Feb. is, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
i;i on the part of men whose acts are subject to re- 
*w than there is on the part of men who feel no 
countability when their acts are once completed. 
In respect to the tournaments, Mr. Denny presents 
.re \u> interesting matter as follows: 
‘The primary object of a well-ordered shooting tourna- 
•nt is to afford the devote^ of the sport an opportunity 
strive among themselves for supremacy under given 
les and conditions of contest. Secondary to this, in 
e order of their precedence, are (1) that the contestants 
all have an enjoyable time socially, and (2) that ti e 
ib or organization giving or holding the contest shall 
ve commensurate return for its efforts in promoting the 
ntest. And any attempt to reverse or interchange the 
ven order of these objects or purposes, to that extent 
rverts and stultifies the functions of a tournament. 
As a matter of first consideration, Mr. Denny, as above 
t forth, states that the devotees of the sport be afforded 
opportunity to strive among themselves for supremacy 
ider given rules and conditions of contest. This may be 
cepted as sound if the rules and conditions are equitable 
d if the well-ordered shooting tournament is really a 
urnament and not a medium by which the shooters’ 
oney is sifted into the club treasury. 
Considering now Mr. Denny’s classification of the sub- 
iiary factors, it does not seem reasonable to us that 
ir.petition and sociability are distinct entities. Soci- 
ma> peivade the atmosphere at all times, and is 
lite in evidence by look and manner, as by articulate 
•eech. 
In the second specification, matter of vital interest 
dismissed in a few words. What is a club’s coin- 
ensurate return for holding a contest? As a rule, all 
e money that could be made out of the shooters, be 
e sum great or small, has been the only limit up to 
thin a few' years past, and is the usage of some clubs of 
e present day. Considering the value of the club plant, 
e services of the- club’s officers, the expenditure of 
oneys, etc., will Mr. Denny deign to enlighten the 
lblic on what is a specific remuneration for a club 
ider such circumstances Take, for instance, a tliree- 
tys’ tournament on grounds and appurtenances worth, 
v $500, with one hundred shooters present, how much 
•ofit should the club make? As in No. 2 above, why 
iould the club be all business, and how is it that 
•ciability as between the club members and shooters 
not interchangeable? And how is it that a shooter 
ho, having paid his entrance, is not fully as much in a 
isiness deal as is the club which accepted it? What is 
e distinction between legitimate revenue and graft? 
oes not a big club house, with big grounds, obtained 
ith a large outlay of capital and the consequent need 
revenue for the outlay and investment, tend to the 
imination of sociability and sport? 
The sanctioning of tournaments was one of the In- 
rstate Association’s most beneficent acts. There is no 
her national body in trapshooting interests, and, while 
is a trade organization, its history shows that it has 
ways endeavored to promote the sport of trapshooting 
an honorable and efficient manner. Its tournaments 
ive been models of skillful management. Contrast the 
urnaments of the present day with those of twenty 
;ars ago- or less, and the difference and advancement 
ill be readily apparent. The rules, in particular, were 
•tide, various, fallacious, fragmentary and vague. All 
iese were superseded by the present Interstate Asso- 
ation rules, which were ripped up, revised, amended 
id added to by Messrs. E. E. Shaner, E. Banks, and 
e wr»tei some years ago. 
The old conditions which impelled shooters to com¬ 
ite at the traps are rapidly passing away. When the 
ime fields were adjacent to city and town in every part 
the United States, the trapshooter as a rule was a 
iime shooter also. The traps theoretically served for 
•actice during the close season, and therefore there was 
uch insistence in the old days that trapshooting should 
: after the manner of game shooting. That is, the gun, 
•r cue thing, should be held below the elbow. As a 
:atter of fact, the field shooter dees not hold his gun 
glow the elbow, as a rule, and even if he did, there 
ere multitudes of duck shooters to be considered in 
uite as important degree as all others. However, the 
ime fields of twenty years ago have passed away, so 
r as any consideration of the average shooter therewith 
concerned. A dearth of game in many vast sections, 
:e trespass laws, posted farms, and the game preserves 
every section have put field shooting beyond the reach 
all but the favored few. Thus trapshooting, year by 
-'ar. has come to be more and more a special sport in 
self. 
To maintain trapshooting as a sport and also to main- 
in it to a degree of importance in its commercial pos- 
bilities—that is to say, its purchasing power in respect 
> guns, ammunition, targets, etc.—much more effort and 
<penditure of^ money will be required in the future than 
i the past. The game fields of the past furnished the 
apshooters. There being a constantly diminishing area 
f game fields and game birds, there must be some 
>ecial inducements to insure recruits. To secure the 
iterests of the latter permanently, the sport must be 
lade fair and attractive. It cannot be made such unless 
lere are rigid rules governing professionalism, and pro- 
‘Cting the amateur. At the present day, men who are 
evotees of any form of sport dislike to have.their snort 
dzed for commercial purposes. Sport will stand a 
mited amount of professionalism, but the less there is 
i it in evidence, the better for the sport. If profes- 
onalism is not eliminated from trapshooting, more than 
is at present, the sport will decrease and decline. 
The amateur purity of the tournaments should be con- 
dered first; the size, last. More ammunition may be 
urned up in one year if size only is considered. Vastly 
lore will be consumed in ten years if the amateurs are 
ncouraged properly. The open, acknowledged profes- 
onal is well known, and does much good in his sphere, 
he harm comes from the secret professional, or the 
looter who follows the circuit as a means of livelihood 
r income, and who finances himself instead of working 
>r a salary. It is absurd to maintain that a man. to be 
professional, must be an employe or a beneficiary of 
manufacturer or dealer only. 
It is better to have one hundred men at a shoot, all of 
horn depart satisfied and resolved to come again, than 
> have five hundred at a shoot, many of whom are not 
97.18% 
©7.18% 
97.13% 
97.18% 
The MID-WINTER HANDICAP at Pinehurst 
An Overwhelming Victory For 
WINCHESTER 
Shotgun Shells and Shotguns 
MID-WINTER HANDICAP— 
Won by Mr. C. W. Billings, of the New York Athletic Club, 
shooting Winchester "Leader” Shells. Score, 90 out of 100 
from 18 yards. High Professional : A. M. Hatcher, shooting 
a Winchester Repeating Shotgun; score, 91 out of 100 from 
20 yards. 
PRELIMINARY HANDICAP— 
Won by Mr. G. S. McCarty of Philadelphia, Pa., shooting 
Winchester "Leader” Shells. Score, 91 out of 100 from 20 
yards. High Professional : Guy Ward, shooting Winchester 
" Leader” Shells and a Winchester Repeating Shotgun; score, 
88 out of 100 from 20 yards. 
HIGH AMATEUR AVERAGE— 
Won by Mr. W. N. Foord, of Wilmington, Del., shooting 
Winchester "Leader” Shells. 
HIGH PROFESSIONAL AVERAGE- 
Won by A. M. Hatcher, shooting a Winchester Repeating 
Shotgun. 
L 
SHOOT WINCHESTER SHELLS! They won the Amateur and Profes¬ 
sional Championships and the High Amateur and High Professional 
Averages in 1907, and made the HIGHEST High Average on record. 
97.18% W 
qualified for competition at all, and who depart per¬ 
manently dissatisfied. Such are missionaries of discon¬ 
tent and disintegration. Also concerning competition it is 
better to have an entry fee of sufficient amount and 
prizes of sufficient value to give dignity and worth to 
victory when achieved, than it is to rake the highways 
and byways for shooters, whether with or without com¬ 
petitive. skill, who serve no other purpose than to swell 
the list and consume ammunition and targets, and settle 
hotel bills. 
Moreover, no handicap committee on earth can prop¬ 
erly handicap several hundred shooters from all parts 
of the world. Also few clubs can resist the opportunities 
for profit which such a horde affords. 
Boston Athletic Association. 
Boston, Feb. 8. —The cold weather made uncomfort- 
able shooting, 
and had its adverse effect 
on the scores. 
Mayor Reed, 
follows: 
of Manchester, N. H., was 
B. H. T. 
high gun, as 
B. H. T. 
Reed . 
.. 82 2 84 
Clark . 
.... 68 12 80 
Tucker . 
.. 72 11 83 
Adams .... 
.... 74 5 79 
Ellis . 
.75 7 82 
.... 61 12 73 
Whitney . 
.. 63 18 81 
Ballou . 
North Camden Gun < lub. 
North Camden, N. J., Feb. 8.—In the club shoot, 25 
targets, handicaps added, four tied on the maximum 
After two shoot-offs, YY ickes won. Scores: 
B. H. T. H. B. T. 
Fleming . 2 24 26 Pfeil . 2 21 23 
Taylor . 2 23 25 Chalmers . 1 19 20 
Wickes . 3 22 25 Gest . 5 16 21 
Marcy . 2 23 25 Murray . 6 12 IS 
Shoot-off, 25 targets: Fleming 26, Taylor 26, Wickes 26, 
Marcy 22. 
Second shoot-off: Wickes 22, Fleming 20, Taylor 17. 
Event No. 1, ten targets: Fleming 9, YY’ickes 8, Chal¬ 
mers 9, Murray 8 Pfeil 8. 
Event No. 2, 25 targets: Chalmers 24, Fleming 21, 
Wickes 19, Murray 15, Gest 24. 
Event No. 3, 25 targets: Chalmers 25, Pfeil 23, Marcy 
23, Rodgers 10, Kahoski 4. 
Event No. 4, 15 targets: Marcy 13, Fleming 10, Chal¬ 
mers 9, Pfeil 9, Taylor 9, Rodgers 6, Prince 8, Kahocki 8. 
Shoot off for Dupont trophy: Murray 31, Chalmers 24. 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained from 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
