168 



THE GAME BREEDER 



Why the Grouse Vanish. 



The grouse of the open country vanish 

 quickly when the virgin prairie is cuki- 

 vated because their natural covers and 

 foods are plowed under on vast areas, 

 making them uninhabitable for grouse, 

 which are birds which rely upon conceal- 

 ment for their existence. Like all other 

 forms of life they must have something 

 to eat. Any one who will look at the 

 vast areas in Dakota which are planted in 

 wheat will observe that during the sea- 

 son when the fields are ploughed there 

 is absolutely no cover as far as the eye 

 can reach. Later there are vast areas of 

 emerald wheat which do not offer the 

 necessary concealment for the grouse. 

 Let us imagine that an association appeal- 

 ing to the legislature to save the grouse, 

 because the buffalo has disappeared, suc- 

 ceeds in enacting some new restrictive 

 laws or in preventing the new measures 

 being "slipped over." Can any one 

 imagine that laws obtained or laws de- 

 feated will restore the grouse to places 

 where they can not live, or that it will 

 prevent the cultivation of other vast 

 areas, where a few birds still may occur, 

 in such a manner that the grouse must 

 vanish. 



We wished simply to point out to the 

 new protective association the impossi- 

 bility of getting anywhere unless some 

 practical propagation and protection be 

 undertaken. We have only words of 

 praise for the prospectus. We wish to 

 sound a warning for the future based on 

 the results in many states. 



Grouse Clubs. 



To provide for some fine grouse shoot- 

 ing on places where there are no birds 

 the sportsmen should form some inex- 

 pensive grouse clubs similar to those 

 which have saved the quail shooting in 

 some states and in parts of others where 

 the industry of game production is legal. 



The dues in some of these clubs are 

 only $15 to $25 per year. They rent the 

 right to preserve game from the farmers 

 for a few cents per acre. A square mile 

 often is rented for $32.00 per year. 

 Strips of cover should be planted con- 



sisting of wild roses and other briars and 

 some food should be left standing and a 

 little extra food and grit can be supplied 

 in the winter. The game protective as- 

 sociation which will provide grouse 

 shooting in the manner suggested will 

 soon have enough grouse for all of its 

 members and in the fall many grouse 

 will be found in the stubbles for miles 

 about. The meat secured by the mem- 

 bers will offset the amount of their dues. 



Good Advice. 



Having shot much in North Dakota ^ 

 and also in many of the other states we 

 feel that we know what the shooting 

 was, what it is, and what it should be. 

 We became converted to the game farm- 

 ing idea after a good day's shooting on 

 free territory within a few miles of New 

 York City, which is said to contain 

 about one-twentieth part of the entire 

 population of the United States. We l| 

 were surprised at the good shooting 

 which we found just outside of a club 

 ground (near the city) where the dues 

 are $15 per year. We shot quail, a wood- 

 cock and a grouse during a short day's 'jt 

 shooting. Later we ran some dogs over the •" 

 ground, by permission, and were more 

 than surprised at the number and size of 

 the covies. Had we been shooting easily 

 we could have taken more than $15 worth 

 of meat during the day. We decided that 

 the shares in the club were well worth 

 the money. M 



We only intended in our remarks about " 

 North Dakota to give some good advice 

 which is here amplified, and we were 

 surprised to have Mr. McCutcheon write 

 that we were unfair in our criticism. We 

 have nothing but praise for the sentiment 

 quoted from the prospectus. We hope 

 the laws will make it worth while for 

 those who wish to do so to have excellent 

 shooting during long open seasons and 

 that the game will be saved without the 

 usual appeals to the legislature calling at- 

 tention to the loss of the buffalo. 



Trap-shooting clubs procure their clay 

 birds. Why should not bird-shooting 

 clubs procure and protect their birds in 

 a practical manner? 



