SECOND BIENNIAL STATEMENT 85 



ers should be such fools as to exterminate their own sport, 

 and that any state legislature should permit such a thing 

 to be done? 



Sage Grouse in the West. — The treatment of the sage 

 grouse of the 11 western states that contain them was reck- 

 lessly extravagant, wickedly wasteful and brutal; and this 

 now applies to every state containing that grouse except 

 Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Montana, Washington and 

 Idaho, (embracing one-half the sage grouse territory), that 

 just now (1917) have given their sage grouse five-year close 

 seasons, for recovery. The states that we begged to extend 

 to that species a saving law, and that have refused to do so, 

 (1917), are the following: 



Colorado, California, 



Wyoming, North Dakota, 



Oregon, South Dakota. 



And look at the open seasons and bag limits ( !) of those 

 states : 



Open Season. Daily Bag Limit. 



Colorado Aug. 1 to Sept. 1 20 



Wyoming Aug. 1 to Sept. 2 6 



Oregon A.ug. 15 to Sept. 1 5 



California Sept. 1 to Dec. 1 4 



North Dakota Sept. 7 to Nov. 2 10 



South Dakota Sept. 10 to Oct. 10 25 



Out of 11 sage grouse states, six have had the courage 

 to reform, and go in the roll of honor. They are : 



Utah, New Mexico, 



Idaho, Montana and 



Nevada, Washington. 



Public sentiment regarding game still is very different in 

 the West and South (except Alabama), from what it is in 

 the north-eastern United States. Some of the western 

 states are not competent to protect their local game on a 

 continuing basis, because the awakened public sentiment ei- 

 ther is not there at all, or is not sufficiently strong. In the 

 matter of the national forest states, every one of those states 

 needs the help and the friendly co-operation of the federal 



