San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-25
Public Shooting Grounds and
Game Refugees Are ADVOCATED

per license. Land owners, tenant
and their children residing on farm
or ranches should be exempt from r,
duirement to possess a license to hur
on land of which they are bona fid
owners or occupants, as many of thel
are very diligent to protect game o
the land which they control"
Total revenue from hunting license
in 1921-1922 was $4,000 which is a
increase of the year preceding whei
it was S42,572.
The state fish hatchery at Dalla
cannot supply streams of the state
! the report says. The shipping dis
lance is too far. He indicates tina
additional hatcheries should be pro
vided.
There are certain portions OF Soutl
and Southwest Texas where deer anC
| turkey are yet to be found in goodi!
UNDERESTIMATE TO the owners o.
large ranches who have spent theil
own money and time in protecting
them from the game law violators. Or
these protected ranches and in ter
ritory patroled by four special game
deputies, deer and turkeys may be
holding their own, but elsewhere their
numbers are diminishing.
1.-The prairie chicken has not YET
been exterminated but it is found in
certain SECTIONS of the Panhandle, and
Oklahoma line. Occasionally scat
tering remnant of these birds may be
encountered in some of the western
counties, and in the coast country of
Southwest Texas. We. recommend
that a game refuge be established in
the Panhandle for prairie chickens
and that the game laws be amended
to allow a ten-day open season in
August.
''At the fish hatchery in Dallas we
have about 100 pheasants. The eggs
produced by these birds have been dis
tributed to all parts of the state. The
mistake we made was in not requir-
ing the recipients of the eggs to OBJ
ligate themselves to make a report Of
their effort.
State Has b47 Antelope. 4
"a recent census of the antelope
in Texas shows that we have j47
head, whereas they formerly ranged
the plains of this state by the thou
sands, and they would probably now
be exterminated but the remaining
few have taken to the foothills and
rough lands where they. cannot be run
down and shot from automobiles. As
to mountain sheep, there are reported
to be a few left in the Guadalupe
Mountains. The only protection they
have is from the owners of the
mountains on which they range. In
less they are protected they will go
the way of the buffalo and the pas-
senger pigeon. ne s..
Doves are plentiful In the coast
country, San Antonio south AMI ,here
is probably no decrease in this sec
ton of the state but reports from the
central and northern portions would
indicate that they are not so numer-
GUS as formerly. The open season on
doves begins on September / of each
year, and as there are many of them
nesting on this date in South Texas.
the season in that part of the state
should open a few weeks later.
Ducks, gees and other migratory
waterfowls have been showing up each
fall on the coast in steadily increas.
ing numbers since the approval of
the Migratory Bird Treaty act, July
3, 1918, forbidding the sale of all
game birds"
The commissioner estimated the
value Of ducks killed in California for
food at a half million dollars. He
could not estimate the value to Texas
Of the game harvest as the hunters in !
this state do not have to report the
Of game killed.
The game on the farm or ranch is !
to the owner or tenant, not
only for its food value but certain |
upland game birds are very helpful as
1estroyers of weed seeds and harmful |
insects. Almost every farm produces
some game which may be hunted dur
ing the open season, such as rabbits, !
squirrels, quail, doves, and also deer
and turkey in some sections, and all |
have certain food and recrea:ional |
value.
Brings Revenue to Owner.
Each year sees more farms posted |
and less shooting grounds so some
thrifty land owners are making the |
game render a direct return by selling |
or leasing the hunting rights. Many |
ranch owners in the Southwest whose |
lands are stocked with deer are max
ing more money from selling or leas- !
ing hunting rights on their ranches |
than they receive for leasing for pas
tureage. 1t is very easy for the land
owner to realize the value of the game |
to his holdings when he is receiving
direct and substantial return from
same. He is ready and does put him
self to some trouble to increase the
game and prevent it being killed off
before the season opens.
In many sections of the state there
was no rainfall during the summer
months and many fish persisted or fell
victims to the fish hogs" and seiners,
because of water being low and in
holes in all of our smaller streams.
Unfortunately our fish law, excerpts
as regards dynamiting and poisoning
fish, applies only to the public waters
Of the state. Fish in the public
streams are protected but when they
pass into tributary creeks and streams
for the purpose of spawning they are
then, at this important time, unpro-
tected, and are destroyed in untold
numbers. The law should be amend
ed so as to apply alike on all regular
running streams.
Il would also recommend that an
extended survey be made of our coast
al waters, and that breeding and feed
ing ground Of marketable fishes be
closed by statute-doing away with a
closed season on drag seines as the
ones permitted by law to be used dur
ing such closed season are dragged,
unless a deputy is in the immediate
vicinity. II such a survey of the
coastal waters were made and breed
ing and feeding prnupds cIoead by