Bird Hunting Opportunities in Iowa Circa 1912

[Craig Larter]

I am doing some research on a Parker 20ga that was sent to Iowa Falls Iowa in 1912. The consignee's name was on the order so I did a Google search. The owner had a Airedale Terrier registered in the AKC 1912 stud book with the name Prairie Belle II. I looked up the breed and apparently they were developed for upland and duck hunting. Has anyone ever seen a field breed Airedale??
Second according to the Iowa DNR pheasants were only just starting to be introduced to Iowa around this time with the most successful introductions in North Central Iowa, hunting opportunities seem to limited during 1912 for pheasants. The most common game bird in Iowa during this era was the northern Bobwhite. The gun is choked F/F with 26" barrels. My theory is the gun was ordered for quail assuming the Airedale was a flusher and the shots were longish. What say you?

[OH Osthaus]

what about prairie chickens as a quarry?

i've seen many old articles about hunting trips for them back then and I think Iowa was a destination. And they are currently attempting restoration of the population

as for the dogs - i have not seen one in the field - but they must still be around

https://www.airedale.org/versatile-a...hunting-field/

"In the May 1909 issue of Country Life in America, Airedales were described as “having a very strong hunting instinct, with few dogs better equipped for shooting over in the cover or in the open. The Airedale’s speed, endurance, and imperviousness to climactic conditions fit him for bird hunting. He loves the water and can stay in it by the hour on the coldest winter day, making an ideal dog for snipe or to retrieve ducks and geese”. While traditional sporting breeds such as retrievers and spaniels shaped public perception of a “gun dog”, there have always been a number of fanciers who continued to use Airedales as bird dogs."

http://airedale.dcwdhosting.com/wp-c...d-Dog-News.pdf

[Bill Murphy]

My grandfather raised airedales as well as setters for hunting. I have pictures of him with his airedales and setters from just after 1900 to about 1910. Since he lived in Hazleton, PA, his available bird of choice would have been the ruffed grouse with pheasants only after a trip a bit south. Granddad probably never saw a bobwhite in the field. He was the proprietor of a saloon (café is the polite term used in his obituary late in prohibition) and a pigeon ring, so he didn't get out much.

[Craig Larter]

Thanks Bill great information.
I think Rick nailed it Prairie Chicken. Do they flush wild requiring full choke? They are large birds so maybe pattern density is important.
Also does anyone know if historically ducks migrated down the Iowa River?
Also, the consignee was a railroad agent and I do not believe he had the money to buy a DH $75.00 shotgun. Was it common practice in rural small towns to ship merchandise to the local agent for pick up?? I am starting to paint a picture in my mind. Thanks Craig

[Kevin McCormack]

When I lived in KC MO briefly in the early 1970's, I fell in with a couple who were ardent bird hunters but knew nothing about duck hunting, which the husband had recently taken a liking to. His wife was the personal secretary of the Big Mahoff VP of the veterinary pharmaceutical firm I worked for, and overheard some of my war stories of duck hunting back East. She said she and her husband would take me upland bird hunting if I would guide and show them how to duck hunt (e.g., rig decoys, brush blinds, select guns & ammo, etc.). I told her I would as I could see no downside; she being a real looker and her husband being a deputy sheriff and liked good cigars to boot! They had a terrific Brittany Spaniel dog and a "mini Winnie", the smallest Winnebago RV sold at the time; no kids and almost no other interests other than hunting and fishing.

We alternated weekends during hunting seasons between quail and pheasant hunting in southern Iowa around Adair (scene of the first daylight train robbery in the US, compliments of Frank and Jesse and the Younger boys), and duck shooting from a blind we paid $5 a day fee for down in lower MO right on the river, about and hour from KC. The owner had big fields of milo planted adjacent to the river and owned a bulldozer; the week before duck season he would cut the dike against the river and flood a few of the standing milo fields where he had erected primitive but good blinds. I often think of it as "Little Beaver Dam."

When we hunted around Adair, quail were extremely abundant and almost anyone would let you hunt if you knocked on the door of the farm house. Rare was the outing that we failed to kill our limit - each of us. I remember several trips where the farm owners more or less insisted that we park the mini Winnie in the side yard or equipment bay and hook up to their electric and water.

Similarly, the wild pheasants which had been established around the time Craig's research shows, were literally everywhere. My abiding memories of those wonderful days are the huge size of the pheasants, the height of that Iowa feed corn, and the fabulous wild quail shooting. For an eastern boy transplanted to 'middle America', it was quite an adventure!

[Cold Spring]

Although not in vogue today, 26-inch smallbores with F&F chokes were fairly popular back in the day at least in certain sections of the country. I've seen a few by several makers over the years. Just by coincidence yesterday I got a nice Lefever 16 bore, original 26-incher on the XX frame and with choke constrictions at 34 and 35 points (pretty full for 16-gauge). She was made in late 1912 as best I can tell.

Gun came out of NC and the gent wasn't able to measure the chokes, although he told me be got it in the 70's and used it mainly for woodcock. I was thinking she was choked for birds at shorter range. Kind of surprised when I got my bore mike into the tubes.

Craig as you may remember I have 450+ American Field sporting newspapers dated 1903-1913 and when I have time I'll check for the dog's name in the Airedale listings in 1912 or so. Also if you PM or email the consignee's name I'll look for him too.

[Craig Larter]

Frank the consignee's name is J.W. Capwell. Thanks for taking a look in your AF newspapers.
Good luck with the new Lefever sounds like and interesting example. Any small bore Lefever is hard to come by.

[Drew Hause]

Iowa Falls is south of Clear Lake, and not that far from Dickinson County on the Minnesota line in northwest Iowa; the “Iowa Great Lakes” area with Okoboji, Milford, and Spirit lakes, with ducks, plover, and snipe in the wetlands and prairie chicken in the “Iowa Flatheads.”
To the west, SE of Ft. Dodge, is (now) the Brushy Creek State Recreation Area on the Des Moines River.
Lots of wetlands and sloughs along the Iowa River also.

[Craig Larter]

OkThanks everyone for the input. This gun was hunted hard in an area of the country that offered many opportunities at a wide variety of gamebirds. I have a better understanding of why it was ordered the way it is. My search continues to unravel it's history. Iowa Falls has a historical society I plan to contact to see if I can obtain more information on the consignee I will post any info I uncover.

[Cold Spring]

Craig, I looked through 38 issues of the American Field dated late 1911 into early 1913 and couldn't find anything on Prairie Bell II or J.W. Capwell. I thought I might hit pay dirt seeing schedules for the Greater Des Moines Kennel Club Show on April 4-6, and Sioux City Show on April 11-13, but the writeup on Des Moines never appeared and the Sioux report said Airedale Terriers had a "strong" showing and noted four of them. Also, no Field Trials were shown in Iowa over that period at least in the AF issues I have. It was a weekly "Sportsman's Newspaper" at that time. I also looked at Stud Dog Registrations and Transfers for Airedales that were listed in all 38 issues but didn't see Prairie Bell II.

Sorry I couldn't help here.