Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-09
PIGEONS pDLYERIzED.
FIRST DAYS SHOOTING OF THE STATE
sPORTsMENs ASSOCIATION.
The Southern Citrus Belt Wrests the
Selby Trophy From the North
ern Citrus Belt.

There was quite fair gathering of
sportsmen at Agricultural Park yesterday,
the opening day of the ninth annual tourna-
ment of the State Sportsmen's Association.
The chief event of the day was the club
contest for the Selby trophy, which was
won last year by the Pacific Sportsmen's
Club, Of this city, and it was expected that
at least ten of the clubs composing the AS
ISOLATION would have competing team IN
the contest. But there were bat fve-the
Cotton Gun Club, OF Los Angeles; the
Stockton Gun Club, the Pacific Sportsmen's
Club and the Pelican Gun Club (the latter
having two teams) of this city. San Fran
cisco, Vacaville, Colusa and few other
places have strong shooting teams, but
they did not show up.
The conditions governing contests for
the trophy require that each competing
club Tor team) shall put up 800, each
team to shoot at 100 live pigeons; the
trophy and so per cent. of the entrance
money to go to the winning team, 30 per
cent. to the second and 20 10 the third.
Any club winning the trophy three times
shall become its permanent possessor. Last
year was the first time the trophy was shot
for, and the Pacific Club of this city re-
Gently sent letter 10 the Secretary to in.
quire if it was required to put up 800 for
the next contest. The Secretary replied
$50 the Pacific says) that they were not ex-
pected to pay the 500 entrance fee this
year.
Consequently, when the team from the
Pacific Club undertook to enter yesterdays
contest without contributing to the en-
trance money, there was vigorous protest
entered by the other clubs. They claimed
that the trophy was thea not in the pos.
session of any club, but was open to COM
petition, and that if the Pacific wanted to
shoot for il they must put up their money,
just as others did. The members of the
Pacific Club held a consultation and de-
cided to pay the $100 entrance money IN
der protest, and to leave the disputed point
to be settled afterward.>
The day was the most disagreeable ex-
perienced here since last March. A cold,
dry wind blew from the northwest, filling
the air with dust, and interfering greatly
with the shooting. The contest was held
under the new American Association rules,
which materially reduces the boundary, or
dead line" and great many of the birds
that were killed well inside the line were
swept out beyond the circle of flags by the
strong wind. While, therefore, the scores
below indicate that rather poor shooting
was done. the contrary was the fact.
There were very few birds shot at that were
not killed, but were lost to the shooters
from the causes mentioned.
Five ground traps were used, and guns
were handicapped as follows, under the
rules: Ten gauges so yards, 12-gauges IS
yards, and smaller calibers &c yards The
sjority of the guns used were II gauge,
the others being 10 gauge, with the excep-
ton of the weapon in the hands of j. M.
Morrison, one of the Pelican Clubs team.
Mr.. Morrison shoots dainty little 16-bore,
with which he made some very clean kills
and at long range, but it was not suited to
such day and such strong birds as were
trapped during the trophy match. 1t re-
quired handful of shot, with half hand
ful of powder behind it to stop those strong,
swift-fy lying birds going before gale OF wind
and only few yards between them and
the circle of red flags. When some of the
best trap.shooters on the coast could not
stop a pigeon inside the flags with full
charges from their big 10-bore guns, of
course a little, light 16-bore was at sad
disadvantage.
Many of the shooters used Schultze
(wood) powder, and, while some very
effective work was done with 1t, on the
whole it did not seem to shoot as strong as
the black powder. The majority of the
birds shot the latter part of the day acted
badly. They acted as if chilled and weak
and were 10th TO take wing when the traps
were sprung, much to the annoyance of the
man at the score.
The judges were Mahlon Osborn of San
Francisco and J. w. TODD of this city;
referee, Mr.. Coykendall of San Jose; official
scorer Frank Woodson of this city.
The Selby trophy, a representation of
which was given in these columns yester-
day, was won by the Cotton Gun Clubs
team with 3 score of SO out of 100 birds.
The full scores are as follows: