The Adair County news., 1914-03-18
SEEKS TO SHIELD
MIGRATORY BIRDS
Virginia, "SpOriSman'S Para
diSs," Wants Laws Enforced.
RIGID MEASURE PROPOSED.

Game Killed In Violation of Both State
and Federal Statutes Is Offered For
Sale In Many Cities-Game Warden
System Urged-Pothunter's Gun Is
Captured.
Norfolk, Va.-Warned by Charles Z.
Brewster, game expert of the depart
ment of agriculture in charge Of game
preservation. that Virginia is rapidly
declining from it's position as sports
mans paradise a bill has been pre-
pared which if enacted into law will
exert stringent protection over all mi
gratOry birds.
Tidewater Virginia has been the
meeting place for sportsmen of the
north. Down toward the Dismal
swamp and along the section in the
extreme southeastern part of the state
there are scores of shooting clubs,
many of them owned by New York
men who make this section their head
quarters for weeks at a time during
the duck season. 1t is not ut this class
of spOrtsmen that the new laws viii
be aimed, but at pOthunters and others
who are depicting the game supply for
market purposes.
Mr.. Brewster exhibited a pOthunt-
er's gun which was captured between
Washington and Alexandria. 1t is eight
feet six inches long. with a one and
iTh he inch hnpn md yvnirFhc
than 100 pounds. The gun used half
a pound of giant powder and one and
a half pounds of double B shot. This
charge was in the gun when it was
captured. The man from whom the
gun was taken, Mr.. Brewster said, was
fined $50 for having the gun in his
possession.
Mr.. Brewster delivered an address
and declared that the case was one
that required immediate attention. He
said:
UNLESS steps are taken for the pre-
ventiOn of the wholesale slaughter of
wild game and its shipment from the
state Virginia will soon be deprived of
one of her greatest resources. Game
killed in violation of your state laws.
which, by the way, are most atrOcious,
is exposed for sale in markets every
day, and yet nothing is done to prevent
it. l saw trapped ducks offered for
sale right here-game killed in viola,
ton of both your state laws and fed,
eral statutes.
1.-The only way that game laws can
be effectively enforced is by the en-
ployment of a game warden system.
and l shall strongly advocate at every
opportunity the adoption of this sys-
TEN in Virginia. 1t is impossible to
enforce your present laws because you
cannot get local warden to testify
against his neighbor. Virginia is one
of four states that have not adopted
the game warden system. and when
one considers that Virginia once was
the most prolific producer Of all sorts
of wild game this statement becomes
more astounding. The wild turkeys
that once were plentiful have nearly
all been killed off. The Virginia deer
famous all over the country in its day
has become little more than a memory.
What has happened to the wild tur-
keys and the deer will happen to the
pheasants, cartridges and some of the
other species. The slaughter of wild
ducks by pot and market hunters con-
tinues under the archaic laws of your
state. The federal government is DO
ing everything possible to aid in the
preservation of game and is interested
in Virginia because here is offered a
great opportunity to see the enforce
ment of the federal laws"