GAME PROTECTION IN COLORADO 



THE reception of the Fund's missionary in Denver was in 

 every way in keeping with a state and a capital famous 

 for its hospitality, and for its protection of wild life. It is 

 to be remembered that Colorado was the first state to accord 

 a perpetual close season to mountain sheep (28 years ago), 

 and the first state to adopt a tagging system for the sale 

 of game bred in captivity. The movement for "more game" 

 by game breeding originated in that state. 



The game situation in Colorado may well be cited as an 

 example of our far-too-liberal American laws in the taking 

 of game. Colorado was early in the field for the protection 

 of her wild life; she passed what seemed to be excellent 

 laws ; she has had good game commissioners and game war- 

 dens, and there has been by no means any more than the 

 usual amount of unlawful killing that occurs in the thinly- 

 settled portions of Rocky Mountain states. 



And yet, in spite of all this, Colorado's big game, so far 

 as hunting is concerned, has gone down and out ! The rifles 

 and hunters have shot down the game, according to law, so 

 rapidly and so thoroughly that Colorado has been compelled 

 to shut down on one species after another, beginning with 

 the buffalo and ending with the deer. Now, not one species 

 of big game may be hunted in Colorado! And this in a 

 grand mountain state once literally teeming with big game ! 

 The bison is quite extinct, and you may not hunt elk, sheep, 

 antelope, moose, mule deer or white-tailed deer, — nothing 

 in fact but introduced pheasants, grouse and rabbits, and 

 wild-fowl and six species of shore-birds, when any can be 

 found. 



Is it not deplorable? 



