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SPLENDID ALABAMA HUNTING Plenty of Bear Turkey Quail Duck Rabbit Coon and Opossum Turkey tlic Aristocrat of the South ¬ ern Woods nn l Becoming Scarce Alabama each year attracts more and more north ¬ ern visitors particularly the sportsmen in search of game The season is now open for bear wild turkey quail rabbit squirrel duck coon ana possum possumDiscussing Discussing the principal game of the state John H Wallace Jr state game and fish commissioner says saysBlack Black bear are to be found in goodly numbers in the jungles of the river bottoms in Baldwin Mobile Washington Clarke and Monroe counties They seek the protection of the almost impenetra ¬ ble labyrinth of wild vines cane and briers and are difficultyIn hunted only with great difficulty In hunting them a pack of bear dogs consisting of onehalf hounds and mongrels is usually em ¬ ployed After a bear is jumped it follows the nar ¬ row jungle path along which hunters are stationed with shotguns loaded with buckshot or rifles The density of the undergrowth is so great that the bear being chased can pass within a few yards of the hunter without being seen seenBear Bear hunting is the favorite sport of the hunters of southwest Alabama and annually a numlnr of bears are killed During the winter in the vernac ¬ ular of the natives of the bear country the bears go up that is they climb tip on the outside of large gums or other trees where they remain until spring springTins Tins wild turkey the handsomest and largest of Alabamas native game birds is truly the aris ¬ tocrat of the forest Since their habits requiro a large forest area the advance of civilization has caused them to be driven to those sections of tho state where congenial environment exists existsThe The wild turkey is wary and suspicious and it is instantly frightened at the sight or scent of man manThose Those features of the Alabama game law which provide that only gobblers can be legally killed and then only after reaching maturity have served greatly to increase in numbers these splendid birds Wild turkeys are found in varying numbers in every county in the state statePREMIER PREMIER QUAIL STATE STATEThe The quail Bob White undoubtedly is the most widely distributed of all American game birds These birds have multiplied unbelievably in Ala ¬ bama and today ours is the premier quail shoot ¬ ing state of the Union UnionUnder Under old conditions hundreds of thousands of nuail were trapped and shipped to concentrating points and then sent by express to distant markets Market hunters also waged a constant war of ex ¬ termination against them Happily for these birds this pernicious practice ended many years ago Quail agoQuail band together in bevies numbering from ten to twentyfive birds They delight in ranging in fields and in open bodies of woodland They abound in the greatest numbers along water courses and are usually found in close proximity to brier thickets plum nurseries or other cover They wan ¬ der but a short distance from the place of their birth if left unmolested and under the same condi ¬ tions that a bevy of quail is found in a particular locality this year with reasonable certainty they can be expected to be located in the same vicinity next year yearIn In the spring the bevies break up into pairs The male becomes bold and his call of Bob White Bob White resounds at intervals throughout thu nesting season Frequently two broods are reared and the male is diligent in caring for the first brood while the second is being incubated by the female femaleAlthough Although Alabama was abundantly supplied with wild turkey and deer at the early period of her statehood yet even then quajl hunting was es ¬ teemed ns a favorite and highly thrilling spurt The quail furnishes an elegant article of food foodDOG DOG HUNTING CHARACTERISTICS CHARACTERISTICSThe The original Alabama quail hunter used tiu muzzle loading shotgun and pointers and setters among which the black and tan predominated nmong the pointers and the black and Irish among thu setters settersMany Many of the guns used by southern gentlemen were imported from England and were beautifully carved workmanshipThe and engraved and of the finest workmanship The pointers and setters were not of wilie range and were cautious in hunting game and when in pointing distance of quail would invariably lie down After the bevy had been flushed and the flight of the quail marked the old fashioned pointer or setter would come close to heel mill would without difficulty point the singles singlesThese These dogs were also excellent retrievers In fact as late as the 80s if a pointer and setter failed to retreive in a field trial contest it was regarded as being deficient in training Of recent years with the advent of improved fire arms the original pointer and setter has practically dis ¬ appeared appearedThe The abundance of quail found here the desir ¬ ability of the country and the matchless climate have served to make Alabama the field trial center of the world worldAnnually Annually in Lowndes County a number of the oldest and strongest field trial clubs on the conti ¬ nent hold their contests contestsWhile While there are many who find the keenest pleasure in the pursuit of other game yet quail shooting is infinitely the most popular field sport participated in by Alabama hunters
