The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-05
THE GUN.
Inanlmate Target Association Tour
nament-Ducksa and Quail.

SAAS SPNA1 cSoSOlig WnlS1 MiiA OC = dOoOoyy
the 18th inst
OF course, the old story is again being
told Of the numbers of birds that have
been seen everywhere and the great sea-
sons sport that is promised lovers of the
chase. This may be true to a certain ex-
tent, but somehow these large bevies OF
quail invariably disappear when the shoot
ing season opens, and NOBODY can youch-
safe-not even a Fish Commissioner
an opinion as to where they had taken
wings or If poachers got in on them a few
days ahead of the lawful time for grassing
feathers.
There can be no gainsaying, however,
OF an increase in the wild-duck family this
season, but it can be safely said that very
few birds will remain on preserved terri
tory when the heavy rains put in an APP
pearance. There is too much open ground
under cultivation in the southern portion
OF the State now which offers excellent
Inducements TO the quackers to spend
few months In rest and peace.
The Suisun marshes will be the objective
point OF many duck-shooters this winter.
Birds are plentiful, and game-keepers are
said to be more numerous than ever. The
first week of the shooting season is ex
pected to introduce many surprises to
men and birds. The many sportsmen of
Solano County are anxiously awaiting the
result of the trial of the men who were re-
stricted from shooting on the Cordelia
Club grounds last season. The case will
come up before Judge Buckles in the Su-
perior Court of Fairfield on Monday next.
Tomorrow the clubs represented in
what is known as the Inanimate Target
Association of California will assemble at
the Oakland racetrack, and the cracking
of guns and the smashing of clays will be
the order of the day. sport.men from San
Jose, Santa Cruz, Stockton, Sacramento,
Visalia and many other towns in the State
will be on the ground. and it goes without
saying that the team which will retire on
Monday evening-the final day of the
commemorative the palm Of victory will
be thoroughly entitled to all the praise
that sportsmen can bestow upon success
full competitor.
The sum of $50 will be awarded to the
sportsmen, making the four highest aver:
ages for all events, exclusive of team and
handicap events. First average, $40; sec
ond, SIS; third, $40; fourth, IS. Special
prizes will also be given to the shooters
who are in the ties in the associations
medal event and who fail to win a prize.
The association will give a grand dinner
on Monday evening as a fitting termina-
ton of the inaugural shoot OF the COM
bined clubs represented. The headquarters
of the sportsmen while sojourning in this
City will be the Occidental Hotel. This
afternoon several visiting sporting and
local target-smashers will hold a practice
shoot at the Oakland track.
AS trap-shooting is becoming a very
popular pastime among sportsmen, the
desire of some OF the crack shots to scoop
up everything in the way of purses viii
tend to kill the sport, as the men who pay
the piper must tire OF putting their hands
in their pockets and seeing their silver and
gold pass away into the trousers of the
champion bird-smashers. AS a means of
fair nIaU n all 1,a
Humphrey system is, without any doubt
the fairest and squarest way of dividing
the money in a circuit OF mixed shooters
that has ever been devised, and is also SIM
pie to figure. The only trouble with it is
that no one can make great amount of
money. This does not suit the expert
who wants to win big pot whenever he
gets into tirst place alone. The Pun
phrey system pays for the targets broken,
and fourth or fifth place will never pay
more than first or second, as is often the
case in the system now in use.
The Humphrey system is as follows:
Take, for example, twenty target event,
with entrance at So, targets deducted at the
rare of 2 cents each. Suppose there are
thirty-five entries which leaves sol in the
purse to be divided. Three men break 20
straight, five break 10 out of the 20. four
break Is each and seven break II, making
a total of 246 targets broken by those in
piaNCi aLi aS ttlCIC 10 POI All tHc purse IL
makes each target broken worth 81 cents.
Those who broke 20 straight receive 81 40
each, those in second place 81 cents less, or
81 o. third pays 80 sc and fourth S6 %,
which is more than double the amount
invested.
To figure what the amount would have
been under the old system: With SOL to
be divided the three men in first place
would have divided first money, or 40 per
cent, which would have been $50 40, or
$l2 Is each second would have paid S27 80,
SIS 46 each; third would pay the four men
In the tie 81 55 each, and seven men in for
fourth would draw out 81 30 each. This
pleases the men in for first place, and they
are the only ones that are better winners
than they would have been under the old
plan. While last place paid So % under
Humphreys plan it paid but 81 80 under
the other.
1t Is easy to draw conclusions from these
figures and decide which you prefer The
expert will take his chances on big win
ming every time. Even If he shoots for two
days and does not win pot alone, he will
hang on to the third day in hopes that he
Will ''catch bundle" by himself. In order
to show just how this would have worked
In recent shoot where all the cracks were
present, we will take an event as actually
shot. There was SIS in the purse, which
was guaranteed one, and the five divi-
sions OF money paid the men in the places
as follows: First, 80 so; second, 81 go:
third, So; fourth, 81 %; fifth, 81 so. There
were twenty-eight entries at 81 70 each and
fifteen targets. Under the old plan fourth
and fifth place paid more than entrance
back, but fifth was evidently taken by one
man alone, and every contestant was in for
money.
This same purse under the Humphrey
equitable" plan would have paid as fol-
lows Gas there were $50 targets broken
and $75 in the purse, it make each target
worth 20 cents, or so near it that we will
use that fgure). lhe nine men for first
would receive S. each, the seven men in
second place 50 30 each, the five men in
third place 50 20 each, the six men in for
fourth 81 40 each and the one man in fifth
place alone 81 20. In this event the Pun
phrey system would have paid the men in
first, second and fourth places better than
under the old plan, but the one who took
fifth money alone would have been the
kicker, as he would have received over SIS
less money.
HANDBALL.