FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



NEBRASKA GAME LAWS. 



No. Platte, Netx 



Editor Recreation: The most absurd 

 and unreasonable game law ever turned out 

 by any body of men was passed by the late 

 State Legislature of Nebraska. 



Look at some of the wise provisions in 

 this remarkable act. 



All song birds and others " that promote 

 agriculture," including turtle doves, may 

 not be killed at any time of the year, ex- 

 cept on one's own premises. Penalty $3 

 to $10. 



It is unlawful to kill Mongolian, or any 

 other imported pheasants, for a term of 6 

 years, under a penalty of $50 to $100. 



One-half of all fines goes to the informer 

 and the balance into the county treasury. 

 Justice courts have jurisdiction over all of- 

 fences against this, act. 



Muskrats, mink and otters may be killed 

 only between February 15th and April 15th, 

 except on the owner's premises. 



It is unlawful to kill elk, deer or antelope 

 between January 1st and November 1st, 

 under a penalty of $15 to $30. 



All species of grouse are protected from 

 January 1st to September 1st, and may not 

 be snared at any time; fine $5 for each of- 

 fence. 



It is unlawful to kill quail or wild turkeys 

 between January 1st and November 1st, 

 to snare them at any time, under a penalty 

 of $5 for each bird. 



All species of water-fowl, including 

 geese, ducks, plover, snipe and woodcock 

 are protected from May 1st to September 

 1st, and they may not be killed at night. 



This part of the law practically forbids 

 shooting any grass or upland plover in this 

 state, as they do not arrive here till about 

 May 1st. Although they breed here abun- 

 dantly, the young are full grown by August 

 1st, and both young and old have left for 

 the South before September 1st. There- 

 fore, one of our best and most abundant 

 game birds, cannot be killed at all within, 

 this state. 



Now for the benefit of those Eastern law- 

 makers who may want to formulate a real 

 up-to-date game law, let me quote from 

 sec. 86 c. 



" It shall be unlawful for any person 

 . . . by the aid or use of any raft, punt 

 boat, sneak boat or other boat to catch, kill 

 or destroy or to pursue after with intent to 

 catch, kill, wound or destroy, upon any of 

 the waters, bays, rivers, marshes, mud-flats 

 or any cover to which wild fowl resort 

 . . . any wild goose, brant, duck, etc., 

 . . . and it shall be unlawful for any per- 

 son at any time of the year to dig, build or 

 construct any blind, hiding place or struct- 

 ure in the bed of any river, stream or lake 



with intent to catch, kill, wound or destroy 

 any of said birds, or at any time of the year 

 to shoot or shoot at any of said birds by 

 wading in any river, stream or lake or by 

 standing in the bed thereof, or to shoot or 

 shoot at any of said birds from any such 

 blind, hiding place or structure. The pen- 

 alty for violating this act shall be not less 

 than $25 nor more than $50 for each of- 

 fence." 



The law also provides that no one shall 

 go upon the land of another person to hunt, 

 etc., except by the consent of the owner or 

 occupier, under a penalty of from $5 to $100, 

 and shall be liable to the owner or occu- 

 pier in an action for trespass. 



Will some expounder of the law, explain 

 how a man can hunt ducks or geese at all, 

 in the glorious State of Nebraska. 



There is no provision for any game war- 

 den or deputies, and if there were they 

 would have a fine job enforcing such a law. 



If the game law has been utterly ignored 

 in the past, how much more will such a 

 monstrosity as this be ridiculed. 



This year the fields were full of hunters 

 after prairie chickens, early in July, and 

 parties openly bragged of having killed 

 over 300 chickens and grouse before Sep- 

 tember 1st, the end of the close season. 



Some of the local hunters began to kill 

 quail early in September, saying, " They 

 are fully half grown and make fine eating." 

 The only excuse for these fellows is that 

 most of them cannot kill one quail in 5 

 shots when they are full grown. With a 

 reasonable game law, well enforced, Ne- 

 braska would be one of the finest of hunt- 

 ing grounds, for years to come, but hereto- 

 fore the laws have been utterly ignored 

 throughout the State. 



.A reasonable and just game law should 

 make the close seasons about as follows: 

 Song and insectivorous birds all the year; 

 turtle doves, prairie chickens and all kinds 

 of grouse from January 1st to August 15th. 



Snipe, plovers, tattlers and sandpipers 

 April 15th to August 15th. 



Quail from January 1st to October 15th. 



Wild turkeys and Mongolian pheasants 

 for 5 years. 



Geese, swans, ducks and all water fowl 

 April 15th to September 1st. 



Elk, deer and antelope December 1st to 

 October 1st. 



Some additional restrictions would also 

 be necessary, but no such absurd and un- 

 reasonable ones as are embodied in the 

 present law. 



Above all things, game and fish wardens 

 and deputies should be provided, to see 

 that the laws are rigidly enforced, and all 

 violators prosecuted. Without this no law 

 can be of much benefit to the game. We 

 do not yet need many of the stringent limi- 



