THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS. | |
| In this part of the Lake more males are said to be taken than females, perhaps eight out of twelve are males ; and many instances have occurred of Mallards being taken without Ducks. The number of fowl caught since the year 1850 is known, and Sir S. Crossley, Bart., has kindly furnished some records. In 1867-8, 2,278 fowl were taken. In 1869-70, 1,483 ; 1866-7, 1,130; 1874-5, 1,104; 1864-5, 1,063 ; 1868-9, 1045 ; 1878-9, 1,533 ; 1879-80, 241 1 ; 1884-5, 2,048 ; 1885-6, 953. In 1884-5 some sharp weather set in about the 20th of November, and resulted in 556 ducks being caught in three days, the catch on November 24 being 307. The usual, and most successful, method of working Colonel Leathes' Decoy pipes is, as said, by night. I will further allude to it, as it is one that the majority of Decoymen have never heard of. Colonel Leathes says:- "I need not mention to you that the rule is to work Decoy pipes before flight time, about 3 p.m., and again in the morning. Of course, I am aware that Duck, Snipe, Woodcock, etc., 'flight' every evening. "Consequently Duck are absent from a Decoy by night. "Every rule, however, has its exception, and old John Fisk, the last of our clever Decoymen at Herringfleet, used to tell me that the great thing is not to disturb the fresh fowl on their arrival early in the season in the Decoy. To let them assemble and get well on their feed, which should be dross barley, Indian corn, and acorns if procurable. Then gradually to begin and take the Ducks. That the Ducks, if well fed in the Decoy and provided there is no ice to break, will later in the season relinquish their usual flighting at dusk." Colonel Leathes adds: " The fowl do, it is true, take a flutter round the Decoy at sunset, but finding plenty of food always at hand for them in the Decoy precincts, they at length prefer to remain therein both day and night, till about the end of March when they leave in two big flights for the summer. It was when the Duck ceased to flight, and on moonlight nights, that old John Fisk used to make his big hauls of 100 or 200 fowl at one drive, and 500 to 600 as the result of one night's Decoying." This system of not flighting doubtless answers well on a large lake like Fritton, with an abundance of fowl on its waters and food at hand for them both natural and artificial. | |
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