Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-08
SPORTSMEN
WILL MEET
THIS WEEK
EIGHTH ANNUAL CONVENTION
OF GAME PROTECTORS
MANY IMPORTANT MATTERS ARE
TO BE CONSIDERED
Public Invited to Open Meeting In
Chamber of Commerce Tonight.
General Program for
Three Days

The eighth annual convention of the
California Game and Fish Protective as
sociation opens in Los Angeles at the
chamber of commerce today.
Following is the program: The first
business meeting will be held this after
noon at the chamber of commerce; Satur-
day morning the delegates will start at
9 o'clock from the Pacific Electric station
at Sixth and Main streets for a trip to
Mount Lowe; this evening an open meet
ing to which the public is invited will be
held at the chamber of commerce, when
several prominent speakers will make ad-
dresses, including President H. T. Payne,
Judge Rose and A. r. Orr of Visalia,
who will treat on the protection of game
and fish; Saturday evening the final pusi-
ness meeting will be held in the chamber
Of commerce.; Sunday will be given over
to the entertainment Of the visitors.
Several important questions will come
before this convention. Numerous dele
gates are prepared to make fight In
favor OF making the open season on doves
synchronous with the open season on
quail. Doves breed nearly all the year
round. and to allow the continual murder
of young birds, as has been the case in
President Payne yesterday afternoon in
an interview declared himself for the pas
sage of a new law making a closed sea-
son on striped bass. There was a law
once protecting striped bass. but 1t was
repealed about five years tgo.
Season on Shrimps
The head OF the association also de-
clared himself in favor of placing a closed
caa nn m
protecting the shrimp alone, but more
for the object of saving the young fish
which are inevitably caught with shrimp.
The Chinese and Japanese fishermen
catch and ship these young fish to China
for fertilizer by the hundreds of thous-
ands of pounds every year. President
Payne desires to re-enact the law pro-
tecting shrimp, and incidentally young
fish, which was repealed three years ago
The convention will consider the i'm
portation and breeding of various species
of game birds, such as the wild turkey
and the South American tinamus, the
latter being famous both as a game bird
and as one Of the finest table birds in
the world. It is similar to the quail or
the grouse.
This will be one of the most important
conventions in the history of the associa
tion, and probably will be attended by
are matters of weight and urgency that
must be settled without delay, and issues
of vital Importance that affect the futur-
ity of sport will be discussed.
One of lthe topics of great interest IS
the expenditure of the fund of nearly
100000 per year accruing from the col
lection of hunting license fees. The
sportsmen accumulate this fund for the
state by their own volition, and it is
their right to dictate absolutely how their
money shall be spent.
Many delegates strongly advocate
seasonal bag limit, to be placed on the
number of birds and fishes that may be
taken in any one season by one person, |
this. of course, being an additional re-
striction to the present daily bag limit. 1t
is thought that this plan will appeal ID
all true sporsmen. There Is already a
seasonal limit on deer, and many author
tiles are clamoring vigorously for a sea-
sonal limit on ducks, quail, snipe, trout
and bass.
Stop Selling Game Birds
Frank H. Mayer, who has great inf1u-
ence among clean sportsmen, says: 'In
the name of the people of California We
demand at the hands of our legislature. |
at its next session, the enactment and |
embodiment in our game law Of statu- |
tory clause prohibiting the sale in this |
state of any game bird OF any description |
and fixing a commensurate |
penalty for any violation thereof"
1t appears that many of the delegates |
Of the association are in favor of going
clear down the line for the real protec-
tion Of game and fish, and with this idea |
In view they are preparing to demand the |
election OF committee in the convention |
for the express purpose Of going before |
the legislature and demanding that the
Of dollars being paid into the |
state game fund be proftably expended |
and accounted for, and to demand the |
appointment of commissioners and war
dens because of special fitness and apti-
tude for the positions. The convention
promises to develop warm fight in sew
eral quarters because of the alleged po-
Iitical policy which it is claimed has gov
erned the appointment of commissioners
and wardens up to this time.
A prominent sportsman and a member
Of several organizations said yesterday: |
THE laws protecting the birds in closed |
season are not enforced. I know that |
valley quail were shot ahead of the sea-
son, but how many sooners were arrest
ed? / shall certainly take steps in this
convention to compel wardens to enforce
the laws against poachers and game hogs. |
TN my opinion, and in the opinion of |
thousands of clean Sportsmen, the Cali |
HOrn1a game laws are crazy patch work |
and some slashing should be done by the
legislature, and 1t will be done If our in
auence can accomplish anything. 1t IS
D. disgraceful condition of affairs when
d country presents such a spectacle as
now is open in this state. The cheap |
sport can shoot doves during the nesting
season and deer when their horns are
In velvet. He can go afield and kill quail |
which wear a long single crest but not
those with short double one. He may
90 for ducks Oct. 1, but can not shoot
shore birds, such as ibis curlew and
plover until Oct. Is. Why all of this
poppy-cock? Sportsmen demand open
season at the same time in the fall, at the
logical and natural time, on game such
as reed, doves and quail. Then a sports
man can get enough fun. 1t is certainly
peculiar that these open seasons are so
widely distributed. Who gets the benefit?
rhe game isn't protected any better, nor
hoes the hunter get full sport 1t IS
only too evident that certain financial in
Ierests, with private axes to grind, are
responsible for the present chaotic state
IF California's game laws.
Another thing, If that $S5,000 collected |
FOR hunters license fees is applied for |
game protection, sportsmen will feel bet
ter regarding the conduct Of the state
TrT- 49, IL.