54 



THE GAME BREEDER 



guardian of the Province of Saskatche- 

 wan. The grouse were tremendously 

 plentiful in the province only a few years 

 ago but seem to be vanishing and will 

 continue to do so even if shooting be pro- 

 hibited provided their covers and foods 

 be destroyed and no one looks after the 

 game. A few game farms where grouse 

 are reared for profit; a few grouse- 

 shooting clubs where the grouse are kept 

 plentiful for sport no doubt soon would 

 show that the game can be saved, but 

 we are quite sure the birds will vanish if 

 the only effort to save them consists of 

 laws making it not worth while for any 

 one to look after them. 



We have a decided opinion that the 

 grouse not only can be saved but that 

 they quickly can be made an abundant 

 food supply for all of the people. 



The red grouse in Scotland was not 

 very plentiful a ifew generations ago 

 but it soon became abundant and cheap 

 in the English markets when the people 

 decided to look after the birds and found 

 it paid to do so. If Scotland can keep 

 the English markets full of cheap grouse 

 without fear of extermination what will 

 happen when even a small part of the 

 vast grouse areas of the United States 

 and Canada, where grouse were abun- 

 dant, are properly utilized? 



OUR POLICY. 



Often The Game Breeder seems to be 

 misrepresented by people who believe in 

 having more game laws. We have said 

 repeatedly that we believe the taking of 

 public game or game on public lands and 

 waters should be regulated by laws pro- 

 viding for open seasons, to end with the 

 breeding season. We believe" it is neces- 

 sary to have very short open seasons and 

 to prohibit the taking of many birds iii 

 some States and that soon it will be nec- 

 essary_ to stop shooting for terms of 

 years in places where no one looks after 

 the game. 



We believe, however, that food pro- 

 ducers who produce thousands of birds 

 every season should not be governed by 

 laws putting an end to shooting or limit- 

 ing the bag to a few birds in a year. 

 They should be encouraged to sell all 



the game they wish to sell alive or dead, 

 provided they identify their game under 

 simple and reasonable regulations. We 

 have become converted to the idea that 

 permits to produce game should be issued 

 without charge. The State which so is- 

 sues permits finds they are perfectly sat- 

 isfactory. 



"♦ 



PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SHOOT- 

 ING. 



The area for public shooting in Amer- 

 ica is very large. There are vast areas 

 of uncultivated and wild land where there^ 

 is no objection to anyone shooting game. 

 There are vast bays, lakes, rivers and 

 public marshes where anyone can shoot. 



Most of the cultivated lands are posted 

 against trespassers and there should be 

 no possible objection to their owners 

 producing thousands of game birds for 

 sport and for food if they wish -to do so. 

 Many report that their abundant game 

 is now the most valuable live stock on 

 the place. 



People are permitted to drain marshes 

 which they own and make them unin- 

 habitable for wild ducks; they are per- 

 mitted, without objection, to so cultivate 

 the fields that not a grouse or quail can 

 survive. We believe it would be far bet- 

 ter for sport for all hands if such 

 marshes and fields can be made, as they 

 have been in many places, to yield an 

 abundance of game tor those who look 

 after it and produce it. We know that 

 much game escapes from such places and 

 we have found the shooting in the neigh- 

 borhood of such places much improved 

 because many birds escaped and often 

 bred in the surrounding territory. 



The farmers are becoming more and 

 more opposed to field sports. They have 

 good reason to object to many trespassers 

 shooting up their places without permis- 

 sion. We believe they should be encour- 

 aged to produce game for profit that they 

 can be induced in many places to rent the 

 shooting for a reasonable amount to syn- 

 dicates of sportsmen who will deal fairly 

 with the land owners. 



It is a very good time to advertise 

 stock birds for breeding purposes. 



