Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1911-02-03


duck in this country where
they may be legally shot by market
hunters" and shipped out. AS re-
suit, hundreds of thousands are shot
there annually. This practice is the
most important factor today in the
elimination of the wild duck. 1t has
been found impossible to protect the
ducks under state supervision.
Big lake and ten feet of land sur
rounding it are owned by a club of
which many wealthy st. Louisans are
members. Owing to opposition of the
swamp angels the members are bar
red from hunting on their own
grounds A move Is now on foot to
have the club deed it's property to
the United States government as ma
tional game preserve. This would re-
suit IN it's being policed by federal
rangers and ducks protected. Many
sportsmen believe that unless this Is
done another generation will see the
total determination of the wild duck,
as the last few generations saw the
determination of the buffalo and the
be found in this country in millions.
Five thousand wild ducks a day have
been killed and shipped from Big lake
to the outside world, chiefly to Chi
cago. The market hunters" other
wise known as swamp angels" who
inhabit the Big lake country, have de-
fed all efforts to stop their slaughter
of the birds. Quite naturally since
their views differ so radically, the
swamp angels" of Big lake do not
take kindly to the attempts of the
game protection propagandists of the
country to limit the number of ducks
they shall shoot on what they regard
as their own preserves.
During the last few years the Big
Lake Hunting and Fishing club.
which has a number of wealthy st.
Louis men among its officers and
members, has lost three club houses
by fire. In the meantime, too. the
club, through its employees, has been
warned that 1t must cease to operate
under penalty of death to its members
If 1t continues. This property loss has
naturally, caused the club members to
hesitate before making further i'm
provements on their Big lake pre-
serves. The warnings from the
swamp angels" to individual mem.
bers that they would I'LL their hides
with buckshot" has not served to in.
crease the ardor of the St. I,ouis
hunters.
Big lake and ten feet of land snr-
rounding 1t on three sides is owned
by the Big Lake Hunting and Fishing
club. 1t comprises, in all, about 20
600 acres. Attempts on the part os
the owners of the lake to keen the
swamp angels" from killing ducks
thereon have precipitated the trou-
ole Recently the club has attemnt-
ed to protect itself by securing =
functions against about 100 of The
swamp angels"
Wild ducks begin coming int NJ
iake IN october. and are found there
In vast numbers until the willows ha
gin tc bud in the spring. OF course
they come and go, but thousands oS
them are always to be found soma
wnere between the st. Francis rive.
below and the Little River overfov,,,
above Big lake, with the lake ar a.
great central congregating ground
II Is difficult to convey to the mind
OF the reader who has not been there
an idea of how many ducks "usa,,
Big lake. To say that they come IN
by hundreds of thousands seems tn
exaggeration. Yet any hunter VIII
has shot duck on Big lake Sur,nS
the height of the season will ,n,us
for the statement. oN
When one adds that the dycL
hooks frequently darken the sun az
though heavy cloud had come ov~~
| II another idea OF their