consist of a "blind" of hunhc constructed on the margin of the lake, with a llooriug of brush to make a dry place for the ldy to rest uoti The larger lake have ipiite a uumler of these blind at ariou int of advantage along the shore. Those who use decoy place them in ition, and with their dg retire into the blind to await the coining of daylight. Thl I a tcdiou wail for tho earliest on the ground, espe cially when a heavy and old rain i falling, but with long rubber Utol and a heavy ruhlcrcoal, in addition to the shooting jacket, and buoyed up by the pleasant anticipations of the mining spirt, ami, rliaps, by something else more local In it action, they wait with much patience till the coming dawn. At lal the light ap ar and the duck lcgin to tir, and u the ilill lies of the air i broken by the rcorl of a gun, fob lowed quickly by others, w ith Increasing rapidity, until, in a short time, a continuous fusilade can I heard from one end of the island to (he other, A much ammunition used every Sunday a would le neces sary to fight a small battle, resulting in bag of duck ranging all the way from one to UK). Iog are used for retrieving the bird, and the hunter of Portland have some animal a tine a am to be found in the world The dog are a enthusias tic sirtsmen a their master, and some of them even more o. They svin to le eraiy to g I an opportunity to go down, a.el know when Saturday night come a well a their owner do. One of them, the veteran of them all, ha miil scanty a Sunday for the p.l ten year Thi I "Old to," the favorite dg of II. T. lludon, who ha had him for twelve yrr. U hn a very ancient and venerable ap-araiiw, and a he lounge atut the store or sleep in the mil tliecaunl oUervcr would say that hi hunting day were over; but lite old veteran I ardenl a poft iiiRii a ever and tan bring mr ihnkt mil of the water than inot of tin younger one lie never fail to go dwn oil the In1, even If hi mastrr remain al bme, alwy prnug on tWk lit time to g t a p ge and alway welcomed by hi old srllng friends, In iur of whom he nlb f hi rviiT for the day. IJinle iii control with the hitarioti and ieiy crowd tlit g dwn In the morning U the fatigue! ind hungry colUtion of .rtmen who rrlurn mi lh I-nit at night llerth aw fr on the tie. k (t inni and dog, and r h nmlingrnl, m it route lrd and gel aoinrthiiig lo rat, linmrdiately rrt U a ft plank f.,reimch, ml m men, d- and dm k ar tutu gird in alml InritfH-abU r..itfuloii, whew lltey iwf ih dlx ofdaiit uniii until th 11 rearlte ihe I'oft' ,., ih k. l"'.l t HI o'i b k, when Ihry .jui. kly k IlKife downy I'd I'J CiilltllHie their lllUilf