Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-09-06
IOWA SPORTS IALK
The Best OF the Chicken Shoot.
ine-is Past-The Scarcity
OF Birds.
The Amateur Baseball Season
Soon to Close-The Sixteen
Gauge Gun.
brakes Recent Big Winning
brakes Recent Big Winning
Nosbod One III the Coming
Fast Horses.

As was predicted In these Columns
some little time ago, the chicken
shooting has been anything but good,
E.nd what little there WAS is now over.
The first week in most of the localities
of Iowa practically puts an end to the
sport. Many sportsmen, who Travelled
some distance to reach the shooting
grounds, were compelled to give up and
return home after a short, unfruitful
half days hunt. Othels who perse-
vered We're but scantily rewarded for
their labor. This has indeed been a
most disastrous season for chickens
next years crop. 1t is due to the fact
that all the coveys found were small
rot over five or six birds, and as q con-
sequence fully half of the birds killed
We're old ones. Probably as good Shoot
ing as any was found in Winnebaso
county, where a party of four knocked
down thirty-one birds III a forenoons
hunt. Farther west, in Emmett and
Dickinson counties, the hunting was
very poor. and in the next tier of coun-
ties south there were practically no
birds to be found. Everywhere the
lowlands were flooded and the hunter
was compelled to wade in water often
knee deep in order to cross the country.
Young birds by the hundreds must have
rerished in the water during the floods
of the early summer months.
Speaking of chicken shooting calls to
mind a discussion heard recently re-
garding the respective merits of the
twelve and siSteen-gau gun, not only
for chickens, but also FOR ducks and
quail. The writer knows of sports
man, by no means a Ioor shot, who
with a/sixteen- gauge gun brought to
the Stable more than his share of the
chickens that arose within range. His
companions We're shooting the larger
bore gun. There is n lot OF truth in the
held by lovers of the small
bore than its penetration is as hard as
that of the larger gun. The only disad-
vantage, and it is by no means such a
handicap after all is that the small
gun will not throw the number of shot
that the twelve-gauge will carry. This
is a good thing, for the man behind the
gun will soon learn, by shooting one,
that he must hold more nearly on his
bird If he expects to land. For quail
there is no doubt that the little gun is
the one but it is a question with many
whether in a stiff wind the sixteen will
do the business against the more close
ly feathered ducks
With the first week Of September
many of the amateur base ball teams
of the state have disbanded for the
summer. There has been an unusually
large number of good mines in the state.
this season. whose work has been of
the fastest order Fort Dodge has had
Il most excellent team and while. from
a financial standpoint the season has
heen an unsuccessful one to the man
agement, this has been largely due to
bad weather, that has interfered with
the schedule. Probably two OF the best
teams are those that have been repre-
senting the towns of Webster City and
Algona. Both of these aggregations
have been putting up the speediest ar
ticle of ball all summer and while the
latter proved their superiority by de-
feating Webster City in the champion
ship game at Des Moines this week, it
was only by the narrow margin of a
single score. Both teams lost games
figure decidedly small per cent. and the
Victories they have won have brought
before the public thruout the state the
names of the respective towns they
1t is to be hoped by all
the lovers of the national game that
next season will see as many good
teams wearing the uniform as this
summer has brought out.
The stories that are going the rounds
of the press regarding the recent win
nings of John A. Drake, the Iowa horse :
man. are nothing short of marvellous.
There are some, however, in position
to know who claim that they are not
1t is reported that when
his colt Savable won the futurity' at +
Bay, recently, Drake and I
his friends cleaned up something like +
100000. 1t was the largest field in the
history Of the event, as there We're
twenty-four starters. The stake was
worth $4,000 to the winner. Mr.. Drake
is thoroughbred and is game to the {
finish. He has recently offered to match {
his colt Savable against any 2-year-oldi
in training. This challenge has not
gone without takers, however, and Mr..
John r. Madden has accepted in behalf (
Of his Mirthful colt Acefull. 1t is more
than likely that other owners of high I
class 2-year-olds will follow suit If i
they do, q horse race is promised for
sure.
Nosbod, the brown gelding owned by /
w. A. Dodson, of Marion, Iowa, with a
mark of 2:20A. and winner of the 2:4O
trotting stake at the state fair last
and fitted for the Grand Circuit next
year. Nosbod was handled this season /
by the clever Iowa trainer. Ed Allen. {
He was purchased by Mr.. Dobson ear
" in the spring for the New York mar
let. but before he was shipped he
showed such speed that Mr.. Allen pre-
vailed on Mr.. Dobson to retain the
horse and put him in training. which
he decided to do. After a few weeks of
training he made his first start at Cedar
Rapids in June. where he won second
He took first at Marion In July, in
straight heats, and repeated the trick
1T Waterloo shortly afterwards. All.
he broke his sulky in the
first heat and was drawn. He again
started at Marion a few weeks later
md won in three out of five heats. Nos
sod is a great trotter. and in Mr. AL
ems hands should be able next season
,,,aIl ,,r, tn tha front In tha +