16 
viz., only a certain class of the populace permitted to enjoy the pleas¬ 
ures of hunting, shall not further encroach upon the hunting terri¬ 
tory of the sportsmen in general in Pennsylvania. One most per¬ 
nicious custom that has recently become established in certain sec¬ 
tions of the State most surely needs serious consideration. I refer 
to the formation of an organization among large as well as small 
landowners, posting their lands in the name of the organization 
against trespass, and then charging men who desire to hunt thereon 
a fee of one dollar and upwards per day for the privilege. I very 
much question whether any of the people who have become connected 
with a movement of this kind have given a single moment of serious 
thought to the rights of their fellowmen and the fact that the game 
found on their lands in a wild state belongs to all the people of the 
State in their collective capacity and not to the individuals who for 
the time being may own or control those lands, I feel confident the 
next Legislature will be called upon to give these matters further con¬ 
sideration. 
ADMINISTRATION OF FIELD WORK. 
The administration of our field work as directed at your meetings 
in July and October is already securing very desirable results. 
Through the abolishment of the position of Field Superintendent, 
which officer attempted to look after the preserve work exclusively, 
and imposing such duties on the ten Traveling Game Protectors as 
the supervisory officers in charge of the districts allotted to them, 
tliis work is distributed and placed in the hands of an officer nearby 
who frequently gets in personal touch with the Game Preserve 
Keepers, ready to render such assistance as necessary, thus securing 
better results in that direction than heretofore possible. 
Tnrough these Traveling Game Protectors we are now able to 
secure a more uniform enforcement of the law not heretofore obtain¬ 
able when but one officer was expected to cover the entire State. 
Each supervisory officer at this time has from five to seven counties 
to cover and makes a specialty of assisting new and inexperienced 
officer s to get properly started in the work, helping experienced of¬ 
ficers in difficult problems whenever needed, etc. This also permits 
special investigations whenever necessary without leaving a district 
unprotected as was previously the case, and in addition gives us an 
opportunity to do an educational work heretofore impossible among 
t ie sportsmen, schools, etc., that will mean more for the cause of 
conservation in future years than anything we might do in the way 
of enforcing the law at this time. We today have ten persons assist¬ 
ing us to every one person who helped us five or six years ago, and by 
systematically carrying out our educational work as proposed we 
can materially mcrea.se this ratio in the next two or three years. 
bofrw theSe s + u P ei ™fy officers have been appointed we have been 
holding a meeting of these men at Harrisburg each month. Each 
Iravehng i rotector examines the reports of the officers in his dis- 
ct and then brings up for discussion and instructions any questions 
bat might be of benefit to all. Such instructions „ neL\arv for 
the ensuing month are then given, all Traveling Protectors in‘ turn 
assisting and instructing the Protectors in their respective districts 
as much as possible prior to the next ensuing meeting, and, as above 
17 
stated, this plan of securing uniformity in the work cannot help but 
materially improve conditions generally, and while insufficient time 
has elajised to fully demonstrate the improvement in the work, I am 
confident that this system is practical and will be entirely satisfac¬ 
tory. 
As desired by the sportsmen, every county except three has a Game 
Protector to look after their interests in that county, and because of 
the reduced territory now allotted to each Game Protector more ef¬ 
ficient work will necessarily follow. In sections where still addi¬ 
tional help is needed Special Deputy Game Protectors have been em¬ 
ployed for such periods as necessary to assist the Game Protectors in 
charge of the county districts. The great majority of these Special 
officers have rendered very excellent assistance so far this season and 
the sportsmen are well pleased with the good results obtained from 
this additional help. 
I am pleased to report that the sportsmen of the State are be¬ 
ginning to realize more fully than ever that since game of no kind can 
be secured in large quantities for re-stocking purposes the more pro¬ 
tection we can accord our native game birds and animals during 
the breeding season, as well as at all other times of the year, the 
better conditions will gradually become and give their entire approval 
to the employment of such number of officers as may be necessary to 
control conditions properly. . 
GAME CONDITIONS. 
From reports gathered personally and through our officers I am 
satisfied game conditions generally are quite favorable, especially 
when the unusually large number of hunters each year is taken into 
consideration. Present indications are that between 370,000 and 
400,000 Resident Hunters’ Licenses and probably 1,000 Non-Resident 
Hunters’ Licenses will be issued this year. There are not less than 
200,000 farmers and their children in the State who hunt, without 
a license, on their own and immediately adjacent lands, making a 
total army of approximately 600,000 men hunting for game of various 
kinds this year. Many voung men who prior to entering Federal 
Service were not interested in firearms and hunting have this year 
taken up this, the greatest of out-door sports, and these added to the 
coal miners, who hunted extensively while on strike, helped make up 
this unusually large number of hunters this season. How we can 
ever hope to maintain a game supply sufficient to meet the demands 
of such an army of hunters is a quandary to me, unless each of us 
is willing to look the question squarely in the face and be satisfied 
with a bag that ten or fifteen years ago would not have been con¬ 
sidered at all worth while. I am glad to say the great majority of 
the sportsmen of Pennsylvania today look upon hunting as a source 
of pleasure and recreation, and not a source of revenue in dollars 
and cents as was the case in years gone by. 
While an army of men hunted for game of various kinds in Penn¬ 
sylvania this season, data recently received from many reliable 
sportsmen in all parts of the State, as well as our officers of long 
experience, satisfies me that we have more small game of all kinds, 
such as wild turkeys, grouse, quail, rabbits, squirrels, etc., left over 
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