FOREST AND STREAM 
593 
Meeting of National Association of Game 
Commissioners 
Washington, D. C., Oct. 25. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Meeting called to order at 2.50 P. M., Friday, 
October 2, 1914, National Museum, Washington, 
D. C., by George H. Graham, of Massachusetts, 
vice-president, in the absence of Col. J. H. 
Acklen of Tennessee, president. 
Members were present from Virginia, Ala¬ 
bama, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, 
Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New 
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Ore¬ 
gon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and from the fol¬ 
lowing associations and bureaus: American 
Game Protective Association, National Associa¬ 
tion of Audubon Societies, District of Colum¬ 
bia Game and Fish Protective Association, U. 
S. Biological Survey. 
Hon. J. H. Wallace, Jr., Alabama, was called 
upon for a report upon protection of fur-bear¬ 
ing animals. 
Hon. J. H. Wallace said in part: 
Cultivation is necessary on account of changed 
conditions. Native fur-bearing animals are be¬ 
ing exterminated. Some species are predaceous. 
In Alabama, otter and beaver have been exter- 
pated. Only muskrats, mink, coon and oppos- 
sum remain. Proposes close season from No¬ 
vember 15 to February 15, with a license re¬ 
quired for trappers and written permission of 
the land owner before traps may be placed upon 
land. Fur-bearing animals are an important 
national asset. The speaker urged every state 
to pass a similar law. 
Commissioner M. L. Alexander, Louisiana, 
described the extension and effective bird 
reservations in his state. Accords with Wallace 
in the necessity for protection of fur-bearing 
animals. Louisiana requires reports from trap¬ 
pers. Gave figures of statistics of annual yield. 
In lieu of tax on trappers, advocates a tax on 
furs taken. Gave figures of number of each 
species taken. Louisiana has closed season. 
Have set aside 125,000 acres for bird refuges 
upon which predatory fur-bearing animals are 
trapped. Make trappers auxiliary wardens on 
reservations. Make laws coincide as nearly as 
possible with Federal laws. 
Senator George P. McLean was next called 
up; his speech in full appeared in issue of 
Oct. 24. 
Friday, October 2, 1914; 8.20 P. M. at the 
New Willard Hotel. 
Vice-President Graham in the chair. 
Dr. Kalbfuss, Pennsylvania, speaking on the 
subject of Game Reservations, said in part: 
“In his experience he had found but two or 
three places where European game birds had 
been successfully reared. Found pheasants not 
‘budders,’ therefore, in his opinion, pheasants 
not feasible in state where snows were deep. 
A total of one million acres in state forest 
lands are disposed in six reservations, surround¬ 
ed by fire stops, and surrounded by a single wire 
marker, “the haven of rest,” or sanctuary, with¬ 
in which one may hunt. Deer and wild turkeys 
were brought from Michigan. Wild turkeys 
more numerous than for fifty years. Extermina¬ 
tion of foxes, mink, weasel, wild cats, necessary, 
also coons and ’possums. Weasel live preferably 
on fresh blood, next putrid meat. Faeces are 
pencil-shaped, like coagulated blood. Three 
thousand grouse on three thousand acres. With¬ 
in forty yards saw three broods of ruffed grouse. 
This is chiefly because poisoned meat had killed 
all foxes, wild cats, crows and vermin on reserva¬ 
tion. Commission of Pennsylvania are giving 
attention to non-game birds also. Annual dam¬ 
age to crops in United States by insects exceeds 
twice cost of Panama Canal. Damage to crops 
by insects exceeds the endowment of all colleges 
and universities in the United States. Damage 
to crops by insects forty times the loss of fire 
annually. 
Extermination of vermin the key to the situa¬ 
tion. The introduced deer—-23 does and 2 buck 
—have multiplied remarkably- Deer and birds 
soon learn where the boundaries are. Salary of 
game patrol, $600 per year. The commission 
contemplates establishing one or more preserves 
for quail. The most important regulations—no 
one may enter with gun at any time, and during 
breeding season no one may enter for any pur¬ 
pose. Money for hunters’ licenses goes to State 
treasury, one-half for bounty on vermin and 
one-half upon appropriation to uses of Game 
Commission. Land owners may without a li¬ 
cense hunt on their own and adjoining land. 
Four hundred thousand men hunted in Penn¬ 
sylvania, each paying about ten dollars for gun, 
ammunition, etc- Thus about $4,000,000 was 
spent in Pennsylvania for killing game. Boy 
Scouts enlisted in work of game protection, feed¬ 
ing birds, scouring woods for snares, etc. 
Bounty on gray fox, $2; wild cat, $4 and weasel, 
$2.; goshawk, horned and barred owl, sharp¬ 
skinned hawk. That the bounty system is not 
giving- satisfaction is indicated by a bill for 201 
goshawks shot in June. 
The Game Sanctuaries always put in center 
of State forests. Each sanctuary covers about 
five square miles. Elk liberated in public land. 
Calls are now beginning to come in for protec¬ 
tion against elk. Commission pays $5 for every 
dog killed while running deer. Such dog is 
declared by law to be a public nuisance, and 
dog may be killed by any officer upon affidavit of 
a witness. Counties may be closed to shooting 
upon petition. 
Alexander spoke on importance of dissemina¬ 
tion of results of meeting, therefore favored 
resolutions. 
W. I. Neal regretted absence of presidents of 
game associations, who should be present to 
hear papers and discussions. 
Commissioner J. M. Phillips, Pennsylvania, 
spoke upon the efficiency of the Boy Scouts in 
maintaining wild life- Commissioner Phillips 
ten years ago went to schools for the purpose 
of interesting pupils in bird boxes. Dr. Kalb¬ 
fuss also talked in schools and churches. The 
work was then extended to the Boy Scouts, 
urging them to put up bird boxes, to feed birds 
in winter. After a sudden storm more than 
one thousand boys went out at night to feed 
birds in Alleghany County alone, nailing up 
ears of corn, suet, etc. This year there has been 
established a camp for one thousand Boy 
Scouts. 
Dr. Field, in seconding Commissioner Phillips’ 
resolution spoke of effective work of the Boy 
Scouts as agents'in securing and spreading in 
formation relating to wild life. 
Commissioner Titcomb deplored any tendency 
to depart from meeting in conjunction with the 
American Fisheries Society. 
Ward of Kentucky objected, on the ground 
that the American Fisheries Society had ar¬ 
ranged plans and program so that game problems 
were not adequately represented. 
Commissioner Moore of New York, suggests 
that too much was laid out for time available, 
difficult to pro rate time between fish and game 
problems. 
The vice-president appointed as Committee on 
Nominations: Moore of New York, Ward of 
Kentucky, Wallace of Alabama. 
Voted to adjourn to 10.30 A. M. at latest, at 
National Museum. 
Saturday, October 3, 1914, at National 
Museum. 
J. M. Quarles, representing the American 
Game Protective Association has 38 affiliated 
state societies. 
Report of Treasurer L. L. Dyche. Report 
accepted. 
Committee on Nominations reported: 
For president, George H. Graham of Massa¬ 
chusetts; for vice-president, M. L. Alexander 
of Louisiana; for secretary, Ernest Napier of 
New Jersey; for treasurer, L. L. Dyche of 
Kansas; for general counsel, Joseph G. Sachs of 
Kentucky. These members were duly elected. 
A paper on Propagation of Fur-bearing Ani¬ 
mals in Kansas read by Professor Dyche. As 
a boy he remembers beaver on all the streams 
of Kansas. At least three litters of muskrats 
are produced annually in Kansas. White-footed 
mice eat eggs of grasshoppers in large quantities. 
Great amounts of money lost by skins killed 
out of season. Fur farms are being established 
•—51 permits given to skunk farms in Kansas. 
All at present are on a small scale, as side 
branches of general farming, but possibly prof¬ 
itable if on sufficiently large scale. The small 
species take poultry and should not be protected 
(Continued on page 615.) 
