310 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[Feb. 19, I 9 ia 
Inanimate Target and Live Bird Rules 
of the Interstate Association for 
the Encouragement of Trap 
Shooting. 
Committee on Rules: Bernard Waters, of Forest 
and Stream ; Elmer E. Shaner, Secretary- 
Manager of the Interstate Association. 
Revised 1909. 
Interstate Association Trap Shooting Rules 
Live Birds. 
RULE X.—THE MANAGEMENT. 
Section 1. The Management of The Interstate 
Association reserves the authority to reject any entry 
relating to any of its tournament competitions without 
giving any reason therefor, and to disqualify, in whole 
or in part, any contestant who' acts ungentlemanly or 
disorderly, or who handles his gun dangerously. 
Sec. 2. The Management of The Interstate Asso¬ 
ciation or its authorized representative shall for each 
tournament appoint a Referee or Referees, and a Scorer 
or Scorers, and a Trap Puller or Trap Pullers, and such 
other assistants as it may deem to be necessary. 
Sec. 3. The Management of The Interstate Asso¬ 
ciation reserves the right tO' make any alterations and 
amendments to these rules whenever it deems it for the 
best interests of all concerned to do so. 
RULE 2 .—THE REFEREE. 
Section 1. Besides attending to the special duties as 
set forth hereinafter, the Referee shall adjudicate the 
competition. He shall distinctly announce the result of 
each shot or shots by calling out “Dead” when the bird 
is gathered according to rule, and “Lost” when the 
bird escapes beyond the boundary (except as provided 
in Rule 9, Section 1 [W], and in Rule 12, Section 8). He 
shall decide all other issues which arise in relation to 
the direct competition. His decision in all cases shall 
be final. . . 
Sec. 2. If the referee is negligent or inefficient, im¬ 
pairing thereby the equity of the competition, the Man¬ 
agement may forthwith remove him. 
RULE 3.—THE SCORER. 
Section 1. The Scorer shall keep an accurate record 
of each shot, or shots, of each contestant. Accordingly 
as the Referee calls ‘Mead” or “lost,” the Scorer shall 
promptly respond with the call “dead” or “lost.” He 
shall mark the figure 1 to denote that one shot was 
used to effect the kill, the figure 2 to denote that two 
shots were used to effect the kill, and a 0 to denote that 
the bird was lost. His record of the competition, so 
kept shall be official, and shall govern all awards and 
records of the competition to which it relates. 
Sec. 2. If the Scorer is negligent or inefficient, 
impairing thereby the equity of the competition, the 
Management may forthwith remove him. 
RULE 4.—THE PULLER. 
Section 1. The Puller shall have charge of springing 
the traps. He shall spring the trap or traps instantly in 
response to the contestant’s call of “Pull.” 
Sec. 2. The Puller shall have an unobstructed view 
of the contestant at the firing point. 
Sec. 3. When a mechanical device is used to de¬ 
termine which trap shall be sprung, the Puller shall be 
so placed and shall so act that any contestant who is at 
the firing point cannot know in advance which trap is 
to be sprung for him. 
Sec. 4. The Management may appoint an assistant 
puller to take charge of the mechanical device, and to 
require that the traps be sprung accordingly as deter¬ 
mined by it. . 
Sec. 5. The Puller shall not spring the trap or traps 
until the trapper and retriever are back in their places, 
even though the contestant calls “Pull.” . 
Sec. 6. If the Puller is negligent or inefficient, 
impairing thereby the equity of the competition, the 
Management may forthwith remove him. 
RULE 5 -—CONTESTANT. 
Section 1. A contestant may hold his gun in any 
position. - 
Sec. 2. A contestant may load his gun only when at 
the firing point, facing the traps; and he shall remove 
from his gun all cartridges or empty shells before turn¬ 
ing from the firing point. The Referee or the Manage¬ 
ment may fine a contestant from $1 to $5, or may dis¬ 
qualify him, for violating this rule. 
Sec 3 When at the firing point ready for competition, 
the contestant shall, to the Puller, distinctly call out, 
“Are you ready?” \Vhen the Puller responds, Ready, 
he thereby signifies that he is ready to spring the trap 
or traps promptly to the contestant’s command. When 
ready for the bird, the contestant shall distinctly give 
the command, “Pull” to the Puller, and thereafter such 
contestant is unqualified in the competition. 
Sec. 4. After a contestant fires his first shot, he must 
fire his second shot immediately or leave the firing point. 
Sec. 5. When firing, the contestant’s feet shall be 
behind the firing mark assigned to him. . 
Sec 6 A contestant may stand back of the mark 
assigned to him at the firing point if he chooses to do 
so, but the mark assigned to him shall be the official 
ri Se 1 c. 7. A contestant must be at the firing point within 
two minutes after having been duly notified (see Defini¬ 
tion) to contest. Failing therein, unless he can show 
important cause for the delay, he may be fined $1.00 by 
the Referee or the Management, or he may be dis- 
quahfied. ^ thg contcstan t has a misfire, or apparent 
misfire, he, without removing the cartridge or cartridges, 
shall forthwith hand his gun to the Referee for decision. 
(See Rule 9, Section 1 [/»], [ 0 ] and [/>], and Rule 
14 Sec.’9. Shooting on the grounds at any place other 
than the firing points is prohibited. 
Sec 10 A contestant fined for violation of these rules 
is ineligible further to compete until the fine is paid. 
RULE 6.—CHALLENGE AND PROTEST. 
Section 1. A contestant may challenge the load of 
any other contestant, under Rule 14 (&). On receipt of 
a written cnallenge, with $5 forfeit, the Management shall 
obtain a cartridge from the challengee, and if, after public 
examination of it, the Management finds the challengee 
violated Rule 14 (b), he may be disqualified or not, ac¬ 
cordingly as the offense was willfully committed or other- 
wise In case the challengee is wholly innocent, the 
forfeit shall be paid to him; otherwise it shall be re¬ 
turned to the challenger. 
Sec 2 A protest concerning a score or scores must 
be made before or immediately after the close of the 
competition to which it or they relate. A protest can be 
made only by a contestant or contestants. All protests 
must be in writing. 
RULE 7.—DEAD BIRD. 
The Referee shall declare the bird “dead” when it is 
fathered within bounds, under the conditions prescribed 
by these rules. (See Rule 9, Section 1 [&].) 
RULE 8.—I-OST BIRD. 
Except in the cases otherwise provided in these rules, 
the Referee shall declare the bird “lost, respectively, 
(a) When the bird is once outside of the boundary (ex- 
(See Rule 16, Section 1, and Rule 17, Section 1.) 
A B—Dead Line. 
A B C—Boundary. 
D—Traps, spaced five yards apart. 
Firing Points, 25 to 33 yards. , , , . , ... 
The dotted lines are no part of the boundaries, but 
assist in determining the centers. 
cept as provided in Rule 9, Section 1 [d], and in Rule 
12, Section 8). , , , . , . 
( b ) When the bird (dwells, even for the briefest 
moment, on the top of the boundary inclosure, whether 
it perches thereon or not. 
(c) When the contestant fails to shoot because his gun 
was unloaded or uncocked, or because the safety was 
faultily adjusted or jarred back, whether from his own 
oversight or not; or because of any other cause charge¬ 
able to his own oversight or neglect. (See Rule 14 DD- 
(d) When the contestant, after leaving the firing point, 
returns and shoots again at the same bird, or when, 
after firing one shot, he opens and closes his gun, and 
shoots again at the same bird. 
RULE 9. —NO BIRD. 
When the Referee declares a “no bird,” it gives the 
contestant another inning, with the use of two shots. 
Section 1. It is a “no bird,” and the Referee shall 
allow another bird, respectively,... , 
(a) When, in his opinion, the bird, being on the ground 
and not having been shot at, cannot fly properly, whether 
it has been on the wing or not. 
(&) When a bird is on the ground when a contestant 
fires his first shot, if the bird is afterward gathered within 
bounds. If a bird is on the wing when the first shot is 
fired, and it is killed on the ground with the second 
shot, it is a dead bird. 
(r) When the bird walks in one yard from the traps, 
or when, after having been on the wing and still being 
unshot at, it alights between the traps and the dead 
line, and thereafter walks toward the contestant at all. 
(See Diagram VII.) , , . . 
(d) When the bird, after being shot at, escapes through 
any opening in the boundary, the same being permanent 
or not, if, in the opinion of the Referee, it could not 
have escaped otherwise. 
(e) When the bird is shot at also by some one other 
than the contestant, if, in the opinion of the Referee, the 
bird could have been gathered had there been no such 
interference, or if he considers that such interference 
CO ( n /fw t h e en a a b contestant. through his own fault, shoots 
and kills from a mark which is nearer than the one as¬ 
signed to him. If he misses, the bird is lost, 
fg) When both barrels of the contestant’s gun are dis- 
caused by the eon.estau,’, 
...„ or a misfire of the cartridge (except as provided in- 
f-tule 8 LI and Rule 14 [c]. See Rule 5, Section 8). 
(i) When the contestant, to avoid endangering life or 
P 0 ?W J i;,u“ S ev”.S t bans’” have been thrown at a bird. 
whether it has been on ‘be , w !£ g , or ^ riefinition 1 
(k) When a contestant is balked, (bee IJehnition.; 
(/) When the trap is not sprung with reasonable 
pr ( o^ptne e s n s to the command “Pull"; ?£*^£*g* 
rot having been on the wing, refuses to fly after the trap 
has been sprung, if in either instance the contestant de- 
C '(m) S When the bird is caught in the trap and there held 
long enough for the contestant to cover such trap before 
the bird can take wing. ... • 
(») When the bird is injured by a missile 
( 0 ) When a contestant has a misfire with the first shot 
if he does not fire the second (except as provided in 
R (i) When after firing'''his^firs? shot, he has a misfire 
JS hU “co" "hot, If be doe, no, kill the bud wuh 
the first shot (except as provided in Rule 14 LcJ. See 
R (J) When C he n haVa misfire with both cartridges (except 
as provided in Rule 14 [c]. See Rule.5, Section 8.) 
( r ) When, the overground system being used, a .rap or 
traps are unfilled before the contestant shoots. 
I ft See Rule 12, Section 8. ... , _ 
(f) When there is any other, reason not provided for 
in these rules, if, in the opinion of the Referee, it 
materially affects the equity of the competition^ 
“No birds,” in case of b, f, g, h, l, 0 , p and q, shall 
paid for by the contestant. ■ncfiw.iUrwi'i 
P Sec 2 In case of a magazine gun (see Definition), 
it D a “no bird” and the Referee (except as provided 
in Rule 8 [c] and Rule 14 [c]), shall allow another bird, 
re (a) eC When, in ejection, the head of the empty shell is 
pulled off, if it thereby prevents reloading for the secon 
Sh (°b) When, if the gun is opened properly, the extractor 
fails to extract the empty shell ‘ he brst s ho‘- d 
(VI When the empty shell, although it be extraciea 
from the chamber a'fter the first shot is not ejected 
iherehv oreventing the reloading of the gun lor tne 
second^ shot. A* contestant must abide by the results o 
^“Nt^bi'rds” ^n' the case of a, b, and c, shall be paid for 
^Sec 6 3 C0I In S case of a magazine gun, it is not a “no 
bird” and the Referee shall not allow another bird, 
when there is any failure to shoot caused by a cartridge 
r 0 o thick or too long, or any failure whatsoever caused 
by a reloaded cartridge, or a second failure to eject. 
RULE IO.—NO BIRD, IF REFUSED. 
Tf a contestant does not shoot, in any of the in¬ 
stances herewith specified, the Referee shall declare a 
“no bird’" but if .the contestant shoots the result shall 
be (or°When re thr t Hap y ’is sprung at ^ material interval 
i any call of 
When in single bird shooting, two or more birds 
are liberated at the® same time. If a contestant shoots 
at both birds, he shall be required to pay for both, and 
he shall also be fined $1.00 by the Management. The 
first bird shot at is the only one which can be scored 
“dead” or “lest” under these circumstances. 
RULE II.—REFUSAL TO FLY. 
Section 1 When on the trap being properly pulled, 
the bird refuses to fly, the Referee shall ^‘b^ith order 
to be exercised such means as are provided by the 
Management to make such bird fly. A bird injure 
by a ball or by a flush rope, shall be governed by 
Rule 9 Section 1 («)- A contestant may not call a 
“no bird” after the bird has been on the wing but if 
he desires to make such bird a no bird, be may 
shoot it on the ground, in which case it will be gov¬ 
erned bv Rule 9, Section 1 (.b). , 
Sec 2. In case of possible doubt as to whether a bird 
was “on the wing” or not when it flipped U P\ ‘ h , e , 
Referee when, in his opinion, it was on the wing, 
shall promptly so inform the contestant by calling out 
“on the wing.” 
RULE 12.—GATHERING. 
Section 1. To be scored dead, the bird must be 
gathered within two minutes after it falls to the ground 
or is legally killed on the ground, excepting as provided 
in Section- 4 of this Rule. The Management may ap¬ 
point, or may permit the contestant to appoint, some 
one to gather the bird; or a dog may be used for that 
purpose. The moment the bird touches the ground, the 
Referee shall order it gathered. . . 
Sec. 2. Only one man or one dog may be used at a 
time to gather any one bird. 
Sec 3. When the gatherer does not know the where¬ 
abouts of the bird, the Referee or some one else ap¬ 
pointed by him may give the gatherer such information 
as may be necessary to aid him in gathering it, but no 
one other than the Referee shall be allowed to accom¬ 
pany the gatherer. 
Sec. 4. When a dog is used to gather a bird and he 
cannot find it, the time limit shall not apply. Such dog 
shall be called in, and, after he is in control, the 
Referee shall appoint someone to gather the bird, where¬ 
upon the time limit shall apply. . 
Sec. 5. In case of a dog pointing when gathering, the 
time lost by such act shall not count as a part of the 
time limit. The Referee may send some one to urge 
the dog off the point, or he may direct that the dog be 
