Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-08

Trap shooting was until few years ago con-
fined almost wholly to professionals, and very
few amateurs were skillful enough to be ranked
as experts. Now, however, there are clubs in
every big city, and some of the amateur sports
men would not make at all bad showing even
by the side of such distinguished shots as Be-
gardus, DIR. Carver and other noted guns of the
trap and hunting field.
The glass ball, formerly so popular in
matches at the traps, is now quite 4 thing of
the past. 1t is no longer used in this country.
Where live pigeons are not employed. under the
Hurlingham club rules. which govern all
matches shot with live birds, the artificial clay
pigeon IS the universal substitute. The glass
ball discarded for the reason that ITS brit
tleness made 1t liable to break at the slightest
contact with the shot, aud it vas even a ques-
ton whether, under certain conditions, actual
contact was necessary to shatter it.
AN ECONOMICAL SPORT.
Trap shooting with artificial birds ia one of
the least expensive sports. vet one of the most
enjoyable. So many improvements have been
made recently in the manufacture of clay
pigeons that the natural action of the bird is
now simulated with remarkable fidelity and
practice at the inanimate birds is considered
Just a. good for the marksn,an though he
were enOOtln1 al live plSeO- S. A great many
clubs use the artificial birds exclusively. the
most prominent in the east being the German
gun club of New York and the Southside club
OF Newark, NJ. The favorite birds are the
Ligowsky clay pigeon, with clay tongue: 1.-The
bat" which NAV be thrown from a clay pigeon
trap or regular bat trap; the American clay
bird, which is exceedingly hard to hit. but
when hit is easily broken. and the Standard
and Keystone. both of which are fac SMILES of
the blue rock pigeon One of the birds FORM
erly used had paper tongue. but II was found
that IN wet weather this would become limp
and refuse to work. The most reliable have a
clay or wooden tongue. The best clay
pigeons, when bought in quantities for the use
of clubs, cost al out cents each.
COST OF BIRDS.
From pecuniary standpoint il is a very DIFF
ferent thing when live birds are used. In the
season pigeons cost about % cents apiece but
in winter the price runs up to go cents and
even higher. In some recent big matches
the birds cost an average Of 81 apiece
and in q match between DIR. Knapp and
Maj Floyd Jones not long ago several hun
dred birds were killed costing dollar each
The pigeons for these contests came from diff
ferent parts of the country, but the best are
from Baltimore, where the famous blue rock
breed Is raised. The blue rock is a small bird.
hard. nrm and heavy for its size. A great
many gunners who have not had much expe-
rience in live-bird shooting make the mistake
that they are the strongest and the fastest flyers
Experts however, will pick out the small firm
bird, as they know by experience that they
will hy faster and are in every way better
suited for the traps.
MUCH DEPENDS on THE WEATHER.
In shooting either at live or artificial birds a
good deal depends upon the weather. Windy
weather has an effect both on the flight of the
live birds and the artificial ones. If the day be
hard AND cold and pretty windy the live birds
get up wilder and tine clay ones naturally sail
faster with the wind. All matches at artificial
birds are shot from three or five traps set level,
i've yards apart, IN the segament OF a circle or
In a straight line and numbered consecutivplv
These traps should throw the birds from 40 to
90 wards. The puler stands 6 feet behind the
shooter and pulls at the latter's command IL
lie pulls too carly the marksman can refuse the
bird and he IL then entitled 10 another. In
single bird shooting the rise is regulated ac-
corhng to the gun used and runs from IS 10
is Yards: IN dOGbles II Is from IL TO 10 yards.
With singles one barrel only is loaded at a
tina.