A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 509 



segregation. The percentage of this nonforested land is, however, 

 so low that it will not materially affect the totals. The figures 

 exclude, as far as data were available, water areas within the forest 

 areas. No attempt has been made to include private lands posted 

 against hunting, because the actual hunting status of such lands is 

 indefinite; they are often hunted by the owner or others to whom he 

 may extend or sell the privilege. The column " Game areas by admin- 

 istrative restriction" in table 4 includes national-forest lands closed 

 to the grazing of domestic livestock. 



The areas in State refuges on national-forest lands are transitional 

 only. In several States some of the areas listed are subject to open- 

 ing for hunting when conditions justify such action and areas that 

 are now open are subject to restrictions on hunting. 



The division of this whole area between the western regions (93 

 percent) and the eastern regions (7 percent) is in contrast with the 

 distribution of total areas of forest land shown in table 3, where 

 some 65 percent of the 615 million acres of forest-land area of the 

 United States is attributed to the eastern regions. The 27 million 

 acres closed to hunting in the western regions is 13 percent of the 

 total forested land area of these regions, whereas in the East the area 

 closed to hunting is less than 1 percent of the total forested area. 



PUBLIC SHOOTING GROUNDS 



The ideal and traditional conception of the public shooting ground 

 idea is shooting for all who desire it for sport or other social reasons. 

 Much of the social benefit to be derived from wild life, particularly 

 for the rank and file of the hunting public, is dependent on maintain- 

 ing large areas of land available for this purpose. 



With the passing of public lands into private ownership, especially 

 in the East, the land open to public shooting has become more and 

 more restricted. In many sections of the East the situation is acute 

 and involves all species of game animals. Privately owned lands are 

 often posted against hunting. Many areas are leased by individuals 

 or clubs for exclusive use. Hunting grounds for the ordinary hunter 

 who cannot afford to pay high charges are very limited in many 

 localities. 



Several States in the eastern United States, because of the re- 

 stricted conditions, have taken measures to relieve this situation and 

 are establishing areas for use as public hunting grounds. Table 3 

 shows the area acquired or made available for this purpose. Con- 

 siderable progress has been made in the Middle Atlantic and Lake 

 Regions, each having in excess of 4 million acres. 



Publicly owned or controlled lands must in the main afford areas 

 available for public shooting grounds. The combined acreage of 

 Federal, State, county, and municipal forest lands in the eastern 

 United States is about 20 million acres, but a considerable part of 

 this acreage, however, is in State, Federal, county, and municipal 

 parks or other areas not usable for public shooting. Altogether there 

 is probably less than 10 million acres of public-owned forest land in 

 the East available for this purpose. This acreage will doubtless be 

 increased as time goes on by reversion of tax-delinquent forest areas 

 and by acquisition for National and State forests or for wild life and 

 other purposes. 



