SECOND BIENNIAL STATEMENT 99 



In 1917, the latest achievement of the New Mexico Asso- 

 ciation was a successful campaign to induce the newly chos- 

 en governor of New Mexico to select the next state game 

 warden solely on a basis of special fitness and ability, and 

 thereby take the whole business of game protection out of 

 politics. This effort was completely successful. Governor 

 Lindsey has actually appointed one of the candidates named 

 by the Associations, Mr. Theodore Rouault, Jr. This takes 

 the New Mexico Department of Fish and Game entirely out 

 of politics. 



The New Mexico Associations have rendered very great 

 assistance in the game sanctuary campaign, and also in the 

 defense of the federal migratory bird law and the interna- 

 tional bird treaty. 



The Pine Cone for April, 1916, opens with an article 

 headed, "Our Deer Supply 900 per cent, short." 



In 1915 the organized sportsmen of New Mexico declared 

 unequivocally that if by any mischance the Hayden game 

 sanctuary bill fails to become a law, it will be necessary to 

 stop all deer shooting in New Mexico for a term of years, 

 to save the deer from extinction. This view is forcibly sus- 

 tained by the following figures based on the census returns 

 of deer killed in New Mexico during the past two years : 



"Albuquerque, February 8, 1916. — The number of deer 

 killed in 1916 (618), is 5 per cent, less than in 1915, 40 

 per cent, less than 1914, and 7 per cent, less than 1913. It 

 would seem therefore, that these figures indicate a steady 

 decrease in the supply of deer." — District Forester 

 Redington. 



In 1915, in the Carson National Forest, of a million acres, 

 only 8 deer were killed, where there should have been 200 

 or more. 



It is a pleasant diversion for a tired man to look at the 

 map of the United States, and behold New Mexico shining 

 like a star beside the dark and bloody ground of Texas, and 



