The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1906-11-24
GAME WARDEN'S LIFE
NOT A BED OF ROSE,
WRITES A SARCASTIC LETTER T
TOM HANNA.
HAS NOT ENOUGH ASSISTANT
Mr.. Chapman Goes Into Detail in En-
umerstins the Woes Of His Office
Needs More Help.

That the position Of State Game
Warden is not bed OF Roses can be
Cleaned from reading Of the follow
ing letter, written by Mr.. Chapman in
reply to an item in the Iron Mountain
Press. The letter is as follows
In our several articles last week
anent the invasion Of the pot and
market hunters. The Press had no in
tention-and did not-of criticising
Game Warden Chapman. That gentle
man is doing remarkably good work
under the provisions Of fool law.
which appears TO have been enacted in
the interest OF the kerosene krowd.
AS we have contended. time and again,
Mr.. Chapman has been more active Ia
the enforcement Of the laws than any
warden Michigan ever had and he has
been instrumental In securing the con-
victlon Of more law violatofs. This is
BEST evidenced by the fact that tho hnes
Indicted have more than paid the run
ming expenses Of the entire depart
ment. Mr.. Chapman is not blamcable
for the fool laws which handicap him
30 seriously. The Press has received
the following letter from Mr.. Chapman
In which he sarcasticslly explains the
difficulties under which he 10 laboring
Dear Tom II have just read your
article headed Kerosene Krowd' In
the issue Of The Press of the sth inst.
and was especially interested In the
paragraph which states:
The state authorities. as near ss
can be- learned. have made no prepara-
tions TO enforce the laws in the counties
OF the Menominee range. Dickinson
county is entirely unprotected. The
only state game official in the peninsula
is located at Escanaba. =
Under separate cover l am sending
you copy of the game and tish laws
and respectfully call your attention to
Section on page seven which provides
that put ten state deputy wardens shall
be appointed. | wish you could be- in
my Office for few hours, at any time.
and you would then realize what it
means to try and apprehend all the
violators in the state with ten trained
men; Michigan with over two thou
sand miles OF coast line fisheries and
several thousand fishermen constantly
employed.
The sportsmen going to st. Clair
Flats insist upon one deputy patrolling
the territory from Port Huron TO De-
troit continually. Complaints show
that pot hunters are shipping large
numbers Of birds TO the New York and
Boston markets. from the lower penin-
sula. This takes another trained de-
putty TO spprehend this class OF violat-
ors. Fourteen tugs are fishing for
spawn for the y. s. government out
from the Beaver Island, In Lake
Michigan. and other ishermen also try
TO fish during the closed season and
ship their fish with and under the pro-
lection Of the fish taken by the general
government. This takes another de-
putty trained In commercial fish know
ledge. The conditions on Lake Michi-
gan and the coast from Cheboygan TO
Tawas calls for the constant care of u
trained state deputy. At this season
Of the year 1t requires the constant
watchfulness OF deputies at the three
principal transportation points out of
the upper peninsula, viz. Mackinaw.
Manistique and Menominee this takes
three more OF our deputies. Seven Of
the deputies are thus occupied and
with the three left, one has been placed
at Ironwood, and he has been there for
number OF days and one at Iron
Mountain This leaves me one deputy
for field work in Lake. Osceola. Glare.
Mason. Manistee. Wexford. Missaukee,
Newaygo. Mecosta. Isabella, Benzie.
I.eelanau. Grand Traverse. Oceana,
Gladwin and Kalkaska counties. Then
we have territory from Mackinaw
City TO the Indiana state line filed
with inland streams and lakes and
where all kinds of small game Is
plentiful. and this the chief deputy.
with the assistance OF the county war
dens. is doing the best he can 10 pro.
tect. In addition. we have all the
coutnies In the southern part Of the
lower peninsula. with their numerous
lakes and streams. from which we re-
ceive many complaints Of violations
with light and spear. Then there are
the hunting grounds around Saginaw
Bay and the Saginaw valley. where