Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-11-11

SOME EXTRACTS FROM REPORT
OF GAME woRDEN THAT
WILL INTEREST
FRIENDSOF FISHAND GAME
Cites Neighbor State of Minnesota as
Being Worthy of Copying in
Ideal Laws FOR Game
and Fish

Pierre-State Game Warden w. F.
Bancroft, has just issued his annual
! report for the year ending June 80,
1910. which is comprehensive and
touches upon all meters pertaining
to his department, and will interest
all true sports and those interested in
the protection and propagation Of
game.
The report says in part:
THE last legislature, in recognizing
this fact by passing practically a new
| game n fish law n creating the
office of state game warden-in fact,
a department of game and fish, only
rightly followed in the footsteps OF
other progressive states that have ear
lier recognized the necessity of bet
ter laws for the protection and propa-
! cation Of our game and fish.
"The results of the first years
! workings of our game and fish laws
have proven satisfactory on the whole
but with needed legislation to amend
the present law still better results
may be obtained. The enforcement
of the existing laws has been as good
as could be expected. In some coun-
ties the law has been well enforced.
| while in others the destruction OF
game and fish has gone on nearly as
| great as in former years, with but
few exceptions due to inefficient coun-
ty game and fish wardens being
recommended for appointment by the
different boards of county commission
ers, but they are fast being "weeded'
out by the state game warden.
Zone thing certain, South Dakota
must follow in the footsteps of Mn
nesota-one of the most progressive
,tof%~ -, %I1 yv1rf uyInn II a0r,nc m
protecting game birds and ANNA s.
and thai is to prohibit the spring
shooting of migrating waterfowl.
1.-The recommendations made in this
report for needed amendments to the
present laws are made solely to i'm
prove the laws and to maxi the laws
more effective for the better enforce
ment and still greater propagation Of
our game-both large and small-and
fish as well. The present game and
fish laws now on our statute books
should all be codified into one general
law, as there are at present many
conflicting as we'll as inconsistent sec
tions. Solely OF this account are many
Of the provisions almost impossible to
make hold good in the courts. and as
a consequence county game wardens
find it almost impossible to do good
work along certain lines.
"For the first years workings of the
new game and fish law there have no
been as many arrests as your state
game warden believes there should
have been. Only seventy-fve G5)
arrests and twenty-seven (z7) selz-
ures were made. In many instances
there a been a gross disregard OF
evidence submitted to justices of the
peace, while in other cases the states
attorneys have been lax in their pros
scution. In a few cases the fault has
been with the county game warden In
not securing sufficient evidence upon
which to make a good case.
However. l look for a much better
enforcement Of the law during the
coming year, as many county game
wardens were before new at the busi-
ness, but are now better posted and
more experienced in dealing with
game and fish violators. The state
game warden expects to personally
cover a much larger territory this sea-
son than ever before, using an auto for
this purpose. In this connection l
would urge an amendment to the pres
ent law establishing an Office deputy,
in order that the Office work may be
properly looked after during the alb
sence of the state game warden on
field work"
OF the seventy-five arrests made,
fines we're paid in sixty-tive, and two
we're dismissed, the other being fonnd
hot guilty.
The number Of hunting licenses was
as follows: y
Resident hunting licenses, 26,169,
bringing in $26.169. Nonresident H.
censes for small game, 1873, in cash,
81, 745; nonresident. big game, II, in
cash, 5000. Nonresident fishing IL
censes 81; in cash, SCI. Nonresident
trapping licenses, 1; In cash, $1,000.
The largest number OF hunting Il
censes was issued in Day county, T.
,56; the smallest in Gregory county, s: