The sun., 1918-08-04
SAVE THE GROUSE
SPORTSMEN URGE
Ask Pratt for Hearings to Re-
ceive Evidence of Decrease
Of Birds
SPECIES IN DANGER ZONE
NJ ALEXANDER sTODDART.

the subject of the ruffed grouse in va
rious parts OF the State, and II the evil
.dence developed at the hearings tustifies
such action It Is the Intention OF
George d. Pratt, Conservation Com
sioner. to close the entire State against
grouse shooting for period OF two
years.
"Pennsylvania," he says. has al
ready taken such action and other
States are expected to follow"
Reports of alarming decrease In
numbers, particularly during the past
three years. of ruffed grouse, or par
fridge, as It Is commonly called in New
York State. have led the New York
State Conservation Commission TO con-
duct a systematic inquiry into the ac-
tual status OF this splendid game bird
with the view to the necessity Of
definite measures for Its preservation.
The inquiry took the>form OF ques-
tionnaire, which was distributed during
the latter part of 1917 to all the game
protectors and forest rangers in the
employ OF the Conservation Commits
sion and also the sportsmen's clubs Of
the State
The questionable was answered ny
134 game protectors and "a forest rang
ers, a total of las men in all parts Of
the State who are constantly in the
field. OF the forms sent to sports
mems clubs 49, were returned. Some
Of these were submitted by individuals,
but a majority were filled out by an
officer of a local club who signed him
self as such.
In this way the questionable un-
doubtedlv represents the sentiments OF
a very much larger number of sports
men throughout the State than Is in
dicated by the mere number Of replies,
In addition the investigation received
wide publicity through the newspapers,
with the result that many letters on
the svbject were received by the COM
mission from independent sources
The information that was gathered
IN this way Is supplemented by the
game census" records Of the Conserva-
ton Commission, Since August 1915,
,vhen the "paua census', systeu WAS
.s.a -. -. -
started every protector mas peen re-
ouireo 10 make weekly report oi ,ie
Ehn,e, iheiuuihs siouse' seeA ="
terrtory. ~
Inc proeec'ors nave mus peeo''', =,
trained ooser'ers' anu Tue hsu anu
comments 'eiati'e u GROUSE winch 'nes
nave submitted on their CENSUS carus'
arc OF great 'aiue'
Of the birds within the last three or
four years there can be no doubt. The
census cards OF the protectors show 1t
most plainly and in the total of 20
answers to the QUESTIONABLE only five
protectors and three ,sDortsmen believed
there had been no decrease.
te u,m n "W.s, DIS >es.S sn. e'., re
common among the replies. while those
r.
ing from 10 per cent to 90 per cent,
the majority being so per cent. or more.
AS to causes OF decrease there is an
interesting variety of comment The
QUESTIONABLE divided possible causes
into ten headings
IN Hawk, fr, Di,ess.
(0 Owls q, Rigors OF winter
C0 Weaseis g. Slaughter by man
* Co,nmon c,t, rm O, ,,a re e.ms.s seaSo'
E,,ar,, o,, -, ,ho ,,t,,o .,.,ieoa oo,,..s
=, Iii -, -, - ~.
ta,,h hoad,na 80 raa,rdad ~, .hoss
~ .nsa.anaS tha ,,ns.ion 80
d.sni,a h.r,ir,,, 49,, ~ doaraas. - - !.
1ronss nm, thnsa IN u,nioh .ho a,.'der %
80, r,,o, - ~. -. 80.
had ,,as,tno saasnr "a 49,.
y, 10 s;nntaaan, ,hot .i.ho. A.,
r.,,,rrs ~, .ha rotno.ors a'sn1 S we
- 81, 'e $3.50, 49, a-u 80. -,
~ snor,s,oT ho,h -, N' s' w.
a,a. $3.50 go eoup' nv. '.l'
IT., -, 49, ,,i, "a Wv
,no -, tha aanrase s 80 81. a.,
also nIacsd ths,,, 30 10 sar,a ID -,
s tae.u .".". III nc sal'e "iuer v,
nastIrg .o,sons ona 70, ~, '"N
>''
Foxes the Worst Enemy.
Tho nrctec.ors IN thetr d,i1y wound.
hava nlentv NJ onnortnnit,1 70 ohsor,..
Arst hand the DAMAGE n GROUSE don.
NV foxes Thefr cene,,s car5s ond ,nas,
tionna,res are fu,I ~ such ren,arrs a,
.1;rouse burrow in the snow IN COLI
winter nights and tho foros oato,
chem, "Eoyos arc tho uors+ ,,orn,,,,
.Foxes arc tho ro,so, for tho sna,oIt,
of nartridees F" "T believe foxes ara l. nj
tnp or The grouse" "par,ridaas 40
stroved in consider,hro n1n,hers ~,
foxes in this COUNTY" "sau twn doaG
paAr!dges. evidently DESTROYED h,
Soye," ~ royor ho,,rt,, ~ -
..Foxes have nearly extermInatad ,har,
"Foxes and common cots dastr1,, NO.,
b,rds than al, other causas cnn,h,nad
~Fox and weaseIs their greatast Zoe
.sFoxes and hawks doine ,n,nh dor,
apo" and "Eox sien, ,nlor,ir,r -
sridoss scaroe " p"'
AZ foxes ho,b rod aud o,.o,.
ALREADY regarded &C o,,,laua ~ ~
Yorl, state and MAY he shot ~ 80,
sound tho orIy bona -, ,od,,at,', -,
vreatast epen,Jas ~ ~ aro,,s t. T.
even more strenuous n.srtar a. =,
tbem WV
A. ,,~,. ~, T., Az, ,,.,-
v,,i he ~ 80 % % ia. S - 1901 80,
+be states came nrotentors W." 90 80