The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-14
guests of Mr.. and Mrs. Mccready. have
"a
SHOOTING PRAIRIE CHICKEN.
Rare Sport with Shotgun for
westerners.


American Field.
To-day. 1t may be said. emphatically. the
chicken shooting in this country is con-
fined TO four or five States west OF the
Mississippi river, notably the two Dako-
tas. Iowa and central and southern Mime
sofa. In the Eastern and Middle States few.
II any, specimens survive. In Ohio are 10
be found, in some sections, few struggling
coveys. More pinnate grouse will be seen
the north in southern Michigan and south
ern Wisconsin, few coveys may be noted
upon the prairie lands. and farther west,
in Missouri. Arkansas, Oklahoma and the
Indian territory, and southern Louisiana
and Texas, the birds may be found in
greater or less abundance but not as they
once were seen farther east, say, in Il
linois.
Although the defamation of the species
has been checked in some States through
the enforcement OF protective enactments,
slightly I'm numbers. the past history of the
prairie chicken in many States wherein
the birds were once abundant should not
creased With asrmp wn1e hey aa nS %
do so until. In time, they will be practically
extinct unless rigid legislation shall be
accompanied by liberal appropriations of
States funds for the actual enforcement
of the laws. Otherwise, IL will be but a
matter of time ere the favorite game bird
of many American sportsmen will become
less American bison.
Prairie chicken shooting is regarded by
many sportsmen as the finest upland shoot
ing to be had. and that it is great sport
when birds are plentiful no one will at
tempt to gainsay. However there are sew
eral reasons why men enjoy prairie chicken
shooting better than duck, snipe or quail
shooting.
Already there are hundreds of nonresi-
dents in Minnesota and the Dakotas wait
ing for the morning of Sept. to dawn. so
ana the trains edn whcR will ai so into those
States up to to-day-the opening date-have
carried twice as many as have already
gone: Add to this number the men who re-
side in those States who will be in the fields
before sunrise on the morning of Sept. /
in order to get their proportion Of the young
birds, and the reader will have something
| of an idea of the army OF shooters that Will
| be seen in those States during the next
week or two. And the number this season is
| no larger than ii has been for the last ten
| years.
Prairie chicken hunting is particularly
pleasant because one has such an excellent
| opportunity for observing the work of his
! dog or dogs, and also because If his dogs
are accustomed to hunting chickens and
broken to quarter the ground well, he can
| hunt large field by walking almost d.
rectly through it on a straight line-unless
| his dogs find birds-which saves a great
deal of walking and enables him to go
| much farther in day without being tired
than If he is following dogs which do
| not thoroughly understand their business,
and which he has to follow closely in order
| to work the field out thoroughly.
The season for shooting prairie chicken
| opens I'M Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Mime
sofa and the two Dakotas this morning
| and by sunrise on that day there will not
| be less than 1000 sportsmen in the fields
with their dogs and guns, but If each one
| of these men, and others who will follow
them later on, will be moderate in his de-
| mand upon the birds, there will be shoot
! ing enough for all and birds enough left at
| the close of the open season this year to re-
plenish their numbers and give good shoot
ing another year, and perhaps even until
most of us who enjoy shooting to-day have
laid aside our guns, bade adieu to our fam
lilies and sportsmen friends, and crossed
| to the other side Of the great divide.