Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1899-02-02
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- - ,$'t{< - 33:EtS5A Jan 20. ~.
EDITOR SHEAr: Permit ME to sa
a few words about our game law
The Minnesota legislature has from:
timeto time changed orr game laws
and has sought the best way TO saw
the state's:noblest vileiSan;,,.sls, sac
as moose, deer. and caribou, from
destruction and determination. But
in spite of all these provisions of the
law our nice game IS getting more
scarce every year. A few years ago
the state appropriated large sum Of
money to have the law enforced, and
offered reward to such persons who
would give evidence fora5the state and
make complaint against violaters Of
the: law, but this paragraph of the
law has brought no practical results
in Marshall, Kittson, Roseau and
Polk counties. If the people in a
neighborhood know that some one
has violated the game law, they only
talk about it among themselves, but
no one need think that one will make
complaint against another. And
there are good reasons for being thus.
In the first place there is a sort of
dislike and fear on the part of most
people to be connected with law
suit in any shape or manner, and in
the second place it is often the case
that in new settlements where unlaw-
full hunting is practiced, all are more
or less guilty. The third and great
est cause why one hates t1 make CON-
plant, is that such person would get
the law breaker as his permanent
enemy, and perhaps the whole neigh
borhood would be down on him, and
there are few who are brave enough
to face this..s5 s
In place of giving reward to private
compliments, ! would suggest that
the state pay special detectives to
watch at certain seasons. Pot
hunters and unprincipled persons
have during the past years begun to
hunt moose in rather strange way.
It has been found that in the summer
time, when mosquitoes are thick, deer
and moose willwade out into the water
to protect themselves, and the hunter,
watching his opportunity, can with
out trouble shoot them down to no
benefit for either himself or others.
Many stately moose have been killed
in this manner, only to satisfy the
hunters craving to destroy. The
Crookston papers last fall told about
man and his hired man who shot
two moose in Clearwater river, and
this is only one of many instances.
Two years ago when the snow was
four to ten feet deep, there was
wholesale slaughtering of moose and
deer in the northeastern part of our
county. The animals were, on ac-
count of the deep snow, deprived of
their food, and on top of the snow an
icy crust had formed which cut the
akin, and flesh from their legs and
feet, and under such conditions they
were wholly at the mercy Of these
consciencelese hunters. An old man
told me that he was witness to a scene
that he can never forget. He met a
flock of animals that were being pur-
sued by hunter, as they passed by
! him he could see how, the flesh was
torn of their legs and feet to the very
bones, while the hunter glided for
ward easily on his Norwegian ''skis''
firing shot after shot without hitting.
This was cruelty to animals Of the
worst kind, and the state ought to
| try. to prevent it by having detectives
on the lookout at times when the
danger is greatest. Such things hap
pen far away from the settlements,
and the game wardens in the cities
and villages know nothing about it.
My>article is getting too long per-
haps for your paper, but before I
close will ask my young friends,
sportsmen and hunters, who, have too
great desire to, shoot and destroy,
to subscribe for :Recreatiss ssn which
magazine is advertised in tic SHEAR.
1t has certainly madeit it's object to
work for the enforcement Of the game
laws. But if you rsad the magazine
| H. Il,