The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1906-12-28
- In ano About the State -
THE vANIsHING PRAIRIE HEN.
Better Game Laws and More Effective
Enforcement Needed.

Enforcement Needed.
In the September number Of "Recre-
alton" Clate Tinan contributes an artl-
Gle on "The Vanishing Prairie Hen"
which is a strong plea for more strin-
gent game laws and more effective en-
forcement of the law, both in the in
terest of the honest sportsman and
the farmer.
Mr.. Tinan is known in South Dako-
ia as a big-hearted, unselfish compan-
ion and honest hunter. The following
is an extract from his article:
The people of the Western prairies
should realize that all game laws are
not in the interest of the few-as some
would have them believe-but in the
interest of the many, of which they
constitute the major part. The prairie
chickens should be protected with
reasonable assurance Of maintaining
the supply II for no other reason than
the food they furnish to the farmer, to
the stockn.an and to the rancher.
With this, the pursuit of them fur
nishes the youth of the prairie homes
about the only recreation with dog
and gun that the country affords.
The rich and well-to-dO can either
stock private game preserves or
Journey afar of to distant lands
where game is plentiful. To this lat
ter class the coming or going of the
prairie chicken is Of small moment,
for the whole world is theirs in the
pursuit of pleasure. Notwithstanding
this, and the further fact that the
prairie chicken is the best friend i'll
bird life that the farmer has, destroy
ing as it does, myriads of bugs
grasshoppers, and never moles
standing grain, ninetenths of the
position to effective game laws In eV-
cry legislative assembly comes from
the farmer members.
There is feeling among this class
of men that game protection is in the
sole interest of the city sportsmen,
notwithstanding that the laws of most
states have stringent trespaSs laws
which give the farmer absolute control
of the lands where the prairie chick
ems breed and make their homes. The
city sportsmen are perfectly willing
that this should be SO, resting In the
belief that there will always be
enough birds to get over the line to
give reasonable sport.
The posting of farms, too, is ap-
proved by the better class of sports
men, 1t is a protection to the birds
and a restraint on vandalism. That
is to say, it is a protection to the
birds il the farmer will let them alone
until Sept. /, and see that the hired
help and his son do likewise. There
is a feeling among farmers that any
law which conserves the game is but
the saving of them for the hunters
from the towns and cities. They come
onto their lands on the opening day
and let their dogs run riot, not only
cleaning up whole coveys, but doing
more or less damage to grain and
fences. The provocation is strong,
then, to get out little in advance and
get a few messes before the shooting
opens in September.
There is only one remedy for this,
and that is the appointment Of effec-
tive game wardens from the farming
community. In some of the Western
Substantially the two Dakotas-
there is no state game warden or
game commission and but few county
wardens appointed by the governor,
none of whom receive dollar Of COM
pensation. The impossibility of a
single county game warden watching
from 500 to 1000 square miles of terri
tory and boarding himself is at once
apparent"