, 1922-12-27
SP0RTSMEN Think
BEAR SHOULD HAVE
MORE PROTECTION
Grizzly Going Fast----cIosed
Season Recommended -Bru-
in Blamed UnjustIy For
Killing Stock

When Horace M. Albright, super
intendent of Yellowstone National
Park, was in Cheyenne the other day
he conferred with both the states
chief executive and the chief execu-
tive elect on a number of matters
having to do with Wyoming and park
affairs. Afterwards he said to the
Tribune-Leader:
81 talked whit the governors about
protecting bears. Governor Ross was
greatly interested and made some
notes. He confessed to knowing little
about the subject. Governor Carey,
on the other hand, is kindly disposed
toward these animals. and pointed
out to me something I knew but had
forgotten: that Wyoming already
gives bears a measure Of protection
1.-THE trouble with the Wyoming
law is that it has no teeth in it. No
punishment is provided for violations
of the provisions. 1 do not believe
it provides for a closed season. A
license is required, and there is a bag
limit, but that is about all.
"If the state wishes to protect this
form of big game, it might fix a clos
ed season and provide penalties Tor
violation of the law.
at may be of interest to know that
through protection, Pennsylvania has
become one of the best bear hunting
states in the union, and they are not
stock market bears either, but gen.
uine flesh and blood American black
bears.
at does not seem to be generally
know that this species are almost en-
tirely vegetarian and that they are
among the best sport animals in ex-
i%stance."
John P. Mcclure Of Denver, editor
of Outdoor Life, has been fighting Tor
his protection for the past twenty
years, and, with moderate success
When he started his active campaign
eight years ago only two states. Penn
sylvania and Louisiana, gave n
semblance of legal shelter; since then
10 others have provided it in one form
or another. His fondest hope, he de
clares in a letter to the tribune
Leader, is that by ten years hence
every commonwealth with bears with
in its confines will have a rigid pro-
tective measur on its statute DOCKS
He claims to have the cooperation
of the American Game Protective as
ISOLATION. the Campfire club, the
Boone and Crockett club, n all other
sportsmen's associations of note, as
we'll as the country's leading natural
lists, including such well known tls-
ures as DR.. William Hornaday and
DR.. C. Hart Merriam. He says:
Bears are frequently blamed for
the depredations OF mountain Hons'
Canada LyrAds. Bobcats and ven
wolves. The latter animals-ah OF
which are strictly carnivorous-aften
kill stock and game and, having done
So. leave it covered or partly so. and
along comes a hungry bear and eats
1t up. Next comes the sportman or
the stockman and, falling to detect
the soft imprint of the c~arnivorous
culprit, but seeing the plain tracks
of the bear, wrongly places the blame
on his head.
"When the grizzly bear shall have
passed-and he is found in sucn
lamentably small numbers now that
his ext from our mountains IS
but a question of veaIs-there snaii
nave disappeared from u mountai's
one of the sublim7.' specimens "
animal life that oxalts the western
wilderness. AS a sporting trophy,
his hide stands at the top OF the list
of American wild animals-one wnien
sportsmen from all over the world
have come here to secure: Nowhere
else in the world can he grizzly year
be found except in Western Nortn
! America. and we as sportsmen ana
naturalists should see to it that his
demise Ia not hastened and that his
life shall be preserved to ~posterity."
If the game-lovers and the sports
men of wyoming wish the matter
taken up in this state. they should
tell their legislature Of their wishes.