^ WITH UNCLE SAM'S NATUBALISI^ . 



AN!TCTOTCEMEIJT! Our Wildsman has "boen talking with '^ncl6 Sam*s Naturalists 

 about why the hag limits on ducks and geese have been cut down this year.—* 

 Well, now Mr, Wildsmatn tell us; just what do the experts of the United States 

 Biological Survey say?— ^hy are they cutting down on the nurabor of ducke 

 we can Kill? 



^^^^■lH^1^^li1^■^^int^^^1^^^ 



Thanks, for the compliment I 



The new regulations for hunting ducks and geese are not going to 

 cramp our style very much. 



The bag limits on ducks have been reduced from 25 to 15 a day. 

 The limit on geese has been cut from 8 to 4 a day. And we can't have more 

 than two days' bag in our possession* 



If some of us ever ever shot 15 ducks in one da^^'s hunt, we certainly 

 would knock off to celebrate. Of course, on some of the important winter 

 concentration areas, we might get that many ducks. But that wouldn't be sport, 

 that would be slaughter. 



In fact, Mr, W, C, Henderson, the associate chief of the Bureau of 

 Biological Survey, tells me tliat even the experts are a little doubtful 

 whether cutting down the bag limit is wnough to protect the ducks and gease. 

 It may bo nocossary to shorten the open seaeon, or to establish huntless days, 

 or to limit the artificir.l methods of bringing the ducks and geese within 

 rangd of the shooting stands. 



It seems from what he says that our wild-fowl guardians arc considerabl; 

 worried. Estimates made from rei)orts two or three years ago seamdd to show 

 that duclos were on the iicrease. But the past two years have been hard years 

 on ducks. Reports reccivod from Statd and Federal men who spend much time in 

 the marshlands show that there was a decided decrease in ducks and geese gen- 

 erally throughout this country. Hunters say the same. 



One cause of that was di'ought in Canada last year. Probably about 

 three-fourths of North Anericcci ducks breed in Canada, A duck out of water 

 is in a bad fix. The food supply of ducks on their breeding ground grows 

 mostly in the water. W^gn the ponds and sloughs and marshes dry up, the 

 supply of food for the young ajid old ducks is cut down. When times are hard 

 for ducks, there are fewer of them to make the long trek South to theii fcedin, 

 grounds in this country. 



