THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 



Also an additional herd of fifteen elk were brought into Oregon 

 and placed on the reserve in Wallowa County. 



Food Value of Our Game. 



What does the game of this state amount to purely from the 

 meat standpoint? Approximately 9,000 deer were killed in Ore- 

 gon during the past year. This meat is worth about sixteen cents 

 per pound, whether it is on the table of the farmer, the moun- 

 taineer or the merchant. There were approximately 150,000 ducks 

 and about 45,000 Chinese pheasants killed during the past season. 

 From a food standpoint, a mallard or a pheasant is worth about 

 seventy-five cents. A pound of trout or other game fish 

 is worth twelve cents from the meat standpoint. When we con- 

 sider the approximate weight of the game fish (not including 

 salmon and commercial fish) which are caught by the people of 

 this state each year, and, in addition to the above, when we con- 

 sider the numbers of grouse, quail, geese, shore birds, and also 

 the number of fur-bearing animals that are taken, we shall find 

 that a low estimate of these resources is $900,000 a year in the 

 pockets of our people. 



Value of Wild Birds to the Farmer. 



The fact is often overlooked that our game birds, animals 

 and game fish have been and are today the most important factor 

 in the development of our state. The rifle has been almost as 

 important as the ax and the plow. At the time it was hardest for 

 a homesteader to make a living, the wild game was his main- 

 stay. This is even the case today in some parts of our state. Our 

 game has a large food value. 



The work of the Fish and Game Commission embraces the 

 protection of song and insect-eating birds, which are of economic 

 importance to the farmer, gardener, orchardist and the timber- 

 man. These song and insect-eating birds work more in conjunc- 

 tion with man than any other creatures of the outdoor. They 

 police the earth and air, and keep the insect pests in check. 

 Larks, wrens and thrushes search the ground for grubs and in- 



Pagr« three 



