Fowl Times Portrayed in Poetic Prose of Sportsmen of the 1870s

Here is another sample of poetry about wild fowl written by contributors to Forest and Stream, the sportsmen's newspaper of the 1870s.

The Canvas-back Duck.

In sharp November, from afar,

From Northern river, stream and lake

The flocks of noble canvas-back,

Their migratory journeys make.

The frosty morning finds them spread

Along the flats of Barnegat,

Where grows the valisneria root,

The duck-grass with its bulbous thread.

But chief where Chesapeake receives

From Susquehannah, brackish tides,

By calm Potomac and the James,

Feeding at will from morn till eve,

Mid those aquatic pastures green,

The ribbon'd grass and bulbous root

Where slant the yellow sedges lean.

 

By myriads there the wild fowl come

To taste the rich, delicious fare

The red head and the canvas-back

The widgeon with its plumage rare,

The ruddy-duck, the buffer-head,

The broad-bill and Canadian goose,

Loving o'er placid shoal or cove

Their winnowing pinions to unloose.

 

Through all day, dispersed around

They swim and circle o'er the bay,

And at the eve, in gather'd flocks

To mouth of creeks they take their way,

Where some a wakeful vigil keep,

Others at anchor float asleep.

 

And when winter keen sets in,

And frozen is the river's face

To its salt confluence with the bay

The flocks seek out their feeding place.

And where across the ice, a pool

Of open water they discern,

The hungry flocks their flight suspend

And toward the friendly pasture turn;

And tyere the lurking fowler waits,

(Amid the ice-blocks hid from sight)

With heavy gun and deadly aim,

To thin the numbers that alight.

Isaac McLellan. November 20, 1873. Forest and Stream 1(15). On the front page.

For Forest and Stream.

The Whippoorwill.

The white fog drifts along the meadow,

And the gleam

Of the Western sky is fading

From the ripples that were crimson

On the stream.

 

The thousand tiny voices of the hylas

Fill the air,

And the music of the woodthrush,

Floating softly down the mountain,

Seems a prayer.

 

When twilight shadows gather 'neath the cedars

On the hill—

Where the robin lately warbled,

And the sparrow sang his vesper,

All is still.

 

But the whippoorwill complaining in the valley

Far below,

With its voice so wild and restless

Wakens memories forgotten

Long ago.

 

Till the thoughts of former joys and former sorrows

Come again,

And they fall upon the spirit

With the gentle measured cadence

Of the rain.

P. C. B. September 3, 1874. Forest and Stream 3(4): 49.

For Forest and Stream and Rod and Gun.

Western Wild Fowl Shooting.

By J.S. Van Dyke.

 

Many the scenes that deeply, keenly thrill

The sportsman's bosom, as o'er dale and hill

With throbbing heart and tingling nerve he bounds

With pointer, setter, or the ringing hounds.

But few more grand and wild emotions raise

Than one that oft is seen in autumn days,

When first the surly blasts begin to howl,

And heaven's smile to change into a scowl.

When droops the wild rice its once stately head,

And rush and reed and flag are sere and dead;

When withered leaves ride swift on whistling gales,

The wild fowl for their journey spread their sails,

But pause awhile around some favorite place

Ere starting on their long and weary race.

At such a time and spot our stand we take,

Close by the borders of some rice-fringed lake.

Wondrous and grand the scene that now unfolds,

And the astonished eye enchanted holds!

From every quarter of the great blue dome,

In countless throngs the wild fowls swiftly come,

Circling, rushing, darting, wheeling, dashing,

Towering, settling, in the water splashing.

High in the air, with stately, solemn wings,

Slow sail the geese in long converging strings.

Still higher up, with proud, majestic pace,

The sand-hill cranes float by in easy grace,

While far above in dignified array,

The swans are drifting on their southward way.

From every side what varied sounds we hear,

That make true music to the sportsman's ear:

The mellow "honk," the "scape" of saucy snipe,

The widgeon's whistle and the loon's clear pipe;

The "clank-a-lank" that from the brant doth ring,

The rushing bustle of the broadbill's wing,

The mallard's "quack," the frightened wood duck's squeal,

The sandhill's trumpet that o'er all doth peal!

As fall the night, they faster, nearer come;

The air resoundeth with their steady hum,

But we've not come to idly stand and gaze,

And fast and sure spouts forth the deadly blaze.

With rapid buzz the broadbill by us whirls,

But in a trice his whistling pinion furls.

In vain the blue wing plies his whizzing wings,

The deathful hail across his pathway sings;

The lovely wood duck, with his plumage bright,

Whirls struggling down into the shades of night.

The watchful goose, that cautious threads the air,

Droops neck and wings, as if in silent prayer,

And downward plunges with impetuous crash.

In vain the mallard, with his wary eye

Doth seek, with vigorous "quack," to climb on high,

Too late his care; Too late his skyward dash!

He downward thunders with a sullen splash.

Waiting with patience till we give the word,

Our faithful dog retrieves each fallen bird.

The trusty creature, having marked its fall,

Bounds through the reeds, however thick or tall;

Although they fall where man could never stand,

This honest servant brings them to our hand.

The lake is cold; its edge fringed with ice;

But still he flounders on through tangled rice,

Heedless of comfort or the wintry blast,

Toils shivering on until he gets the last.

Then to our boat, and down the moonlit stream

We glide to camp, and soon the fire doth beam.

From drift wood piled on high, the cheery blaze

Shoots far and wide, and o'er the river plays;

And soon we gather round the festive board,

Laden with viands that would tempt a lord;

Then round the fire comes the social smoke,

The song, the story, or the spicy joke;

And then to sleep upon our bed of reeds,

While fancy pictures out to-morrow's deeds.

June 21, 1877. Forest and Stream & Rod and Gun 8(20): 317.

Sportsmen Pen Profound Poetic Prose

Wild Pigeons (Ectopistes Migratorius).

The Autumn sky is fleck'd with gold,

As slow the westering sun declines,

The floating clouds' ensanguin'd fold

With a resplendent glory shines;

And as the glimmering shadows creep

Across the fading landscape's breast

And o'er the purpling mountain's sweep,

The drowsy breezes sink to rest.

 

The roe-buck to his thicket goes,

Where dense the wood its covert throws

The red stag that had paused to drink

Beside the rivulet's plashy brink

Exhausted flings his dappled side

Along the cool, transparent tide —

'Tis there the pigeons seek the wood

To roost, a blue-wing'd, fluttering brood.

 

Deep in Wisconsin wilderness,

In forests dim of Michigan,

The bending boughs their bosoms press,

The air their clanging pinions fan.

So vast their numbers, hunters say

They sweep the bough and break the spray,

And oft their startled millions rise

With roar, like thunder of the skies.

 

Years since, in wild woods of the East,

They gathered to the harvest feast;

They swarm'd by river and by shore,

In vast flocks flew the pastures o'er;

They swept, innumerable, the plain,

Gleaning the corn-field and the grain —

Then, winging to some wood their flight,

Settled in roosting-place for night.

 

When emigration, toward the West,

In restless emulation press'd,

And ax and plow, and farmer's toil,

Open'd the furrows of the soil;

And myriad acres of the wheat

Yellow'd in Summer's sultry heat;

And bearded rye and golden corn

Shook their bright tresses to the morn —

Then, to these sumptuous pastures new

These wing'd, devouring robbers flew.

 

When June, with rose-red cheeks aglow,

Broadcast, wild strawberries doth strow;

When August, on the sun-bright hills,

With nectar the ripe blueberry fills;

O'er all the heated pasture pours

The blackberry in honied stores;

And ripens on the swinging vine

The grapes, like amethysts that shine —

Then to this rich, luxurious fare,

So prodigal, the flocks repair,

Rejoicing in the festival

That bounteous Nature yields to all.

Isaac McLellan. January 10, 1878. Forest and Stream & Rod and Gun 9(23): 1.

The Loon.

A lake dark and lonely, from Nature's own hand,

Midst high towering mountains, wild, savage and grand,

Lies hidden secure, in its framework of green,

And reflects every object — rock, forest and stream.

From its dark surface oft, at close of the day,

Comes a cry, loud and shrill, from a far distant bay.

 

The sweet, timid doe, from the fastnesses still,

Seeks its lone sandy shore, to wander at will;

To nip tender lily leaves, bright grasses green,

And to playfully wander, a brown forest queen.

She listens! Again comes the sound loud and clear,

In shrill clarion tones to her listening ear.

 

The lone hunter sleeping 'neath rough-slant of bark,

In the shade of the forest trees, sombre and dark,

Is roused from his slumber when daybreak is near;

With his head raised he listens! What sound strikes his ear?

Far off on the lake, 'mid the darkness and gloom,

He hears through the forest the cry of the loon.

 

With voice of a fiend comes that sound from the gloom,

Now laughing, now shrieking, like ghost from the tomb;

Now taunting, now crying, now screaming like mad,

As he rocks on the waves of the lake, free and glad.

He rouses the wolf from his brush tangled lair,

And laughs, Ha! ha! ha! in the lightning's red glare.

 

At crack of the rifle, down under the wave

Like a flash he is gone — to a watery grave?

No, no! See, he rises and shakes his black wing,

And he floats free as air; on the wave he is king.

Yes, king of the solitude, king of the wave,

Then hurrah for the bird so blithesome and brave.

 

When the Storm King's abroad and wild breakers dash,

Oh, he laughs and he screams at the thunder's loud crash;

In the elements dire he is king of the wave,

The wind and the waters his black plumage lave,

Then hurrah for the bird of the wilderness wild,

In darkness and tempest thou'rt Nature's own child.

Oh, bird of the woods and the waters so wild,

Thy praises I'll chant, thou true Nature's child.

Windsor, Conn., April 7, 1878.

Balsam. May 9, 1878. Forest and Stream & Rod and Gun 10(14): 1.

Chickaree.

In a wide-spreading tree

A spry chickaree

With heart full of glee,

Had chattered a noisy good-morning;

And seemed in his fun

To be telling some one

Of the work he had done

His nest in the branches adorning.

 

A bright squirrel guest

He had brought to his nest,

And was doing his best

In showing his snug little dwelling;

He had said in his pride

He would like to reside

With her as a bride, —

And that is the tale he was telling.

 

So high in the beach,

So far out of reach,

So cosy for each,

And a brown-thrush too for a neighbor;

She could hear the bird sing

While nuts he would bring —

Or any sweet thing, —

And love would thus hallow his labor.

 

They could see the sun set,

And tell how they met,

And would never regret

The day they had started together,

To work and to play,

From danger away,

From day unto day,

Whatever the season or weather.

 

The gay little guest

Accepted the nest —

She thought it was best —

Where the beautiful branches were spreading;

And tho' coy and demure,

Heart willing and pure,

Said "Yes" to her wooer,

And the wood-bells rang out for a wedding.

 

In the wide-spreading tree

They sing "Chickaree"

With hearts full of glee,

And chatter a noisy good morning;

While he in his way,

Light-hearted and gay,

Is seeming to say,

Her love now his home is adorning.

J.C. Burnett. April 17, 1879. Forest and Stream & Rod and Gun 12(11): 1.

For Forest and Stream and Rod and Gun

The American Eagle.

Monarch of the realms supernal,

Ranging over land and sea;

Symbol of the great Republic,

Who so noble and free!

Thine the boundless fields of ether,

Heaven’s abyss unfathom’d thine,

Far beyond our feeble vision,

On thy bars its sunbeams shine!

Borne on iron-banded pinion,

On from pole to pole you sweep;

O’er sea islands, craggy mountains,

O’er the hoarse-resounding deep.

Now, thy fanning plumes o’ershadow,

Northern cliff and ice-berg grim;

Now, o’er southern, soft savannahs,

With unflagging circuits skim.

 

He that feeds the tender raven

And the sea bird of the rock,

Tempers the inclement breezes

To the shorn and bleating flock,

Leads thee o’er the wastes of ocean,

Guides o’er savage flood and wood,

And from bounteous nature’s store house

Feeds they clamoring, hungry brood.

 

O’er the mountains of Caucasus;

Over Appenine and Alp;

Over Rocky Mounts, Cordilleras;

O’er the Andes’ herbless scalp;

High above those snowy summits,

Where no living thing abides,

He, that notes the falling sparrow,

Feeds the, fosters thee, and guides.

 

Thou wingest where a tropic sky

Bends o’er thee its celestial dome;

Where sparkling waters greet the eye,

And gentlest breezes fan the foam;

Where spicy breath from groves of palm,

Laden with aromatic balm,

Blows over, mingled with perfume

Of luscious fruit and honeyed bloom;

Green shores, adorned with drooping woods;

Gay grottoes, island solitudes;

Savannahs, where palmettos screen

The Indian’s hut with living green,

Behold thy pinions as they sweep,

Careering in the upper deep.

Isaac McLellan. April 24, 1879. Forest and Stream 12(12): 223.

The Sea Gull.

Sea-bird! Skimmer of the wave!

Whither doth thy journey tend?

Is it to some southern shore,

Where the meadow-rushes bend,

Where the orange-blossoms blow,

Where the aloe and the palm

Flourish, and magnolias glow,

Filling all the air with balm?

 

Haply, is thy pilgrim wing

Flitting to some northern bar,

Where the rocky reef runs out

And the sand beach stretches far?

There in hot and silvery sand

All thy pearly eggs to lay,

There to teach thy little brood

O'er the breaking surf to play.

 

Haply, sailing o'er the brine,

Painted 'gainst the lurid sky;

O'er the gray horizon's verge

Thou dost even now descry

Some lone bark with shatter'd mast,

Bulwarks swept and tatter'd sail,

Fighting with the ocean blast —

Lost and shipwreck'd in the gale!

 

Restless, roving, lonely bird!

Wandered of the pathless seas;

Now where tropic woods are stirr'd,

Now where drifting icebergs freeze;

Seldom doth the solid shore

See thy folded pinions droop;

Only waves, that tumbling pour,

Lure thee from thy airy sweep.

Isaac McLellan. May 15, 1879. Forest and Stream & Rod and Gun 12(15): 1.

Original

Wild Turkey. (Meleagris gallopavo.)

The purpling twilight's melting blue,

Is fading with its transient hue,

The red cloud that erewhile did float

The heavenly vault like painted boat,

Now with a denser shadow creeps

Across the darkening upper deeps.

The glow that late the river's tide

With its encrimonson'd blushes dyed,

Hath vanish'd, and the rushing flood

Flow gloomy past the bordering wood;

Now to their roosts wild turkeys stray,

And ambush'd hunters seek their prey.

 

This wandering, shy, secluded bird,

This roamer of the forest-ground,

Thro' all the western wilderness,

In dense, embowering haunt is found.

In all the groves that shade the shores,

Of Mississippi's swelling flood,

And where the grand Missouri pours,

Thro' every dim and tangled wood,

In multitudes immense they roam

Afar from human step and home.

 

So shy, that scarce the hunter's gun

May harm them, bursting on the wing,

So fleet, that scarce pursuing steed

Its rider within shot may bring;

But only may he lie in wait

Like bandit watching for his game

And lure the victims to their fate —

The whistling ball, the rifle-flame.

 

Seek them where gloomy shadows fall

Beneath the forests grim and tall,

In the deep alder-brakes, or where

The dark pines lift their spears in air,

And there where slow a streamlet creeps,

Or swift through bushy ravine sweeps,

Hid in the ferns that droop around,

Your call deceptive, cautious sound;

Soon you will hear the answering note,

From the embowering thickets float,

Soon will you see the noble game

Step forth — then steady be your aim!

 

All stratagems, all cunning wiles,

The settlers fail not to employ;

For when the springing maize-field smiles,

Their flocks the tender ears destroy.

Then trench is dug, and train is led

Of sprinkled corn along the trail,

And where the treacherous feast is spread,

The flock is swept with volleying hail.

Isaac McLellan. November 13, 1879. Forest and Stream & Rod and Gun 13(15): 1.

Omaha Hunt Club Accounts Reveal History for Birds of Missouri River Valley

As a river city grew on the west bank of the wild Missouri River, a number of the men were sportsmen with a definite appreciation for being amidst a setting that harbored a vast array of huntable fowl.

Just a short distance from the scant buildings of a steadily growing Omaha - the thriving gateway to the expanses of the west - were habitats for many species which attracted the wrong end of a shotgun. Shootists spent a vast number of hours afield in pursuit of a viable target.

In the first days once Omaha got its start in the mid-1850s, people striving to make a new home in the territory shot grouse, ducks, turkeys, and other abundant fowl that could be taken when it flew within range. Bang and with a puff of smoke, a bird could fell, and usually was gathered for later appreciation! It was a meaty portion of a days' meal to stir into the cooking pot or hang over the fire.

Within a few quick years, sportsmen organized into clubs and the hunts took on a different specter, especially in the spring and autumn when vast flocks migrated along the river valley. In patterns that mimicked time across centuries past, ducks, geese, shorebirds, and many other forms of avifauna make their treks to their breeding places and back to winter havens.

Diversity of the Missouri River provided habitats that were havens. Oxbow lakes were part of the setting. Mid-channel sandbars sufficed as a roosting place for a time. And the species changed with the weeks of the migratory season.

Shootists pursued a multitude of game birds, following a practice that certainly had been part of the tradition of Indian tribes, formerly the predominant residents along the waterway.

One of the first written notices of game club events was in an Omaha newspaper at the end of March 1863. Just a week after being organized, the men had their first celebratory dinner.

"This spirited little association was organized but last week and is composed of the right material for field and kindred sports as the result of their first day in the field, given below, will testify. ... We admire the spirit and zeal with which it is gotten up, and more especially do we admire the geese and other fowls that occasionally find their way to our humble table.

Based on scoring based on the numbers and types of birds taken, the team of R.F. Fletcher were the victors, with a count of 179, versus the William J. Kennedy team's count of 79.

"That our readers may understand the result and appreciate the enormous pile of game we will state that the score or count is graduated to that the common duck counts one making the result of the figures about equal to 270 common duck or nearly 20 to each man."

In May, 1867 there was just a brief notice of the shootist's take: "Game. - We are under many obligations to the Sportsman's Club of Omaha for a large consignment of fine, plump, fat, good looking "Esquimaux Curlew." This present reminds us of the advance of the sniping season when snipe, curlew, &c., fall before the clacking of the enthusiastic sportsmen's shot-guns; while we cannot but with the liveliest gratitude, consider their remembrance of newspaper folk, whose duties preclude the possibility of practising the healthful sport of the field." - Omaha Daily Herald.

The tradition continued and the sporting news was part of the city news for the 1870s.

In November 1870, there were three reports in the city dailies, as there was more than one newspaper being issued.

In the Omaha Daily Herald was a lengthy report, and the article included a transcription of comments by B.E.B. Kennedy, as president of the Omaha Sportsmen's Club, comments by Judge Lake, and even what Hon. John Taffe said, even though he was not a club member.

"A general demand was here made that experience be related. Messrs. Jewett, Frost, Judge Lake, David and Benjamin Smith, Capt. Homan, Mayor Caldwell, Andy McAusland, Capt. Mills, Dr. Peabody, Mr. Hathaway, Dr. Bragg, of Council Bluffs, Col. Litchfield, Gen. Perry, D.C. Sutphen and Dr. Pinney, all spoke briefly and some of them several times each on this topic. There were some good jokes, but they related to the incidents of the hunt and would not be understood by readers not acquainted with them.

The Omaha Weekly Herald obviously noted the victors: party of Captain Henry A. Homan with 556 points, while there were 461 points for the Captain Geo. T. Mills' party. Additional details were given for the several parties and where they went in pursuit of game.

The tally: Greater White-fronted Goose, Cackling Goose, Canada Goose, Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Duck, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Greater Prairie-Chicken, Northern Bobwhite, Sora, American Golden-Plover and the Wilson's Snipe. Numbers of each were included, with Mallard and quail having the highest numbers.

In the third report: "They scattered themselves all over the country, and on Wednesday, the day of the hunt, they made a long day of it, and were quite successful withal, which is attested by the large amount of birds that they brought in yesterday. They all report game as very plentiful, but the day was too pleasant, and birds flew very high. Nearly every hunter lost as many birds, by falling into the water where they had not time to follow and capture them, as they secured." - Omaha Weekly Tribune.

1873

The autumn 1873 hunting events were also given in the papers, though there were no birdly details presented. The Omaha Daily Herald noted the hunt and referred to the dinner that evening. Their account the next day had some fine, interesting details.

A Grand Hunt. The Omaha Sportsmen Make the Largest Count Ever Known - Incidents of the Day.

"The member's of the Omaha Sportsmen's Club and other invited guests sat down to a splendid game supper last night at Wirth's. The table was sumptuously arrayed with decorative skill, and the elaborate bill of fare when put to the test was found to be genuine. The company was large, and for the most part ate as hunters should. The meals were mostly game prepared in a great variety of ways. The following is only one divisions of the bill of fare, and comprise but a small portion of it, viz roasts:
"Wild Turkey ala Chipolata, Canada Goose ala Dauphiaise, White front goose ala Eataufinde, Hutchins ala Aberdeen, Snow Goose ala Normande, Dusky Duck ala Provencale, Pentast ala Regence, Gadwal ala Payssane, Teal ala Financlere, and Entrees, Pate chaud of Rabbit ala Perigneux, Carresole of Rice garnished with Puree of Game ala Bellevue, Pate Chawd of Woodcock ala Chasseur, saline of Grouse ala Chuclenna, Blanvuets of Snipe ala Richelleu, Roodins of Red of Red Breast ala Deluynes, Fillets of Quail ala Deluynes, Salines of Widgeon ala Bigarrade Uxeller, Scallops of Balpate ala Ecalarte, Prairie Chicken ala Marergo, Timboles of Macaroni ala Poiyeade, Quail au Gratin ala Finanoure, Kromeskys of Virginia Rail ala Russe, Tourte of Squirrels ala Milanaise."

Obviously there was a fine selection of eats for the gourmands of wild game.

1874

An April, 1874 article in the Omaha Daily Herald was a detailed account, giving results for each party, including where they hunted, and "what game each man killed." This is the tally for hunting grounds on the western edge of Iowa, and eastern edge of Nebraska:

Common Name	Waubonsie Lake	Papillion	Elkhorn	Mosquito Creek Bottoms	Missouri Valley	Little Sioux Bend
Greater White-fronted Goose	8	-	-	-	-	8
Snow Goose	-	-	16	-	-	-
Canada Goose	-	-	8	-	-	32
Wood Duck	28	-	-	-	2	-
Gadwall	14	-	8	-	4	4
American Wigeon	8	4	8	4	-	6
Mallard	3	-	15	-	6	3
Blue-winged Teal	5	-	2	-	-	-
Northern Shoveler	12	2	1	1	2	13
Northern Pintail	2	-	-	-	-	-
Teal	17	-	9	5	4	6
Scaup	6	4	9	-	1	-
Bufflehead	3	1	-	-	-	-
Hawk	10	6	5	-	5	1
Sandhill Crane	-	30	30	-	-	-
American Golden-Plover	-	9	-	-	-	1
Killdeer	3	2	7	-	4	-
Lesser Yellowlegs	6	2	-	-	-	3
Eskimo Curlew	-	60	32	2	-	10
Long-billed Curlew	-	-	10	-	-	75
Curlew	-	-	20	20	-	-
Godwit	-	6	-	-	-	-
Marbled Godwit	16	8	20	8	-	10
Sandpiper	6	16	8	21	-	-
Wilson's Snipe	44	34	56	18	22	54

Some examples of the value the shootist's designated for each species were: Sandhill Crane - 15, Snow Goose, white-front goose and Hutchin's goose - 8, sickle-bill curlew - 5 and hawk - 5. Ducks counted for 2, and shorebirds were worth one point.

The report for the October hunt was bland in regards to the bird information, but conveyed how the sportsmen were helping the community:

"It is a custom for the losing side to get up a game supper for the club, but this year they turned their game to a better purpose by donating it to the Nebraska Relief and Aid Association, for the grasshopper sufferers, and as will be seen by a notice elsewhere, it will be sold at auction at Gray & Allen's, on Douglas street, and we hope those of our citizens who are lovers of game will not fail to attend as there is a splendid lot and great variety." - Omaha Daily Herald

The losing side was led by Captain H.A. Homan; the other side by Captain George T. Mills.

1875

As temperatures cooled, leaves turned colors and fell beneath the vast woods on the bluffs of the river, and birds were following their migratory paths, sportsmen made plans to pursue their favorite targets. In downtown Omaha, they bought shells for their weapons, and other gear to ensure proper preparation for whatever conditions prevailed for the October hunt in those places where the men expected the best results - the number of birds taken and a count which would mean the top count for the team.

Shootists' bagged these birds out in the wilds: Snow Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, duck, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, teal, Redhead, scaup, merganser, grouse, Bald Eagle, hawk, Clapper Rail [species id questionable], Virginia Rail, American Golden-Plover, plover, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, sandpiper, dowitcher and Wilson's Snipe.

Apparently anything that flew within range was an appropriate target. With the pull of the trigger and the blast of shot, there was another bunch of dead feathers to include in the days' count.

The hunter's grand feast was held on the evening of October 15th, at the Grand Central Hotel, at 8:30 o'clock. A reporter for the Omaha Daily Republican conveyed some basics of the event:

Hunt Supper. Annual Game Hunt of the Sportsmen's Club.
At the Grand Central Last Evening - Their Bill of Fare - Ladies Present for the First Time.

"There were two very prominent features connected with the supper, to-wit: it was the best hunt supper ever given by the club, and it was the first one within our recollection that was graced with the presence of the ladies. it has been our pleasure to attend every supper given by the club since we came to Omaha, and we can fairly say that this supper eclipsed them all. It was the first supper given by the club in the Grand Central hotel, and the success that attended it will ensure the serving of future suppers in the same place."

This was the menu of eats to enjoy to the fullest, along with jovial camaraderie:

Oyster Soup.

Roast ducks with jelly - Mallard, pin-tail, gadwall, dusky, merganser, wood, red-head, widgeon, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal.

Assorted game - Snow goose, apple sauce, pinnated grouse, clapper rail, Virginia rail, yellow-shank snipe, golden plover.

Entrees.

Pate of Small Game, a la Chasseur, Compote of Mallard Duck, Salmi of Wood Duck, Wilson Snipe on Toast, Chaux Froid of Prairie Chicken, Red-breasted Snipe on Toast.

Vegetables.

Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Boiled Onions, Stewed Tomatoes, Hubbard Squash.

Pastry and Dessert.

Snow Pudding with Vanilla Custard, Lady Cake, Sponge Cake, Victoria Biscuit, Maraschino Jelly, Rum Jelly, Neapolitan Ice, Nuts, Raisins, Fruit, Coffee.

"We tackled the above, and got along down the list as far as we could, but had to give up at last. It was too much for one time. We are unable to give this feast the proper notice. If it was ten hours later, we could write a better notice, for we are not feeling just right at the present writing."

1876

The spring hunt of the year was again reported in detail by the Omaha Daily Republican. "The following is the result of the count, which we publish in detail by request of the members of the club:"

Common Name	Gilmore	Mondamin, Iowa	Waubonsie Lake	Lake Manawa	Elkhorn	Omaha	Herman	Fremont	Shell Creek	Columbus
Greater White-fronted Goose	-	-	-	-	-	-	10	-	-	-
Canada Goose	-	-	-	-	1	-	4	2	7	1
Wood Duck	-	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Gadwall	-	5	12	-	11	-	-	4	4	-
American Wigeon	-	1	11	-	10	-	-	4	-	-
Mallard	-	-	-	-	3	-	1	-	1	-
Duck	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4	-
Blue-winged Teal	1	1	15	-	4	-	9	5	10	2
Northern Shoveler	-	-	4	1	3	-	2	2	1	-
Northern Pintail	-	-	3	-	3	-	1	-	-	-
Green-winged Teal	-	-	5	-	4	-	-	-	6	1
Canvasback	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	-	-
Redhead	-	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lesser Scaup	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-
Bufflehead	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Hooded Merganser	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Ruddy Duck	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4	1
Hawk	-	1	4	-	1	1	-	-	2	2
Clapper Rail [= Virginia rail]	-	-	1	1	-	-	1	-	-	-
Sandhill Crane	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	1	8	-
Whooping Crane	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-
American Golden-plover	-	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	-	-
Killdeer	1	-	17	-	3	1	1	1	3	2
Lesser Yellowlegs	-	-	2	-	1	-	-	-	1	-
Eskimo Curlew	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	5	-
Long-billed Curlew	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	2	4	-
Godwit	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Least Sandpiper	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sandpiper	8	-	7	-	3	-	-	-	-	-
Wilson's Snipe	15	1	15	15	22	-	10	4	5	-

"The hunters had a fine day for their sport and returning yesterday. Sutphen's establishment on Douglas street, the headquarters of the club, was overwhelmed with the nimrodian trophies," wrote the writer in the Omaha Daily Herald.

Traditions continued in the years closing the 1870s. Migrations continued to present flocks that were consistently the pursuit of shootists, even though this was only rarely reported and recorded in the historic record.

Concise results given for the 1877 spring hunt gave few details of particular interest.

Articles on the autumn outing in October were more interesting, especially those in the Omaha Daily Republican. Birds that were part of the night's fare were: Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, teal, Redhead, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Sora, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, sandpiper, dowitcher and Wilson's Snipe.

"The annual game supper of the Omaha Sportsmen's Club took place at the Grand Central hotel last evening. The doors of the dining hall were opened at about 8:45 o'clock, and in a few minutes every seat at the table was occupied. There was a goodly representation of ladies. The bill of fare was as follows:

Menu.

Soup.

Non-Insectivorous Game.

Roast Ducks With Jelly.

Mallard. Widgeon. Green Wing Teal. Red Head. Wood. Blue Wing Teal. Pin-tail. Gadwall. Shoveller. Ruddy. Bald Plate.

Entries.

Pate of Small Game, a la Chasseuer. Salmi of Scorp. Compote of Teal Duck. Red-breasted Snipe Gilse, Sauce Chasseur.

Yellow Shank Snipe, a la mode. Wilson Snipe on Toast. Sand-pipers on Toast. Roast Ring-necks P'que.

Vegetables.

Mashed Potatoes. Sweet Potatoes. Boiled Onions. Stewed Tomatoes. Hubbard Squash.

Special Course.

Kennedy's Woodcock, in all Styles. Hughes' Coons, Oppossum Style. Sutphen's Goose, Stuffed with Grasshopper.

Pastry and Desert.

Snow Pudding, with Vanilla Custard. Lady Cake. Sponge Cake. Victoria Biscuit. Marachino Jelly. Vanilla Ice Cream. Rum Jelly. Nuts. Raisins. Fruit."

Hours spent partaking of the cooks results, were certainly more comfortable than those spent afield, and with this menu, more appetizing.

1878

The Omaha Daily Herald continued its coverage with the mid-April, spring shooting event.

"The Grand Spring Attack Upon the Feathered Game.
Counting the Game Yesterday - Major Thornburgh's Side the Victors.

"The spring hunt of the Omaha Sportsmen's Club came off on Thursday, and the game was counted yesterday at Collins & Petty's sportsmen's depot, corner of Douglas and Fourteenth streets. A crowd of the sportsmen and their friends were present to witness the counting and examine the game. The latter was on the whole in fine condition, and made a grand display when laid out for examination. The ground hunted over was about the same as last fall, nearly all the members of the club having their favorite hunting grounds, which they visit at each hunt."

The birds taken, with the number of each were:
Greater White-fronted Goose - 2 Canada Goose - 44 Wood Duck - 4 Gadwall - 5 American Wigeon - 10 Mallard - 1 Blue-winged Teal - 22 Northern Shoveler - 15 Teal - 11 Scaup - 1	Sandhill Crane - 2 Plover - 5 Lesser Yellowlegs - 18 Eskimo Curlew - 86 Hudsonian Godwit - 3 Marbled Godwit - 2 Sandpiper - 22 Wilson's Snipe - 46

For the mid-October hunt, that season, the point scheme was similar to that of previous contests. When the shootists went afield on their days' foray, they were considering these values:

"The game killed, as appearing in the appended record of the hunt, scores as follows: Hawks, 5; owls, 5; mallard ducks, 2; gadwall, ruddy, widgeon, red head, pin tail and wood duck and Wilson snipe and Virginia rail, 2; spoon bill, scaup, shoveller, teal, bald pate, and merganser, ducks, and quail, yellowshank and red-breast snipe, and sora rail, 1." - Omaha Daily Herald

These were the results, giving the number of each bird taken:
Wood Duck - 6 Gadwall - 37 American Wigeon - 41 Mallard - 82 Northern Shoveler - 12 Northern Pintail - 1 Teal - 53 Redhead - 10 Scaup - 5 Hooded Merganser - 6 Merganser - 4 Ruddy Duck - 1	Hawk - 11 Virginia Rail - 1 Sora - 8 Lesser Yellowlegs - 11 Dowitcher - 8 Wilson's Snipe - 29 Owl - 1

The overall tally of species for the 1870s conveys a distinct diversity of avifauna. Eskimo Curlew now thought to be extinct, Long-billed Curlew, and varaible numbers of other species utilized expansive habitats of the decade.

Changes in the pending decades would forever alter the natural setting of the river as further expanse of human developments, modifications in the river channel and other things would mean changes in the occurrence and distribution of those species which were taken by shootists and were the part of an evening's meal in downtown Omaha.

The details for the decade portray an important period for the history of ornithology for the Missouri River valley on the edge of Nebraska.

Online Articles

The articles that were the source of this information were transcribed and are available in their entirety, along with hundreds of other historic articles with details of bird history, are available at the Birds of Nebraska website, provided by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. There is a lot of interesting reading for any aficionado of historic ornithology.