Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-01-11
PRAIRIE Chicks
Becoming SCARCE
ONCE THE FARMERs or OKLA
HOMA GAVE FREE BOARD no
AID IN ENTERNlIN NuON.
mink ALSO DISAPPEARING
Great Demand for Fur Has Resulted
IN an Increased Zeal Among The
Hunters and Trappcrs.

That prairie chickens which only
a few years ago were so plonufu.
in Oklahoma, are rapidly diminishing
in numbers. is the report brought In
by numerous Tusla hunters who have
jourueyed TO different parts Of the
state In search for game this season.
The recent heavy snow storms over
the Panhandle district. the heaviest
in nine years have driven the prairie
chickens as well as other wild game
into the towns In that locality but
fne uuwbcr Of the chickens is small.
Like the buffalo, the hunters state,
the prairie chickens are not able to
withstand the advance of civilization.
In some sections of Western okla
homa only five years ago prairie
chickens were so numerous that 1t
was not uncommon to see from two
hundred to three hundred chickens
flying over the prairie Out In tho
thinly settled portions of the country
they became pest even. The few
farmers were delighted when hunt
ers appeard and Jrouraged the
shooting OF the birds that were de-
vastating their crops.
The farmers even gave board free
to hunters who would stay and shoot
the chickens, for they played havoc
with the kaffir corn and cane patches,
They were wary of hunters, too, for
the old chickens become hardy cam
paigners, after having been shot at
a number of times, and they soon
put all the young birds wise to the
man with "A gun. Hunters were In
the habit therefore, of secretlng
themselves in small punches Of kaf-
fir corn until the chickens came In
the evening to feed.
Prairie chickens disappear from
communities that are settled up. In
the western states this bird was
pushed on to the wild prairies, but
as these are fast narrowing down the
chickens are becoming fewer Sports
men now travel long distances for
the pleasure of shooting chickens,
Old timers state that fifteen years
ago the chickens u d on the western
prairies by the thousands. An effort
is being made now for the establish
mcnt of state game preserve in the
Kiamichi mountains, and if this Is ac-
complished particular attention will
be paid to propagating the prairie
chicken
The Mink Also EXtormnatcd.
Owing to the heavy demand for
mink furs, which has prevailed for
the past two or three years, there
has been an unusually small number
of mink pelts brought to the markets
in the southwest this winter. SO
scarce has ben the supply, in fact
that dealers have been unable to any
where near meet the demands from
the east. Dealers in this locality re-
port the demand however, as strong
as ever. Wichita dealers state thar
they have secured but fifteen pelts this
winter.
Dealers assign as the main cause
for the scarcity the fact that the big
demand for this kind of fur resulted
in increasing the zeal OF the trappers
to secure mink pelts They say that
the sources Of their supply, Kansas,
oklahoma and Colorado have been so
thoroughly hunted that very big
40 n Of 10
season is not TO be expected.
The other fur-bearing animals that
are common to this section have been
plentiful this winter. These include
the skunk, opossum, muskrat, rae
coon. coyote or prairie wolf. Occa-
sionally. too, a wildcat is bagged The
demand for this variety has been
large, according to the dealers, who
state that they have had an abund-
ant supply brought to the markets.
In several instances. skunk farms
have been started throughout the
southwest in order to supply the de-
mand for the fur.
Great Progress Made In Work.
The records Of the state game war
den for 1911 show that great progress
has been made In the way OF prescr-
vation, protection and propagation Of
game. The native game animals,
birds and fish have been protected
this season, according to the records,
as they have never been before in
this state. This fact is proved by the
thousands Of arrests made and fines
collected by deputy and assistant
game wardens throughout the state.
During the past year more than $5.-
900 has ben added TO the game pro-
lection fund from this source alone,
and a rigid enforcement of the law
prohibiting seining In closed streams,
dynamiting. shooting anne out Of
season. exceeding the bag LIMIT, chas-
ing deer with dogs and selling or
chi ,na lirds aud a,t,..at, 4. nc