i6o BREAKING A BIRD DOG 
cember, I saw more quail than you would really be¬ 
lieve existed in one locality—fine, fully matured birds 
and large coveys. In the vicinity of Huntington, 
West Virginia, quail were very plentiful at the close 
of the last season. Why should there be a perpetual 
closed season on quail in Ohio? There are more 
quail in Kentucky than in Ohio, and this in the face 
of the fact that Kentucky has always had long open 
seasons with no bag limit until recently. 
A short open season, with reasonable bag limit, 
will never exterminate “Bob White,” but rather pro¬ 
long his existence, because then the true sportsman 
is ever ready with his cash, time or influence to help 
legislation as needed, and to replenish depleted 
covers whenever necessary. Years ago, before the 
ban was placed upon exporting quail for propagation 
from one state to another, certain members of the 
old Wheeling Gun Club, each year about March i st, 
purchased dozens of pairs of those big, strong Kan¬ 
sas quail and liberated them in the vicinity of our 
fall and winter hunting grounds; and even at this 
late day, those localities where the imported birds 
were planted, still show signs of the wisdom of 
mixing 'em up. 
The wary grouse is fast disappearing as the ax 
of the woodsman plays havoc with his natural haunts, 
but while he is on the way out, more quail are on 
the way in, as grain fields, old pastures and brushy 
