The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-01-20

SPOKANE, Wash, Jan. 10
Radical changes are proposed by
sportsmen in eastern Washington as
amendments to the new code of laws
for the protection of game to be SUBJ
mitted to the legislature, now in ses-
sion at Olympia, by the Washington
State Game and Fish Protective as
ISOLATION. AL Wiesemann, secretary
of the Spokane Rod and Gun club,
will submit series of suggestions
applying only to eastern Washington
at a meeting % the organization in
a short time, among others being the
following:
Until this year the season for
quail was closed in this state. The
lay was revised to open quail for
shooting in 1905 between Septem-
Der 10 and January /. Spokane
sportsmen will favor an open season
only from October Is to November
Is. One months shooting will serve
the purpose of scattering the birds,
an pathological principle of bird
preservation If the season is held
one month later the birds will be
older and stronger, wilder, quicker
to the wing, and it will be a matter
of only the best shots being able to
bag the limit. Spokane sportsmen
will not fight a closed season on
quail for two years, as is being pro-
posed in some quarters, for the
tanner the quail becomes when the
bird is protected the less liable he
is to mix with other focks. In time
inbreeding will kill off the quail as
quickly and surely as overshooting
For years the sportsmen have
critized the shooting of prairie chick
ems and grouse as early as August
Is. The birds are then too small
for good eating and are too easily
potted. Farmers have also COM
planned against shooting so early in
August, as many are not entirely
through harvesting Section 80 OF
the proposed code does not mention
two species familiar in the Spokane
country, the blue and willow grouse.
The attention of the State Protec-
tive association will be called to this
omission.
When the ducks begin to come
north in the late winter they are al
ready mated. If Zone of pair IS
killed the other will not mate again
for the year. Thus the killing of
oned duck virtually means the kill
ing of a whole flock. The season is
now open on ducks from September
| to March l. Spokane sportsmen
recommend the open season be from
September Is to January /.
The pamphlet issued by the State
Protective association taboos shoot
ing ducks from row boats, sink
bats, floats and batteries, but in
sists that it is impossible to hunt
ducks on this side of the Cascades
except from row boats. In the
Moses lake district, west of Spo-
kane. where tulles extend out many
hundreds of yards from the shore,
it would be impossible to shoot DUCKS
and retrieve them from the bank,
Spokane sportsmen will ask for the
privilege of shooting from an ordi-
nary row boat.
Bass fishermen have compile ined
bitterly of the law which cuts them
out of trolling for their favorite fish
in two or three out OF the best
months. From May Is to July /,
now closed, is the camping season
when many families so to the sum-
mer resorts They would fish for
bass then, arguing that not much
Marin COulu cOIle 10 Iut HSll III ludt
short spawning season, and that bass
do not spawn at that time in all
lakes and streams. The bass bite
better in November than at any 9th
er time. Now the bass closed sea-
sons date from November l to
April /, as we'll as from May Is TO
July l. IT will be proposed to make
the open season for both bass and
trout the same, from April l to De-
cember l, avoiding the confusion of
the mixed dates and affording OPP
portunity to fish for bass when the
latter bite was best. Mr.. Wiese-
mann will also propose that the club
petitions the county commissioners
to secure 100 more pair of Hungari-
an cartridges with which to stock