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1926: Crow hunt competition lasts three days, 'fails to bag many birds'

Subhead
Bits By Betty
Lead Summary
By
Betty Mann, President, Rock County Historical Society

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on October 8, 1926:
 
CROW HUNTERS FAIL TO BAG MANY BIRDS
 
Total of Only 103 Crows Killed in First Crow Hunt Staged by Local Izaak Walton League
 
LOSING TEAM TO GIVE WINNING TEAM A FEED
 
Second Hunt will be Staged Next Month, When it is Hoped More Favorable Weather Will Prevail.
 
A total of one hundred three crows were killed in the three-day county-wide crow hunt staged Friday, Saturday and Sunday by the Izaak Walton league of this city.
This number was very small in comparison to the number that the members of the league expected to bag and was probably due to the unfavorable weather that existed throughout the final day of the hunt — the only day on which most of the members of the league could have taken part in the sport, because of their business obligations, which would not have permitted their absence.
In order to make the hunt as interesting as possible and thereby make it more of a success, the members of the league were divided into two teams of twenty-three members each, with Carl Schmuck and Clyde Stephen as captains. The team bringing in the largest number of crows are to be given a feed at the expense of the losing team. Carl Schmuck’s team won, by bagging sixty-eight birds, while Clyde Stephen’s team killed thirty-five. The winning team will enjoy their “feed” tonight at the regular meeting of the league in the City hall.
Carl Schmuck succeeded in shooting more than again as many birds as any other member of either team and came very close to getting as many as the entire number killed by the losing team. He was awarded a sportsman’s silver watch fob for his efforts. Ed. Baker, who placed second high with fourteen birds, was given a bronze fob of similar design. Sam Foight, with his nine “black wingers,” landed third high.
Plans for a similar hunt, to be staged by the league sometime in November, will be discussed at the meeting of the league to be held tonight at the City hall and it is hoped by the officers that the second attempt to diminish the crow population will be more successful than the first one.
Captain Carl Schmuck, 30; Dr. H. A. Hoy, 3; Sam L. Foight, 9; Ralph Fitzer, 0; Harry Edgar, 0; Ben Batavia, 0; Tom Borgum, 4; Otto Bierkamp, 0; Dr. G. V. Butler, 0; W. R. Brooks, 5; Dr. C. O. Wright, 0; A. A. Haines, 0; G. A. Hagedorn, 2; Louis Hagedorn, 1; M. F. Hammond. 0; Albert Jauert, 3; Ray Koehn, 2; D. N. Kilby, 4; Millard Mosby, 0; Walter Norelius, 0; Orville Orloske, 5; Leonard Wold, 0; Wm. Rathjen.0.
Captain Clyde Stephen, 3; Frank Ferguson, 0; Frank Fritz, 0; Geo. Fried, 0; Harold Conrad, 4; Geo. W. Cottrell, 1; Chas. S. Bristol, 0; Walter Benson, 1; W. Duane Backer, 0; Edward Boomgaarden, 0; Ed. Baker, 14; Glenn H. Adams, 0; Horace Herbert, 1; Fred Holling, 0; Joyce Johnston, 0; F. A. Leicher, 0; Einar Lorange, 0; Matt Moriarty, 3; A. O. Moreaux, 0; J. J. Petraska, 6; W. P. Rober, 0; Dr. A. N. Rice, 0; J. F. Snook, 2.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

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