The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1943-04-09
GAME HARVEST
IS PROPOSED BY
WlDLH CHIEF

CHICAGO, April y. W. H.
Crouch. chief of the division of
game management, fish and Wild
life service, today said if American
hunters this year killed as much
game as last year, it would be
enough meat to feed an army of
s OC0 900 men for AS days or there
aboutS."
The wild meat, however, is not
intended to go to the armed fore
es but for the nations dining tables.
In advocating this harvest"
Crouch said, 1.-The thought is not
to deplete the nations wildlife or
in any way delve into the breed
ing stock. We have renewable sur
plus of game every year, and this
year it will be approximately the
same as last
255,fO4,055 Lbs. of Meat
He said a survey of the nations
state game departments last year
showed total of 255, 404 ,055
pounds of dressed meat garnered
by hunters. Forty percent of this
poundage came from the most
available animals, such as rabbits,
squirrels, and opossum.
Although this poundage is not
very large compared with the ma
tions total meat consumption, it
is very important in these days
of meat rationing," Crouch said.
ut also is a good reason for per-
hitting hunting as usual this year.
Another reason Couch gave for
allowing hunting this year is the
constant need for game manage
ment in conservation work.
Conservation does not mean
just saving everything for the sake
of saving he said, "Wildlife would
eat itself out of house and home
if it were left to itself and not con-
trolled."
Would Preserve Resources
A third reason for hunting in
l943 is to preserve the nations
grain and orchard resources from
depredatory wildlife, Couch said.
There are few species of game ami
mails which are not depredatory
in some manner when they be-
come overabundant, he said.
This does not mean we should
permit a wholesale raid on our
wildlife to save fields and orchards,
or to supply large quantities OF
meat" Crouch declared. I'VE are
working every day in the field of
conservation to refute the kind of
war hysteria which demands our
wildlife be hunted off indiscrimin-
ately for the temporary advantage
Of increased meat supplies. The
basic stock should not be touched.
and this can be controlled by the
length of open seasons, and by area
restrictions where needed
Crouch said even though the
War Production Board has shut
down on ammunition production
for hunters primarily shotgun
shells-there is enough stock on
hand and enough available facili-
ties to manufacture fresh ammu-
milton to supply the hunters
May Release Ammunition
He said the WPB was consider
ing proposal to relax restric-
tions on issuing hunting ammuni-
ton, and probably some way will
be devised SO there will be an
equitable distribution of the avail
able ammunition"
Commenting on criticisms about
hunters using valuable gasoline
and rubber and wasting manpower
hours, Crouch said the nations
economy is based on gas and rub
Der for transportation, and the
supplementary meat supplies from
hunting are sufficiently valuable
to make use of gas and rubber for
the purpose worth while
Thus far hunting restrictions
have not done much damage to
the revenue from hunting fees of
the state conservation departments
or from duck stamps of the Wild
life service, Crouch said.