536 
Published Weekly by the 
Forest and Stream Publishing Company 
Chas. A. Hazen, President Charles L. Wise, Treasurer 
W. G. Beecroft, Secretary 
22 Thames Street, New York. 
CORRESPONDENCE:—Forest and Stream is the re¬ 
cognized medium of entertainment, instruction and in¬ 
formation between American sportsmen. The editors 
invite communications on the subjects to which its pages 
are devoted, but, of course, are not responsible for the 
views of correspondents. Anonymous communications 
cannot be regarded. 
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SUSPENDING THE GAME LAWS. 
The Governor of Massachusetts has issued a 
proclamation suspending the upland shooting 
open season until further notice, this on account 
of the long continued drought and imminent 
danger of forest fires. As this is written, there 
are reports that the action of the Governor of 
Massachusetts will 'be followed by other state 
executives, but these reports have not been con¬ 
firmed. Without entering into a discussion of 
the legal points involved and particularly how 
far the authority of the Governor runs in sus¬ 
pending an action of the Legislature, it is to be 
assumed that no proclamation would be issued 
unless the legality or constitutionality of the 
action had been thoroughly settled. 
Some objection to this method of spoiling the 
hunting season has been raised by gunners who 
are asking, among other questions, what is to 
become of the license fees they have paid for 
the privilege of shooting now withheld? Our 
advice to these inquisitive citizens and to all 
readers is to obey the law, and by the law we 
mean the mandate of the Governor as well as 
the non-conflicting acts of the Legislature. 
The idea behind restrictive action is “the great¬ 
est good to the greatest number,” and if, as 
feared, the carelessness of some hunters may be 
the cause of setting forest fires, it is better that 
hunting should be stopped than that game covers 
should be burned over, bringing about not only 
the destruction of all game within certain areas, 
but the destruction of valuable property as well. 
It is seldom that conditions are so bad as to 
prohibit shooting, and it may be years before 
prohibition against hunting in legal season will 
be found necessary again. 
THE WANING SEASON—AND A REMIND¬ 
ER IT BRINGS. 
The publication of a little advertisement 
which has been running in Forest and Stream 
for several weeks, calling attention to a new or 
improved form of winter shelter for quail and 
other game brings home the fact that the sum¬ 
mer season has already waned, and that here 
in the north we are once more on the verge 
of cheerless winter. The sun is swinging to 
the south, the days are getting shorter, and 
FOREST AND STREAM 
even now ice is forming on lakes, brooks and 
other waters that only a month or so ago fur¬ 
nished the angler satisfying sport. In the hard¬ 
wood forests and woodlands leaves are sifting 
down, and the hunter, half the time much to 
his disgust, plows his way through Nature’s 
carpet of brown and red—beautiful in design, 
fragrant to the senses, but inimical to the suc¬ 
cess of the day’s sport- The hunting season 
itself will soon be over. The carpet of leaves 
and brown grass will be buried under a fairy 
blanket of white that in one night will change 
the landscape from bare reality to new scenes 
of beauty. 
What then of the game? If fortunately the 
winter is to be mild, little need be feared, but 
it is not safe to trust to such probabilities. Last 
year thousands of quail, pheasants, and others 
of the feathered tribe perished miserably through 
starvation because usual food support was ut¬ 
terly lacking or locked up under the icy fingers 
of frost. Will it not prove better this season 
if the friends of the birds, and their real but 
not generally credited preservers, the sportsmen, 
begin preparation without delay for the feed¬ 
ing of game through inclement periods? 
Large sums of money are not essential in this 
protective work. Shelters or food houses can 
be bought ready-made at small cost, or at 
actual cost, from one or more of the advertisers 
in this paper, and more than that, home-made 
shelters can be constructed at almost no cost. 
Individuals can promote the good work; asso¬ 
ciations and clubs can do it better and more 
effectively. A few dollars set aside now, a few 
hours of l^bor, will work wonders in bringing 
feathered game through the coming winter. 
Do not postpone action, for when the subject 
comes up again, the damage may have been 
done and it will be too late. If you belong to 
a shooting club, have the question brought up for 
discussion at the next meeting, and if possible 
secure the appointment of a committee of live, 
active and sympathetic members who will see 
to it that something is accomplished. If you 
are only an individual without club affiliation, 
you Can do a lot of good by getting ready a 
few shelters now and placing them later where 
they will be needed. 
The small boy of the neighborhood, belief 
to the contrary notwithstanding, may prove your 
best ally. A school df small boys once inter¬ 
ested in game preservation will give you a dozen 
or a hundred willing hands and feet if you are 
tactful in gaining their support. If perchance 
you can do nothing either as a club member or 
as an individual, a few dollars donated in the 
interest of preservation to some source where 
it will not be wasted will prove a wise invest¬ 
ment, aside from its humanitarian or heart-in¬ 
terest sentiment. 
SINGLE HEADED GAME COMMISSIONS. 
Elsewhere in this issue appears an item con¬ 
cerning substitution of a single headed commis¬ 
sion for the present three headed commission 
now existing in New York state. It seems to 
us that Governor Glynn has expressed himself 
as willing to co-operate with sportsmen both 
in the matter of propagation and protection. His 
plans were outlined in a previous issue of Forest 
and Stream. Our candid opinion is that the 
Governor should be given opportunity to make 
good these pledges, after the election campaign 
is over, and, provided he is re-elected, before 
he is interfered with by outside suggestion. The 
work of the three headed commission could have 
been better and we feel certain that with the 
assistance of New Commissioner McCabe better 
things will develop during the coming year. The 
sportsmen in the Empire State have lots to be 
thankful for when they see what brother sports¬ 
men get in Connecticut. 
THE DUCKING SEASON. 
Election Day will see duck shooters all over the 
country out in full force- It is, to all practical 
purposes, the opening of 'the duck season. The 
fall has been so humid and free from storms 
that no great number of wild fowl is apt to fall 
to the gunner. The wily fowl are rafting about 
outside, to be drawn in only after a good 
nor’easter. The migratory bird law is making 
opportunity for Mr. Wildfowler, and its injunc¬ 
tions, we feel sure, will be obeyed by gunners 
even in states where State and Federal laws con¬ 
flict. The duck hunter who kills out of season 
holds the same relative position to brother sports¬ 
men as does the man on crew or football team, 
wlio breaks training during close season on the 
gridiron or river. He is faking a dishonest 
and unfair advantage of his fellows who have 
placed their confidence in him. The more we all 
respect the game laws just so much longer will 
we have opportunity to enjoy one of the greatest 
sports extant—a fall duck shoot. 
OPEN SEASON PROCLAMATION. 
Governor Walsh, in a proclamation issued late 
yesterday afternoon (Oct. 16), declares that as a 
sufficient amount of rain has fallen to reduce the 
present danger of disastrous fires in fields and 
woodlands, the open season on upland game is 
again in force. The proclamation is as follows: 
“For the first time in the history of the Com¬ 
monwealth it became the duty of the Governor, 
as provided in Chapter 422, Acts of 1909, to sus¬ 
pend the open season on upland game for the 
purpose of diminishing the risk of forest fires. 
Sufficient rain having fallen to reduce the present 
danger of disastrous fires in fields and woodlands, 
I hereby proclaim that the open season is again 
in force. 
“I should, however, be doing less than my full 
duty if I did not take this opportunity to urge 
upon all who go info the woods and fields, wheth¬ 
er on business or pleasure, to exercise increased 
caution in disposition of fire, and to extend more 
thoughtful consideration of the rights of others. 
“Therefore, in proclaiming that all the laws 
relative to open season which were suspended by 
my proclamation of October 13 are again in force, 
I urge all citizens to co-operate with each other 
■to the end that our Commonwealth may lead not 
alone in the abundance of useful wild life in the 
fields and forests, but may continue to be known 
by its careful respect for law.” 
NEW YORK’S FIRE PREVENTION SYSTEM 
Editor Forest and Stream-. 
Governor Glynn has never issued any procla¬ 
mation prohibiting shooting. Chairman Van- 
kennen says our fire prevention system is so ef¬ 
fective we needed no such prohibition in New 
York. M. H. HOOVER. 
