82 



THE GAME BREEDER 



to have an abundance of game. The 

 clubs make their own season limits and 

 begin shooting early in the autumn when 

 the glorious Indian summer weather 

 makes it a pleasure to be out of doors. 

 They shoot through the. Christmas holi- 

 days and until the breeding season . ap- 

 proaches when, of course, the shooting 

 ends under a club rule fixing the date. 

 The clubs operating under game breed- 

 ers' enactments also make their own bag 

 limits and at many places with which I 

 am familiar the club members shoot 

 game which is fully equal .in value to 

 the amount of the club dues, which, in 

 some clubs,, are small. The clubs can, 

 if they wish to do so, sell some of their 

 game to help pay their expenses and 

 many clubs now do so. This is a highly 

 . important matter since it not only enables 

 men of comparatively small means to 

 join game breeding associations, but it 

 also supplies the people with some game 

 to eat and makes them friendly to sport. 

 When a man can , stop a butcher's bill 

 equal in amount to the game he takes 

 home he is not out of pocket on account 

 of his shooting at the end of the year 

 and I deem it of the utmost impor- 

 tance that clubs should have the right 

 to sell some of the game they produce 

 in order to reduce the expense of pro- 

 ducing it and properly looking after it. 



Some of the clubs have large dues, 

 elaborate club-houses, large grounds and 

 many game keepers. Some have very 

 modest quarters and much smaller dues. 

 Some arrange with a farmer to entertain 

 members ; others arrange with a coun- 

 try hotel for their entertainment at a 

 fixed price. Some clubs own all of their 

 shooting ground ; some own a farm and 

 rent some shooting on the adjacent land. 

 Many do not own any land, but simply 

 rent the shooting. 



The shooting rent varies from five to 

 ten cents per acre ; sometimes it is the 

 amount of the taxes, which in some 

 places are very small. 



We have clubs with annual dues as 

 low as $15 and $25. At many clubs 

 the dues are $50 or $100 and some of 

 the clubs have much larger dues, and 

 they really are elaborate country clubs 



with all the comforts of a first, class 

 city.; hotel. , 



Now that most of the farms are posted 

 and there is a movement to close other 

 large areas as sanctuaries for game 

 where only, foxes, hawks and other ver- 

 min are permitted to take it, it is,, highly 

 desirable that many sportsmen should 

 arrange with the farmers to open, up the 

 posted farms so that game can be bred 

 abundantly and shot during long open 

 seasons without fear of extinction. 



The necessary tendency is to prohibit 

 quail and grouse shooting everywhere, 

 but this will not be necessary when there 

 are a few "noisy sanctuaries" in every 

 county. Quail shooting is prohibited in 

 many states. In New York it is pro- 

 hibited, except on Long Island, where 

 there are many clubs which have suc- 

 ceeded in keeping the prohibitory game 

 law off the island and in keeping the 

 quail plentiful not only on the club 

 grounds (which occupy only a small 

 portion of the island), but also on. free 

 ...territory where hundreds of gunners 

 shoot every season. This certainly is a 

 better plan than prohibiting shooting. 



The game clubs usually are incorpo- 

 rated. Under game breeders' laws the 

 articles of incorporation, usually state 

 that the club is formed to breed game 

 and game fish, to own or rent lands for 

 shooting purposes, to provide outdoor 

 recreation for members, etc. 



The state. laws relating to social clubs 

 differ somewhat and the. articles of in- 

 corporation should, of course, be written 

 by a local attorney. He is usually a 

 member, of the club. 



The clubs are governed, like other 

 corporations, by a board of directors, 

 elected by the members. The duties of 

 the president and other officers are simi- 

 lar to those of the officers in social clubs. 

 The president presides at board meet- 

 ings, appoints committees, .etc. The 

 treasurer collects the dues and pays the 

 bills ordered paid by the board; the sec- 

 retary keeps the accounts and attends 

 to the correspondence. 



Some clubs have elaborate constitu- 

 tions, providing for mahy matters which 

 might well be left to regulations to be 



