The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-02-14
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.



that the net, trap and market hunter
we're tho cause Of the trouble, and these
were prohibited BY the law Now these
sport -loying gentlemen were doubtless
1 sincere In their declarations and were anx-
| ious TO have the game protected. They
wore right in declaring that the gene was
| rapidly disappearing, but were wrong ~
! atributing the disappearance 10 the net
/ trap and market hunter, II they had de-
4 Glazed the sportsmen themselves we're inc
1 real cause, they would have mt me hhil
| exactly on the head. Such is undouptediy
truh though Ii may not have occurred 10
/ them, and they Keep right on denouncinx
! the net, trap and market hunter, when, IN
! fact ispeaking for this section). there mas
| been neither net, trap nor market huntur
| here for fifteen or twenty years, ana yet
the disappearing" has gone right along
/ I'LL tJday the hunter must travel fifteen or
! twenty miles to find u few struggling
BIRDS 4 few years ago in passing over
my premises dozen coveys OF birds WOULD
be seen Today there are none.
| Let me state u few facts that came I'M
| der my own observation, and from other
sources, In support of my assertions:
| il few Sundays ago sportsinen told me,
| In coming Into town that sunday morn
| Ing he met twenty seven buggies with
| about forty men going bird hunting.
| asked him what was the average number
killed BY the average hunter In days
| hunt? He said In ordinary times each
would kill about thirty birds; that he con-
sldercd himself an average shot. and that
he killed from ten TO forty and thirty was
n fair average. He said those forty men
would probably kill 1900 birds that day;
that Sunday was the big day, and they
would probably kill halt as many during
the week days, which Would foot up 1890
for the week. and, allowing twenty-four
hunting weeks, would reach 43.200 for the
season. He also reminded me that this
road was only one OF ten or twelve public
roads leading from town ino the country.
| asked him what in the world they want
ed TO kill so many for? They could not eat
them. We'll" he said, they kill most
of them just for sport"
And this killing Just for sport 10
where the abuse of the law comes in. one
sportsman told me few years ago he kept
count of the number he killed in one sea-
son. and they amounted to 1900. Another
said his count for one season was HOO.
Some time ago Il sporting club chal-
| lenged another for a hunt to see which
would kill the most game. One reported
| 200 and the other 2500. II every bird had
a patent incubator they would disappear
before this fearful slaughter.
| Nor is this abuse confined to small
game. a short time ago The Post stated
that party of two or three in the big
| thicket killed twenty-five deer. and about
the same time BRENNAN paper stated
that a party of three of four killed twenty
deer; and the papers might have added
| they each brought home n ham.
The trap and net are comparatively
harmless. From childhood to my teens"
trapped; and IL | ever caught anything
but the hole where the ground squirrel
scratched out, DO not now recall 1t.
pA....
man with dog Will KIN moro han twenty
| without dog, Then, If the dogs were
| Killed or taxed ont of the State, sportsmen
| might haunt aud shoot 10 their hearts cor
tent, and the birds Will not need an incu-
bator 10 keep pace with the fusillade. II
| is the gun ana dog together that do the
! mischief. Yet. II the sportsman would
limit himself to kin only enough for table
supply for his family, and cease killing
| Just for sport he might still have his
| dog and ample sport for the future. Fight
| ing the trap and net is like stopping the
bung when the leak Is at the spigot Turn
| loose the trap and net and destroy the gun
aud deg. and tho birds will multiply on
the other hand, turn loose the. gan and dog
and destroy the trap and net and tho dis
appearance VIII SO right along, as now.
great Improvement on the present law
would he To prohibit hunting at all three
years in every five During the week days
| NV H'ittiS Nlieau AutlnSriVeS over WOODS
and field and keep mp constant fusiliade.
Bnt on Sunday they swarm from the
towns like bats from dilapidated barn
| The sport-loving class is not the only
class interested in the birds. They are tho
friends OF the fruit grower, gardener aud
farmer; for as the birds decrease the in
scot pests increase, to the detrment OF
the agricultural classes.
| am not advocating the rights of the
netter trappcr. pot hunter or market
hunter but simply desire to show that tho
cause of tho disappearing of the game lics
az tho door OF the expert sportsman, who
Kicks vicionsly al what they call the not
or market hunter. why" one said TO
| me, these market hunters kin whole
flock ut u time" Well | asked what
Is the difference In killing whole flock at
timo and killing q whole flock one at n
| iime?" fer he admitted that he frequently
Killed every bird In Il covey
The market hunter has this TO say IN
his favor; That what he Kills Is food for
some one while that the sportsman kills
''just for snort" is frequently len to rot
where u fails u. w. Morrss
| \. md VI. Presidency.