The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-02-10
BIRDS NOW
MIGRATE SAFELY
Not Being Slaughtered on
Flight horthWard
HUNTING SEASON CLOSED
Open In Three States But 10
Close In Those Soon - De-
partment of Agriculture Ofh-
Gals Much Pleased at Con-
dition Which They Say Has
Not Existed Before.
(By w. F.. VEL

ID " Il.
Washington, D. c., Feb.
Gals of the Department of AgrIcu!-
ture are congratulating the country
that for the first time in the history
of the United States game birds are
allowed to make their spring mlgra-
ton withou being slaughtered on
their way north. The hunting sea
son has now closed in all States IN
the union except Florida, Georgia and
South Carolina On February 10 the
closed season in these States Will be
on, and migratory birds will be safe
until fall.
Officials at the Department say 1t
is murder to shoot birds In the
spring. Many objections to the early
closed season have come from the
| Southern States. Their plea has
been that the new Federal game laws
have closed the season when there
are birds to shoot and opened it when
there are none. The Department
makes no objection to shooting as the
birds on their way south, but declare
back.
The objections to the new Federal
law that lave come in on the ground
that the birds are already protect
ed by State laws show simply that thn
State laws have not been enforced
says an official in the biological sur
vey. "The laws of States in many
instances have protected the birds
when there were no birds to shoot
and have allowed them to be killed
when they should have been pro-
tected.
1.-The ducks in the Florida ever
glades are now laying and are be-
ginning to come north. The snipes
and woodcocks will soon be on the
wing. They will not be murdered
this spring on their way north
The o objections to
} the Federal law have come from tbs
{ people who make luck shooting a
z business, many Of them using decid-
{ edlY unSpoEtSmanlike means of bag
ging their game. In the biologie j
. survey Offices are examples of many
. villainous c-Ontrivances for bird muir
Q der. There Is a big battery gun with
: three gas pipe barrels diverging SO
7 as to give a wide sweep of the wa
I ter. There are photographs Of bis
pump guns, one eight and the othe,
thirteen feet long, and shooting loads
Of one and two pounds of shot, usee
y for illegal cunning purposes. Ani
there Is a photograph Of a frame
y work used by trappers in the marshe'
to riddle ducks with shot after the,
have been trapped and killed by hav
+ ing their necks broken
The new laws were framed BIZ tn.
: Department of Agriculture under au
y thorizatiOn Of Congress, and whe,
le their tentative details were nou
there were many protests, mainly
d however, from those who make ducl
l. ~shooting a business.
Re The plight of Kansas is III r
the outsider. but almost tragic to tn
oI Kansas sportsman. Kansas has n,
IS coast at any time, but it has waite
in the spring where ducks aiight O,
+ their way from the South. In fall
n however, Kansas is as dry az a hon
"a and 1t stays SO until midwinter. tn
ft. hunting season in Kansas is fixed rror
September l until December 16. Viz
u. tor Murdoch. to whom the Kansan
ne brought their woes, AYERS that an
e. duck. which would light in Kansa
during that time would be the laugh
Oh ing stock of the whole duck triha,
u. Now wouldn't we loot fun.r
complains Mr.. Murdoch. "snnatt;n
III around there with a bunch ~ .--
IN our hands waiting for a flocS :,
~ DUCKS when every duck in the worl
AIS knows that there is scarcely a dron :
Ha.el IN Kansas In all that tim,
DUCKS It IS Averred, take TO -
and you wouldn't be likely Ia 60
"a flock Oh wild ones trying to srin =,
% Arkansas river when it has hsan a.
Zip from shore to shore all snn,men ~
fall" her an
merchants, powder Ga a' INC 90
20 statesmen. etc, in that territn-n ~
~rganizin to protest most vi~or d
,oi they claim that about a m517;nss
, eIs lars, worth of fine duckins guns DO DO
ain e ne % duek aIn % that enough wooden d
ow TO Wich;sa - reach from Washinsts
aey w~oodsheds crying woodan ~ Mans
no the 1act that they will be exnaeta av'
hoa In the Arkansas r;ver npeIted
We has no water in it e
coast hunters who can At ,e,s