Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-03-07
Spring Duck Shooting Will
Soon Open-Early Flight
Has Already Begun.
SPRING SHOOTING DISCUSSED
Hunters Of Northwestern Iowa Do
Not Like Idea OF Shortening Open
Season For Ducks-Wrestlns Match
At Leon-Market Hunter Caught
Other Sporting Items.

spring duck shooting, and already the
forerunners of the migration have
started on their northern journey.
Several small flocks have been sighted
in the central part of the state, and II
the present weather conditions contin-
ue for a few days longer the flight will
be on in earnest. Iowans, especially
those who are fortunate enough to live
in the northern counties, should have
most excellent sport this spring, with
the lowlands, swamps and grain fields
of that section still partially under
water, from the rains of last year and
the snow of the past winter, the sport
should be even better than it was last
fall.
The statement made in this column
last week to the effect that the duck
season should close with the fall shoot
ing, and that there should be no open
season in the spring, has brought Il re-
from duck hunters In
Iowa. The protest is
made on the grounds that the spring
sportsmen enjoy. as owing to the lack
of water in the fall the larger part
of the flight passes to the west follow
ing the valley of the Missouri river. 1t
is also said that every gun club in that
section of the state would oppose an
Of this kind to the present
game laws.
The communication referred to, adds
to it's plea for spring shooting, that
on account of Iowa not being nesting
place for the fowls, that so far as d.
their numbers is concerned.
the spring shooting does no more SO
than during the fall flight. Minnesota,
it goes on to state, has such a law but
this is due to the fact that the water
fowl in vast numbers breed and raise
their young in that state. Granting
that the larger portion of the state
ments given above are correct there
are broader reasons which should APP
peal to the true sportsmen why the
open season should be shortened. and
preferable during the spring months.
Admitting that the best shooting
Iowa sportsmen enjoy is had in the
spring, is necessarily admitting that
the largest number of fowls killed is
during rf1v: season. 1t Is a fact not only
true of the fall but also of the spring,
that the greater portion of the MI
grafton no longer passes over this
state but far to the west, and every
year 1t is being pressed
still farther westward over the states
Of Nebraska, Kansas and the Dakotas
Does any true sportsman believe that
this has been brought about because
Of the lack of flooded lowlands during
the season of migration? Is it not more
likely due to the fact that the birds
have searched out the route along
which tl.ev may fly where they will be
molested the least.
either in the spring or fall-along the
valley, runs gauntlet dur
ing it's entire flight, of a continual fusi-
lade of firearms. and Iowa being one of
those deadly places. instinct has taught
them to shun it. AS a consequence they
have gone farther to the west. in their
annual migration, where the country IS
more sparsly settled and hunters are
less numerous. Fifteen years ago all
most any locality in Iowa furnished
good duck shooting in season, and dur
ing the flight thousands upon thousands
over the state. Each year the
birds that flew over Iowa have dimin-
ished in number until now the flight is
but a small per cent of what it was for
merly.
The one great cause of this is the re-
lnorseless hunting of these birds in the
spring, when they stopped here in vast
numbers and thousands We're killed.
The same thing has been going on in
other states, so that Iowa need not feel
she is the only offender. If sefishness
is to rule the soul of the sportsman
and he only desires to retain that por-
ton of the year when the birds are the
most numerous and the slaughter is the
the spring, the duck will go
with the prairie chicken. and the time
will come when the sport will be prac-
tically unknown. But if he desires that
the waterfowl be preserved, portion of
the season should be closed by law.
Iowa can not accomplish this alone,
however, without the aid OF states over
which the birds migrate and in which
duck shooting is allowed in the spring.
George WAGNER a farm hand at Og-
den. was recently arrested by the state
game warden for shipping prairie chick
ems to Chicago out of season 1t cost
him $50 in the local courts. 1t should
have cost him at least six months
i'm the county Jail. This sort of thing
is going on all over Iowa. but 1t is only
now and then that the rascals are
Is it any wonder chicken shoot
ing is so poor in Iowa?
James H. Alldrdge. of eLon, who
claims the title of champion heavy |
weight wrestler for Iowa, and the mid
die west and Jack McCardill. of Mime
apolis, will meet in a three best in five
two points down wrestling match at
Leon on Saturday night. Alldridge has
been in faithful training and intends to
give his man a run for his money
Corbett and Jeffries, after chewing
each others names thru the columns of
the newspapers have at last gotten to-
gether and will clash with each other
for twenty rounds some time during
July or August. The contest is sche-
duled to take place in California, prob
ably in San Francisco. and the winner
is to receive IS cent and the loser 20.
Another international cup contest is
assured for next summer thru the an