The New York herald., 1921-01-27
Game on Long Island.
Farmers Want to Be Protected From
Reckless City Gunners.

To THE New YORK HERALD: Having
bred and turned loose many pheasants
and having winter fed quail for MANY
years j am in position to present In
the present discussion Of the game laws
facts backed by first hand, exact knowl-
edge. so far as this section of Long
Island Is concerned.
In the first place, while O severe WIN
ter is apt to be a great hardship to
quail and other upland game birds. II
will not materially reduce the supply of
game. particularly when systematic
methods are used in helping the birds
through the winter. such as feeding
t'em and providing shelters.
In the second place, the real sports
man, be he from city or country. has
not done much to reduce the supply of
game.
In the third place. the real cause Of
the threatened extinction Of quail. wood
cock. partridge and other upland game
birds. deer and rabbits on Long Island
is the reckless shooting done by gum
ners from the city who are not true
sportsmen and who invade the country
districts. particularly on the Sabbath. In
automobiles. and shoot at everything in
sight, regardless of game laws. private
property. safety to passers on the roads
or workers on the farms.
ANY persons who are sincerely inter-
ested In preventing the entire extinction
of upland game birds on Long Island
within the next few years should do
their utmost to secure the appointment
as Conservation Commissioner of a man
who will work for the protection and
propagation Of our fast diminishing
game, and should support the measure
now before the Assembly to prevent any
but American citizens from having
shooting licenses. In my opinion there
should be an increase in the cost of the
shooting license-some such fee as s5
for county residents and $40 for non
county residents, with an additional s5
for the use OF the shotgun and $40 for
the rife. All this would help and would
stop large majority of the irresponsi-
BILE shooters. provided the law was really
enforced.
All these remedies. however, ignore
the basic right Of the downtrodden
farmer and landowner entirely, his right
to say who shall or shall not enter on
bis property for any purpose whatso-
ever. No right minded farmer Is going
to refuse his neighbors or any decent
sportsmen the privilege, for It certainly
is or should be that. OF shooting over
his property, but no one should be
granted this as a right by law without
the written consent of the Landowner.
The present laws in regard to posting
land are farce.
Personally ! believe that our present
game laws are all wrong and their ad-
mnistration worse yet that the game
on my land where Il lives and feeds II as
much my property as my poultry -r
other live stock. and that no person mas
any more right to come on my property
without my permission and destroy that
game than he has TO shoot my poultry
or other farm animals.
Farmers all over New York state are
up in arms over the present game laws.
The farmer Is fighting for a revision Of
these statutes TO increase the rapidly
disappearing game OF the state and In
cldentaiiy to enable him to walk about
on his own land without being shot at
and to sit In the evening peaceably
without having a bullet como crashing
through his window. as happened on the
writer's place recently. A FARMER
MoRrcHBs, January rs.