Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-03-25
QUAIL SURVEY
NOW UNDER WAY
DIR. Kalbfus Aims to See How
the Birds Survived the
Winter in State

I'VE are going to have data gath
| cred on the way the quail in Penn
sylvania stood the winter and then
contrast the condition with Ohio,
where they made the quail a song
bird, as was tried when the last Leg
islature of our state was in session."
said DR.. Joseph Kalbfus, Secretary
of the State Game Commission, in
talking over the game situation. 1T
! is my opinion that the gamo in
Pennsylvania stood the very severe
winter better than many people
imagine because sportsmen and
game lovers and in some comm,sni-
ties, farmers who realized the value
of the quail ~as insect destroyers,
scattered feed for the birds. Our
own wardens did considerable of this
work, using funds provided by
sportsmen for the purpose. But in
spite OF it all Bob White had a
hard time. Just what happened in
Ohio L am anxious to find out, but
i fear that with quail declared n
song bird there would not be much
organized effort to keep quail alive
such as we have had in many coun-
ties in Pennsylvania"
Dr. kalbfus voiced the opinion
~--fS
Keys got Though the winter fairly
well and did not think that deer and
pear were badly hit. The game had
been found since the coming of
spring to be in fair shape. The
states plans for propagation are
working out as the pheasants which
nave been held in captivity during
the winter are being sent out and
more are due from other states. \
large number of wild turkeys are
being distributed in southern coun-
ties. The Mexican quail will be here
before long. Many requests have
come for them.
Just as an illustration of the in
terest being taken in PENNSYLVANIA
IN the proposition to close the couE-
ties to the shooting of ruffed grouse
for a year, every county but one in
which that game bird is found, has
received petition, in some eases
ten, and they are being circulated.
1t is expected that every county ex-
cept Philadelphia will petition the
Game Commission to close the season
for two years. In some counties
where sportsmen say there are only
halt dozen grouse petitions have
been asked because the writer's saw
they want to keep what they have.
The idea is to group the petitions
and have the Commission act some
time in April.
According to what has been heard
mere as soon as counties are form
ally closed by the Commission,
which will be done after hearings
/ are given and formalitiea in the
act complied with. a number of
sportsmen propose to secure ruffed
grouse and propagate them so that
there will be hunting about 1920
or 1921. The State Game authori-
ties have been conducting an in
dustrious search for grouse in var
ious states, but everywhere the men
in charge seem desirous of holding
on to what they have.
One of the things which has at
tracted comment here is that so cew
stories of big bucks or bear shot
have come to Harrisburg. Gener-
ally there are all kinds of hunting
stories, but this year, probably due
to the early coming of severely cold
winter weather and deep SHOWS the
usual crop of hunting stories was
not told and the hunting history of
Pennsylvania remains unenriched.
A fruitful source of discussion is
whether more bucks were not killed
than reported. The returns of war
denS showed 1,725 deer killed but
it is thought that close to 800 were
shot. After the lists were made up
some Forestry Department reports
showed better shooting. The num-
ber of bear killed has been a sur
prise to people in other states, who
have written here remarking upon
the fact that over $50 were shot.
Comparatively little criticism has
come here about the operation of
the new game code and the i'm
preston seems to be that it should
be permitted to stand the test of at
least four years.