The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-11
THEIR AIM IS TRUE
The Small Boys About Minneapolis
Slaughter Song Birds and squir-
rels by Thousands.
Killing for Killings Sake" Is the
Motto Of These Youthful
Nimrods.

With the abundance of prairie chickens.
quail, and other game only a short dis
lance from the city limits, it seems
strange that anyone should be tempted to
wage war upon such small game as squir-
rels or song birds. Yet every Sunday, it
is asserted by citizens who seek recreation
in the country on that day, thousands of
red and gray squirrels, robins, meadow
larks and other birds are slaughtered
within a few miles Of Minneapolis.
The small boy. whose chief delight in
life has ever been firearm, is responsible
for most of this destruction. It is only
natural that he should turn his attention
the way he does, and perhaps he should
not be judged too severely. The young
ster Of 10 or - years can hardly be ex-
pected to have the finer feelings Of the
adult. He does not appreciate the ethics
which leads the older sportsmen to shoot
only those birds and animals whose
slaughter demands certain amount of
skill upon the part Of the hunter. His
pleasure is in killing for the sake of kill
ing merely. Lacking the skill to hit a
bird upon the wing, the boy goes in quest
| of song birds and squirrels, or other ami
mails which afford a stationary target.
So every Sunday the fields about Mime
apolis are filed with these youthful
sportsmen, who, armed with rife or shot
gun, make war upon the squirrels. It re-
| quires little experience to make even a
boy of II a fair shot where a stationary
mark is concerned, and most Of these
| youngsters bring in half dozen or a
| dozen squirrels or birds each.
Il wish some provision could be taken
| to prevent this wholesale slaughter" said
| a cyclist this week. Last Sunday after
| noon, as I was returning from trip to
Minnetonka, I saw more than a dozen
| boys, ranging in age from II to 16 or Is,
| going home with half dozen or dozen
| ir6 efS
| and red ones were about evenly divided
| in the result of the days shoot. I asked
one boy what he intended to do with his
bag. oh. give it to the cat, I guess
| he answered carelessly.
i THAT shows the spirit Of these boys.
They kill simply for the sport of killing,
I don't know that they are to be blamed
| so much for they are only following the
natural instincts Of youth. When I was
| a kid my idea of sport was just the same.
I was never so happy as when 1 had a gun
in my hands, and had no chivalrous no
lions about giving the game chance foc
it's life. I never thought Of shooting at a
bird on the wing. I waited until it lit on
a tree or in the field, and then I got as
close as I could before firing. But used
to justify myself on the ground that tho
birds would furnish dinner for the fam
lily.
MY appetite was more catholic than it
is now. 1 drew the line at HOlnlIlS OUT
crow. Robins. blackbirds, meadow larks.
and even woodpeckers-I ate them all and
enjoyed them, too. Our neighborl on one
side kept a large flock Of pigeons. and we
used to enjoy those too-that is when I
could catch them far enough from home.
} But to get back to 1902 wish the
: boys Of to-day might be taught to refrain
from killing for killings sake. There Is
good chance for the Audubon society to
get in its work here. Besides the slaugh :
ter of the birds and squirrels, there is a
} real danger to human life in letting lot
of careless boys, armed with shotguns and
| rifles loose upon the fieIdS''