Evening star., 1912-09-08
GUARD WILD GAME
Many Statutes for Protection
Are Made More Stringent.
OVER SIXTY new LAWS
Antelope in Southwest Protected.
Hunting Seasons in Maryland
and Virginia Set.

1dIIle laws OF lHe various states anu
the provinces of Canada are summarized
in a bulletin just issued by the Depart
ment of Agriculture. The volume OF
legislation for the coming year was small
compared with that for 1911, but the
protection in many cases was made more
stringent. There were regular sessions
Of legislatures in eleven states and spe-
cial sessions in several others. The total
number Of new laws passed was sixty
seven. This included Canada.
One important feature is the complete
protection of antelope in New Mexico for
five years, and in Arizona indefinitely.
This is an animal that is hard to pro-
tect by game laws an that is being
gradually exterminated.
Some Of Novel Features.
Among the novel features of legislation
were the provisions in the Louisiana
law prohibiting shooting in the afternoon
during the open season. authorizing the
conservation commission to prohibit ex-
quest Of the police jury of the parish. and
In the New York law authorizing the
conservation commission to close seasons
in certain localities, thus avoiding the
necessity for numerous local laws. Louis
lana is trying the experiment of having
the conservation commission enforce the
game laws through the medium of the
regular peace officers and without any
wardens, an experiment which failed to
produce very satisfactory results in Mis-
souri, in 1907 and 1908.
There was no new legislation in the
District of Columbia The most impor-
tant federal legislation was as follows
Provisions in the agricultural appropria-
tion bill for the establishment Of ma
tional game preserve in the Wind Cave
National Park, S. Oak, and a winter
refuge for elk in Jackson Hole, Wyo. !;
regulations Of the Secretary of AgricuI-
ture under the Alaska game law suspend
ing the sale of venison during 1912 and
extending complete protection for two
years to caribou on the Kenai peninsula
and to Qeer on nve islands in the south
eastern part Of the territory
The Maryland laws as now enacted
provide open seasons as follows: Rabbit
November / to December %: SQUIRREL
September 1 to December 2; quail, ruffed
grouse, wild turkey, November 1 to De-
cember 25: dove. August 10 to December
%: plover, snipe. August Is to Nav 2
woodcock, November 1 to December *:
September to November .; duck, goose
brant, swan and other wild fowl Noyem,
Der to April II.
There are some variations from these
seasons for game in Virginia are as fol-
lows:
Seasons in Virginia.
Deer Except in Brunswick and Greenes-
Vile counties. October 1 to February H.
September 1 to December 1. Rabbit, No.
vember l TO February /. Squirrel:
Brunswick and Greenesvile counties, No
vember ! to February 1 Isle Of Wight
and southampton counties gray or fox),
September ! to January IL: Warren
county, November II to January /. Onos-
sum in Halifax county, October l., to
February j. Quail or partridge, prea SAINT
or grouse. wild turkey. woodcock, No.
Vemoer l to February l exception, west
of the Blue Ridges, November / to Janu-
airy -. Dove in Brunswick and Greenes-
vile counties. August II to January Is
Surf bird, plover, curlew. taller, willet
sanopiper, snipe Except Wilson and
robin snipe), mud hen, gallinule, rail (ex-
cept sora). July 70 to January l. Summer
or wood duck, August l to January
Winter waterfowl except in Brunsw,cL
and Greenesvtlle counties, August / m
January ID, October 15 to May
by the new law the robin is removed
from the list Of game birds.
since the constitutionality Of the Con-
nectlcut statute prohibiting export OF Ger
tain game was established by the SUI
preme Court in 1896. non-export laws ha ve
been generally adopted, and at the pres
ent time every state prohibits the export
OF certain KINDS OF game. In most states
Sportsmen are allowed to carry a limited
amount OF game out Of the state under
special restrictions. and exceptions to the
laws prohibiting export are also made in
the case of birds and animals intended
Tor propagation or reared In licensed pre-
serves.