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Article: Return of the CHICKENS; Prairie chickens were a favorite of Minnesota hunters before their numbers plummeted. Now Minnesota is seeking a limited hunting season.(SPORTS)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- April 3, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Doug Smith; Staff Writer
When the first white settlers rolled into Minnesota, they were delighted to discover flocks of tasty prairie chickens on the state's southern boundaries.
The prairie chickens likewise found the settlers' rudimentary agricultural practices to their liking, and the birds' population and range expanded. By 1900, they had spread over most of the state.
The birds became so plentiful that they were shot by the wagonload in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1923, hunters killed nearly 330,000 prairie chickens - about the number of pheasants that modern hunters shoot each fall in the state.
"They used to talk ...