Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-14

TT is a deplorable fact that the
game birds of Southern California
Il are decreasing in numbers, and
with startling rapidity" remarked a
prominent local sportsman yesterday
From nearly every section OF, the
country within a radius of 100 miles OF
Los Angeles reports are being con-
stantly received which clearly show
that year by year our game birds, OF
which originally there were an over
abundant supply, are becoming less
and less. This is largely attributable
to three reasons-tirst, the accessibility
with which the hunting grounds may
be reached; second, the length OF the
open seasons and the amount of game
which may be lawfully killed, and
third, lack of and inefficiency of game
WardenS.
How many sportsmen, or otherwise,
who go afield are ever asked to show
their hunting licenses, and how many
cases of violation of the game laws are
ever prosecuted? True, there have
been many more brought to justice
during the past three or four years
than ever before but it is doubtful II
per cent of those who violate the
game laws are prosecuted"
Pertinent to the above many sports
men are asking why? Is it not true,
of s100, 900 is received yearly by the
state of California for the sale of hunt
ing licenses? And is it not also a fact
that before the hunting license law
went into effect that there were as
many wardens in the field as there are
at PRESENT." To both of these ques-
tions the reply is in the affirmative.
H. I. Pritchard, deputy state game
and fish commissioner of Los Angeles
in answer to these questions Whlch are
put to him on the average OF three
or four times a day, stated YESTERDAY
that every cent of the money received
for hunting licenses was used to pay
game commissioners and to stock the
streams with fish or fill the valleys
and mountains with quail. Before
the legislature passed the law en-
abling us to charge for the privilege
of hunting we were limited to appro-
priations and there were but sixteen
game and fish commissioners in the
state. Today there are 62 commits
sioners, all drawing salaries. These
commissioners must not, however, DC
confused with the special deputies
whose dutv 1t is to go into the fields
and protect their region from the dew
astations made by those who either
do not realize the Importance OF, OF
who malieiously violate the game laws.
and who In any event may be elassed
under any other head than that OF
sportsmen. Our greatest difhculty'
continued Pritchard, rs in making
these deputies perform the duties Whlch
they undertake and l believe that there
Is not 90 of the 800 In the state who
are conscientious in enforcing the law
About half of those who desire to be
anpointed to the office of special deputy
are prompted by som selfish motive
A short time ago there was man VINO
applied six times to my office FOR the
purpose of receiving an appointment
He finally was made a special deputy
For four months we heard nothing
from him and when an investigation
was made the fact was brought 10
light that this individual had simply
wished to keep some boys from SHOOT
ing doves on his ranch
"These deputies receive q commission
on the cases which are prosecuted, ana
at present there is no way or making
them perform their duty. We are 90
ing our best" concluded Pritchard, 'tc
enforce the game laws and are MAKING
fair headway."
While it is undoubtedly true that bu'
few violations of the game laws are
punished. figures showing the reeen,
prosecutions as compared with those OF
ten years ago may be gratifying to the
average sportsman. In the fiscal yeai
of 1S97-1S9S there were but eleven ar
rests made for violations OF the deel
law and the total amount of fines col
lected was but 800. Last year the
number of prosecutions was 1876 ano
the fines collected aggregated $52oO
What is true regarding the deer law Is
also the case with every variety ol
game and song bird.
Audubon society has also Deer
instrumental in prosecuting violatorS
of the game laws, and with the ala o.
every sportsman it is possible to pre-
serve our wild game birds, of which
there are still a goodly number, lr
order that the generations to come may
not be deprived of the best sport whicr
Southern California can offer.
California del Sur will receive this
year three carloads of mountain trout
to restock the streams. This means
that in the neighborhood of 100000 fish
will be liberated, the greater part OF
them being turned into the streams
within a short distance of Los Angeles,
OF this amount the San Gabriel river
and it's tributaries will receive about
100000 of the speckled beauties.
notwithstanding the fact that the
valley quail are reported as being more
numerous this year than for several
seasons, Charles A. Vogelsang, state
game and fish commissioner, reports
that there are at the, present time l2U
dozen valley quail on the game farm al
Livermore The birds were trapped IN
the immediate vicinity of Bradley, anu
Mr.. Vogelsang confidently expects TO
have 500 dozen quail within few
months. Many of these birds VIII pe
liberated in Southern California ana
should materially better the quali
shooting of 1910. ~
Although last season was one or inc
poorest experienced by quail hunters
for many years, reports are being con-
stantly received at The Herald ONCE
which indicate that this aristocrat OF
California's feathered game VIII pe
plentiful when the open season begins.
october l. While it is a fact that no
longer are the vast flocks OF quall
which once inhabited the valleys OF
California in existence, this trim nttle
bird. Haunting his topknot between the
green rows of an orange orchard or
rising with a Whirr from out the brush
pile or the cactus along the side or
every country road, bids fair yet to
hold his own for many moons to come.
For his chief strongholds are the FOOT
hills. Covered with dense growth or
sage and buckthorn, these outrunners
of the mountain offer to Bob Whites
western relative a safe place to breed,
a place where the fourteen or fifteen
dainty eggs may be laid and hatched