MONTANA STATE FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



Considerable time has been devoted by the present and past Commission 

 for the welfare of these valued game bird species, but due to the limited 

 means by which any appreciative improvement may be effected, it has necessi- 

 tated confining such control and protective measures to regulations of open 

 seasons. 



Each year requests are received from sportsmens' organizations to open 

 or close certain areas. It is gratifying to note that by far the greater number 

 of such requests express concern for the future of the birds. For several years 

 previous to 1935 the season had been declared open in checker-board sections 

 where it was known that a reasonably abundant supply of these birds were to 

 be found, closing other areas for further protection and as an aid to reproduc- 

 tion. This plan while not by any means satisfactory was reasonably successful 

 until the improved roads and means of travel made it quite possible for the 

 hunter of even moderate means to travel several hundred miles on a trip to 

 the open ai-eas. This, obviously, made the plan impractical as the heavy con- 

 centration of hunters reduced the bird population in the open areas to mere 

 skeleton colonies. 



While the Commission has never subscribed to an opinion held by many 

 that the days of these native birds are numbered due to inroads by predators, 

 humans and diseases, and that, this being true, the sportsmen might as well 

 make some use of the remaining numbers, it has been felt that no serious 

 harm results from short open seasons. This it is thought tends to scatter the 

 birds, mixing the colonies, thereby improving the breeding stock (there is no 

 definite proof however, to substantiate such a claim). 





In 1935, to provide a short open season and at the same time prevent any 

 heavy concentration of hunters in limited open areas the entire state was de- 

 clared open for a short period with observations made by sportsmen interested 

 in the perpetuation of these birds and by the deputy game wardens. 



