The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1914-10-29

l2ih--ihrec days earlier than form
erly. This was done at the solicita
ton Of large numbers OF gunners tina
the season nigh, open on Columbus
Day which has been made a holiday
The change was strongly opposed b,
sportsmen, game protectionists ant
/ bird protectors, but all opposition wa.
4 futile.
Let us see how the change has work
ed out TO the advantage Of the gun.
ners. Last Columbus Day was the be.
ginning Of the first open season or
I pheasants that Massachusetts has had
for some years. Practically all tho
hunters were out on Columbus Day
I For about as days the weather had
been fine nearly alt the time and the
woods were as dry as finder. Wealth
err sharps say there has not been such
dry fall for about 80 years. The
number of hunters that have taken out
licenses in Massachusetts is not less
than 10000 and may be great many
more as the Game Commission has
given out about 10000 hunters
licenses to the town and city clerks
this year. From the complaints that
have been constantly coming in since,
il SENS that most of them were out
on Columbus Day and many more who
had not taken the trouble to get
licenses. Also some 10000 farmers
and their sons have the right to shoot
on their own premises without a
license. In many towns the banging
of guns sounded like the celebration
of the Fourth of July Not only were
pheasants and game birds killed, but
song birds, ducks and poultry. Aliens
who should pay $1,000 for a license
were out with $1.00 hunters license
and seemed to think that it gave them
right to shoot anything that moved
One gentleman complains that they
killed all his tame ducks and when he
demonstrated with the Italian who
shot the last one, he was asked what
he was going to do about it. An
other man lost all his ducks but did
not have the satisfaction of knowing
who got them.
The game wardens were so few
that they were of no consequence.
Had the open season begun on some
other day than a holiday they might
have controlled the slaughter in a
measure but as one of them said:
"You can control small brook and
you might do something with river,
but you can't control flood" Think
of it, 10000 men Sixty full regi-
ments, licensed to kill and turned
loose on Massachusetts in one day, be-
sides the farmers, boys and the UNI
licensed horde. A man who raises
pheasants. found automobiles patrol
ling the road in front of his place with
men on the running board ready to
shoot every bird that came over the
fence The gunners carelessly or pur-
posely set fires in many towns, and in
some cases went on ahead of the fires
and killed the game that the fires
drove out. Fences were cut, thous-
ands of acres of woodland were burn
ed over; thousands of cords of cut
wood and some buildings were de-
stroyed A rough estimate of the
damage caused is $4,000 to 100000.
The Game Commissioners have receiv-
ed reports that show 5000 pheasants
were killed, but no one knows how
many more were not reported or how
many thousands of grouse, quail,
wood ducks and small birds died that
day.
The next day the Governor issued a
closing the hunting sea-
son. 1t was time A few more such
days would have left the country look
ing like Belgium. Now, since, rain
has fallen, the open season is on again.
But the most remarkable effect of this |
lay of "blood and fire" is that farm
srs and land owners are posting their
and. The Board Of Agriculture, the
Fish and Game Protective association
md the Audubon societies have been
Hooded with requests for posters, and
and owners are organizing to cooper
tie in patrolling their lands. A move
nent already is on foot to do away
With the opening of the season on Co.
umbus Day. All real sportsmen will
avor this. Another movement is
raining Roadway to ask the Legisla-
ure to declare a close season for five
ears on all game. 1t looks as if the
runners have rather over-reached
The people will not al
yays stand such abuse of cunning
privileges and surely will find means
omehow to restrict them.
EDWARD HOWE FORBUSH.