Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1914-01-22
BETTER ENFORCEMENT
Of THE GAME LAWS
INCREASE IN HUNTING LICENS.
ES - RECOMMENDATIONS
OF STATE BOARD.


the state game and fish board of con-
troll met here today and checked up
the business and transactions for
the year. The reports from the
county auditors throughout the state
on the sales OF licenses during the
1913 season have been received and
the results show NEST satisfactory
gain. There were 33,3OS resident
licenses sold last season as against
1858 in 1912. This was an in
crease of 23 per cent, and due large
ly to the activities of the district
deputy and special game wardens.
The district deputy wardens have
been increased from four to twelve
and in many of the latter's districts
lne gain was sufficiently large to pay
the salary and expenses Of the depu-
ties, whose attention to business
made him self supporting.
The nonresident license sale i'll
creased from sixty in 1911. and
siXty-three in 1912, to 1O1,
an increase over last year Of more
than 81 per cent. The added num-
Der included some men who have
been evading the game wardens in
former years by making false decla-
rations and securing resident licens-
es, paying 81 instead of $25.
Cass county leads in the number of
resident licenses issued this year, be-
ing the only county in the state to
exceed the 1000 mark. Ramsey
county was second in resident and
first in nonresident, having 1,717 Of
the former. Ward was third with
1867, Stutsman fourth with 1,472,
McHenry fifth with 1897, Grand
Forks was sixth, Benson seventh,
Bottineau eighth and Richland ninth.
All the rest were below the 1000
mark. Oliver county was the only
one below the 100 mark, and the
only county in the entire fifty to
show decrease. In nonresident Ii
censes Ramsey county was first, Nc
Henry secoas. and Cass third.
1t was in the law enforcement end
of the game protection the members
of the board and the wardens secur-
ed the best results. The total num-
Der of arrests in 1913 were 1870,
against 81 the year before, more
than four times as many. The con-
victions were 121 as compared to 90.
The total amount of the fines impos-
ed for violations reached $2,241 as
against $465 in 1912, being almost
five times the amount Of the year be-
fore. The seizure Of guns were nine
in 1913, and two in 1912, hides 525
as against none the year before, traps
293 as against six in 1912, and nets
is to one.
A great part of the success of the
past season was due to an education
al campaign conducted by the board,
the activity of the wardens and the
cooperation of the press and the
sportsmen of the state.
The results have been an increased
respect for the game law and spirit
favoring the observance of the regu-
lations, especially as regards hunting
within the legal dates and hours and
keeping within the bag limit. The
sportsmen of the state are frowning
on the game hogs and the man who
now brags about his excessive kills is
under the ban generally. There is
more sportsmanlike spirit being
created by the shooters.
There will be no change in the
game laws during 1914, but when the
legislature meets in 1915 the board
will undoubtedly either recommend
an entire new draft of the existing
law to do away with the confusion
resulting from the frequent amend
ments to the existing measure, or
such radical amendments that will
clarity the situation.
Among other things that are like
ly to be suggested will be gun Ii
cense, similar to that in force in so
many other states, which prohibits
aliens from carrying guns without
special licenses. This is almost I'M
perative in North Dakota, where
thousands of transient laborers, es-
pecially those on railroad construc-
tion work, are the greatest violators
of the game law, and with cheap So
guns slaughter song and insectiver-
GUS birds as we'll as Matching game
birds.
The board is also likely to recon-
mend change in the methods OF
conducting the fish hatchery and the
distribution of fish. At present the
hatchery, it's employees, its operation.
the distribution of the fish, their pro-