The record-union., 1891-03-30
PROTECTING WILD GAME.
Wholesome Provisions Enacted by the
Late Legislature.
The Best Game Law the State Has Yet
Had-Wiu Local Officials
Have it Enforcedf


! by the Assembly-extended the prohibi-
ton for six years, but the Senate cut
down the time to two years.
1t is good thing to have the deer pro-
tected for even this length of time, which
will embrace two breeding seasons. This
will give an opportunity for the deer to
increase materially, but the next Legisla-
ture should re-enact this provision, so as
to cover four years, or at least add one
more season to it.
| A law of this kind should have been
passed several years ago, before such in
roads had been made on the deer by the
market and hide hunters, who have we'll
nigh exterminated that noble game. The
check that has now been placed upon
their operations is the result OF the stand
taken on the subject of deer protection by
few wide-awake journals of the State,
! which have at least succeeded in educat-
Ing public opinion up to that point that
even the average legislator could not
longer ignore the Importance of the ques-
tion. The REcoRD-U UNION is pleased at
the result obtained, because it has for
years led the fight against the wholesale
destruction OF the game and fish of the
State carried on by few shittless crea-
lures for their own personal gain.
The Legislature will find it necessary
10 supplement the good work it has done
by placing this provision in the general
game law by adding another limiting the
number of deer that each person shall be
allowed to kill in any one season. This
would work no hardship on the true
sportsman, who does not go to the noun
talnS in the Summer for the purpose Of
| Staying all the deer possible, for the mere
fun OF the slaughter, while it would. if
enforced by the law officers of the various
counties, effectuaily put stop to the
reckless killing Of deer for the value of
their hides. The sportsman can find
| plenty of use for his gun without confin-
ing himself to deer-shooting alone, and
| should be the most earnest advocate of
such an enactment.
Another desirable amendment made to
the game law was the restoration of a
closed season for wild ducks Some
years ago the farmer element which hap
pened to be strongly represented in the
Legislature, removed tho clause in the
game law which protected wild fowl dur
ing the breeding season, under the mis-
taken notion that by so doing they were
| protecting their growing crops from dam
age. Bat it SO happened that the season
of the year during which the ducks
visited the fields of sprouting grain was
the open or shooting season, and that the
license given to slaughter young ducks
during the summer did not protect the
| grain fields at all, as the crops were then
matured, and ali but a few of the more
harmless species of ducks had migrated
to their breeding grounds in the far
| north.
The result was that the mallards, and
teal and pin-tails, which remained and
raised their broods in the tule marshes
along the Sacramento and San Joaquin
Rivers and down about the shores of the
bay, were slaughtered 10y class of pot
hunters who cared only for the immedi-
ate profit they might realize from the sale
of the young and toothsome fiedglinps.
In this way the early fall shooting-the
best OF the year-had become almost a
thing of the past, while the grangers
wheat-flelds were no more protected than
| ever.
AS the years go by and the people come
to realize that they have not been as care
full of the wild game of the State as their
own interests demanded, they will be
calling for the enactment of even more
stringent laws than those now on the
statute books. But if they will see to it
that the present law is vigorously en-
forced by their local officials, it will be a
long, time before any material changes
| VIII become necessary, except, perhaps,
placing limitation upon the number OF
deer that each person may kill during the
| season.
The law as it now stands has been inn
proved by the recent Legislature in other
particulars than those mentioned above.
For instance, the opening of the season
for qusil-shooting has been continued
from the 10th day of September until the
lst of October. The former date was en-
tire1y too early, as many of the late
broods are not then more than half
grown, and fall easy victims to the reck-
less and improvident shooters
Again, the opening of the dove season
has been extended from June 1st to July
lst. This is another step in the right di-
| rectlon, as the doves are in the midst of
their breeding season during the months
OF May and June, and every adult bird
killed during that time means the death
by Starvation OF nearly as many helpless
broods of little ones.
For the Information and guidance of
| sportsmen, market proprietors, and
others interested in the enforcement of
the general game law, it is given below
in full, as it now is:
Every person who, between the 1st
day of March and the LIST day of October
in each year, hunts, pursues, takes, kills
or destroys any quail, partridge or grouse
or any Kind Of wild duck or rail is guilty
of misdemeanor.
Every person who, in any of the
counties OF the State, at any time takes,
gathers or destroys eggs of any quail,
partridge or grouse or mallard duck, or
any kind of summer duck, redhead, teal
or any gray duck, or any other kind Of
wild duck, is guilty of misdemeanor.
Every person who. between the 1st
day of January and the lst day of July
in each year, hunts, pursues, takes. kills
or destroys doves, is guilty of misde-
meanor.
Every person who, i'm any of the coun-
ties In the State, hunts, pursues, takes,
kills or destroys any male deer, antelope
] mountain sheep or buck for the period of
two years from the date of the passage of
this Act is guilty of misdemeanor.
Every person who has in his possession
any green hides or any green skins ofany
deer, elk, antelope or mountain sheep.
killed after the passage of this Act, and
before the expiration of two years from
the date OF the passage of this Act, lis guilty
of misdemeanor.
Every person who shall at any time
hunt, pursue, take, kill or destroy any
spotted fawn is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Every person who shall take, kill or
destroy any of the animals or birds men,
| toned in this section at any time unless
the carcass of such animal or bird is used
or preserved by the person taking or
Staying it, or is sold for food, is guilty of
| a miSdemeanor.
Every person who shall buy, sell. offer
| or expose for sale, transport or carry, or
have in his possession any deer or deer
skin, or any hide or pelt from which the
evidence of sex has been removed, or any
of the aforesaid game at time when il is
unlawful to kill the same, as provided by
this and subsequent sections, is guilty of
| a misdemeanor."
ADJUSTMENTS.
The reputation of the Sacramento Lee
ture Associations entertainments now
1 f1n =