Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-11-02
QUAIL SEASON
OPENS TODAY
MANY LOCAL sPoRTsMEN SPENT
SUNDAY GETTING GUNS in
SHAPE FOR HUNTING TRIP.
BIRDS PLEN TIFUL
Shooting Allowed Until December is;
Jack Snipes Are Scarce-Bref
Review of Iowa Game
Laws.

While yesterday was the Sabbath
and everyone should have attended
church, there wcs large number Of
Ottumwans who took advantage If
their weekly vacation day to clean
their guns for the quail season opened
today.
All nimrods should have a hunters
license, as one going hunting without
the necessary article is liable to pros
ecution. Hunters should also rernem-
Der that the license does not give
them permission to shoot on the prem
lses of farmers who object to hunting
on their lands.
Quail are plentiful. They have had
an unusual opportunity to multiply.
There were no severe storms during
Matching time, and the little hens wore
allowed to rear big families. The alb
sence of storms during Matching time
also helped the ducks in rearing their
young, and then there was no great
rise OF water in the rivers and creeks.
and duck Matching was little molested
| Serious lovers of the sport say that
the quail will be slaughtered by the
wholesale next week as the birds are
still comparatively tame and especial.
( ly the young birds have not been
frightened by the hunter and his dog
and have still to learn how to escane
the enemy. These serious lovers of
| field sport do not intend to hunt quail
until at least week after the season
opens, as there Is no sport in slaugh.
| tering the quail when they are SO
| plentiful and are still quite tame.
Quail shooting will be allowed only
during the month of November and up
to December Is, which is rather
short period, but the law must be en-
forced If the birds are to be saved
from elimination. All hunters who
take the sport seriously agree with
this law and try their best to help
enforce 1t, and it may be fairly stated
that the game laws are less trans.
crossed now than formerly
Jack snipe Scarce.
The jack-snipe offers some sport to
the nimrods of Ottumwa, but he is
hard bird to kill Not that mis-
| flight Is too quick, but he changes his
time of coming and when he comes ne
remains on the neighboring ponds for
but a day or at most two, and few
hunters are usually aware of his pres
ence. The farmer who discovers that
the bird is here, usually keeps the
information for himself and his neigh
| bors, and the sportsmen fail to get a
shot at the jack-snipe.
| The pheasant, ruffed grouse, and
wild turkey have been eliminated IN
the fields and woods around Ottumwn.
The pheasant can well take care OF
himself, for none but the quick marks
man can shoot Lin, and the average
hunter has had little or no experience
in hunting this bird The bigger gan. e
like fox and wolf is also almost a
thing Of the past, and the fortunate
hunter who happens to kill one ct
these animals-which still happens in
Iowa-is considered hero.
Following is the brief Of the Iowa
game law:
4 Open Season.
Quail, ruffed grouse or pheasant.
wild turkey, November / to Decem.
Der H.
| Wild duck, goose, plover, sand piper,
marsh or beach birds, September / TO
Api 1.
Pinnated grouse, prairie chicken,
| September / to December /.
\ .Woodcock. July 10 to January 1.