THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN SPORTSMEN. 



3'i 



After consulting with the chief warden, 

 Mr. Went communicated with Dr. H. L. 

 Ross, L. A. S. warden for Litchfield county, 

 requesting him to ascertain the facts in the 

 case and to prosecute the offender, in the 

 name of the League of American Sports- 

 men, if the evidence seemed to warrant it. 



On January 27th, Dr. Ross brought 

 Stevens before Justice Garfield and charged 

 him with the shooting as mentioned above. 

 Stevens pleaded guilty, and was 'fined $10 

 and costs — total $16. 



Chief Warden Pond reported to me in 

 February that he had dined at Burns' res- 

 taurant, 6th Avenue and 43d Street, and 

 that he had found on the bill of fare certain 

 game birds that could not, at that time, be 

 legally sold. I wrote Mr. Burns, calling his 

 attention to this fact and asking him to 

 assure me that he would at once discontinue 

 the illegal sale of game of all kinds. A few 

 days later I received a letter from Mr. Burns 

 assuring me that the laws would be strictly 

 obeyed by him at all times. 



Chief Warden Elrod, of the Montana 

 Division, has been conducting a most vig- 

 orous and effective campaign of education 

 in that State. He has issued frequent bul- 

 letins and circular letters to the newspapers, 

 to League members and to other sports- 

 men throughout the State, to public 

 schools, etc., calling on sportsmen, and the 

 public in general, to respect and obey the 

 game laws and to aid in their enforcement 

 in every way possible. He has especially 

 urged these people to stop killing song and 

 insectivorous birds, and has implored the 

 women of Montana not to wear the plum- 

 age of such birds in their hats. The good 

 effect of this work has been shown in part 

 by the rapid increase in membership in 

 Montana. 



Chief Warden Elrod is urging upon the 

 Legislature of his State some important 

 amendments to the Game and Fish Laws, 

 and it is hoped he may be successful in se- 

 curing their passage. 



Chief Warden Pratt, of the Michigan Di- 

 vision, is another earnest worker. He has 

 not yet been successful in inducing many 

 men to accept appointments as local ward- 

 ens; but is using the mails liberally in 

 advocating amendments to the game laws 

 and in educating the sportsmen to observe 

 them and to stop killing when they get 

 enough. The present law in Michigan al- 

 lows each hunter to kill 5 deer each season. 

 Mr. Pratt has declared himself emphatically 

 opposed to this law and has petitioned for 

 an amendment limiting the kill to 2 deer 

 for each man in each season. Mr. Pratt 

 went to the North woods last fall, on a 

 deer hunt, and as soon as he had killed 2 

 deer he quit and returned home. Such 

 self-denial on the part of an enthusiastic 

 hunter, when in the woods where deer are 

 plentiful, merits the highest commendation 

 that the English language is capable of. 



There are other sportsmen in Michigan 

 who, while hunting last fall, did as Mr. 

 Pratt did — that is they quit when they got 

 2 deer. This course on the part of these 

 men is almost wholly due to the educative 

 influences of the L. A. S. 



Certain alleged sportsmen in Michigan 

 have, I regret to say, petitioned their pres- 

 ent Legislature to repeal the law which 

 prohibits the shooting of ducks in spring. 

 Mr. Pratt has arrayed himself manfully 

 and heroically against this proposed amend- 

 ment and is doing everything possible to 

 defeat it. This man should have the cordial 

 support of all good sportsmen in the State 

 of Michigan, and in the United States, in 

 his good work. 



Dr. H. R. Bishop, Chief Warden of the 

 Massachusetts Division, has done valuable 

 work for the League, in that he has person- 

 ally secured and sent in 76 applications for 

 membership. Unfortunately his business 

 engagements have thus far prevented him 

 from doing other important work that is 

 demanded of him; but he has promised 

 faithfully that after the end of March, when 

 he will be released from certain pressing 

 obligations, he will devote a large portion 

 of his time to the League work; that he 

 will, as rapidly as possible, appoint local 

 wardens in the various counties of his 

 State, and aid them in the discharge of their 

 duty. 



Chief Warden Stangroom, of the Wash- 

 ington Division, is another husfler. He 

 has sent in nearly 100 applications for mem- 

 bership, has appointed several local war- 

 dens, and is in search of men in all counties 

 of his State for these positions. The 

 sportsmen of that "State are earnestly im- 

 plored to co-operate with Mr. Stangroom, 

 and to aid him in his good work. 



Dr. Frank Dunham, Chief Warden of the 

 Wyoming Division, is in the saddle and is 

 making his influence felt every day in the 

 good cause. One of his first official acts 

 was to appoint 2 local wardens in Jackson's 

 Hole, namely, S. N. Leek and W. L. Simp- 

 son. He is in correspondence with sports- 

 men all over the State, looking for good 

 timber for wardens in other counties, and 

 as fast as the right men can be found they 

 will be appointed. No State in the Union 

 has more at stake in the matter of game 

 protection than Wyoming. Dr. Dunham 

 realizes this, as do many of the other good 

 people of that State, and they welcome the 

 League as an important ally in enabling 

 them to save their game. 



Your President desires to acknowledge 

 his indebtedness to the other officers of the 

 League for their hearty co-operation in the 

 work. Especially have Vice-Presidents 

 Hornaday and Thompson, Secretary Rice, 

 Treasurer Hyatt and Attorney Seymour 

 rendered most effective aid. Without this 

 co-operation it would have been impossible 

 to have accomplished the work that has 



