Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-24

n
wv fall season when five six million
Americans will shoulder their guns
and go hunting, when many thousands
will make money as guides and hosts
to sportsmen, and many millions who do not
go afield will encounter the wild things on
the dinner plate, is being used by sportsmen's
organizations, outdoor publications and 9TH
er interested parties to push a campaign for
permanent system of game protection by
game salctuaries.
The situation in this country g that wild
fowl and other migratory game birds have
been increasing greatly in the past few years
as the result of a Federal law giving them
protection throughout their journeys up and
down the continent, but the protection OF
our other game is by no means adequate. 1t
is true that many states have improved their
game laws, but others are hopelessly lax.
Some species of game are increasing in some
places, but on the whole, game other than
migratory birds is barely holding it's own,
while some valuable species are threatened
with determination. Meanwhile the army of
hunters grows every year.
This decreased game supply is sheer waste
The country could support perhaps three or
four times as much game as it does. That
would mean just three or four times as much
food and sport as we now get from wild
lands. Not to bring them to the highest
state of productivity by proper restriction
now is as foolish as picking the fruit before
it is ripe. And the thing is especially worth
can never be monopolized by a wealthy few,
but most always remain a source of health,
pleasure and food for all the people. The
great and growing areas which are included
in national and state parks and forest re-
serves insure this.
The Plan Proposed
The plan now being urged is the creation
of game sanctuaries in these forest reserves,
where hunting will be prohibited, predatory
animals destroyed and game propagated.
From these sanctuaries game will naturally
overflow the surrounding country, making of
the forest reserve in which it is situated a
we'll stocked public shooting ground. In adj
dition to this, game propagated in the sane
tuaries could be shipped to all parts of the
state.
Several bills have been introduced in the
House and Senate providing for such sane
tuarieS. They all provide that the state leg
islature must concur in the setting aside of
sanctuary areas, since the game on these
areas belongs to the state So there is no
transgression of states rights in this provi-
sion.
1t may seem that this measure would
benefit chiefly the West, where most of the
forest reserves are, but as a matter of fact
including the forest lands in the East &C
quired by the Government under the act Of
1911, there are now forest reserves in all eX-
cept few of the North Central states New
Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennes-
see, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Ar
kansas and Florida now all have national
forest areas in them. Thus a string of game
sanctuaries could be established all up and
down the Atlantic coast. In the country sur
rounding them would be found the very best
of hunting and the hunting for the whole
state would be greatly improved. Every
hunter in the United States would profit by
these sanctuaries.
This protective measure would cost little.
proclamation of the Secretary of Agricul-
ture setting aside certain lands for the pur
pose, and concurrence of the state legisla-
lures, would be the only procedures neces-
sary, while a few wardens on each sanctuary
would constitute the only permanent expense
of the system.
Birds That Are Dying Out
Not only would this protective system
greatly enrich the supply of all kinds of
game, but it is the only thing that will save
valuable species in many sections of the cOun-
try. What one sees everywhere in this
country is a few of the more adaptable spe-
cies of game holding their own at consider
ably less than a normal abundance, while
other varieties steadily decrease. The state
of Maryland, near the Capital, where thou
sands of Washington sportsmen hunt every
fall, is typical of many Of the more settled
states. Maryland has fairly good game laws
and system Of game propagation in che past