Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-18
SUGGESTIONS TO SHOOTERS
Pheasants Are Remarkably Plentiful Up in
Garrett County.
Approaching Opening Of the Quail
SeasOn-The Annual Trap Shooting
Tournament In Baltimore.

SEOWn III the approaching uuutiIiS SedSou
by local sportsmen. and many of them
who have allowed their guns to rest until
they have grown rusty are looking forward
to November with much expectation. There
is considerable inquiry regarding the laws
which govern the shooting of game in the
country adjacent to Washington, but owing
to the vexatious complications in which
state and county laws in Maryland and
Virginia are entangled. 1t is almost impos-
ssible to present any detailed information
regarding the regulations that govern par
ticular sections. An important decision was
rendered by the attorney general OF Vir-
ginia last week. The law which passed the
Virginia legislature in January, 1886, for
bidding the shooting of quail and par
tridges for two years was under consider
alton, and the attorney general decided
that the provisions of 1t prohibited the
shooting of pheaSants for the same period.
Consequently there will be little shooting in
Virginia, except in counties where rabbits
and squirrels may be killed. and few wing
shots care anything for this sort of sport.
The adoption of the close season of two
years, however. will assure splendid sport
next year in Virginia, as there are numer-
Gus coveys of quail and punches of pheaS-
ants reported throughout the state, and
these birds will be enabled to live without
human interference this winter and will
undoubtedly increase their species abund-
antiy. AS proof of this. certainly the con-
land where the season for quail and
pheasants has already opened may be
cited.
At the January session. 1896 the legis-
iature of Maryland passed a local law for
Garrett county, prohibiting the shooting of
pheasants in the county between the date
of the passage Of the law and the list day
of October, 1897. By reason of the fact
that no pheasants were destroyed in the
fall of 1896. they are very numerous now,
and hunters are having great sport. Sports
men from Baltimore, Washington, Pitts
burg, Cincinnati and other cities go there
for pheasant shooting in October and No
vember. A number of the natives make a
business of shooting the birds for market
during the season, and many of them make
good wages while they enjoy the sport
These birds have usually sold in Oakland
for shipment at fifty cents apiece. and
started in at that price at the beginning of
the present season. but the price is much
lower .iow. The warm weather thus far
has ruined the market, and the prices be-
ing paid are from fifteen to thirty-five
cents. James Painter, local sportsman
has shot seventeen pheasants within the
past ten days inside the corporate limits of
Oakland.
Wild turkeys are very numerous also in
Garrett, and in soEie localities farmers
complain that they have almost destroyed
the buckwheat crop.
The quail season is also open now in Car
roll county and birds are plentiful. In the
remainder of Maryland the quail season
opens November l and continues until De-
cember "A. Birds are plentiful in all di-
rections. a. :
1t would be well for persons unfamiliar
with the county laws of Maryland. who
may desire to seek sport IN that state to
write to the county clerk of each county at
the county seat and make inquiries about
| the regulations governing shooting by nom
residents. In the southern tier of Mary
| land counties there are local laws which
| are to be vigorously enforced. compelling
| the securing of licenses to shoot by nom
| residents and providing other rules to be
| followed.
| Great interest is being taken by wing and
| trap shots in the forthcoming annual tour
| nament of the Baltimore Shooting AsSo-
| citation, which will occupy four days next
week, commencing October 10 and closing
| October %. The great Maryland handicap
! will be shot Friday. Both live birds and
! targets will be shot at during the meet
are expected to be present, including Fred
| erick Van Dyke of New Haven, E. d. Full
| ford of Utica, N. Y; Captain John X.
Brewer of New York. Edward Banks OF
port, William " Hollowell of Philadelphia.
| o. r. Dickey of Boston. Frank Mayhem
of Utica, ]. D. Pentz of New York, Bertram
w. Claridge. the former champion of Bal
Phil. DAILY and six others from Long
| Branch; Fred. Hoey and the Patten
! brothers of Long Branch, Robert Welsh and
George Finietter of Philadelphia. Fred. Gill
| bert of Spirit Lake, Iowa, who won the
| Dupont trophy in Baltimore in 1895, and
| lately defeated Captain Elliott: Jack Fam
| ming of California. T. Kellar of Cincinnati.
Frank Glass of Plainfield. N. j.: Andy Jeve-
| lin and Fred. Erb of New Jersey, S. Glover
of Rochester. N. Y. Captain Money of New
| Jersey, William Tell Mitchell of Virginia
! Colonel Anthony of Charlotte, N c.; two
! dark horses from Portsmouth, Va; Captain
| Dreamer of Norfolk, Va; j. M. Pentz of
Harpers Ferry, VIM. Summerson of Staun-
| ton, Va: B. F. Smith and Edward Hobbs
| of Frederick Md: Noah Walker of Ar
! lngton Md: William Wagner of Wash
| ington and other equally expert trapsters