THE LEAGUE OE AMERICAN SPORTSMEN. 



39i 



been posted in (different parts of the State, 

 and have done great good. 



T. W. Bartley, Chief Warden. 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



There have not been many changes this 

 year in the game laws. Absolute protection- 

 for the entire year has been extended to 

 wild or passenger pigeons, gulls and terns, 

 with the exception of the great American 

 herring gull, or the great black backed gull, 

 the close season on which is May ist to 

 November ist. 



The limit on trout is made 6 inches. 



The most important move this year was 

 the following: "Whoever willfully and 

 without right pulls down or removes any 

 portion of a stone wall or fence erected 

 and maintained for enclosing land, shall be 

 punished, etc." I secured this law for the 

 purpose of protecting the farmers from the 

 depredations of so-called sportsmen who 

 pull down walls to secure game in hiding 

 therein. This was brought forward to 

 come closer to the farmer and to show him 

 that the real sportsman was anxious to 

 protect him from injury and annoyance; 

 to create a bond of sympathy between 

 them. Heman S. Fay, Chief Warden. 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



There has been much activity in this 

 State in the way of game protection during 

 the year past. Our last Legislature made 

 few changes in our game laws. They al- 

 ready cover the subject of bird protection 

 thoroughly. The fish laws were thoroughly 

 gone over and revised during last April. 

 Length of trout to 'be kept was changed 

 from 5 inches to 6, sale or purchase pro- 

 hibited, except of artificially bred and raised 

 trout, and then only during open season and 

 6 days following (April 15 to July 31) ; 

 number to be caught limited to 50 in one 

 day. Open season for all other game fishes 

 exce*ut lake or salmon trout was changed 

 from June 1 and January 1 to June 15 and 

 February 15; lake or salmon trout January 

 1 to September 1. No flagrant violations 

 of the game laws have taken place in this 

 section, for too close a watch has been 

 kept. C. F. Emerson, Chief Warden. 



ONTARIO. 



In December last I gave Mr. A. E. Ruby, 

 rear warden of Berlin chapter, instruc- 

 tion to prosecute 3 different parties who 

 openly exposed and sold quails and ruffed 

 grouse, in the market of Berlin, in the close 

 season. Mr. Ruby secured a conviction in 

 each of the 3 cases. These convictions have 

 had a great and good effect on law breakers 

 in that locality. I have caught several 

 parties red handed in the act of violating 

 the game laws. I have given them all a 

 good, sharp reprimand, and all of them 

 have promised me never again to violate 

 the laws. In fact, I have their signatures to 



a paper to that effect, so they know the 

 consequences if I ever get after them again. 

 I expect to send in a number of applica 

 tions for membership shortly. 



C. A. Hammond, Chief Warden. 



OHIO. 



Our game laws, as now constituted, are 

 ambiguous and full of loopholes. Con- 

 victions are hard to obtain. Considering 

 these points, the fact that 178 convictions 

 were obtained from 220 arrests for viola- 

 tions of game laws, and 140 arrests with 

 96 convictions for violations of fish laws, 

 the fines aggregating $5,391.40, clearly 

 shows vigilance on the part of our game 

 wardens. By the time this reaches you 

 our Legislature will be in session, and an 

 effort will be made to simplify and make 

 more effective our bird, game and fish laws. 



Our membership in this State shows an 

 increase of 30 per cent., a healthy growth. 

 W. E. Gleason, Chief Warden. 



OKLAHOMA. 



As far as I have heard there was no 

 prosecution in Oklahoma in 1901 for viola- 

 tion of our game laws. There have been 

 some indictments in the federal courts for 

 violations of the Lacey Act. In one case, at 

 Tecumseh, defendant pleaded guilty and 

 was fined $5^0. 



W. M. Grant, Chief Warden. 



When the man who lived in the wretched 

 log cabin with a family of 7 had told me 

 that 40 acres of his land was a solid coal 

 bed, I asked him if his deed was all right. 



"Never had no deed, sah," he rather 

 proudly replied. 



"But you have no paper at all ?" 



"No paper 'tall, sah. I jest squatted 

 down on this yere land 30 years ago, and 

 hev been yere ever since." 



"But if you have no paper won't the 

 owner come along some day and bounce 

 you out?" 



"Not skassly, sah — not skassly. That is 

 to say, sah, that the real owner has come 

 along 3 different times and tried it, and 

 every time he got killed and had to give it 

 up. Deeds and sich things are all right 

 'nuff in their way, but my old gun, with a 

 bar'l 7 feet long, is a heap better right 

 around yere." — Washington Post. 



I take great interest in reading Recrea- 

 tion, for there is more valuable informa- 

 tion to be found in its pages than in any 

 other sportsmen's journal published; and 

 aside from information, I like the way 

 you handle the hogs of all kinds. Rec- 

 reation's influence will grow. 



W L. Blinn, Rockford, 111. 



