30 LAWS EEGULATING TEAIS-SPORTATION AND SALE OF GAME. 

 DIVERSITY IN SEASONS. 



The foregoing table shows that the greatest diversity exists in the 

 close seasons i3res(^ribed hy the various States. In order to empha- 

 size this more strongly and to facilitate comparison of close seasons 

 in contiguous States, a table has been prepared in which the States 

 are arranged geographically^ in three groups according to the Hallock 

 code as explained below. This table will be found at the end of the 

 bulletin. A special table has also been made showing the close sea- 

 sons and the number of days in the o^^en seasons in the case of four 

 tj^pical kinds of game — big game, represented by deer; upland game 

 birds, hj quail; wading birds (including 'shore birds'), by woodcock; 

 and waterfowl, b}^ ducks (see p. 31-32). 



DEER. 



Deer are protected absolutely in seven States, and are apparently 

 without protection in Delaware and Kansas. The open seasons in 

 i the rest of the Union \SiVj in length from ten days in Vermont and 



I three weeks in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, to six months in 



I Arkansas. They begin at various dates from Jul}^ 15 to November 10, 



! but usually close before Januar}^ 1, except in some of the Southern 



! States — South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and 



I Kentucky. (See PI. III). 



I QUAIL. , 



At x)resent quail are protected absolutely in six States. The open 

 seasons are usually shorter than in the case of any other birds, the 

 average for the Northern States being two to three months and for 

 the Southern States four to five. In the Northern States the open sea- 

 sons var}^ from twenty-one days in Ohio to four months in Vermont. 

 They begin in October or November (except in New Hampshire, 

 Vermont, and South Dakota) and close before January 1 (except in the 

 District of Columbia). In the South and AVest, however, they extend 

 to March 1 (in Mississippi to May 1), except in New Mexico, Idaho, 

 and Oregon, Avhere shooting after the first of the year is prohibited. 

 (See PI. IV). 



WOODCOCK. 



Woodcock do not occur west of the Great Plains. In the South they 

 are almost entirely without protection, while in the North the open 

 seasons, as compared with those for quail, show great irregularity, 

 and range from three to five months in length. In New Jersej^, Penn- 

 sylvania, and Marjdand shooting is permitted during the month of 

 July, and in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Kentuck}- until 

 after the 1st of Januarj^ Delaware, Kansas, Nebraska, and all but 

 three of the Southern States apparently extend no protection to these 

 birds. (See PL V.) 



The lack of adequate protection is even more marked in the case of 

 other wading birds. Plover, snipe, or rail have close seasons in about 



