THIRTY-SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT 27 



REPORT OF BUREAU OF GAME CONSERVATION 



By J. S. Hunter, Chief 



At the last session of the Legislature an act was passed proyidin^j 

 for an open season and limited kill of 500 male antelope the first in our 

 State in 48 years. Antelope f ormerl.y ranged over much of the State but 

 on account of heavy hunting and agricultural development were wiped 

 out in practically all parts of it except the plateau country in the north- 

 eastern part of the State. 



The bill provided that the commission could establish regulations 

 under which the hunt could be carried on. In accordance with the 

 provisions of the law, the commission fixed the shooting area as the 

 eastern part of Modoc and Lassen counties and the open dates May 29 th 

 to June 15th, inclusive. Nearly 3,000 applications were made for the 

 500 permits to be granted. Each application was numbered as received 

 and at the closing time for the filing of applications, cards bearing the 

 numbers were placed in a large container, thoroughly shaken and num- 

 bers drawn in the presence of newspaper men, sportsmen and State 

 officials. After the first 500 were recorded, 150 more were drawn as 

 alternates should any of the 500 not qualify. In all, 452 hunters showed 

 up in the field and killed 405 animals. There was no scarcity of antelope 

 and the only reason all were not successful was on account of not putting 

 the bullet where the antelope happened to be. The animals were taken 

 in good condition: not fat — antelope seldom are — but in good flesh. 

 Those weighed averaged, camp dressed, 92.9 pounds. Horns were fully 

 developed. None were of exceptional length or spread. Nearly 40 

 per cent, however, were more than 14 inches in length. 



There was complaint from hunters on the spring season. Scalps, 

 generally, were not good for mounting. This was on account of the fact 

 that the climatic season was, according to the weather bureau, two to 

 three weeks late. In the spring, for the most part, bucks and does do 

 not run together and hunters are less likely to make errors. Recom- 

 mendations for future seasons would be to give the commission authority 

 to fix a 15-day season some time between May 20th and July 1st, the 

 dates to be selected in accordance with climatic conditions. If the season 

 is advanced, earlier, and if backward, later. When the number of 

 hunters and the kill are limited there is no reason for a long season. 

 Seventy-seven per cent of the kill was made during the first three days 

 and 93 per cent during the first ten. 



Hunters should be given instructions as to how the animals should 

 be handled after killing and be required to follow them. Much excellent 

 meat was lost by sloppy treatment. 



THE GAME KILL 



In order that we may have a definite idea as to the amount of game 

 taken each year by the thousands of hunters in California, we send out 

 from our laboratory at Terminal Island thousands of questionnaires to 



