forest and stream 
525 
were the regular events. No one likes to go 
galloping up and down all day long sorting these 
practice men out and making collections, but it 
is more or less a common practice to shoot at 
any odd number of targets and let the office 
hunt tor the name and number of targets as 
best it can. The first regular entrance is made 
for the regular program for “targets only.” We 
will say the program calls for 200 targets each 
day for a two day shoot. The cashier enters 
the name on the extreme right of the large 
ruled sheet and still further to the right in & a 
last column the amount $4*00 for the day’s 200 
targets. The ten events are ruled to the left of 
the contestant’s name and numbered 10 to 1 
from right to left. The second man to enter 
separates himself from a well-filled club house. 
Men are heaving empty gun cases under the gun 
rack, others with dismembered guns in their 
hands are talking at the top of their voices. 
The cashier places this second name under the 
first one on the sheet and as number two has 
entered for the “sweeps,” enters his $20.00 in the 
last column to the right. With each five entries 
a squad is filled and the big squad sheets to be 
used at the firing points are being written up 
bv a volunteer, many times by a professional. 
At length all the contestants are entered. The 
cashier now knows what amount the men in the 
money will shoot for. We will say that 14 out 
of the 40 contestants are entered for the money. 
Each of these 14 have parted with $20.00 less 
the. $4-00 for their targets for the privilege of 
seeing how much they can win back. Fourteen 
times 16 makes a pool of $164.00 and the added 
money, $50.00 from the club and $50.00 from the 
Interstate lifts the amount to be divided up to 
$264.00. This amount divided by the number 
of events or xo will give us the amount to be 
divided in each event, $26.40. Under the Rose 
System 5, 3, 2, 1 all the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th 
MrIi guns in each event will draw money. The 
cashier enters this amount $26.40 at the top of 
the column for each of the 10 events and a little 
to the right of the amount in each column but 
the first the amount as it accumulates by $26.40 
till in the 10th and last event the whole amount 
$264.00 is reached. When the score sheets are 
filled a squad at a time out at the score they 
are brought to the cashier and he in turn enters 
the total scores for the event against each con¬ 
testant s name under event one, the column 
farthest away to the left of the column of 
names for he works toward the names by 
events so that the total for the day will be 
exactly beside the contestant’s name in event 10. 
When all the scores for event 1 are in he makes 
Showing Equipment for a State Tournament. 
a circle around those entered for “targets only” 
this shows at a glance th.se who are entitled to 
winnings. He can now figure the winnings for 
all those who drew money in this event and the 
total of the winnings at the bottom of the column 
will just equal the amount he has entered to be 
divided at the top when he made up the sheet. So 
we see the sheet is balanced by events and when 
all scores are in in event 10 the total winnings 
which have accumulated for each man in the 
money are against his name, the addition of the 
totals for each man equals the total pool to be 
divided, the sheet balances and the contestants 
are paid off at once. The scores by events are 
also posted on the bulletin board so that every 
man may keep posted as to the activities of his 
opponents. Moreover, the value of the ratio 
points are posted by events so each man may know 
how he is faring without going to the cashier 
at the end of each event with the same ques¬ 
tion of “how much was such and such a point 
worth?” 
No one who has ever seen a professional 
squad in action will take issue to the fact that it 
is the smoothest working team in any sport. The 
guns bark in perfect sequence augmented by the 
queerly accented call of “Pull.” The man to the 
right aligns his gun and is ready to call for his 
target the moment the man to his left has de¬ 
livered his fire. The targets are snuffed into 
dust so gracetully and regularly it looks “awful 
easy, but only years of seasoning can train a 
man to that gamey poise and handling of the 
straight backed trap gun. Many a convert is 
made here for it looks so ea-y some will try 
and when they find they have by luck con¬ 
nected with one or two out of ten they have 
developed the charming disease and join the 
ranks of “just one tarket more” enthusiasts. 
We will pronounce the tournament a success 
for 40 shooters have shot through the full 
program for the first day, 40 shooters have 
cleaned up 100 birds of the 200 for the second 
day and now the premier event starts, the last 
100, for the individual championship of the 
state, a big trophy and a free trip to the Grand 
American Handicap. Every eligible shooter 
tightens his belt, peels his eye, lays his ears 
back and summons all his trapshooting lore in 
exact ratio to his seasoning. Happy .is he who 
has fallen into his shooting groove for he is 
seemingly sure of every bird and shoots in a 
steady deadly time. Man after man is outshot 
till in the last event three tie on 93 for the 
championship. The tie is shot off at once under 
the eye of a judge, referee and scorer from the 
professional ranks. The crowd surges around 
the rope back of the puller, a quiet, knowing 
gathering of trapshooting “fans.” The birds 
crumble with deadly precision, then one slips 
by but the unlucky contestant never winches 
and at length another of the trio drops a bird. 
When all is over all are tied on 18 x 20 on this 
shoot-off. They line up for the second one and 
the crowd is elated. Not often do they feast 
their eyes on such a sight. The men at the 
score have a hungry look. It is a tight race 
to the end for one man has pulled out victor 
by one target. Just one little clay saucer. How 
much hangs on it sometimes! Surely this is 
the real American game. 
The winnings are paid, the high average 
trophies carried off in triumph, the seven high 
guns in the championship event make their 
choice and will get their prizes nicely engraved 
later and all is over except for the club secre¬ 
tary, he, for sooth, must needs shake himself 
for yet the ninety-ninth time and write up and 
manifold copies of the scores by events for the 
entire two days’ shoot and forward them to the 
secretary of the Interstate Association and the 
honorary press members. There must also go 
forward to the Interstate Association’s secre¬ 
tary the little book of signatures and addresses 
of the contestants which the cashier obtained 
when the entries were made, the name of the 
place where the annual tournament for the next 
year will be held, the officers of the state asso¬ 
ciation for the coming year, the blanks on which 
the. winners of the Interstate event have made 
their choice of prizes, the number of targets 
thrown, the number shooting for money and for 
targets. If all this information goes forward at 
once and is correct the Interstate’s money will 
be in the club treasurer’s hands before he knows 
hs is holding on to it. For desert the secretary 
who is usually the treasurer may now balance his 
cash, draw checks for the numerous bills and 
figure out if he can any profit to the club for 
it is the first question asked him when he comes 
out of hiding. A few days later there will be 
another and last hemorrhage, the barreling of 
the empty shells. If the barrels are well 
rounded up with shells and headed with sacking 
the club wil get $2.50 for each barrel. The 
secretary may now with reason lay aside the 
light cares of the two days and reflect on the 
fact he has been through a two day trap¬ 
shooting tournament but with all the work a 
heap of satisfaction. 
Two phases of trapshooting have developed 
along the ordinary lines of debate. The first is 
the question of sweepstakes and the second the 
(Continued on page 528.) 
