Game Laws for 1919

dents to export deer. Federal investigations disclosed that residents of Maine and New Hampshire had been illegally shipping large numbers of deer to the Boston markets, and the magnitude of this illegal traffic, as indicated by the convictions secured in Federal courts, was doubtlessly instrumental in initiating this legislation. Another most important provision of the legislation in Maine, and one of far-reaching consequences, was that prohibiting the use of deer and moose in lumber camps. The deer seasons were shortened from 5 to 15 days in Maine, New Mexico, Vermont, and Wyoming. Close seasons throughout the year were prescribed for does in Missouri and Wyoming, and for all deer in Ohio and West Virginia. The limits on deer were reduced from two to one a season in New York and Ontario. Nova Scotia lengthened the season on deer one week, and New York, Texas, and Vermont repealed laws protecting does.

Saskatchewan closed the Province to elk hunting, and West Virginia continued the close term on these animals until 1927; Wyoming shortened the open season two weeks, reduced the limit from two to one a season, and repealed the provision permitting a resident to kill one additional elk under a special $10 license. Idaho lengthened the season two weeks on elk in counties having an open season, and Montana modified the seasons in certain counties and opened a few counties to elk hunting which heretofore had been closed.

Mention should here be made of the program evolved by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Biological Survey for the conservation and maintenance of elk in the Yellowstone National Park region. Here is found the greatest aggregate of large game now in existence in such a limited area within the United States. The program is the result of investigations by these two bureaus of the Department of Agriculture, made with a view to devising a practicable plan to conserve the remnant of this once numerous and widely distributed noble game animal.1

Maine permitted moose to be hunted during the last ten days of November, the first open season on these animals since 1915; and Nova Scotia shortened the open season two weeks. Wyoming shortened the season on sheep six weeks and extended the term of protection on moose and antelope until 1925. Alberta lengthened the open season two weeks on mountain sheep and goats.

SEASONS ON GAME BIRDS.

The grouse season was closed in New Mexico, Texas, Vermont, and Wyoming; in Maine and Ohio existing open seasons were shortened; and in West Virginia the number of grouse allowed to be taken in a

1 Graves, Henry S., and Nelson, E. W., Our national elk herds: a program for conserving the elk on national forests about the Yellowstone National Park. U. S. Dept. Agr. Dept. Circ. 51, pp. 34, figs. 19, June, 1919.

season was reduced from 25 to 20. In Michigan and Pennsylvania, where the seasons on ruffed grouse were closed in 1918, hunting is again permitted this year. Alberta lengthened the season on grouse and ptarmigan two weeks.

Arkansas and South Carolina each shortened the open season on quail one month, and West Virginia reduced the limit from 96 to 60 a season. In Idaho the season on sage hens was opened throughout the State during the last two weeks in August; Wyoming shortened the season two weeks and reduced the daily bag limit from 6 to 4; and Oregon lengthened by two weeks the season east of the Cascades. Wild turkeys were protected until 1921 in West Virginia and the seasons were shortened one month in Missouri and from 15 days to 6 weeks in New Mexico. South Carolina lengthened the season two weeks and established a limit of 20 turkeys a season. Missouri provided that 100 petitioning householders may obtain a referendum vote at a general election upon the question of a 2-year close season on quail in any county.

ADMINISTRATION.

One of the most important features of the game legislation of 1919 was the effort to maintain efficient organizations for the enforcement of the laws. A very general effort was made to keep pace with the increased cost of living, which necessitated the payment of a living wage for warden work and competition with salaries and wages paid by private concerns. No less than 11 States-Connecticut, Idaho, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, and Wyoming-authorized increases in compensation for State wardens or deputies. In Indiana and Ohio State game officials were authorized to fix the compensation of all their employees, and in New Jersey the salaries of certain employees of the board of fish and game commissioners are required to be fixed in accordance with schedules furnished by the civil-service commission. Idaho, in keeping with the movement in many States, created nine departments in which to centralize and systematize the civil administration of State affairs, and placed the fish and game bureau in the department of law enforcement. In West Virginia a $1 State-wide resident license law was enacted to replace the 1915 act requiring $3 licenses of residents hunting outside their counties of residence. The $1 resident license, with an exemption to landowners, tenants, and members of their families hunting on their own lands, has proved popular throughout the country, is not burdensome on the individual hunter, and invariably insures financial support for adequate warden service, restocking, and other lines of legitimate game conservation. West Virginia made deep inroads into the game and fish protection fund maintained by receipts from the sale of hunting licenses, by providing that 20 per cent thereof should be expended in restocking

streams with fishes, and 10 per cent set aside for bounties on certain animals and birds. These diversions, together with the cost of issuing licenses and collecting the fees therefor, will serve to reduce the amount available for game protection to about 50 per cent of the receipts from the sale of hunting licenses.

South Carolina made the resident hunting-license law applicable throughout the State. Texas increased the fee for resident hunting licenses from $1.75 to $2 and repealed the provision permitting hunting without a license in counties adjoining the county of residence. Maine prescribed a 25-cent registration certificate for residents, good so long as the holder remains a citizen of the State. Utah abolished the distinction between resident and nonresident hunters and prescribed a $2 license fee for citizens of the United States hunting in that State. Legislation along this line has been advocated for many years by prominent sportsmen, but Utah is the first State to adopt it.

In Indiana the fish and game interests were placed under the jurisdiction of the newly created department of conservation. The four conservation commissioners and the chiefs of divisions are empowered to administer oaths, subpoena witnesses, and to require public officials, corporations, associations, and individuals to produce books, records, and information for lawful purposes under the act. The fish and game protection and propagation fund was continued, but funds therein in excess of $50,000 are to revert to the State treasury at the end of any fiscal year.

GAME REFUGES AND PRESERVES.

Marked progress was made in the establishment of game sanctuaries, and no less than a dozen States enacted legislation with reference to this very important factor in game conservation. All State lands in Alabama, State, county, and municipal parks in Delaware, and all school sections and educational lands in Nebraska were declared game refuges and all hunting thereon prohibited. Minnesota prohibited hunting in or within three miles of the corporate limits of Duluth, Minneapolis, and St. Paul. Special refuges created include the Catalina Mountain preserve in Arizona; the Colorado State Game Refuge, in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountain National Park; the game and fish preserve in Loudon County, Tenn.; the Dixie, Fish Lake, Heaston, Cache, and Strawberry Preserves in Utah, and the Splitrock special game-animal preserve in Wyoming. Vermont authorized the commissioner to establish such game refuges and sanctuaries as are recommended by the United States Biological Survey, and a tentative selection of a preserve has already been made by the bureau. The boundaries of the Gallatin preserve in Montana and those of the Big Horn refuge in Wyoming were modified to some extent. In Oregon and Illinois the State authorities

were authorized to establish refuges by contract on private lands, and in South Dakota to acquire public or private property for the protection and propagation of game birds.

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.

California, Illinois, Maine, and Minnesota prohibited hunting from automobiles or motor vehicles, and California and Michigan made it illegal also to hunt or shoot game birds from airplanes. Colorado prohibited aliens from hunting or owning a shotgun, rifle, or pistol. Illinois prohibited the shipment of game by parcel post. Indiana authorized the department of conservation to encourage and assist in the organization and establishment of fish and game protective associations in the State. In New York provision was made for registering and licensing guides in the forest-preserve counties, and such guides are required to comply with rules and regulations prescribed by the commissioner. Vermont provided for establishing around commercial orchards having an area of 10 acres or more open zones in which deer may be killed at any time.

SUMMARY OF LAWS RELATING TO SEASONS, LICENSES, LIMITS, SALE, AND EXPORT.

The dates of open seasons for migratory game birds shown under the various States and Provinces are the times when these birds may be hunted without violating either State laws or Federal regulations.1 Federal regulations now prohibit shooting from sunset to half an hour before sunrise.

The regulations under the Federal migratory-bird treaty act prohibit throughout the United States the killing at any time of the following birds:

Band-tailed pigeon; little brown, sandhill, and whooping cranes; wood duck, swans; curlews, willet, upland plover, and all shorebirds (except the black-bellied and golden plovers, Wilson snipe or jacksnipe, woodcock, and the greater and lesser yellowlegs); bobolinks,2 catbirds, chickadees, cuckoos, flickers, flycatchers, grosbeaks, hummingbirds, kinglets, martins, meadowlarks, nighthawks or bull-bats, nuthatches, orioles, robins, shrikes, swallows, swifts, tanagers, titmice, thrushes, vireos, warblers, waxwings, whip-poor-wills, woodpeckers, and wrens, and all other perching birds which feed entirely or chiefly on insects; and also auks, auklets, bitterns, fulmars, gannets, grebes, guillemots, gulls, herons, jaegers, loons, murres, petrels, puffins, shearwaters, and terns.

1 The full text of the migratory-bird treaty, act, and regulations will be found on pages 65-77.

See order of the Secretary permitting bobolinks or reedbirds to be killed in a few States for the protection of rice crops in the south, p. 77.

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Game Laws for 1919: A Summary of the Provisions of Federal, State and ...