Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-03-12
sP0RTSMEN HEAR
ABOUT BIRDS AND
alaskan BIG CAME
State League Elects Officers
Banquet Attended by $50
Closing Feature of Two
Days Convention.

Rutland. March 5.-The two days con-
vention of Vermont sportsmen here closed
tonight with Il banquet at the Shrine
Temple attended by 80 persons. John w.
ritcomb, State fish and game commits
sioner, was POSTMASTER and the speakers
were Charles a. Sheldon of New York,
who gave lecture on big game hunting
In Alaska, Dwight w Huntington of New
York, game breeder, DR.. T. s. Palmer of
the biological survey, and Ernest Harold
Baynes, the naturalist. This afternoon
the annual meeting of the Vermont Fish
and Game League was held and these
officers elected: President, John w. Tit
comb; treasurer Charles r. Lowe OF
Montpelier; secretary. Edward Connell Of
Lyndonvile; Independents, r T. Pat
rick Of Burlington, W. II. Bradford Of
bennington, NJ. X. Proctor of Procto".
&c. 5. Emery of Newport, J. V. villas Of
Montpelier, NJ. +. Barnes of Addison and
w. d. Woolson of Spr!nGiicld. Following
is the executive committee: Addison
county, w. r. Warner of Versennes; Ben
nington county, r c. Martin of Benning-
ton; Caledonia county. Gilbert L. Wood OF
st. Johns6ury; Chittenden county. Harrie
v Hall Of Burlington; Essex county, d.
Marshall of hveTll: Franklin county. r.
NJ. Tobin of Swanton Grand Isle county,
Juan Robinson Of South Hero; Lamcile
county r. w Hulburd of Hyde Park;
Orange county, n. A. Bailey OF Wells
River; Orleans county, c. G. Wiley OF Or
leans: Rutland county, II. w Clement of
Rutland; Washington county, L. II. Green
of Montpelier; Windham county, NJ. j.
Howard of South Londonderry; Windsor
county, Charles Downer of Sharon.
The session opened to-day with a con-
ference of game wardens, which began
at nine o'clock States Attorney r. l..
Stafford again answered questions put to
him by wardens Many perplexing mat
tiers, especially questions having to do
with the operation of some phases of
the deer law, and the alien hunting IL
cense law We're solved for the wardens.
NJ. j. Hapgood of Peru addressed the
| meeting He cited the case of the kill
, ing of man in Bennington county dur
Ing the last deer season by a boy II
years old who mstook his victim for a
bird. Mr. Hapgood said that the boy
! has since been hunting almost every
day, putting the lives of the community
in jeopardy
Dwight w Huntington of New York,
publisher of the Game Breeder, adj
dressed the wardens and sportsmen dur
! ing the morning. telling of interesting
experiences Of game breeding which have
come to his notice and showing how the
practice works out as a means of con-
serving the game birds and furnishes
good sport besides.
BIRD MIGRATION LAW.
At the opening of the afternoon session
| the convention listened to a talk by DIR.
r. S Palmer, acting chief of the United
States biological survey, as to the pro-
gress made I'm the enforcement of the
new federal bird migration law, and
plans for the future. Although it is only
six months since this first game law
ever signed by a President of the Uni
ted States became operative, great pro-
! sress has '"eady been made, consider
ing that the first yearly appropriation of
$1,000 means only one cent per capita
for the million sportsman who are hunt
ing migratory birds in this country. For
the first time in history no spring shoot
ing is going on to-day in this countr~.
This means that hundreds of thousands
have been shipped to northern markets
for food will go North to breed instead
This law has stopped the terrible slaugh.
ter of ducks in the spring in Arkansas
and in some other States where the birds
We're not protected at all. In California
where geese were unprotected the big
shooting clubs have laid away their
guns to abide by the limitations of the
federal la.
The federal migration law divides the
United States into two sections, a north
ern or a breeding zone and a southern
or n wntering zone. There are also re-
lg'onal protective areas. including the up.
per waters Of the Mississippi and Missouri
rivers. which insure protection for AZ
migrants which take these courses.
81. Palmer explained that there are sev.
el al kinds of protection under the new
Law: Protection TO birds which may bC
shot as game, protection to all insectivor'
Gus birds at all times; protection to bird:
(which are becoming rare, such as thS
wood duck and the smaller shore birds
protection between sunset and sunrise tc
give the game birds opportunity to teed
STATES COOPERATE.
| TO insure the enforcement of all these
lsections of tho measure the department
lat Washington is getting cooperation
from the individual states. At present
men from the States are paid a salary BY
the government of 81 a month, are fur
nishcd with a badge. full instruction.
and have the benefit of instructions and ait
of an expert who Is placed at the head OF
the men in each section of the country
lot certain size. These experienced mer
are to be chosen by examinations which
are to he held in short time and as tn,
salary will he Sl2J a month many are seek
ine the position.
one of the chief points OF attack bV tn,
government workers at present is the At
lantic coast from Long Island south t,
northern South Carolina. Here have becl
! for decades some of the most flagran
; cases of violation of the duckng laws OF
: the American continent The federal au
thorities have destroyed large numbers
of duck nets, stopped night shooting anC
prevented the use of many big guns, Thei
men discovered one gun which was /
feet long and DISCHARGED two pounds o
RIB shot and a proportonate amount o
blasting powder at a load.