Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-01-29
NEW PRESERVES
BADLY NEEDED
Game Commission Is Seeking
to Complete Leases For
Dauphin County Tract

IL plans OIL Jne state tame COM
mission for leasing lands are car
ried out four new state game pre-
serves will be established before the
next hunting season begins. These
preserves will be located in the Ly-
kens Valley region of Dauphin coun-
ty; the Haytock mountain part of
Bucks, in Northern Forest and in
Fayette and Somerset. Land in Bed
ford. Blair and Cambria counties
is also under consideration. The
chief difficulty appears to be in OBJ
tanning leases as the owners are
very careful to safeguard coal, oil
and gas rights and want right to
operate at any time. In the Dau-
phin case railroad, coal and water
companies control the lands and the,
difficulty is to get the matters acted
upon at this time when so many
ether things are in the air.
DR.. Joseph Kalbfus, Secretary of
the Commission, has been in Wash
ington arranging for the importa-
ton of mature quail from Mexico
and other matters with the Federal
Government. The big jump in hun
ters' licenses has demonstrated that
there has been no falling off of in
terest in hunting because of war.
StronS declarations favoring the
extension of the State Game Pre-
serves and declaring that it is "the
solution of the game increase pro-
position" as far as most game is con-
cerned were made in the annual re-
port of the State Game Commits
sion placed in the ehands of Cover
nor Martin G.. Brumbaugh a few
days ago.
The big national reservations are
declared to be too large and the re-
serve of about 5000 acres, which
has been adopted in this State, to
be the best. At the same time it
is essential to keep such tracts clear
of vermin and to prevent forest fires.
The report also urges that the
game birds be fed this winter and
predicts that unless something is
done the game will be seriously di-
minished. The question of an ade-
quate food supply for game of all
kinds when our state is covered with
ice and snow, is the paramount
question for consideration and that
without this food supply more game
by far will be lost each year than
is destroyed either by forest fires
or is taken by hunters legally or
Illegally" says the report. The re-
comm endation is made that next
year there be extensive planting of
trees and bushes that will supply
animal life with food, especially ap-
PIE, mountain ash, sassafras, haw
and other nut-bearing trees. The
disappearance of the beech and
chestnut trees is taking away means
OF life for many birds. Urgent
recommendation for statewide ef-
forts to reduce forest fire damage
are made.
Extensive plans for stocking of
not only state game preserves, but
various counties are being made by
state authorities and thousands of
4 \ Ill
number of deer and other animals.
Coincidently it is expected to bring
about the closing of practically
every county in the state to the kill
ing of ruffed grouse. Before the
work of propagating is pushed it is
the plan to work out a means of
systematic determination of vermin.
The figures on the operation of the
bounty law, which were presented
by DIR. Joseph Kalbfus, Secretary of
the Commission, and which show
$4,000 pests killed, will be used as an
object lesson and the effect of clear
ing tracts of Vermin illustrated.
Sportsmen will be asked to feed the
quail and other game and to help
kill the weasel mink and foxes
This campaign is to be pushed with
aid of many men who have been OBJ
serving successful propagation where
vermin is under control.
Last year 1900 quail and hun
dreds of other birds together with
5000 rabbits were released. This
year there will be turned loose many
more. Already over 140 wild tur-
keys have been bought for liberation
when weather is decent and there
are .346 ring-necked pheasants al
so held, having been bought last
fall.
Between March and July there
will be delivered in this state 5000
mature Mexican quail for general
distribution and 800 California quail
will also be used. Almost 1000
ring-necked pheasants have been
contracted for and 100 deer. Plans
call for 245 wild turkeys and 460
half wild turkeys to be liberated and
$50 fox squirrels and 5000 rabbits,
the latter to be placed in counties
where they are scarce.