138 



THE GAME BREEDER 



the forthcoming legislature to license 

 private game farms in this state, and 

 they should be so construed as to en- 

 courage the industry. A license fee of 

 $10.00 per annum should be charged 

 for each game farm permit, which 

 permit would allow the purchase, impor- 

 tation, propagation and sale of game ani- 

 mals and game birds. It should also al- 

 low him immunity from the state game 

 and fish laws in every respect, except 

 that he should abide by such rules and^ 

 regulations as may be formulated from 

 time to time by the state game and fish 

 warden. 



Game Preserves. 



Game preserves are distinguished 

 from game farms in that the former are 

 usually immense tracts of wild timbered 

 country, in this state usually mountain- 

 ous, where wild game and birds are per- 

 mitted to propagate unmolested and un- 

 der natural conditions, and by close pro- 

 tection against predatory animals, and 

 constant policing against poachers, they 

 increase rapidly in these preserves as 

 compared to adjoining areas where this 

 class of close protection is not given. 



The game preserve laws of this state 

 are most liberal and a great number of 

 the larger land holders have taken ad- 

 vantage of the state's liberal policy by 

 taking out game preserve licenses. These 

 owners of game preserves are to be con- 

 gratulated as they not only have assisted 

 to protect and increase the game supply 

 throughout their own large enclosed 

 holdings, but also throughout the imme- 

 diate surrounding country, as an exam- 

 ple the finest and best deer and turkey 

 shooting in this state is to be found in 

 Colfax county, where there now exists 

 and have existed for many years past 

 large private game preserves, the over- 

 flow of game from these preserves has 

 naturally drifted out into the surround- 

 ing country, and now affords splendid 

 hunting to the average individual from 

 town who can afford a week's trip into 

 the hills for big game. This statement 

 is admitted by all as being true, but the 

 average citizen also believes that the 



preserve owners should be forced to ob- 

 serve the same seasons and bag limits 

 as he. There has been some feeling 

 aroused over this situation in some lo- 

 calities. In my opinion, this should not 

 be. I know of my own personal knowl- 

 edge that the owners of these preserves 

 are observing the open season, but possi- 

 bly not the bag limit. On the latter 

 point, I am not advised. It must also 

 be admitted that inasmuch as the men 

 who control these large areas are pay- 

 ing heavy taxes, not only on the lands, 

 but also on extensive improvements and 

 that they have further paid the neces- 

 sary license fee and are also paying their 

 own game warden for policing the prop- 

 erty out of their own purse, and most 

 .certainly helping to a great extent to re- 

 stock the surrounding country by the 

 overflow from their protected properties. 

 For these reasons, if none other, they 

 should be granted certain special priv- 

 ileges as now provided by our laws if 

 they are not detrimental to the game and 

 they remain within their rights as grant- 

 ed them by their game preserve licenses. 

 Personally I am heartily in favor of 

 game preserves, and the more the bet- 

 ter, not only on account of the increase 

 of game but also that it may give the 

 ordinary once-a-year hunter an oppor- 

 tunity to bag his deer or turkey from 

 the overflow which is constantly leaving 

 these preserves. I am more than will- 

 ing to give the game preserves full credit 

 for the abundance of game which occurs 

 in those counties where a large number 

 of such preserves are now located. I 

 mention particularly Colfax, Taos, 

 Union and Rio Arriba counties. 



The following game preserve owners 

 are directly responsible for the protec- 

 tion which, has been given to the big game 

 supply of their respective sections, and 

 throughout which sections will be found 

 a most satisfactory increase : 



The Bartlett Ranch of Vermejo, which 

 covers portions of Colfax and Taos 

 counties, and is composed of several hun- 

 dred thousand acres, is one of the larg- 

 est and best protected preserves in the 



