The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-12-28
AS TO A CLOSED SEASON.
Views of President Penniman of the Game
Association.

ners. Most of them are reasonable
about the matter and all want to do
what is best. Mr.. George Dobbin
Penniman, president of the MARYLAND
State Game and Fish Protective As
ISOLATION, said recently:
"There has been some misappre-
hension of the position taken by the
executive committee of the game as
ISOLATION toward the movement look
ing to closed season in partridge
shooting for year. As matter of
fact, the game association has not
taken any official action, and does
not intend to take any official action
as far as l know. The question was
raised informally at the last meeting
of the executive committee, and in
the opinion of most of the members
present Il closed season was not
deemed advisable. Unofficially,
would like to state my opinion:
Admitting that the extreme cold
of the last winter has seriously de-
creased the number of cartridges in
many places in this State, | think
there are two methods by which the
number can be increased One is by
prohibiting shooting for year, and
the second is by affording the present
stock of birds every protection pos
slble during this winter; by purchas-
ing birds from the West for propagat-
ing purposes and by so caring for the
birds during this and following win
tiers by affording them proper shelter
and food that IL great number of
birds now annually killed by cold,
hawks, etc, will be saved.
THE only thing in favor of the
first plan is that a certain number of
birds will not be killed next winter by
sportsmen who will obey the law.
The experience of our neighbors in
Virginia has been that there are a
number of people scattered through
the country who will not observe the
law, and as a result many birds will
be killed in spite of the closed season.
| do not believe that the number of
birds which are killed by shooting
seriously affects the sport in the fol-
lowing autumn.
eff the birds are given a closed sea-
son for year it means that nothing
more will be done for them. In my
opinion, the difficulty in Maryland
does not arise from the number of
birds which are killed by shooting,
but from the change which has taken
place in the methods of agriculture
i'll the State which deprives the birds
of cover and protection during both
the summer and the winter. At pres
ent the nests of large numbers of
partridges are DESTROYED by the now
ers and reapers, and probably this
cannot be avoided to any great ex-
tent; but, in addition to that, by the
constantly increasing use of the wire
fence throughout the State, the birds
are being deprived more and more
each year of the protection from
hawks, storms, etc., which protection
the old post and rail and snake fences
used to afford.
'"The farmers throughout the State
are adopting the practice of cleaning
up their old fields in the fall by the
use of a mower, and in this way a
great deal of cover which would pro-
tect the birds from hawks and in cold
weather afford them a good, safe
feeding ground is destroyed. Now,
merely closing the season for year
will not remedy this. The hawks will
be as hungry and as numerous, the
winds will be as cold and the snow
as deep in the closed year as
during the winter in which shooting
is permitted. In addition, farmers
and other persons interested in the
birds will not have the incentive of
shooting within few months to urge
them to protect the birds, but, as in
Virginia, that as the season is closed,
the birds can be safely left to them
selves, and even if the winter be very
severe, few people will take the
trouble to feed them. Again, as hap
pened in Virginia, the winter which
follows the closed year may be very
severe and may again wipe out all
the good which the closed year has
produced.
II believe in the second plan be-
cause do not think that we will ever
have good shooting in Maryland I'M
| til the farmers afford the birds pro-
lection from hawks and SHOWS. l
think in neighborhoods where the
birds are now very scarce, if those
Interested in shooting will feed the
birds during this winter, so that the
loss of life through cold will be rend-
cred as small as possible; if they will,
by placing small traps on the tops of
poles throughout the country, catch
the hawks; if in moving and reap
| ;ao, 4I,o ,,oeIe Of fho hraOIinn, bird @