Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-11
EASY MATTER TO
COMMIT 0FFENSE
Hunter and Fisherman Must Be
Careful Under the Present
Statutes.
EVEN FROGS PROTECTED
Many Provisions Now In Force Which
Average Sportsman May Not
Be Aware of.

nois state game and fish law are en-
forced probably a good many shot !
guns will be for sale and a lot of per-
fectly good fishing tackle will lie idle
till rust and decay consume it. This
is not saying that the law. is not a
good one, for it is, generally speaking
a wise enactment which all true sports
man will welcome as long step to-
ward the conservation of the wild /
life of the state.
But the fact remains that there are
a great many penalties provided in |
the law which the average man who |
occasionally carries a shotgun has not
had called to his attention. The same
thing applies to the fisherman with |
respect to the regulations governing
piscatorial sport.
Exemption of the Mississippi river |
as a field for wild fowl shooting to |
give the flocks an avenue for migra-
ton, and the stopping of all spring |
shooting of migratory birds by United |
States enactment constitutes the most |
radical change of regulations to which !
the hunter will have to accustom
himself, but there are a whole host
of minor features in the state law
which he will be the more likely to
run afoul of because of ignorance I'M
less he carefully peruses the long and
tedious booklet which is handed him
when ne secures his hunters license.
In shooting fowl, for instance, no
device whatever to afford concealment
in the open water can be employed
Whatever blind is used must be placed
within the border of the shore vege.
tation
One may not kill waterfowl with a
rife nor from any power driven boat
BIRDS EXEMPTED.
The only birds exempted from pro-
. lection are the English sparrow, crow,
blackbird, chicken and other hawks
and blue jay. Birds and fowl which
may be killed under regulations laid
down are swan. geese. brant. river and
sea ducks, rail, surf birds, snipe, wood
cock, pipers, tattlers, curlew, wild
turkey, prairie chicken, grouse, pleas
ant, partridge, quail and mourning
dove.
1t is unlawful to have in ones pos
session at any time, living or dead,
any birds other than those named in
the two foregoing lists.
J One may not bait or feed any kind
OF game bird in order to trap, shoot
or ensnare IT,
Taking, destroying or having in pos
r.. <Nf. yxrild
bird or game bird. unless a permit
for the purpose is taken cut, is pun
ishable with fine or Imprisonment.
Foreigners who have not applied for
naturalization shall be treated as non
residents and shall be required to pay
S25 for nonresident hunters licenses.
The limit for days kill is Is ducks
10 geese, 10 brant. Is rails or other
water fowl, II quail and Is shore birds
or other game birds.
An owner or tenant of land does not
need hunters license TO kill game
on the land under his control.
| Hunting upon lands or waters be-
longing to or controlled by another
without first obtaining consent, is pun
ishable by fine and title to the prop
erty need not be proven.
FISHING EVEN MORE RESTRICTED.
If anything, fishing is more closely
hedged with restrictions than hunt
ing
Before using any sort of a net, ex-
cept one to catch minnows for bait,
a license must be procured, unless the
fishing Is done in waters entirely with
in the land owned or leased by the
fisherman and not connected at any
time of the year with state waters.
Even the dip net used in landing a
fish caught on a trot line must be Ii
censed at the rate of 25 cents per year
and as such license cannot be trans
ferred it is unlawful to borrow a dip
net to use in landing single fish.
Each gasoline launch used in fish
ing with nets must be licensed at the
rate of SIS per annum, while on each
rowboat the fisherman must pay SO.
One may not ship fish or conduct a
fish market without taking out the
proper license.
Common carriers must have spe-
cial licenses to handle fish
Changing or loaning of a fishing IL
cense is punishable as forgery. pen
itentisry offense.
FROGS PROTECTED.
II is unlawful to take or kill frogs
during May and June.
Killing fish with firearms is unlaw-
full and the use of the spear or gig
is prohibited under all conditions, the
minimum penalty being fine of 500
Oae may be prosecuted for fishing
| in waters belonging 10 or controlled
by another without first getting con
sent in writing.
One may not fish through a hole in
the fee, using anything to act as a
covering to exclude the light.
The general impression is that the
minimum length provision does not
lapply to fish taken with rod and line
but this is erroneous. In the case OF
the so-called game fish the minimum
size is: Black bass, IL inches; pike
or pickerel, IS inches; white OF strip
ed bass, inches; rock bass. 6 inches
crapDie inches: yellow or ringed