The Omaha morning bee., 1925-04-05
Hunters Menace All Birds

ncon of the pigeon. Carolina parrakeet. Labrador
duck great aux and Palas Is but the fore
runner of the fate that will overtake other i'm
rortant species. OF the whoopng crane there is no
believe that than loo individuals remain
The supreme of wild life forests and
waters is the deadly apathy and indifference of the
American people whole, and the Unsuitable greed OF
about onehalf Of them.
Ever since 1920 have been demanding of sports
hogs, conservationists, pseudoconservaton-
lists editors lawmakers and the general public quick
armstce game birds and quadrupeds both state
and federal in the form of greatly reduced bag limits
and open The response has been not tenth
what it should have been. The real duck killers, of
the big daily bags firmly refuse to abate of their
killing privileges. Some of them now are getting ugly
about it.
In the great leading conservation states, New York
ard Massachusetts, after direct appeal to each egis
and the leading organizations of sportsmen for
progress in game protection, who do see? Up TO
days the only bill before the New York legisla
really in the interests of to reduce
the open woodcock from so 45 days and D
the Massachusetts legislature the only was to con-
t!nue the closed season quail in Plymouth county
The clubmen Of the Atlantic duck resorts, who
greatly rejoiced when put the market gunners out
Of business in 191s now are angry because
k them duck bag limit of 10 instead of 20.
They likely to bring pressure on the biological
survey very to prevent worthwhile waterfowl
reductions in the federal regulations for killing migra
tory game They ducks very plentiful in the four
five duck resorts of the Atlantic coast. And yet in
Pennsylvania in 1922 1t took five men to kill duck,
five meneto kill one quail 100 kill goose!
And this in concededly good game state, with game
laws well enforced
When talk about stopping so per cent. even 40
rer cent of the waseful and extermnatng slaughter,
the conservationists Immediately muddy the
water by talking about "sanetuares, better enforce
ment of law" feeding of game'-yes, and publis
shooting ground Now, heartily in favor of all
those things We always have been. But who will for
instant be fooled into believing the big bag limits
anything else than the chief, the surest causes of
game extinction?
The way to begin the real saving of the remnants
of nations game supply is by stopping 40
per cent of the killing of it, Declare armistce now
Again, and for the third time. the public shooting
grounds bill has failed congress- Even if it should
pass in the session. 1t would not be until July 1,
1927, that the first from it became actually avail
able for in paying for sanetuaries and hiring
federal wardens The idea that its 100 extra federal
Nsame warden1 would really provide adequate protec
ton" for the migratory game of the United States is
1t would take at least 1000 war
to do that. Even the best sanctuaries would
slowly; and when they began to arrive. few
of them would be breeding grounds for the real increase
OF wild fowl.
This of Canada. the great breeding place
for United States duck and supply. One of
active and level headed defenders of the
Dominion E. r. Kerr. demands in the columns of Rod
and Gun in Canada" that in the next revision of the
migratory bird treaty that shall provide for
federal bag limits ducks of 10 only day We once
a good book something about handwriting upon
the wall" Perhaps this is it.
believe the extinction of hunting sport in America,
either by the practical total extinction of remain
ing species of game birds and mammals. looms close
before 1t is like a mountain of ice dead ahead,
shrouded by fog. We have done best make the
outlines the berg visible through the mark, but 1
fear, mostly In vain Because of the greed, folly and
inertia of the American people predict the worst.
believe that, without a human and humane upheaval
that have expect the year 1850 there
abouts will country barren Of kilabe game
the Cobb desert of Manchuria think that the most
OF 1t will be gone by 1895.
Unless mems hearts lose their, lust for innocent
unless powder shot and machine lose their
present Joyous freedom in killing game; unless che
oeady automobile be curbed in its Of game,
editors. lawmakers and the people who don't
shoot awake, act do about hundred times
than they doing. have done. then may
expect the