Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/641958
Hunting Coalition. Havre de Grace, Maryland, is considered the "decoy capital of the world," with canvasbacks playing an important part in its carving tradition. "Whether hunting for the table or for the market, this premiere gamebird for centuries sustained many a Maryland family through long, cold winters," said museum Executive Director Kerri Kneisley. "For that reason, the canvasback is the bird most often rendered by decoy carvers throughout this region." Canvasbacks suffered heavily at the hands of market hunters, who during the 1870s reportedly shipped 15,000 birds a day to cities across the Eastern Seaboard. Their numbers took an additional hit with the degraded water quality of the Chesapeake Bay. Large stands of wild celery died back, depriving canvasbacks of one of their staple foods. Maryland and the federal government have pumped billions of dollars into Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts, and with the outlawing of market hunting, canvasbacks have been making a comeback. Ducks Unlimited's 2015 Waterfowl Survey put estimates at 757,000, up 11 percent from 2014 and 30 percent above the long-term average. The state bird designation—State Bill 27—is sponsored by Senator Robert G. Cassily, who was born in Havre de Grace. Its first reading was scheduled for January 13, with no word as to its fate as of press time. THE OVER-TEXTED GUIDE We're all aware of the problems that nonstop texting is causing among drivers on our roadways. But on trout streams? Longtime subscriber Albert Mull of Gray, Tennessee, recently shared this story with us. "Last year I fished the 'MO' in northern Montana for a few days, and my guide was so obsessed with texting on his cell phone that it seriously infringed on our fishing. I had a new guide this summer who is a friend of my prior guide, and he told the guy that he was causing conflict with his excessive texting, but to no avail. "This year that guide had a client who took affront to his texting and from the front of the boat sent the following text to the man: 'Where do I cast next?' That worked . . . he finally quit." S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 1 5