10 CIRCULAR 636, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



evident that the State cannot depend upon pen-reared stock to meet 

 the demand for shooting. But pen-reared birds are now quite gen- 

 erally used to restock depleted covers in the hope that their progeny 

 will increase the supply of shootable game. The supply of upland 

 game therefore depends largely upon natural production. Various 

 procedures to increase production have been recommended in recent 

 years, most of them as a part of game management. As these 

 management plans progress and are correlated with other land-use 

 practices, the farm production of game birds and animals may gradu- 

 ally assume an incidental status where associated with agriculture. 



it seems safe to say that, at present, wildlife production on agri- 

 cultural land is virtually accidental. Despite large expenditures, 

 and the enactment and enforcement of laws in the interest of wild- 

 life throughout the United States, the existence of game and wild 

 fur is still dependent largely upon fortuitous circumstances. 



Harvesting 



Methods used by the Indians in harvesting wildlife were primitive 

 as compared with modern procedures. Snares, pits, logfalls, and the 

 use of bows and arrows required real physical effort and skill. Hunt- 

 ing and trapping were the principal occupations of most of the men 

 and boys in many tribes. 



Modern mechanics of harvesting game and fur animals now require 

 far less physical effort and skill. New weapons and traps, rapid trans- 

 portation, well-bred and highly trained dogs, and new hunting and 

 trapping techniques have made things easier. 



Formerly the harvesting of game was a means of livelihood; today 

 it is a sport. These changes would be disastrous to game if they were 

 not partly compensated for by improved hunting ethics and legislative 

 action. Even then with the larger number of persons participating, it 

 is probable that the aggregate annual kill now exceeds that of former 

 times. 



Public sentiment at present is generally opposed to the sale of wild 

 game through commercial channels. Most States prohibit such dis- 

 position of game birds or mammals, even though they are obtained 

 legally during the open season. The laws are designed to prevent 

 market hunting and to make the taking of game a form of recrea- 

 tion. The harvesting of the wild-fur crop, however, is still a valued 

 source of income for a considerable number of people. 



Social and Economic Importance 



The social and economic importance of wildlife among any people 

 depends upon the degree of social advancement that that group has 

 attained. Sociologists consider that the five progressive stages of 

 civilization are brought about by necessity and not by inclination. 

 There are gradations between the classifications, and the boundaries 

 are not sharply drawn. The first and most primitive condition is the 

 collective stage ; man in this phase of social advancement is little above 

 the status of animal, for he subsists on what he can seize with his bare 

 hands. 



The next step is to the hunting and fishing stage, so commonly exem- 

 plified among primitive peoples; it is characterized by the possession 



