Putnam patriot., 1911-06-02
Measure to Save Birds Fathered by Sem
 atOr Mclean

A nation wide closed season for wild | goose, wild swan, wild pelican, wild crane, wild duck, snipe, blower, wood cock or rail, from January ID until Au- gust b of each year, is proposed in bill which has been introduced in the House several times, and copy of which Senator Mclean of Connecticut has introduced in the Senate. It has been referred to the committee on for est reservations and game, of which he is the chairman.
 The measure Is avowedly in the in- terest of those who enjoy few days of hunting. It is aimed to protect the migratory game birds at the season when they are mating, and to increase in that way the number Of game birds that will be targets for the sportsmen on their outings.
 By providing open seasons just at the time these migratory game oirds are mating and rearing their young, in the view of the friends of this measure, many states are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. The supply or game birds Is becoming rapidly ex- hausted, and some steps are necessary now, while the supply is fairly good, to conserve the feathered resources. Senator Mclean has announced his | intention 10 push the measure. Many states already have recognized the need for the protection of the migrate | " game birds during the mating and | egg season. But the success of such | state legislation has been largely null fled by the failure of other states te take the protective measures. Iht birds may pass through several states in their trip north in the spring with | safety because of the game laws, only to be shot in a single state through which they must pass because of tht lack of protecting game laws,
 This condition has suggested tn, need for national legislation that vii afford protection in all states during the spring season. And senator Me Lean bill is the fruition of the suggeS ton, and when properly understood ii expected to command the support O sportsmen generally.
 l Among the states which generally have recognized the need for protection of game birds during the spring sea son are Connecticut, Massachusetts
 Michigan, Minnesots, Montana, New
 Hampshire, New Jersey except as tC
 wild geese and wild ducks, for whicf the open season lasts into Marchl, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah
 Vermont, Washington except tha the season lasts until February p West Virginia except as to wilS
 ducks, for which the season lasts unti April 20, and as to snipe, for whict
 the season lasts until March Il sn'
 Wisconsin.
 There are states, however, which af
 ford no such protection. Alabama al lows the shooting of blower and snip until May and of shore birds an, water fowl until March i5. Delawar allows rail to be shot September l. February ?, and wild ducks and gees October l.-April Is. Florida allow ducks to be shot until April l, whil' Georgia permits snipe hunting unti March l5 and woodcock and summe duck hunting until February l. lndi ana permits the slaughter of watel fowl September l--April l5; Kentucky August i5-April l; Louisiana, October l-ApFil l; Maryland, of blower and snipe, August l5- May ?, and of wild fowl in general, November l--April IL Ohio, of blower, snipe, shore birds,