Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-09-05
WHAT MAY Be KILLED
Iowa Game Laws That Are In Eff
feet This Month.
MANY BIRDS MAY Be KILLED

This Is Open Season on Prairie Chick
ems, Wild Ducks, Geese, Snipe and
Squirrels-October I Anxiously
Awaited by ottuinwa Hunters.
The man who longs for the hunting
season to begin is in his glory just
now. Ottumwa's great hunting sea
son does not commence in earnest
however until October when the 'fes-
tive quail may be killed. The season
for prairie chickens and a number of
other birds opened September 1, but
the opening of the season is about all
the good Ottumwans get, unless they
go north, as there are but very few
chickens in this part of the state.
What to Kill.
The Iowa game laws permit the kill
ing of the following game at the time
stated below:
Prairie chickens or pinnated grouse,
| September l to December 1.
Woodcock, Julys10 to January /.
| Wild ducks and geese, snipe and
brant, September l to April Is.
| Squirrels, June l to January 1.
The game laws prohibit the killing
for traffic at any time any pinnated
grouse, prairie chicken, snipe, wood
cock, quail, ruffied grouse, or pleas
ant, or any one person shooting or
killing during one day or having in
their possession at one time, more
than 25 of the foregoing named birds
unless lawfully received for transport
tation.
Sharing, netting or trapping any
birds or animals named, or destroying
eggs or nests of birds, are unlawful.
The expectation of game birds is pro-
hibited. 1t is lawful for any person
to ship to any other person within the
state game birds, not exceeding one
dozen in number in one day, during
the period when the killing of such
birds is not prohibited.
i About Prairie Chickens.
In Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Mime,
sofa and the two Dakotas it is now
lawful to hunt prairie chickens. While
the birds are reported more plentiful
this season in all these states than
for some years past, says the Ameri
can Field. it should not be presumed
that, except in two or three of the
states named. and in certain sections
of those states, are the birds plentiful
enough to be called abundant They
are more numerous than for several
seasons, yet today they are only fairly
SO.
In Iowa there are only a compare
lively few counties in which the birds
can be found at all. and where they
| 10 ho 1h1,
abundant. In Wisconsin, Minnesota
and the Dakotas the birds are still
quite plentiful but not in every coun
ty, as they were in years past.
Growing Wiser.
AS the birds become scarcer the,
seem to grow wiser and seek local.
ties for nesting where they are no
SO easily found by the hunters, anc
when they are found they fly farthe
and to more secluded places. At leas
to the old hunter it seems that way
for when the birds were numerous
covey was not followed far, because i
was not difficult matter to find ano
Their, and the hunter paid little atten
ton to covey that sought far-of
retreat. Then, in the early days il
the prairie states, there was consider
able uncultivated, open land. wher,
the birds found good cover and fel
secure, while today there is very Lit
tie tillable land in any northwestern
states that is not used for agriculture
purposes and therefore the large corr
fields or the low lands bordering
body of water are about the onl,
places where the birds can go and fee
7 thlf fhnr q tN
a rule, they invariably fly after bein
disturbed few times, thus making
:, the hunting more laborious than form
4 erly, and the getting of a good ba
e more difficult.
A Good Pot.
n In Iowa and in most parts of Wis
4 consin and Illinois, if a hunter can g
out in the morning and be fortunat
enough to secure dozen birds by tn
time the sun is an hour high, he shout
consider himself lucky and retur
1. home satisfied that he has done be-
ter than he had reason to expect. Hal
a dozen prairie chickens to a gun i
l. a mornings hunt nowadays, is a goo
Z bag and should satisfy anyone for tn
e time being who is not hunting fo
X profit. In Minnesota and the Dakota
5. one can secure a dozen birds at a
o outing with less labor than he can
p half dozen in the other states namet
e but unless sportsmen are moderat
S in their demands it will not be man
. years until the birds will be so scare,
g. even in those states. that but fe
men will be able to boast Of KILN
2 half dozen birds in a day.
8