The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-08-13
WANTS PRAIRIE
CHICKEN SAVED
PRESIDENT or LEAGUE OF
AMERICAN sPoRTsMEN BIT
TERLY DEPLoREs THEIR LOSS
HAS PLAN OF PRESERVATION
-iWANTs BETTER PROTECTION.

With the opening of the, hunting
season near at hand and the experts
and amateurs alike polishing up their
guns and giving the dog more kind
words than he has heard since last
year. a decent talk on prairie chick
ems by G. o. Shields, president of
the League OF American sportsmen,
is of particular interest. Like all
true sportsmen Mr. Shields Is deep
ly worried over the scarcity of game
birds that is growing more noticeable
every year He says;
The prairie chicken, one of the
most interesting, beautiful and valu-
able Of all our American game birds,
Is on the verge of determination. 1t
Is following the wild pigeon into OBJ
livion as rapidly as that bird went
in the seventies. The prairie chick
en- Is practically extinct now in sew
eral western states where formerly
1t was abundant-Illinois, Iowa and
Wisconsin, for instance. There are
not more than 10 per cent of the num-
Der of these birds in the west that
there were twenty years ago, when
they were common.
The prairie chicken is one of the
most Industrious bug eaters in this
country. Throughout the spring,
summer and autumn 1t feeds on grass
hoppers, potato bugs, crickets, beetles
and other insects that prey on the
Former scrops. From statistics COM
piled by the government we learn that
the farmers of this country are losing
more than a billion dollars a year
by reason of the ravages of insects,
and these bugs are here and are do
ing this appalling amount which nature
put here to eat the bugs have been
killed off.
Yes, this bird, this industrious bug
eater has been hunted so persistent
ly that it has been almost wiped off
the map. Hunting seasons have been
shortened from time to time, the
number Of birds allowed to each
shooter per day has been reduced,
but population has grown, multiplied
and massed in the states where prai-
RE chickens are native. So called,
improvements have been made in
firearms and ammunition. The muir
murderous automatic shotgun have
been evolved. There are a hundred
men who go after prairie chickens
today where there was only one
twenty-five or thirty years ago in any
of the western states.
II adj the states which still have
prairie chickens left would set aside
few townships in each county on
which no shooting would be allowed
at any time and then enforce such
laws the prairie chicken could be
saved. The people would soon learn
to respect such laws, for they would
realize that the birds would Increase
rapidly on these protected areas and
the surplus would overflow on the
surrounding country and afford good
shooting for those who want to kill
On the other hand. the birds would
soon learn where they were safe
from persecution, and large numbers
of them at least would do their nest
ing and feeding and breeding on the
grounds where there would be no
shooting.
Such refugees would not only be val
liable for the preservation Of the prai-
re CHAchSIA, out III some OF the states
for quail as WELL On such preserved
territory certain species of ducks
would nest and within FIVE years
these refugees would become pleasure
resorts for the people, for II would
be a delightful experience for men,
women and children to drive. or walk
through these protected sections and
study bird life that would become
abundant there.