The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-03-29
Sporting Events :

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With early spring coming on men,
bers of the Walla Walla gun club are
bestirring themselves and preparing
for the big annual shoot Of the North
western SpOrtsman's association
which will be held in PendletOn in
June From the present outlook there
will congregate at Pendleton this
year the biggest crowd of shooters
ever assembled at a Northwest tour
nament and the PendletOn club is ar
ranging for entertaining at least 125
srortsmen during the four days
shoot
1t is now pretty certain that two
teams will represent the Walla Walla
club at the tournament, and active
practice at the traps will commence
with the first clear weather. Eight
members Of the club held lively
shoot at the club grounds Sunday
morning and for the first shoot of the
John Smails leading with 81 per cent
and H. O. Peck a close second with
be aroused it is the intention of the
Wala Walla club to hold an Inland
ton on,,t of y,1n of
days some time in May in which shoot
ers from Dayton, PomerOy and Pen
dleton will be invited to participate.
Prizes of sufficient value will be put
up to make it worth while for out
side shooters to compete. BY holding
a shoot just prior to the annual tourn-
ament it is figured that young shoot
ers who are contemplating competing
III the big event will gain much expe-
rience and confidence, fitting them
selves to go against the veterans with
out running chances of contracting a
bad case of the rattles at the supreme
moment.
One doesn't have to proclaim the
fact that the fishing season opens Fri
day. 1t is safe to say that for weeks
every disciple of "Old Ike" in Walla
Walla has been anxiously counting the
days for the, to them, happy event.
and rain or shine the streams ada
cent to Walla Walla will likely be lined
with fishermen that day. From present
prospects fishing around Walla Walla
will not be first class for several
weeks. There is several feet of snow
in the mountains and the first warm
days will see the streams flooded with
SHOW water, something that every fish
erman knows means an end to good
fishing for the time being.
Even with unfavorable conditions.
local dealers are already selling much
tackle, and to meet the expected de-
mand have laid in large stocks.
\ few more arrests for viola ton of
the game laws would put an end to the
nefarious practice of fishing out of
season. The average Walla Walla
fisherman is a law abiding citizen,
anxious to see the game laws enforced
and willing to abide by them himself
but there has been a class of market
fishermen whom it seems cannot wait
until the season opens but must sneak
along the unfrequented streams and
rake in everything that smells of fish.
An instance of this was brought to
public notice Saturday when Game
Warden Morse arrested two Walla
Walla boys with the goods" on them.
That they were fined $25 each is some
consolation to laW-abiding sportsmen,
but that does not replace in the
stream the hundreds of small trout the
two have been guilty of taking out of
sea son. If the court before which vi
ClatOrS are brought for punishment
would give every culprit the limit the
aforesaid court would win the ever
lasting gratitude of every true sports
man. EUGENE BERTON.