40 



WILD LIFE PROTECTION FUND 



of a herd of wild mountain sheep eat- 

 ing hay, literally in the heart of _ the 

 town, is another good exhibit ; and inci- 

 dentally Colorado is very proud of the 

 great success that has rewarded her ef- 

 forts in the absolute protection of the 

 big-horn. 



The federal migratory bird law and 

 the laws against spring shooting and 

 the sale of game, are working wonders 

 in bringing back the big flocks of water- 

 fowl that even five years ago seemed 

 doomed to annihilation. We begin to 

 believe that our grandsons will find 

 some good shooting in their own coun- 

 try, after all ! 



The status of big game is very differ- 

 ent from that of wild fowl, and it re- 

 quires very different treatment. The lat- 

 ter go far away to remote wilderness, to 

 hatch and rear their young. The deer, 

 elk and mountain sheep cannot do that. 

 They require areas that are absolutely 

 safe for them, in which no man ever can 

 carry a rifle or run a dog. Big game 

 requires absolute freedom from moles- 

 tation and excitement during its breed- 

 ing season, and to that end there is 

 nothing like an inviolable preserve. In 

 protecting the resources of nature, the 

 strong arm of the federal government 

 inspires very great respect because Un- 

 cle Sam is notoriously no respecter of 

 persons. 



The East has done much toward giv- 

 ing back the American bison to the 

 West. The New York Zoological Soci- 

 ety has furnished, as gifts, two nucleus 

 herds. Will the men of the West now 

 do their part in helping to create a hun- 

 dred game sanctuaries in national for- 

 ests, and by that method bring back the 

 big game abundantly to their now game- 

 less and silent woods and mountains? 



This is no time for postponements. 

 We can see no need for a prolonged 

 inquiry into wild life conditions in the 

 west. The sad facts are only too well 

 known already. The great array of 

 governors, institutions, newspapers, so- 

 cieties and prominent individuals who 

 have seriously enlisted in this enterprise 

 is good proof that the need for this 

 plan exists, and will persist until the 

 plan is in operation ! 



The officers and men of the Forest 

 Service well and truly know the condi- 



tion of the remnant of wild life that 

 still holds on in the national forests. 

 The men of that service are earnestly 

 in favor of this plan, because they see 

 in it great possibilities for a new food 

 supply, and also the continuance of le- 

 gitimate sport. 



VERMONT'S EXAMPLE IN 

 DEER BREEDING 



The history of the success of the peo- 

 ple of Vermont in restoring the white- 

 tailed deer to that State after the species 

 had been exterminated, and breeding it 

 back to a high state of "efficiency," is 

 a lesson that every other state may well 

 study and put in practice. 



In 1875 several public spirited gentle- 

 men of Rutland became so dissatisfied 

 with the results of deer extermination 

 in Vermont that they patriotically de- 

 termined to try to restore the species 

 and redeem the reputation of the State. 

 Accordingly they procured thirteen deer 

 from the Adirondacks, imported them 

 and set them free in the open forest 

 seven miles from Rutland. About the 

 same time a law was passed absolutely 

 protecting all deer in Vermont until fur- 

 ther notice. 



For years the result was barely no- 

 ticeable, in the fact that the original 

 stock had survived, and was slowly 

 multiplying. Later on, deer began to 

 appear at frequent intervals, spreading 

 all over the wooded portions of the State. 

 Finally, after a lapse of twenty-two 

 years, deer had become so numerous 

 that it was decided that a part of the 

 young male increase might each year 

 legitimately be hunted and killed for 

 food. Under a new law permitting the 

 killing of bucks only, deer hunting be- 

 gan in 1896. 



From that time down to the present, 

 the greatest sport of Vermont has been 

 deer-hunting. The enforcement of the 

 law protecting females has led to a 

 continuous increase. 



Presently the depredations of deer in 

 gardens and orchards became serious, 

 and the legislature responded with a law 

 providing that each County should ap- 

 praise damages by deer, and pay the 



