Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-09-22
. PERMANENT GAME SUPPLY
By rederic j. Haskin.

WASHINGTON. Sept. 22.-This fall season
when five or six million Americans will shoulder
their guns and go hunting, when many thou
sands will make money as guides and hosts to
sportsmen, and many millions who do not go
afeld will encounter the wild things on the din
ner plate, is being used by sportsmen's organi-
cations, outdoor publications and other interest
ed parties to push a campaign for a permanent
system of game protection by game sanctuaries.
The situation in this country is that wild fowl
ana ana Gnner migratory game eirds nave oeen IN
suit of a federal law giving them protection
throughout their journeys up and down
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 spe-
cies of game are increasing in some places, but
on the whole, game other than migratory birds
is barely holding its own. while some valuable
Meanwhile the army of hunters grows every
year.
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 our wild lands. Not
to bring them to the highest state of productive
ty by proper restriction now Is as foolish as
picking the fruit before it is ripe. And the thing
Is especially worth doing because the hunting in
this country can never be monopolized by a
wealthy few, but most always remain a source OF
great and growing areas which are included in
national and state parks and forests reserves in
sure this.
The Plan Proposed.
The plan now being urged Is the creation or
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
country, making of the forest reserve in which
it it situated a we'll stocked public shooting
ground. In addition to this. game propagated in
the sanctuaries could be shipped to all parts OF
the state.
Several bills have been introduced in the
House and senate providing for such sanctuaries.
They all provide that the state legislature must
concur in the setting aside of sanctuary areas,
since the game on these areas belongs to the
state. So there is no transgresston of the states
rights in this provision.
1t may seem that this measure would bene-
fit chiefly the West, where most of the forest re-
serves are, but as a matter of fact, including
the forest lands in the East acquired by the
under the act of 1911, there are
now forest reserves in all except a few Of the
Central states. New Hampshire Pennsyl-
vania, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina,
Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas 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 surrounding them would be found the
very best of hunting, and the hunting Tor the
hunter in the United States would proht by
these sanctuaries.
This protective measure would cost little. A
Of the Secretary OF Agriculture,
setting aside certain lands for the purpose, and
of the state legislatures, would De
the only procedures necessary, 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 II Is
many sections of the country. What one sees
e~verywhere in this country Is a few or the more
adaptable species Of game holding their own at
considers bly, less than a normal abundance,
other varieties steadily decrease. me
state of Maryland, near the capital, where thou
sands of Washington sportsmen hunt every fall
is typical Of many Of the more settled states.
has fairly good game laws, with gen,
erous open seasons, and 1t has greatly lnlproteu
its laws and system of game propagation IN Inc
past few years. 1t cannot afford an expensive
warden system like that of New York state, Tor
and uniformed force. In Maryland, as IN mos,
states, they are mostly farmers who are pald
and do little. Even so, the game law IS
fairly well obeyed, and the commoner species OF
game hold their own. Besides the excellent wild
fowl shooting Of the Chesapeake region, Wnlc91
brings a really considerable item of food into
the state every fall, there are still a good many
quail, rabbits and squirrels. Sportsmen get good
shooting within fifteen or twenty miles OF WASH
and many quail are killed close to the
District of Columbia line. But many parts oa
the state, especially the large WOODED areas
along the Potomac. formerly supported iarss
of wild turkeys and ruffed grouse. Ana
good hunter could get his Thanksgiving turkey
in the woods a quarter of a century ago, While
the grouse- locally called pheasant, were SO
that many hunters paid no ATTENTION
to the humble quail. .
The story of these birds has been one OF SLOW
decrease W IL III VI
there are just a few bands of wild turkeys IN
the larger wooded areas, while the ruiteo
This decrease has not been wholly due to
shooting. The cutting down Of the woods, to-
gether with forest fires, must have had much TO
do with it. But there remain many areas or for-
est large enough to support grouse and not a
few where wild turkeys would thrive If they
once got a start. Even deer, which have peen
extinct in much of the state for half a century,,
could be restored in many places. This was
proved when a few deer were turned loose near
and multiplied at an astonishing rate without
protection.
A proper system of game sanctuaries would
give the American sportsman a shot at some OF
the noble game that his grandfather hunted.