Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-05-15
Many Changes
In Game Laws
INTERESTING TO LOCAL
.SPORTSMRN

Northern Michigan sportsmen will be
interested in the following summary
of changes made in the fish and game
laws by the legislature, which adjourn
ed last week:
The Senator Odell bill consolidates
all the laws in one general law and re-
peals all other laws, whether local or
general, which conflict with it, The
laws which it has consolidated are the
present general inland fishing law; the
general law permitting spearing thru
the ice; the general law prohibiting
the use of certain kinds of apparatus
for taking fish in the inland lakes and
the general law relative to the protec-
ton of bass.
Set Lines Prohibited.
The new features of this bill pro-
vide that hook and line shall be con-
strued to be single line and single
hook or hooks attacked, while held in
hand or under immediate control; it
shortens the season for taking suckers.
mullet, red-sides and graas-pike with
spear and dipnet in the inland streams
two months, but permits their use dur
ing March and April in each year; it
cuts out the use of all kinds of set lines,
except that five lines, to be termed ''ice
lines," may be used for the purpose of
taking all kinds of fish except brook
trout and bass through the ice during
January and February of each yesr; it
also permits the use of spears through
the ice during January and February
for all kinds of fish except trout and
bass. 1t provides, however, that any
local acts which prevent the spearing
of fish during any season of the year
are exempt from the provisions of this
act.
1t changes the close of the season on
brook trout back to Sept. 1, as it was
prior to 1913; it provides that brook
trout shall include all the different
kinds of trout found in our inland wa
ters, without regard to the technical
description or scientific name of the
species.
1t provides that blue gills, sun fish,
rock bass, white bass, calico bass,
perch, wall-eyed pike and crappies
shall be regulated by length as follows:
Blue gills and sun fish, five inches;
rock bass, white bass and calico bass,
six inches; perch and crappies, five
inches; wall-eysd pike, ten inches.
Only twenty-five of any of the different
species can be taken in one day, and
no fish taken from the inland waters
can be sold or offered for sale. 1t pre-
vents the possession of any kind of
net, except dip-nets, for the purpose Of
taking fish and no person can have any
net except dip-net, jack or artificial
light Of any kind, dynamite, giant pow
der or any explosive substances, or
combination of substances, within one
half mile of any inland lake or stream;
and makes 1t prima facie evidence of a
violation of the law for any person to
have any such contrivance for the pur-
pose of taking fish within such limit
Closed Season on Quail
Amendments to the general game
law, being the Senator Hilsendegen
bill, prohibit spring shooting of all
kinds of wild water fowl Hunting
partridge or other game birds or ami
mails with automobiles is prohibited.
The number of deer that can be shot
during the annual hunting season is
cut to one. The opening of the rabbit
hunting season is changed from Sept. 1,
to Oct. l, to conform to the opening of
the bird season.
Squirrels and quail are protected un-
til 1920. Wood duck are protected un-
til 1918. Shell-drake, merganzers, her.
on and tern may be killed by a permit
of the state game warden when it is
known that they are destroying fish in
inland waters.
One other bill amends the hunters
license act by providing that all per-
sons, except farmers while hunting on
their own lands, must have a license
from the state game warden, costing 81.