Evening star., 1901-08-28
BETTER GAME PROTECTION
COUNTRY WAKING UP To REALIZa.
TION OF CONDITIONS.
More Sensible Laws Being Enacte6
and Greater Safeguards Adopted
Review OF situation.

A digest Of the game laws of the yar;ous
states and territories will shortly be issued
oy the Agricultural Department and par
ticular attention will be given to the state
laws Tor game protection enacted In 1901
Outlining the general scope of this legis-
Iation the authors OF the publication.
Messrs. T. S. Palmer and H. W. Olds say:
The opening year of the new century
has witnessed an unprecedented interest
In game protection. Nearly four-fifths OF
the states and territories have enacted some
amendments to their game laws These
amendments vary from a slight change In
the Delaware law regarding close seasons
TO the adoption of a general game law OF
ccde In Arizona. California Connecticut. In
diana, Michigan. Missouri Nebraska. Ne
sada. New Hampshire and New Jersey
Changes In dates for opening or closing the
seasons have been the most common but
restrictions on methods of capture. on sale.
Shipment and storage, also have been nu.
merouS.
Other Safeguards.
In many instances the laws necessarily
have become more complex. but there has
been strong tendency toward extending
protection to more kinds Of game, shorten
Ing the seasons. limiting bags and throw
Ing greater restrictions about the trade in
StiihC. A~tbTdShd ana MISSOURI wntCsh SUI
fered severely from wholesale shipments OF
game last year have Joined the great ma
Jority of states in adopting stringent nom
eAFcrt laws. leaving less than half a dozen
states now without protection Of this kind.
Other states, notably Indiana, Montana
Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Washington.
nave restricted hunting by requiring
licenses of nonresident hunters, favorite
eXpedient, particularly In the middle west
Tor providing game protection fund. South
Dakota has followed the example OF Michi-
gan. Minnesota. North Dakota and Wiscon-
sin in requiring residents as we'll as nom
residents, to obtain licenses, and Oregon
now licenses nonresident market hunters.
In all the northern states from the Allie
ghenies to the Pacific. with the exception of
Ohio. Idaho and Oregon, nonresident hunt
ers must now secure licenses at cost OF
SO to $40."
On National, Not Local, Importance.
It Is stated that hopeful sign OF the
times Is the general recognition Of the prin-
ctple that game preservation Is a national
rather than local question Organized
effort has accomplished more this year than
ever before. The American Ornithologists'
Union. interested especially in the preser-
walton of non-game birds has secured the
enactment Of a practically uniform law In
eight states and the District of Columbia.
and incidentally the adoption of uniform
definition Of game birds. The League Of
American Sportsmen has given attention
especially to securing better protection for
big game and wild turkeys, and its efforts
have contributed to the passage Of bills
providing q close season Of three to ten
years for antelope in six states, for elk
In five states and for mountain sheep and
wild turkeys in two states. 1t has sup
ported the principle advocated by several
leading sportsmens Journals that protec-
tion can best be secured by restricting the
sale OF game and limiting the amount OF
a days or seasons bag. The influence
thus exerted, combined with the aid OF
various other game organizations, was
largely instrumental in securing the pas
sage of numerous laws embodying these
features. The sale OF all kinds Of game
has been prohibited by some states. and
that of certain species by others. AS re-
suit Of efforts in this direction. three kinds
Of game-antelope elk and prairie chickens
have been practically removed from the
markets. except In states where their kill
ing Is still permitted.