The Meeker herald., 1896-11-28
Land. In a late issue the Pilot

stos1 ofgame being slaughtered by the
Whoesale in Routt county. Year after
yeaz as regularly as the seasons roll
arodnd this disgraceful slaughter of our
wiA game occurs and year after year
= E4me warden either willfully ignor-
ant pr crimnally incompetent, sits in
his SfSy chair in handsomely fur
nis1ed office in Denver and boasts of
whist be would do il he only had the
money We have looked at this matter
frosa every side and have come to the
cons lusion that this man Gordon Land
is a3raud Of the first water.
Ser touching up wardens in general,
t6esc hot man continues:
- IN the fall the game punches up and
moves to its winter range. This is the
pot hunters opportunity. He can take
q position by some of the well-known
game routes and slaughter dozen deer
without moving out of his tracks. The
deer are fat, the meat will keep and the
horns are in prime condition. 1t is the
only time of year that the temptation is
strong to kill more than is needed for
Immediate use. The game from large
section are gathered into small strip
of country. This is the time the Utes
always make their raid, and they, with
the help of their white brothers, slaugh-
ter more game in few weeks than is
killed in all the remainder of the year
Bnt the money was all spent when the
game didn't need protection: now there's
no money, is the cry, to pay wardens
when they need protection badly.
"This action is repeated year after
year. The game in this (Routt county,
would last hundred years if there were
none to kill it but the settlers. 1t is the
Utes and hide and horn hunters who
are depleating the game and they
get in their deadly work late in
the fall when the game is on the
move. But-the wardens are attending
to political duties and there is no money,
etc, etc.
This slaughter occurs at this time
- ~-.' 49," ~s-.'J -" r.Sr-.~ ~. ~
in advance and pinch it cut in its in
ception. Instead of this the wardens
wait till the season for slaughter is
about over before they awaken from
their lethargy and then it is too late to
do any good. AT the present rate five
more years will see the extinction of the
last of the wild game in Northwestern
Colorado"
THE HERALD has always been lem
lent in criticising Mr.. Lands admins
tratiOn of the game laws, but we must
admit that there has been at times lots
of cause for criticism of his ineiliciency
Just AS severe as the above. lie waited
this fall till the first day of November
before sending man to the head of
Pieeance creek to stop the slaughter
that had been going on in that region
throughout October, and he didn't get
after the Indians until the second week
in November, while he knew, or ought
to have known that they were at their
old business of wholesale destruction for
for weeks preceding that time. And here
Mr.. Lands old story of no funds came
into play again, as usual, but in our
opinion, the action taken in November
to protect the game of this county could
have been taken in the fore part of Octo-
ber just as well, funds or no funds, and
thousands of deer been thereby saved.
Mr.. Land may be a good fish commits
sioner, but he is certainly dismal fail
ure as state game warden.