FOREST AND STREAM 
Nov. 9, 1912 
KM 
Shooting Conditions in Different States 
(Continued from last week.) 
Poor Shooting So Far. 
Milford, Conn., Oct. 25.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: Although the shooting season began 
nearly a month ago, I have heard of very few 
birds having been killed in this town. A good 
deal of shooting is heard in the fields and woods, 
and a number of ducks and two Canada geese 
have been killed on the HoUsatonic River, but 
most of the shooting seems to have been at squir¬ 
rels, rabbits and blackbirds. 
Partridges (ruffed grouse) seem extraordi¬ 
narily scarce, but that is not remarkable when 
we consider that during the month of October 
they are usually wandering about and are never 
found twice in the same place. It is their run¬ 
ning—their crazy—season. 
I have seen no quail this year, but a day or 
two since a gunner reported finding a single 
brood, the members of which seemed only half 
grown. Very likely this was a second brood. 
Deer are increasing. They nibble the soft 
cobs of the farmers’ corn, and their fresh tracks 
are frequently seen about clover and alfalfa 
patches. The harm they do to the crops is 
negligible. The reported injury to young fruit 
trees might be serious. G. B. G. 
Alternate Open Seasons. 
Fullerton, Cal., Oct. 21. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Just a few words toward the protec¬ 
tion of wild birds. 
Having hunted on this coast for thirty years 
I notice the great difference in the quantity of 
ducks and quail. I have given their protection 
much thought for the last few years. I really 
believe it is possible to keep them with us al¬ 
ways if the following law could be passed in 
each State; if it is impossible, to make a Federal 
law. Every other year the killing of all ducks 
and water birds should be prohibited, and every 
other year the killing of all land birds prohibited. 
The idea would be to give the young birds a 
chance to breed. If the first year they were pro¬ 
tected, they would have chance to more than 
double. 
No hunter should object to this. One year 
he could hunt ducks, the next year quail. 
Let me know what you think of it? 
Edw. K. Benchley. 
Hunting Licenses. 
Gloversville, N. Y., Oct. 28.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: I like your article of low license 
for non-residents. I spend part of each winter 
in Florida and have to pay $10 for each county 
I hunt in. With the trespass signs and hunting 
up the boundary lines of each county you hunt 
in keeps you quite busy. If each hunter paid $1 
it would place the resident and non-resident on 
the same footing, and I think would net the 
States more money. In going back and forth 
from Florida I would like to stop off at favor¬ 
able places and hunt a few days, but the license 
prohibits. To size the thing up, a license keeps 
people from traveling to new hunting grounds. 
It is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. 
J. H. Drake. 
A magazine that has held the sportsmen’s 
favor for forty years must have something to 
it, and the fact is you know it has, but we 
wish your friend, who doesn’t know it, did. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pittsburgh, Pa., Oct. 19. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Owing to the fact that our sportsmen 
and general public are taking an interest in mat¬ 
ters pertaining to the outdoors and are backing 
up the efforts of the game commission, game con¬ 
ditions in Pennsylvania are becoming better every 
year. However, as Pennsylvania is one of the 
few States not operating under a $1 resident 
hunter’s license law, we are rather handicapped 
for want of sufficient funds for the propagation 
and protection of game. You will understand 
this when I tell you that last year we received 
only $20,000 for game protection and $7,500 for 
establishing game preserves, stocking and main¬ 
taining them. 
Our legislators claim that it is unfair to tax 
100 per cent, of the people for the benefit of the 
3 per cent, that hunts. Our sportsmen have taken 
the matter up and will likely ask for the passage 
of the resident hunter’s license law at the next 
session of the Legislature this winter. 
Owing to the enforcement of the law pro¬ 
hibiting the running of deer with dogs, the law 
prohibiting the killing of does and fawns, and 
the establishment of game preserves or sanctu¬ 
aries, our deer are increasing very rapidly. 
Ruffed grouse are also more plentiful this year 
than for some time. Quail, which five or six 
years ago were almost extinct in the State, are 
now getting plentiful. We imported about six 
years ago some from Alabama, and many farmers 
are now protecting them from the sportsmen and 
feeding and caring for them during our severe 
winters. 
Wild turkeys in our central and southern 
mountain counties are on the increase. Black 
bear are also increasing, and we estimate that 
there were about 300 killed last year in Pennsyl¬ 
vania between Oct. 1 and Jan. 1. Bear are found 
in greatest numbers in our central and northern 
counties in our mountainous regions. They are 
also spreading to country where the timber has 
been cut off and which is now covered with thick 
brush. John M. Phillips. 
West Virginia. 
Belington, W. Va., Oct. 19 .—Editor Forest 
and Stream: Game conditions are better in West 
Virginia than for years past. We have had a 
very stringent law for four years and same has 
been well enforced. The prohibition of the sale 
of game, shipping from State and serving at 
hotels and restaurants has had a good effect in 
checking the pot and market hunter. Only deer 
with horns four inches long may now be killed, 
which is causing our deer to increase. Squirrels 
(Continued on page 598.) 
J. A. VIQUESNEY, PRESIDENT OF WEST VIRGINIA FISH AND GAME PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION. 
