Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-09-14

of Charging Nonresident Hunters n
Have Changed.
With the coming of the first touch of
| cool weather there Is a general over
| hauling of gun rooms. Sportsmen who
have stayed in their offices all through
| the hot months begin to think of the
| birds and the elusive, gun shy deer
| that are becoming more and more diff
! ficult to kill every year, writes the
| Washington correspondent of the New
York Evening Post. In a large part OF
| the United States Sept. 1 marks the
| opening of the hunting season. In the
south the season begins later, and here
| and there the embargo on certain game
| is lifted little earlier.
Every year marks an advance in
| game protection in practically all OF
| the states. There have been very few
| changes this year. Most Of the game
| laws that We're in effect in the United
States and Canada last season remain
in force, as only fourteen states and
eight Canadian provinces held legiSla-
tive sessions this year. Four of these
Ohio, British Columbia. New Bruins
wick and Ontario-leave their game
laws unchanged, and the others passed
few statutes.
OF the states Mississippi was the
only one to make any noteworthy
changes. The legislature decided to
abandon its old system of separate
law with provisions uniform through
out the entire state. In taking this ac-
ton Mississippi followed the example
recently set by Virginia and Tennes-
see. This new law is thoroughly mod
efn and framed on the lines of the best
game laws now in operation. 1t pro-
vides for the appointment of game
warden, establishes a twenty dollar
nonresident license fee and prohibits
all sale and export of game.
BY prohibiting all sale of protected
game Mississippi has taken an advanc-
ed position. The only other states
whose sale laws are as sweeping are
Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ar
kansas, Kansas, Texas, Montana and
Arizona. The Massachusetts legisla-
ture enacted some important amend
ments to its sale laws. One prohibits
the sale of imported, quail except in
November and December. Another
cuts off the sale of imported ducks
in the close season, and Il third pro-
hibits all sale of prairie chickens and
sharp tailed grouse. These laws viii
abolish the market for game illegally
shipped from several western states.
The establishment of a game warden
service i'll Mississippi leaves Alabama,
Arkansas and Pexas the only states in
the Union unprovided with such spe
cial police protection.
The practice of charging nonresident
hunters a license is spreading through
out the United States. 1t was not so
long ago that a man might hunt any
where without paying q fee for the
privilege, but the increasing number
of hunters each season has made it
necessary for the states to adopt some
such plan to obtain a revenue for the
maintenance of the protection service
that many of them lave put into opera
ton. Few changes. have been made
in the laws relating to licenses and
shooting seasons this year. Besides
the new twenty dollar licenses in Mis-
sissippi. South Carolina established a
twenty-five dollar nonresident county
license, and few minor changes were
made by Maryland lin the license re-
quirements in Princes George and Som
erset counties.
Seasons for the following game have
been changed: Deer in New York,
snipe, cranes and waterfowl in Louisi-
ana. wood ducks land pheasants In
MASSACHUSETTS, ands upland game in
South Carolina. In addition to these
changes, Virginia. removed all protec-
ton from robin snfpe, surf birds, GER
tain plover and crrrlew, and Maryland |
altered several seasons in Allegany, |
Anne Arundel, Cecil, Garrett, Hartford, |
Prince George and Somerset counties |
and on the Patuxent river. /
A large number of bills relating to |
game and game protection were con- |
sidered by congress last winter, and |
four. all relating to game preserves, |
We're passed. These authorized the |
lease of $500 acres in South Dakota |
for buffalo pasture, established game |
refuge in the Grand canyon forest pre- |
serve in Arizona, prohibited hunting in |
the District of Columbia except in the |
eastern branch and the west side of |
the Potomac and prohibited trespass |
on bird reservations.
Monks as Chauneurs.
The Grand St Bernard monks made |