Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-04-02
Many Are Buying
New Sportsmen's
$500 Licenses
Explains Reason for New Law Passed
by Recent Legislaturc--Appar-
emily a Wise Measure.

MIooOULAs March 3I.--lSpeClaI1--
Sportsmen Of Western Montana who
are ardent conservationists, are rally
ing to the support of the cause Of main
tanning wild life Of Montana and are
enthusiastic over the new sportsman S
license made possible by the last SEES
sion of the state legislature Montana
is the only state in the union which has
adopted the plan formulated by Sen
ator Ralph r. Tower of Lake county
and tributary states are watching the
effect. Hundreds Of leading business
men of this community are awaiting
distribution of the documents Of honor
and the windshield stickers which ac
company them.
In adopting the sportsman's license
plan it was decided that the farmer
and land owner should be taken In AZ
partner in the great volunteer cor
poration intended to protect and prop
agate fish and game Of the nation.
When the original bill for needed rev
enue for the Montana state fish and
game department was recommended
It carried flat increase. with the in
crease applying to farmer and city
sportsman alike. The farmer is land
owner and the majority Of fish and
birds are found on farms or near agrf-
cultural land, except in mountainous
areas.
The farmer is indirectly responsible
for raising more birds than the city
sportsman, hence it was my belief that
the increased license fee plan should
be equalized When the farmer desires
to hunt or fish he pays the same IL
cense fee as his city brother, yet game
Is propagated on his land, despite the
fact that the game belongs to all the
people.
With this plan in mind, three resi-,
dent licenses have been provided,
Rather than approve flat increase, it
was agreed that reservations should be
made. Thousands of men working in
the mines, smelters. farms and other
industries are fishermen and do not
hunt big game. Hence, 1t was argued
that the farmer, the working man and
youths should be permitted to fish and
hunt game birds at the So license fee
prevailing for the last 10 years. Then
it was provided that sportsmen DESTROYS
of hunting big game should be re-
CURED to pay an additional dollar for
a resident big game license with elk
and deer tags attached
The law now provides that each big
game license holder must return the
post card attached to the new license,
showing in what counties elk and deer
are killed, sex, condition and other |
questions pertinent to proper conser-
vatoin. This information will be of rare
value to the state fish and game de-
partment The law declares it mis-
demeanor for a big game hunter to
fail to attach the tag torn from the IL
cense Immediately after the animal Is
killed The tag must remain on the
carcass until 1t is consumed.
Then came the browning effort-the
formulation Of plans for the issuance
Of the sportsman's license to sell for
gives the outstanding sports
men all the privileges granted undeF
the other licenses and at the same time
provides him with the wholesome op-
portunity Of placing an additional 81
in the fish and game fund to do some
thing near his share in aiding the re-
program Of fish and birds
to continue without handicap.