126 GAME COMMISSIONS AND WARDENS. 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



(1) Officers: Board of game commissioners; established in 1895; composed of six 

 members; term, three years; no compensation. 



Duties. — To protect and preserve the game animals and birds and nongame birds; to 

 enforce the game laws; to collect, classify, and preserve data and information rela- 

 tive to game protection; to report to the governor annually in December. 



Game protectors. — Ten in number, appointed by board, one to be chief protector and 

 secretary, with supervision over the others; term during pleasure of board; bond, 

 chief protector $1,000, others $500; protectors may receive salary or per diem, as 

 board may agree with them, and expenses, exclusive of traveling, not to exceed $2 

 per day. They have power to serve all processes, to arrest, without warrant, per- 

 sons violating the game law in their presence; to arrest on Sunday; to search, with- 

 out warrant, any place for game when they have good reason to believe that the 

 laws have been violated, and to seize game unlawfully possessed; in making arrests 

 may call any citizen to their aid ; may purchase and sell game when by so doing 

 they can discover violations of law, game so used to be delivered to some charitable 

 institution when no longer needed for evidence. 



Deputy game protectors.— One for each county, appointed by board; bond, $300; have 

 all the powers of protectors and receive same compensation as constables for similar 

 services. 



Special deputy game protectors. — Number at discretion of board, which makes the 

 appointments; serve without compensation from State or county; have the powers 

 of game protectors. 



All officers required to enforce the game laws, and authorized to seize guns, shoot- 

 ing paraphernalia, and game belonging to party suspected of hunting without 

 license; are exempt from liability for seizure of game, guns, and appliances in accord- 

 ance with law. 



(2) Other officers: Constables are ex officio game wardens for their respective 

 counties, have powers of protectors; in addition to statutory fees are entitled to $10 

 for every conviction upon their testimony, one-half to be paid by the county, other 

 half by the State; required to report any violation known to have occurred in their 

 county to the court of quarter sessions at each term. Police officers and market 

 clerks are required to arrest persons having game unlawfully in possession and vend- 

 ing same; members of State police force empowered to act as game wardens. Forest 

 wardens vested with power to arrest, without warrant, persons violating game laws 

 on the forest reserves. 



(3) Game protection fund: All penalties recovered where protectors or deputy 

 protectors prosecute and one-half, less expense of recovery, where they furnish evi- 

 dence, paid to secretary of board for its use; in other cases, with a few possible 

 exceptions, informers are entitled to one-half the fines; other half paid to State; 

 one-half the license fees paid into State treasury for use of board, other half into 

 county treasury. 



(4) Administrative provisions: Every magistrate, alderman, and justice has 

 power of summary conviction under the game laws; information or complaint of 

 violation of law is ground for issue of a warrant, directed to any game warden, pro- 

 tector, constable, or police officer, commanding him to arrest offender; proof of 

 probable cause for believing that game unlawfully caught, killed, possessed, or 

 shipped has been concealed is ground for issue of a warrant to search any building 

 or place, and, after demand and refusal, to break it open; guns and shooting appli- 

 ances found in place searched, if owner be a nonresident, to be seized and held till 

 fine and costs imposed upon offender are paid, and to be sold if such fine and costs 

 be not paid in twenty days; game seized by a protector and that found in possession 

 of a person hunting without license, when such is required, to be sent to nearest 

 hospital; that seized by constable or warden to be disposed of as court before whom 



