March 24, 1892.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



289 



THE TRAP CLUBS OF CHICAGO. 



Chicago, 111.— Any story of the trap clubs of this city which 

 claimed a hsolute completeness and accuraoy might perhaps be 

 open to criticism, for Chicago is a large place, and among the 

 many suburban towns tbere may be some local trap organiza- 

 tion which could easily escape notice, or which may have sprung 

 up subsequent to the inquiry, which was instituted some weeks 

 since. The following account is thought to be accurate, and 

 certainly covers the essential features of the Bport as practiced at 

 this point. 



CHICAGO'S OLDEST CLUB. 



Mr, Abner Price, now president of the Illinois State Sportsmen's 

 Association, himself fairly the Nestor of our trap-shooters here, 

 and a man much respected by us all, tells me that the first trap 

 club of Chicago was the old Aodubon Club, long since dead. This 

 takes us back to the times of John D. LeMoyne, R. R. Clark, John 

 Lyon, John Mil ward, Gen. Geo. Strong, and others whose names 

 we do not now see in the shooting pages. Of course, too, those 

 were the days of wild pigeons and plunge traps. 



THE PRAIRIE GtTN CLUB. 



Famous in its day and generation was the old Prairie Gun Club, 

 It was autocratic. Its sway was felt over the entire region here- 

 about. This was the crystallization of the trap-shooting idea 

 here. The Prairie Club formulated a code of rules for itself. In 

 the last edition before the present one lately iBHued by Forest 

 ani? Stream of Ca.pt. Bogardus's book, "Field, Cover and Trap 

 Shooting," tbe old Prairie Gun Club rules still stood in print, a 

 monument of the past, standing over the grave of the club itself. 



THE KINNICOTT CLUB. 



Nest in sequence, so my informant tells me, was the old Kinni- 

 cott or Kennicott Club, named after the ornithologist of that 

 name who dwelt at Kinnieott's Grove. Here we are still in the 

 sea of oblivion, but certainly still in the days of plunge traps. 



THE AUDUBON CLUB, 



The present Audubon Club is the oldest existing club in Chicago. 

 It was made up of the remnants of the Prairie and Kinnicott 

 clubs. Still the days of plunge traps, but after that all the 

 modern improvements and developments in live bird shooting. 

 Tbe Audubon is essentially a live bird club. When this club fails 

 to enter a team in the regular great annual shoot of the State 

 Association, there shall sad days have befallen. Go to the Audu- 

 bon for your old timers, and select one, and expect confidently to 

 see the art with all its courtesies in full illustration. The officers 

 of the Audubon Club are president, Chas. Kern; Secretary, VV. L. 

 Shepard. 



The CI lib shoots fall on Wednesdays and are held at the old Chi- 

 cago arounds, Watson's Park, now located at Burnside, on the 

 Illinois Central Railway. At these grounds the great bulk of the 

 Jive bird shooting of this city is done. The veteran owner and 

 manager of these grounds, John Watson, is a man who under- 

 stands the art of keeping and handling birds. He has far more 

 than a local reputation, and deserves it. So far as known, Mr, 

 Watson's portrait has never appeared, and it is a pleasure to send 

 in a good photograph of his rugged Scotch features, obtained after 

 some demur. Clubs may come and go, but John Watson turn isbes 

 birds for them all, has done so immemorially, and I doubt not 

 always will. It is believed that the class of birds shot at John 

 TV' at son's traps is exceptionally hard. 



THE GUN CLUB. 



We may now abandon historical sequence, and indeed, foisake 

 grade of prominence in the arrangement of our clubs. Usually at. 

 the annual tournament you will see a spacious tent bearing' the 

 bourgeon, "The Gun Club." Within you will find hospitality 

 and will meet sportsmen. You will be glad you have seen this 

 tent. The brief facts about this goodly organization may be seen 

 as follows in the reply to query of The club president. Mr. F. C. 

 Dor aid. vice-chairman of the Central Traffic Association: 



"Appreciating the earnest, aggressive, and highly successful 

 efforts toward enhancing and broadening the already capable 

 efforts of our paper, the Forest and Stream, I beg to give you 

 the information you request relative to the Gun Club, which is, 

 briefly, as follows: Your humbl6 servant is its piosiding officer. 

 Mr. F. H. Lordia its Vice-President; Mr. C. E. WiJlard is its 

 •Secretary. The Executive Committee consists of Mr. C. E. Bur- 

 ton. Mr, Frank Place, and Mr. W. L. Shepherd. 



"For thfi current year its contests have been regularly held on 

 the first Thursday and last Saturday of each calender month. 

 1 he meetings have been well attended and have taken place, at 

 Watson's Park, Burnside, the trophies in jeopardy— not the pig- 

 eons— being the conventional live bird, ground trap and bluerock 

 medals. The membership is limited to sixty, and at the annual 

 meeting of January, if my recollection serves me correctly, there 

 weralforty-three members in good standing.— F. C. Donlad." 



THE CHICAGO SHOOTING CLUB. 



Auother good body of shooters, and one whose tea,m has more 

 than once won the annual club team championship of the State. 

 Mr. R. B. Organ is a leading member in this club, and is sure it, 

 can beat the world, if not more. Among the 25 men, to whicn t he 

 membership is confined there will always be. found a good number 

 of good shooters. This club shoots the first Friday and third 

 Tuesday of each month from October until March, and on the 

 third Tuesday .of each month from June till September. Its 

 ground is Watson's Park. The club's president is Mr. R. B. Organ, 

 when he wins the medal, R. B. Wadsworth, when he doesn't. 

 Secretary, Mr. John Matter. 



EORT DEARBORN CLUB. 



This is a young club, but one which has drawn its membership 

 from among the best shooters of the city. Its success has been 

 very rapid and pronounced, and it is a goodlv factor in shooting 

 matters. The membership was lately increased to 40. The club 

 shoots at Watson's Park, the first Thursday of each month. Mr. 

 H. D. Nicholls is president. Mr. C. K. Herrick secretary. This 

 club won the State club team championship in its first year, 189i. 



WASHINGTON PARK CLUB. 



This organization is much like the more exclusive private clubs 

 of the East. The Washington Park Club proper is a racing asso- 

 ciation with a large membership. Some of the members, perhaps 

 SO or 40 in all, or half that will cover the more earnest, love a gun 

 as well as a horse, and shoot pigeons when they feel so disposed 

 Some pretty stiff wagers are made here on some pretty stiff little 

 races, 'ihe regular cup day is Saturday. The holder of the cup 

 is subject to challenge and must defend his trophy forthwith 

 There is no regular shooting club organization. 



THE PRAIRIE GUN CLUB. 



This is not the old Prairie Gun Club, but the new Prairie Gun 

 Club. The Hofmann family is near the throne in this club. A. 

 M. Hofmann is the present president, Mr. H. B. Meyers secre- 

 tary. The club shoots the second Thursday of each month at 

 Watson's Park, and it has some good shooters, 25 of them. 



THE FORESTER GUN CLUB. 



Another name familiar to the inspector of the annals of the 

 State tournament. Mr. Abner Price is president, and the club 

 secretary is Mr. John Gillespie, our old friend, who has for so 

 many weary months been the victim of paralysis and confined to 

 a narrower circle than was once his wont. The club dav is the 

 first Saturday of each month, and the grounds are at. Watson's 

 Park. 



LAKE COUNTT ROD AND GUN CLUB. 



Another fixture for the tournament. In this club we get away 

 i ram Chicasro further, for the club grounds are located at Liver- 

 pool, Ind. All trap shooting is done at Burnside, 



SOUTH CHICAGO QUN CLUB. 



There is usually a pretty good line of Willards in this club. The 

 president is Mr. L. C. Willard, secretary, Mr. E. I. Reeves: cap- 

 tain, Mr F. E. Willard. The club shoots at Watson's Park the 

 second W ednesday of each month. There are only about a dozen 

 members uow. Ihis club is always heard from at tournament 

 time. It is often called the "Yellowleg Club," because of their 

 dwelling near and hunting much on the marsh country below the 

 town: but the South Chicago hoys shoot well and can afford to 

 laugh at this nickname. 



PULLMAN GUN CLUB. 



There are thirty-seven members of this club, close neighbors of 

 the bouth Chicago, and the club is one of the regulars also The 

 president of the. club is Mr. C. Schleeth; secretary, T. W Wal- 

 pole: captain, Mr. W. Dallyn. The shooting davs are the first 

 and tnud Saturdays of each month, and the grounds are at 107th 

 street, in the thrifty village of Pullman. During the winter 

 there are no regular shoots, the club missing the hard winter bird 

 practice. The club shoots live birds at Burnside. 



EUREKA GUN CLUB. 



The foregoing clubs are all "South Side" clubs, or shoot on 

 grounds to the south of the city. Practically all of the live bird 

 shooting done by these clubs is done at Watson's Park, and with 

 those which do shoot at Watson's Park the live bird is the favor- 

 ite target, Bithoujfh nearly all of the elubs have a medal for 

 jnanimates m well gs live birds, We shall presently pom? i 



clubs which divide favor between the live bird and inanimate 

 shooting. One of these is the Eureka, also a South Side Club, 

 though not on the Illinois Central road, as are all of the forego- 

 ing. Eureka Club grounds are at Tracy and Western avenues, 

 six miles or so west of Burnside. The club shoots on Saturdays 

 and holidays. Mr, W. H. Fprguson is president. Mr. John T. 

 Glover secretary and Mr. A. J. Atwater captain. This is a young 

 and vigorous club. 



BLUE ISLAND GUN CLUB. 



Blue Island is a suburb a few miles further out on the Rock 

 Island road than Tracy and Morgan Park, which villages hold 

 much of the membership of this and the Eureka Club. Tbe Blue 

 Island is an old club of more or less intermittent activity, but 

 Br'er George Airey always manages to shuck a team out when 

 called on, and the club has done yeoman service both at targets 

 and birds. 



LAKE GEORGE CLUB. 



This formerly vigorous club was located in the sand hill coun- 

 try on the south, whence the growth of the city drove it. It is 

 now, in its shattered condition, looking for new grounds, it will 

 practically reorganize and settle at Fourth Lake, in the Fox Lake 

 district, where its members have held some pleasant shoots, as 

 mentioned heretofore. Such a shoot occurred on Washington's 

 Birthday. Mr. J. W. Sheahan is president of the club, Mr. J. S. 

 Orvis Secretary. 



AUSTIN GUN CLUB. 



Another suburban. There are several well-known shooters who 

 live at Austin, for instance Mr. G. M. Davis, Mr. W. W. McFar- 

 land, Mr. C. D. Gammon, and others. There are 14 of these iu the 

 little trap society which shoots at Austin, on the C. & N. W. Rv. 

 The President is Mr. F, Canfleld: Secretary, Mr. R. A.Traill: 

 Captain, Mr. G. M. Davis, The shooting is on the second Tuesday 

 ot each mouth. 



GARFIELD CLUB, 



You take the cable cars on West Madison street, go to the end 

 of the line, transfer to the electric car line, and a few minutes' 

 run brings you to the wide, op°n strip of prairie, not yet inclosed, 

 out near Garfield Race Track, whereon stands the snug shooting 

 quarters of the Garfield Club, a very healthy and pleasant organ- 



1 Mr. Johx Watson* 



ization of trap shooters, about 50 strong. These shoot Saturdays 

 and holidays, at live birds and targets. Our city game warden, 

 Mr. M. R. Borfree, belongs to this club, and so does Mr. F. S. 

 Baird, attorney, known in protective matters also. The President 

 of ihe club is Mr. M. R. Bortree; Secretary, Mr. J. W. Meek; 

 Captain, Mr. S. Palmer. 



WEST CHICAGO CLUB. 



Within sight of the Garfield Club grounds is the shooting box of 

 the West Chicago Club, an organization much similar in many- 

 ways. These grouuds are at 49th and Harri«nu streets. This club 

 is sometimes erroneously spoken of as the "W=st End" Club. Its 

 President is Mr. A. E. Pugh; Secretary, Mr. W. L. Stevens; Cap- 

 tain, Mr. E. Green. The days of shooting are the first Thursday 

 and third Saturday of each month. The medal shoots are held on 

 the third Saturdays, 



DOUGLAS GUN CLUB. 



In sight also of both the two preceding clubs is the box of the 

 Douglas Gun Club, again of similar in tents, purposesand practices. 

 This club was formerly known as the Acme Gun Club, but at the 

 annual meeting, held Dec. 28, it was decided to change that name 

 to the above. The shooting days of this club are special and not 

 regular. President, Mr. E, Hart; Secretary, Mr. John Sherman. 

 Mr. M. J. Eich is a prominent factor in this club. 



NORTH END GUN CLUB. 



If you are not afraid of death, and have nerve to tackle one ot 

 Mr. Yerkes's cars, bound Clybourne avenue way, you can get oil 

 at Larrabee street and step to Mr. Chas. Burmeister's undertak- 

 ing establishment, located near the cable line. Mr. Burmeister 

 will be away attending to a funeral, but you can go a few steps 

 more, to Mr. Louis Warneke's place, and there you can learn all 

 about the North End Club. The grounds of this club are inside 

 the city limit, on the Kimball vacant tract, at Fullertonand Kim- 

 ball avenues. Shooting is on the first and third Saturday of each 

 month, beginning with the first Saturday in May. The North End 

 Club also has grounds on its game preserve of 240 acres, located on 

 the Kankakee, near De Motte. Ind., opposite the famous Grape 

 Island of tbe Kankakee, where the large wild grapes are found. 

 The club house on this tract is two stories, seven rooms, comfort- 

 able: There is trap-shooting here also. The club limit is 25, 20 

 members now. The officers are: President. Mr. Louis Warneke; 

 Secretary, Mr. E. Schwiecker; Treasurer, Mr. A. Kurtz: Board of 

 Directors -Messrs. Al Baldwin, F. fleimberg, Chas. Calnet. 



EVANSTON GUN CLUB. 



Still further north, across the dangerous flood of the Chicago 

 River, iu the emotionally virtuous suburb of Evanston, is the 

 Evanston Gun Club, which shoots right along, and has done so for 

 fourteen years. Mr. Geo. W. Franklin is president of thisciub, 

 Mr. Geo. Peterson secretary. The regular day is the second Wed 

 nesday of each month. There are 23 members at this da»e. Live 

 birds preferred. The grounds are on the prairie just west of 

 Evanston, 



PRAIRIE CLUB OF EVANSTON. 



Near by the above club's traps is the box of the Prairie Club of 

 Evanston, which is not the old Prairie Gun Club, nor the new 

 Prairie Gun Club, but the Prairie Club of Evauston. This organi- 

 sation does not shoot so regularly as it might, but has done good 

 work at live birds. It entered a team in last June's tournament, 

 and it is to be hoped it will do eo for this year's tournament. 

 3J. W. GUN CLUB, OF IRVING PARK. 



This is a thriving little suburban shooting club, whose incline, 

 item is for summer days more eBpeoiajly, T his. cjub fronts each I 



Saturday afternoon during July, August and September. The 

 present president is Mr. S, S. Kimbeli: secretary, Mr. H. E. Tur- 

 ner; captain, Mr. J. Jefferson. The grounds are at Avondale. 

 Targets mostly. 



JEFFERSON PABK CLUB. 



A small club, new, targets chiefly, no regular days. 



DAVELOCK GUN CLUB. 



Now practically out of existence. Formerly shot at Ravens- 

 wood. 



The foregoing clubs are trap clubs only, except the duck 

 shooting Lake County Gun Club, and barring Lake George 

 Club, which previous to its eviction was a trap club practically, 

 the duck shooting haying been injured so much. We shall not, 

 however, have closed the full field of trap-shooting around 

 Chicago unless we look into the great shooting elubs which own 

 tracts of land for game shooting purposes. At the club houses in 

 Indiana, and about Fox Lake and elsewhere, live bird and target 

 traps have come to be fixtures. This is the most pointed com- 

 mentary possible as to the status of duck shooting, and as to the 

 probable trend in practice of the man who wants to shoot a 

 shotgun. 



TOLLESTON CLUB. 



This club is too often mentioned to need comment. At the 

 grounds are live bird and target traps, the former more used. 

 On special days and holidays the live bird shooting here is very 

 spirited. Mr. F. A. Howe is president and Mr. S. P. Brown 

 secretary. 



MAK-SAW-BA CLUB. 



Mak-saw-ba club is nearly always worrying over some live bird 

 or target medal, a pair of opera glasses, a suit, of shooting clothes 

 or something of the kind. This mainly in the winter, on Satur- 

 days and holidays. Some very good birds go down here at times. 

 Mr. T. Benton Leiter, president; Mr. C. S. Petrie, secretary. 



CUMBERLAND CLUB. 



Cumberland Lodge has been the scene of many a hard-fought 

 battle at the traps, live bird and artificial. The grounds are 

 phasant, the location delightful all around. Saturday s and holi- 

 days. President, Mr. H. I). Nicholls; secretary, Mr. W. L. Shepard. 



DIANA HUNTtNi; CUB. 



Another Kankakee club, and oue that is shooting more and 

 more at the trap, live and inanimate. Mr. Henry Ehlers. Mr. John 

 Press, Mr. Stafford are prominent here. A regular medal is now 

 established for live bird shooting. Mr. John Press is premdpnt. 

 Mr. A. Kreutzberg, secretary. Grounds near Thayer, Ind. 



GRAND CALUMET HEIGHTS CLUK. 



This club is unfortunately threatened with eviction by the real 

 estate men in the sand hi'ls south of town. It has been and iB one 

 of the very pleasantest of the summer clubs. It has soot desul- 

 torily at the trap, more targets than birds, and there is talk of 

 reorganizing into a trap club pure and simple. It. may be that 

 the club will be left undisturbed for years in it« quarters on the ' 

 shore of Lake Michigan. President, Dr. A. W. Harlan; secretary, 

 Mr. F. R. BisseJl. 



THE NICKEL PLATE CLUB. 



Practically the same may bo said of this as of the other Kanka- 

 kee club3. 



COLUMHIA CLUB. 



Not properlyla trap club. Grounds at Fox Lake. Occasional 

 shooting. 



There are thirty odd clubs in Chicago which shoot at the trap 

 nioreorl»BS. Probably there are 1,000 men who practice this 

 form of sport here more or less regularly. 



Chicago has not until lately been thought much of a trap-shoot- 

 ing town. Target shooting has never been so popular here as iive 

 bird shooting, but within the past two or three years has grown, 

 more especially in the smaller clubs and among the suburban 

 towns*. 



Chicago's records at live bird shooting, for her first ten and 

 tv- onty shooters, can best be seen in the late Kansas City races. 

 The performances of her individual match shooters have been 

 duly recorded as they occurred. The tournament reports show 

 the rest. Chicago has few shooters of championship form. Shoot- 

 ing here is democratic. The men are hearty, cordial and pleas- 

 ant. We do not grade the gentlemen of these clubs. We call 

 t hem all sportsmen. 



Chicago's trap news can best be found in Forest and Stream. 



E. Hough. 



Under Old Long 1 Island Rules. 



The Falcon Gun Club, which held its monthly club shoot at 

 Dexter Park on March 17, is one of the very few organizations in 

 this country which adheres to the old-time style of shooting. All 

 its shooting ia done under the Old Long Island Rules., H. and T. 

 trap, gun below the elbow until bird is on the wing. 25yds. rise, a 

 kill with th° second barrel counting one-half a bird. Each mem- 

 ber shot at 1 birds, the ? cores beine- aopeuded: 



J Lager 1 V/z 1% 1 1-6 J Moeller 0 0 1111 1-5 



H Miller 0 11110 1—5 J Vagts 1 0 0 1 11 0-4 



C M Meyer 1 0 10 111-5 



Sweepstake, 3 birds: 



Laser 11 1—3 Vagts Yi 0 1— li£ 



Miller 1 1 0-2 Moeller 0 0 1-1 



Meyer. ^ 1^—2 



Meyer 

 Monsees 



_._a; rvioeiier and miner a: Lager 0. 

 Ten bluerocks. classified, 3 moneys: Bigoney, Oilman and Meyer 

 :if d for first on 9 each and stiot off in succeeding event; Richmond 

 and Knebel, Jr., got 8 each and split second; Moore took third 

 alone on 3 breaks. 



Ten bluerocks, same as preceding event: Richmond, Knebel, 

 Jr., and Meyer tied lor first on 8 each, shot off miss-and-mit, 

 Meyer securing first money from this as well as the preceding 

 event; second went to Bigoney on 7; third went to Moore and Gil- 

 man on 6. 



Ten bluerocks, 1 prize: Won by Bigoney, who tied wPh Moore 

 on 8 and won the shoot-off: Richmond broke ti and Gilman 5. 



The Kings County Gun Club. 



Dexter Park, Long Island, March 16.— The Kings County Gun 

 Ciub held its regular monthly shoot to- lav for club medal and 

 four prizes, 20 Keystone targets. 18yds. rise, gun below the elbow, 

 the best average scores to count during the season. The scores- 

 ZirkeL... 101111 10100100100010- -10 Beagel . . . .11010101100001100001— 9 

 Greiner...]000010010001i!OOOU01- 5 LindstedfaOOlOOtKMlOOOlOOOOll— ti 

 Thiel 000U101011CO0000010— 7 Keller. 



Link. ... U010Kil!j!iLl()IOOii[J01-- 9 Detbloff ' •OOiKKiOllOlimoillOO— 10 

 ::;o,_uij . I';: if r;_ 



Team shoot, fi targets per man : 



Team No. 1. 



C Detbloff 010011—3 



J Link ,. 001011—2 



C Lindstedt ... .001000-1 

 ■i Thiel O0OO11— 2 



Team No. 2. 



J Yorkel 011011-4 



A Baege! 100010-3 



H Gi'wuer HOOOU-8 



T Keller 0100U— 3 



C Roehn 111000-3-11 S Short..'..'.." Oiliui— 4— 15 



Sweepstakes, o targets p=r man, 50 cents entry, three moneys. 

 No. 1: Link 4, Zerkel and Gioner % each. 



No. 2: Link I, Giener 3, Thiel 3, Liustedt 3, Zerkel 4. Roehn 2, 

 Baegel 3. 



No. 3: Roahn 5, Baegel 4, Thiel 3, Giener 3, Zerkel 3, Link 3, 

 Linstedt 1. 



In No. 1 third was won by Liustedt on shOOt-*off, In No, 3, on 

 tthooUoff Thiel won second and Roehn third. 



Down at Wiedenmayer's Park. 



Last Saturday afternoon Robert Baar and August Craemer, 

 both members of the fca=t Side Mutual Gun Club, of Newark, 

 N. J., shot a match at Wiedeunmyer's Park for :§:?5 a side, the 

 conditions being twenty-five live birds per man, Baar to allow 

 Craemer five deed birds. As will be s een by the following figures 

 Baar had a walkover, shooting Craemer out. 



Baar . 2011011221211112111— 17 



Craemer 11111102020C001003QO— 10 



Several four bird sweeps were shot, the conditions b«ing S3 

 entry, two moneys. The scores. 



No.L No. & No. 3, No. 4, 



Baar 1111-4 1120-3 3211-4 21221112U 



Schrafft 2210-3 ol21— 3 1120—3 0 



Heddeu 1122-1 3022-3 3222- 4 2211223210 



Koegel ...0200—1 0101—3 oll3-3 11110 



Hilfers 



No. 4, was a SI miss and out, the pot going to Baar. 

 The live birds being gone the party amused themselves by shoot* 

 ing bluerocks, the scores in the two events bei'Djd- as follow*: 



Baar. 3 8 Schrafft 9 4 Craemer 7 3 



Heddea 8 5 Permenf,. . , . ,. | Hague, ...,,..,,,4 | 



