3 Ladies & Parkers at the 1902 (Last) GAH at Live Birds

[Drew Hause]

http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrar.../SL3905019.pdf

The ladies taking part were Mrs. Frank E. Butler (Annie Oakley), Mrs. (Sophrona) S. Johnston and “Wenonah.” Their shooting was watched with great interest, and a crowd followed them from trap to trap whenever their turn came to go around the circuit of the four sets of traps.
On Monday there was considerable wind, and the birds were fresh. Annie Oakley missed her second and eighth, both good birds, in the Kansas City sweepstake, and withdrew.
Mrs. Johnston lost her first one dead outside; missed the fifth and eighth, and withdrew. “Wenonah” did not shoot, except, in the big event.
On the second day, Mrs. Johnston lost the fifth dead outside and withdrew on the eighth round with seven dead. Annie Oakley killed six straight and missed the seventh and eighth, the last being dead outside.
In the Grand American Handicap Annie Oakley killed 22 out of 25 from 27 yards. She lost the third and fifth, and killed fourteen straight, losing the twentieth, a fast right quarterer, out of bounds. Considering the quality of the birds and five days’ shooting, her performance was very meritorious. She used a Parker gun, 7 2/16 lbs. 3 drams Schultze, 1 1/8 oz. No. 7 1/2 and 7 Tatham chilled shot, in U. M. C. Trap shells.
Mrs. Johnston stood at 25 yards. She killed eight straight on Wednesday, missed the tenth and twelfth on Thursday, and on Friday lost the seventeenth, twentieth, twenty-second and twenty-fourth, and withdrew. Two of her kills, were exceptionally good, both birds being fast outgoers, brought down with a long second shot. She used a Parker 7 12-16 lbs. 3 1/2 Drams. Hazard 1 1/4 No. 7 chilled shot, in Winchester Leader shells.
“Wenonah” lost six out of sixteen birds and withdrew. She used a Parker. 7 1/2 lbs., 3 1/2 Drams Hazard, 1 1/4 No. 7 Tatham’s chilled shot, in Winchester Leader shells. She shot from the 26-yard mark.

Those were boomer loads in less than 8# guns!

More on "Princess Wenona" here
https://www.trapshooters.com/threads...wenona.813509/

[Drew Hause]

I couldn't find the original image, but this is the cover of America's Best Female Sharpshooter: The Rise and Fall of Lillian Frances Smith, 2017
https://books.google.com/books?id=acinDgAAQBAJ
holding a Parker Hammergun

[charlie cleveland]

great reading....charlie

[Bill Murphy]

Dr. Drew, thanks for the account of the 1902 shoot. Turns out that my old DH Parker was likely in Miss Annie's hands for that shoot.

[Researcher]

As our man Ed wrote, Annie was a vaudevillian, a show person and only ever won a shoot against men was when she had a big handicap advantage.

IMHO the really great lady shooter back in the day was "Plinky"

Plinky Topperwein 03.jpg

Plinky Topperwein 01.jpg

Plinky Topperwein 04.jpg

I can understand that she shot for the big W and has no traction here in Parker land.

[Bill Murphy]

Annie shot from 27 yards in the 1902 GAH and killed 23X25. That was her handicap unless you consider that she was shooting a Parker when she could have shot a Model 97 Winchester and snagged those two missed birds.

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

Annie shot from 27 yards in the 1902 GAH and killed 23X25. That was her handicap unless you consider that she was shooting a Parker when she could have shot a Model 97 Winchester and snagged those two missed birds.

The two that got away or the one that got away are the story of every competitive clay bird shooter thats ever been . NO ONE has ever been perfect from start to end of their competitive life . If I had the one or two missed targets back from the many many many 98's and 99's I shot over the years my talley of 100 straights would go from in the 20's to more into 150-200 . And I SURE DO WISH I could have it back on just the 410 skeet targets as I've never broke 100 straight with the 410 but a frickin pile of 98's and several 99's .

[todd allen]

I was just starting to work my way up the ladder with the ATA, when I was introduced to box birds. I never looked back.
Did pretty ok with live birds. We shot a lot of skeet, and sporting clays (not registered) and then myself, and another P shooter decided to go to the Nationals, in 2021. John started in A Class, myself in "C". I left San Antonio in "B" Class, and worked up to AA, before I dropped out of the NSCA. John went on to Master Class.
Lot's of great memories from my shooting days. Met lots'a great people.

[Trap3]

Parker advertisement from the 1903 GAH Interstate Association program...

[Stan Hillis]

I enjoyed competitive shooting of some sort ever since I was introduced to .22 rifle competition at Boy Scout camp as a 12 yr. old. Having grown up tramping the woods with a .410 and a .22 it was a natural extension of the boy. But, the competitive aspect got ahold of me. I was never satisfied in any type of competitive shooting unless I was getting better. I was introduced to clay target shooting at that B.S. camp as well. Believe it or not the first clays I ever shot were MoSkeet targets with a smoothbore .22 and rat shot cartridges. But, I was hooked. I went on as an adult to compete in IHMSA pistol shooting, NMLRA rifle competition up to the national level, then found sporting clays and my world had a paradigm shift. I pushed myself hard to improve at it and found myself in 2010 as a AA class shooter eager to go to a national shoot. The 2010 US Open was to be held in Tunica, MS at The Willows. But, the Big Muddy flooded that spring and The Willows venue was flooded out. The owners found a piece of undeveloped ground nearby that they owned, bush hogged it down, and set up great courses for the event, in the nick of time. A buddy and myself decided to go. I had just gotten a 30" barreled B-SS and was shooting it good and entered the S X S event there. Shooting M and F chokes in it I won AA class, and also Veterans concurrent. Although I didn't shoot well enough in the Main Event, with my MX-8, to get any punches I earned enough punches in the S X S event to punch into Master (Donor ) class. I have shot enough live birds (pigeons) to realize there was an addiction, with possible accompanying financial ruin, waiting for me if I succumbed to what my heart wanted. I have, thus far, been able to limit myself to an occasional box bird shoot for fun but ........... I haven't tried Columbaire ............yet.

Because of my competitive background I have always loved reading about Annie Oakley and the other competitive shooters of the early days. Thanks Drew, and others, who post this great stuff about them.