Evening star., 1948-04-12
By Jones BirchfieId

| Poachlng and game plratlng are
on the wane in the marshlands
along the Chesapeake Bay.
Under the direction of Jesse F
Thompson, new chief of the game
management division of the Fish
and Wildlife Service, and his assis-
tant. David r. Gascoyne, drive is
on to clean up this "sore spot" in
the Nations conservation picture
New facilities, including small sea-
plane, are aiding the enforcement
drive.
For generations now the men who
live along the bay have taken duck
and geese when they wanted them
They have used baited blinds and
baited traps, and have shot ducks
with blunderbusses fabricated out OF
scraps of heavy steel pipe. These
big guns are called punt guns.
! So fragrant have been the viola
tions of laws protecting migratory
waterfowl that lucrative markets in
wild ducks and geese have grown up
in some towns on the Eastern Shore
And this illegal business has been
carried on for so many years that
local public opinion almost has
clothed it with respectability.
Legend With Pirating.
Along with game pirating has
grown up a legend of individuality
and toughness. It's an old story
that you can't stop a waterman
from doing what he wants to. And
warnings that you may be shot
for interfering in his affairs are
frequent in the shore area.
Mr.. Thompson, a sloW-spoken
Missourian who gives the impress
sion of meaning what ne says. put
little stock in these stories. He
thinks the bay is no worse than
some areas of the West where he
made a reputation as an enforce
ment officer before taking ever his
new post last January.
There is one thing you can say
and be correct about it,nshe said
"And that Is that we are going tc
stop game pirating along the ChesA-
peake Bay. We are going to stop Il
If 1t takes every man the division
has, but we don't think 1t will.
tThese boys are not so tough that
our boys can't handle them. A LOT
of their toughness dissolyes in tears
when they get caught. I get tired
of hearing that the bay is too tough
to handle.
Tells Of Weeping Episode.
The weeping episode Mr.. Thomp.
son spoke of happened when two
game management agents, plotting
the small seaplane that was given
the service by group Of sportsmer
through the Wildlife Management
Institute swooped down on three
out of season gunners in the
marshes on Smith Island.
The gunners tried to out-maneu.
yer the plane, but finally were
forced to take to the marshes or
hands and knees"
"They were tracked down on tht
marshes and were pulled out of tbs
rushes like rabbits" Mr.. Thomp.
son said. "And when they saw they
were caught one Of them broke
down and cried"
This on Smith Island, which, with
it's neighbor, Tangier, has the repll.
tation of making its own laws ane
answering interference in its affair!
with a load of buckshot.
Plane Eases Job.
The plane, piloted by Agent Leor
Cool, a former member of the parl
police here, is easing the job O
game law enforcement. Flying low
Mr.. Cool and the agent who work!
with him can spot duck and geest
traps that would be impossible K
find from boat.
They can spot man with gun
miles away, and can look down init
the small boats to check for illega
cargoes. On the surface the plan
can outrun any boat, and with tw'
men it isn't difficult to hem in
any waterman that looks or act
suspicious.
And, best of all, the plane get