22 



DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 



Training and refresher courses are maintained for fhe warden staff. 



venrion, leaving a clean camp, and proper conduct in 

 the field. Also stressed is the need for improved rela- 

 tions between the sportsman and landowner, and 

 finally, the concept that the individual hunter alone 

 can prevent accidents. A final written examination and 

 demonstration of safe gun handling completes the 

 course. When possible the student fires 15 rounds of 

 .22 caliber ammunition under supervision of the in- 

 structor. 



Wildlife Protection Branch personnel made use of 

 the department manual, hunter safety films, "Shooting 

 Safets,'" "Trigger-Happy Harry," and "The Making 

 of a Shooter," and other materials. Wardens not only 

 contacted interested groups, but stimulated interest 

 where it was lagging, contacted instructors already 

 certified, helped integrate the 3,500 license agents into 

 the program, assisted in local publicity for the pro- 

 gram, and worked with sportsmen's groups. 



To create a uniform system of training, an instruc- 

 tor training course was developed by the department 

 in cooperation with the .\lameda Adult School and the 

 western representative of the National Rifle Associa- 

 tion. The State Department of Education approved 

 the instructor training course for adult classes, and at 

 least 30 communities held hunter safety classes. Many 

 schools participated in tiic program. 



Cooperation from every type of organization was 

 forthcoming, and much of the credit of a successful 

 start of the program goes to these public spirited 

 people. 



ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES 



.■\rrcsts by Fish and Game wardens during the bien- 

 nium totaled 16,271, or an increase of 27 percent over 

 the previous t\\o-year period, with more than one- 

 third relating to inland fishing. 



Average fine levied by the courts in fish and game 

 violation cases was |37.09, or a total of 1598,588.14. 

 Convicted violators were sentenced to serve a total of 

 12,836 days in jail. Significantly, the percentage of 

 cases dismissed by the courts, or in which the defend- 

 ant was found not guilty after a trial, was only .75 of 

 1 percent. (See Table 9, Appendix.) 



During the biennium three years of undercover 

 work by game management agents of the U. S. Fish 

 and Wildlife Service and Department Wardens was 

 climaxed with the conviction of 12 Sacramento Val- 

 ley waterfowl market hunters and seven San Francisco 

 Bay restaurant operators. In federal court they shared 

 sentences totaling six years and nine months in jail, 

 14,900 in fines, and seven years of probation. Federal 

 Judge Oliver J. Carter, in passing sentence on the 

 market hunters, stated that the violators were victims 

 of the unwillingness of their communities to respect 

 the fish and game laws, believing that the crime is in 

 being caught, and not that a wrongful act had been 

 committed. He further stated that the ring leader was 

 raised in an attitude of complete moral blindness on the 

 question of game laws, a matter for which his commu- 

 nity was partially responsible. 



The arrest and violation figures tell only part of the 

 story. Hundreds of thousands of miles covered by au- 

 tomobiles, boats, airplane and on foot checking hunters 

 and fishermen are a part of it. Many day and night 

 hours spent waiting for violators to return to their 

 illegal nets, obtaining evidence, inspecting catches, 

 arresting poachers, and countless other details com- 

 plete the major portion of the picture. 



Wardens also have contributed major assistance in 

 the catchable trout planting program, followed by in- 

 tensive patrol in the newly planted areas. The patrol 

 has cooperated in fish rescue work, cleaning and in- 

 spection of fish ladders, inspection of stream flow 

 maintenance dams and regulated the flows therefrom. 



Members of the warden staff have worked with 

 other functions by reporting suspected fish and game 

 diseases to local headquarters, and in census taking, 

 fish population trends, pollution control, public use, 

 and success in hunting and fishing areas. 



They worked closely with farmers during the bien- 

 nium on crop depredation reports, waterfowl herding 

 and other activities relating to crop damage by wild- 

 life. 



But the story of the warden's duties would not be 

 complete without mention of his public service activ- 

 ities. Because of his knowledge of the terrain and 

 experience outdoors, the game warden is called into 

 almost every search for a lost hunter or fisherman in 

 the mountains. He is constantly called upon to speak 

 before sportsmen's and other public gatherings to ex- 

 plain the law enforcement program as well as policies 

 and programs of the department. 



Because of his qualifications and experience, other 

 enforcement agencies look to the warden for assistance 



