R-U.S.N. 1/31 



should be out of cold st'di*ago and consumed on or before February IO4 

 Violators of this law ato eubjedt to proteecutioh in a Federal court. 



Now it happened tha^ bfeck in 1916 president Woodrow Wilson and 

 King George of England decided that all the birds that migrate between the 

 United States and Canada ought to be protected. Accordingly a Migratory 

 Bird Treaty Was signed by representatives of both countries on a hot day 

 in August! Our present Federal game regulations are, generally speaking, 

 an outgrowth of this treaty and of the Act of Congress that made it ef- 

 fective. They are amended from time to time to modify the protection needed 

 by the wild fowl. 



Here is a list of the migratory game birds that should now be safe 

 from the hunter's gun until next season. It's against the law to kill these 

 birds anyv/here in the United States in the period from sun- set on January 

 31,1930, until sun-rise on the morning of the first day of open season in 

 the fall of 1950, Lay off wild ducks, wild geese, brant, 7/ilson snipe 

 or Jacksnipe, woodcock, mourning doves, sora and other rails, coots, and 

 gallinules until next fall. 



Hemember now that I'm talking about and giving the Federal regula- 

 tions applicable throughout the United States for the protection of 

 migratory birds. In addition to the Federal laws, the States have game 

 laws of their own. Every hunter and sportsman should acquaint himself 

 with both his State Game laws and those of the Federal Government. In 

 some States the Federal open season for himting waterfowl closed on 

 December 31, in others on January 7, and in a few on January 15, today, 

 January 31, being the final date anywhere in the United States, 



Our Federal Government, in accordance with the Migratory Bird Treaty 

 between this country and Great Britain, has j\irisdiction over the migratory 

 birds, and accordingly has set an opening and closing date for hiontin^ them. 

 However, States are pemitted to enact game laws of their own for the further 

 protection of these birdsi but these State laws can not extend the open 

 season beyond the Federal closing dates. They can, however, make the 

 season as much shorter than the Federal season as they like. 



I wondered why the closing dates for hunting varied from say December 

 31 in some States to January 7, 15, ajid finally 31, in others. Col* Sheldon 

 said it was because the country was divided up into different natural zones. 

 These zones are determined by the time of migration of the birds in that 

 section, or by other factors governing the reproduction and protection of 

 the birds as modified by latitude, and other natural factors. 



There will be very few changes in the opening and closing dates of the 

 next seasons, and these few will affect mourning doves in Florida and Texas, 

 and rails and gallinules (except coot) in New York* With the commencement 

 of the hunting season next fall, however, there will be several changes in 

 the daily bag limits allowed the hunters • 



These new bag- limit changes are established by recent amendment to 

 the regulations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. They were recommended 

 by the Biological Survey, adopted by the Secretary of Agriculture and approved 

 by President Hoover on December 31, 1929, just one month ago. Here they are: 



