For Flyersarebest & All Flyer Shooters!

I thought maybe you would enjoy some old articles about flyer shooting.

Here's an article by one of the old-time greats Mr. Phil Miller discussing some old Pennsylvania Flyer Shooting Grounds in early 1938.

Let me know if you want anything on other live birds. I've got files on sparrows, blackbirds, starlings, bats, snowbirds, crows and swallows.

Enjoy Our History

 

Great read HB!! I really enjoyed it a bunch, thanks for sharing it with us!

HAP

 

Unfortunately, Allentown is long gone while Strausstown and Reading haven't shot birds for many years. "Where have all the flowers gone"?

 

One of the great pigeons matches for a prominent trophy (DuPont Championship) took place at Eau Claire, Wisconsin, August 28, 1897. James A. R. Elliott, of Kansas City, Missouri, defeated Charlie Budd of Des Moines, Iowa by killing 99 of 100 pigeons to Budd's 94. The men stood at the 30-yard mark and dead birds were scored within a 50-yard boundary.

Enjoy Our History

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THANK YOU for posting that. Anytime I read anything about the older days of Flyers I always think of a Gentleman I met around 1976.

I was shooting the local weekend ATA and week night league shoots around the early- mid 70's with a guy that kind of helped me along on my start of trap shooting. He took me to a 2 ring pigeon shoot and that was it. HOOKED!

The birds then were $3.00 each. He kept telling me about his uncle that shot pigeons. He didn't make a big deal about it, just that his Uncle George was, at one time, a pretty good pigeon shooter. Not long after he told me this I was at Ruffsdale Gun Club for a registered shoot. The club used to put 8x10 framed pictures of their members on the walls. Hung them high up next to the ceiling all around the room. Some of them dated back to when the club started.

Son of a gun if the picture right above the front door wasn't of "Uncle George" 1960 PA State Double barrel Champion. Great picture of him standing next to the big trophy. Then a year or so later, this would have been around 1977, Uncle George decided he wanted to shoot some registered targets with us. By this time he was in his 80's. He used to take a full step off station 5 chasing a hard right. Between traps he would have you laughing your butt of with all the pigeon shooting, gambling, and drinking stories.

Thanks again for posting the articles.

Flyersarebest

 

J.A. R. Elliott was one of the few shooters to ever kill 100 straight live birds in competition. Here are some of the others and I think you'll only recognize two of them, that being Captain Adam H. Bogardus, World Champion and Exhibition shooter and of course, Dr. W. F. Carver another of the all-time greats who also shot a glass ball match against Bogardus in 1877.

Al Bandle was president of the Cincinnati Gun Club and was well known as a tournament manager, for his Sporting Goods Store and for being a shooting representative for the L. C. Smith gun.

At Cincinnati, June 16, Al Bandle had a match at live birds with Annie Oakley. Bandle just managed to win by 10 to 9.
[ SPORTING LIFE, July 11, 1888, page 11 ]

Capt. John L. "Jack" Brewer was from my State of New Jersey (Southern Jersey) and was quite a character. He was banned from the 1897 Grand American Handicap. Not sure why but I suspect because of his shenanigans and also that he was a World Champion at one time. He traveled to England and won that championship and then he went to Australia and won every match he shot. During one GAH (at live birds) he was one of only about 3 shooters to be handicapped to the extreme mark of 33 yards.

Elijah D. Fulford, of Utica, New York, was also a great shooter and inventor. He has patents for single triggers and live bird traps. I've never seen one of his pigeon traps and hope to before I travel to the great "Hunting Grounds." He was only about 41 when he died.





Enjoy Our History

 

I ran this thru the inflation calculator. $675.00 entry fee paid back $4200.00. Flyers are not for everyone, but they are damn fun.....

 

Thanks HistoryBuff. I shot at Strausstown once and North End once and a few other clubs in Pa that I can't remember the names of. I'm having Ann put a picture David Dill's boy Drake sent me of his dad who just died recently. Dave was one of the guys I knew back in the day. Drake sent me this picture taken in the basement of Don Holford's house in Canton, Illinois. Don used his house as the club house for his pigeon shoots, the rings and parking were in his yard. You signed up in the basement where this picture was taken. The picture is L-R Dave Dill, Don Holford, and sitting at the table Frank Little. Don was presenting a gold coin belt buckle to Dave for winning something. Holford gave $10 gold piece buckles for daily events. I have one from 1978 that I won there (paid over 25 grand). It was my first 25 straight at Holford's Club. I beat Mike Jordan and Mike Hampton in a shootoff, I went 5 straight and they both missed one. Good times.

 

Gosh, Frank Little looked like a kid then. Those were good days!

 

That's the same thing I told Ann, it looks like Frank is playing gin. At Holford's shoot you would have many trap All American's and several Skeet All American's trying there hand against the bird shooters who just shot birds. It was a great mix of talented shotgun shooters, and not just from the USA. A lot of South American and European shooters of the time were there too so the Trophies I won there mean as much to me as any shooting thing I ever won, right up there with my grand american wins. BD

 

One of my favorite short stories about live bird shooting happened back in 1871. It wasn't pigeons used but snowbirds. It was between Captain Bogardus and James Ward, the one-armed Canadian Champion, and the good Captain was defeated.

So, here's some snowbird history.

SNOW BIRDS​

James Ward, of Toronto, beat Captain A. H. Bogardus, the champion shot of the United States in a match at 100 snow birds held in Toronto, on Friday, December 22, 1871. Ward scored 66 to Bogardus’ 65.
[ THE BROOKLYN EAGLE, December 28, 1871, page 4 ]

The Trigger.​

A snow bird match was shot on Friday, at Toronto, between Captain Bogardus, the champion shot of the United States, and James Ward, of Toronto, Ward shot 66 birds out of 100, and Bogardus 65. A good deal of dissatisfaction is expressed at the result, as it is believed that both men could have done better. The snow birds are quick on the wing and present a small object for the sight.
BROOKLYN EAGLE, December 28, 1871, Page 4

A snow-bird shooting match between Captain Bogardus, the champion shot of the United States, and James Ward, of Toronto on Friday a week, resulted in a victory for Ward. It is a great pity the guns didn’t burst and kill these brutes.
[ THE POST, ( Middleburg, Pa.) January 11, 1872, page 2 ]

THEY USED SNOW BIRDS
How Ed Taylor Won a Match a Few Years Ago.
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Cincinnati sportsmen have lately been having some sparrow shoots and it recalls a match which Old Reliable shot nearly fifteen years ago with Sam Tyrrell, of Chicago. The match was at 50 snow birds, which by the way, are far more difficult marks than the sparrows, and was shot one cold and windy winter’s day on the outskirts of the city named. Tyrrell, who has since died, was a very wealthy man, and for some reason was not popular with the majority of shooters, but just the same he was a good shot, and the men were very evenly matched. On the contrary Old Reliable was very popular with the shooters, and for that reason everybody was backing him, but when they learned that he was coming out to shoot snow birds with No. 8 shot they all threw up their hands in despair, thinking that Taylor had taken leave of his senses. The latter, however, was a thinker of the old school; he had noticed the hard wind which was blowing, and had not figured without his host. Bird after bird was sprung, and as regularly as they took wing fell back dead; the eights were small enough to make a close pattern, and large enough not to be affected by the wind. Tyrrell had not thought of the wind, and had loaded with No. 12 shot. These drifted from two to three feet, and at the end of 30 shots, while Taylor had a straight score, Tyrrell had not killed a half dozen birds, and withdrew in disgust.
[ SPORTING LIFE, September 28, 1895, page 17 ]

 

History Buff,

I hope those were not the (snow birds) we refer to down in sunny AZ. That would not be legal today. Roger C.

 

Great picture, thank you.

Lets see, toughest targets a shooter will ever see, card games for money, buckles worth real money, betting money on the side, and prizes of more MONEY!

Yep, Pigeon shoot.

Flyersarebest

 

I would drive 10 hours to sign up in a guys garage, drink coffee from a styrofoam cup, sit at a card table and laugh with some of the best shotgun shooters on the planet, than go anywhere near sparta.

I DIDN'T LEAVE THE ATA.

THE ATA LEFT ME.

FlyersAREbest

 

What was a "Snow Bird"?

 

I looked it up.....around here we call them "Dickie birds" or chickadees. They are the little birds that when you are out setting in your blind in the winter, waiting for Bambi to come along, they fly in and around you and rattle the twigs that gets your heart started all the time.

 

I love this stuff. I could tell you how to kill a 25 straight and then get your ass kicked in the shoot off, immediately, like the first bird. I was way over my head.

Jeff Bailey

 

You killed them all. I wouldn't say you were in over your head. As far as the shoot off? That's what is so GREAT about pigeons. Every one is different.
Just the luck of the draw that's all. Seen it, done it. You draw a driver that couldn't be stopped with a cannon,and the next guy draws a homer and it's dead before it can go three wing beats.

Be proud of that 25, there are a LOT of guys that haven't "killed em all".

Good shooting!

Flyersarebest

 

Flyersarebest,
Thanks for the encouraging comments. It was a great day of shooting for me and one I won't forget.

Jeff

 

Not me, 23/25 was my highest!

 

Brad: Here’s a picture of the Holfords buckle. I’m chuckling because i wasn’t looking for it but found this I in a box with my trapshooting stuff. I don’t know if it was the same day you and Mike Jordan killed 25 @ Holford’s but dad killed a 24 the same year when he won HOA. His SO3 didn’t fire and he killed the last ring out with Bill Robb’s Browning Broadway. David Trevallion welded on something to make it operable for the next day. Wasn’t even alive then but it always ate at dad that he killed 25 at every place he shot other than Holfords and Studnickeys where he had many 24’s. Speaking of that…. Frank Little killed 25 in a blizzard at Studnickeys… I might have that picture somewhere but I’ll have to tear apart some albums. I’ll post a bunch of pics from the old days once I dig through them.

 

Shot at Valley View and then at Hegins for the last shoot they had there and at Veach's for his last shoot. Shoot them once and you are hooked for life. I wanted to shoot flyers after reading about trapshooting history. I have even met a few names that most people have only read about and a lot of really nice people.

 

We make best quality flyer boxes with a remote digital controller for random box selection. Made in America using CNC lasers and Robotic welding machines.
Bruce Bowen
Sturgis South Dakota bbgunssturgis@gmail.com

 

I don't miss ata shooting at all, I miss pigeon shooting.

 

AMEN Brother.

 

Question for you guys: was Holford's shooting grounds close to Peoria, IL?

 

This is what Holfords looked like a couple of years ago

 

Don's address was , Norris, IL. Near Canton IL. Few miles drive from Peoria.......
Peoria had the nicest/Best Hotels in the area, also had the Airport nearest the Shoot.

 

My first flyers were shot in about 1960 at Drifton, PA. Practice birds were a dollar apiece and competition birds were about a buck and a half. I was about 15 years old and one of the hangers on gave me a five dollar bill after my ten bird event. Apparently, he had won a bet on my score, which was only seven out of ten. I was shooting the only gun I had in the car, a W&C Scott 16 gauge with 26" barrels.