The morning call., 1894-04-05
GUNS AND RODS.
Annual Meeting of State
SpOrtsmen.
Thousands of Birds Will Be Brought
to GrasS-What Needs
Doing.

Quite number of sDortsmen from the
interior of the State arrived in this city yester-
day for the purpose of taking part in the State
Sp0rtSmen's tournament which will commence
to-day at the Oakland Trotting Park. and will
be con iDueo each afternoon until the 9Th inst.
Trapper Rice says that he has Gagged for the
occasion a large number of Slate-colored
pigeons that will surprise the natives who are
not "craekerjaekS" with shotgun.
The main feature OF the shoot Will be the 100
bird race, which win be divided Into so, 80 ard
20 per cent if The entries exceed ten in number.
This afternoons events will consist OF a
twelve bird race. entrance 81 so, and Fifteen
bird race, the entrance for which will be SO.
On Friday the game win be opened by 100.
bird race, entrance 500 and the conditions
state that if there are only three entries there
will be but one division of the prize; II five
entries are received the purse VIII be divided
into 60 and 40 per cent, and II six or more
entries the divisions VIII be 30, 80 ana 70 PER
cent. Two twenty.bird matches at blue rocks
will be shot on each day of the tournament.
The convention OF spOrtsmen. about which so
much has been said and written, VIII be held
in Memorial Hail. ODD Fellows building, cor
ner OF Seventh and Market streets, al 10 A. NJ
on Tuesday. tn 10th inst.
Ii VIII be composed of twenty delegates at
large that have been appointed by the Gov
ernor of the State ana two representatives
which have been appointed by the Supervisors
of the several counties. The objects OF this
convention have already been stated in The
CALL. 1t is for the purpose OF framing game
and fish law which will conform with the
wishes and desires OF the sportsmen who reside
in be different counties.
The primary object of the convention is to
provide means for the better protection of
game and fish, and this can be done only by
guarding the latter during the closed or breed
ing season.
To do this properly keepers and bailiffs must
be employed.
AT pre- sent the Fish Commissioners so-called.
have an appropriation of $4,000, which
amount the State granted solely for the prOtec-
ton and propagation of food fishes.
1t is a well-knOwn fact, however, that the
Commissioners have not provided for the pro-
lection OF fishes, ana so far as stocking OF
streams is concerned. experiments thus far
have proven decided failure. Yet with he
months OF experience the Commissioners have
had In raising young steelhead trout, which
when dumped into the coast streams diSaD-
peared as mysteriouSly as if they had fallen
into the jaws of muskalonge, they still con-
tlnue TO waste time and money on useless
hatcheTies when the native fishes and game
birds are being openly slaughtered for want of
protection during lte closed SEASONS.
This $4,000 appropriation should be ex-
pended for the better protection of game and
fish, and instead of employing lot of men TO
look,after useless ha cherries one patrolman at
a salary of $50 per month should be appointed
for each OF the tfty-seyen counties of the State,
whose duty it would be to look after the
streams during the closed season for ane ling
and tile fields and forest during the closed sea-
son for game birds and animals.
This system Of game protection would be only
about $1,000 more expense TO the State than
The apI ropTiation the Fish Commissioners re-
ceiVe, and IL certainly does not require light
ming calculator to see the great advantage that
Will result In the protection of fish and game
over the present decidedly absurd method. The
fishes in the streams are being slaughtered
during the breeding season; The quail and
deer ire receiving similar treatment, and
this is exactly the reason why game and fish
are becoming annually less.
Project the game and fish in the closed sea-
sons and there will. be ample sport for all men
when The law permits shooting and fishing.