April 3, 1909.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
537 
Spring Duck Shooiing. 
Rochester, N. Y., March 23. —Editor horest 
and Stream: By your issue of March 6 I see 
tliat Assemblyman Lupton, of Long Island, has 
introduced an amendment to the game law to 
make the open season of ducks, geese, brant and 
swan on Long Island Oct. i to the last day of 
February, both inclusive, with possession until 
March 15. In your issue of the 20th inst. some 
person who signs himself “Square Deal’’ says, 
“We have not asked for spring shooting, but 
to have the privilege of shooting during the 
months of January and February.” 
It will be remembered that in 1905—if I am 
not mistaken—the question of duck shooting as 
to Long Island was thoroughly threshed out be¬ 
fore the joint committees of the Senate and 
Assembly at Albany. At that meeting the Long 
Island spring shooters were present in force and 
a long discussion followed. Those who opposed 
spring shooting were represented by Dr. Palmer, 
of the U. S. Agricultural Department; Mr. 
William Dutcher, of the Audubon Societies; 
Hon. Elon R. Brown, of Watertown, N. Y., and 
many others, and it was believed at that time 
that this question was settled for all time. But 
like Hamlet’s ghost, “it will not down.” 
It is difficult for sportsmen up country to 
understand the callousness of these Long 
Islanders. It really seems as if they would like 
to shoot the fowl on their nests. 
Why are the Long Islanders entitled to any 
different seasons or rights to shoot than the 
sportsmen .throughout the rest of the State? 
It appears that in the revision of last year 
two sections were inserted in the game laws in 
some unfair manner. I refer to Sec. 170-A, 
which permits the shooting of brant Oct. i to 
April 30. This means that duck and every other 
bird desired that comes in the way will be shot 
when Long Island sportsmen are out for brant. 
Another section quite as reprehensible is Sec. 
174-A relating to the taking of woodcock on 
Robin’s and Gardiner’s islands, which permits 
them to be taken from Aug. i to Dec. 31, while 
throughout the rest of the State the season is 
Oct. I to Dec. 31. Surely there is no justifica¬ 
tion in this sort of legislation. The sportsmen 
of the rest of the State wonder how these two 
sections became law. It is evident that they 
were not introduced as part of the original law. 
Perhaps someone on the inside will explain. 
I call attention also to Sec. 174 which relates to 
Long Island and which docs a great injustice 
to the sportsmen of the rest of the State. This 
section makes the open season for plover, cur¬ 
lew, jacksnipe, Wilson’s, yellowlegs, etc., from 
July 16 to Dec. 31, both inclusive, while through¬ 
out the remainder of the State these same birds 
cannot be taken under Sec. 95 except from Sept. 
16 to Dec. 31, both inclusive. By Sept. 16 the 
plover, as well as most of the other varieties 
mentioned in the section, have all left the north¬ 
ern portion of this State with the result that 
there is no shooting for sportsmen of any part 
of the State except those of Long Island. It 
is very difficult to recognize the wisdom of per¬ 
mitting such laws to go upon the statute book. 
Still, these Long Islanders clamor for more 
open season and still more. 
At the time of the public hearing of the joint 
committees above referred to it appeared that 
on the Atlantic coast there were but three win¬ 
ter refuges for migratory wildfowl, viz.; Great 
South Bay, Chesapeake Bay and Currituck 
Sound, and that the wildfowl should be as much 
protected as possible in these' winter refuges, 
and .that the State of New York then provided 
more shooting days than either North Carolina, 
Maryland or Virginia, and that the season should 
not be lengthened or extended beyond Jan. i 
in Great South Bay. These same conditions I 
believe prevail now, and there should certainly 
be no change that would lengthen the open sea¬ 
son. 
I request all sportsmen to Inform their 
senators and assemblymen of these very unjust 
provisions which should be repealed, and that no 
further or extended open seasons be made. 
J. R. F. 
Elmira, N. Y., March 27. — Editor. Forest and 
Stream: I have been interested to note your 
remarks as recently published opposing spring 
duck shooting in general and have been a little 
disappointed that you have not taken up in par¬ 
ticular the attempt now being made in the New 
York State Legislature to resume this inexcus¬ 
able practice. 
Dr. Arthur W. Booth, the president of the 
Chemung Forest, Fish and Game Association, 
was authorized to address a letter to the sports¬ 
men of the State regarding the dangers of the 
bill which had been presented to the Legisla¬ 
ture. This letter, sent out March 20, was widely 
distributed among the sportsmen of the State. 
The replies to it have been very hearty and 
gratifying. 
This letter evidently awakened the friends of 
the bill who, fearing it would be defeated, have 
made strenuous efforts to railroad it through 
the Legislature. At a hearing of the fishery and 
game committee of the Assembly, which was 
held this week. Assemblyman Lupton, who in¬ 
troduced the measure, is reported to have called 
it up in committee and insisted on its being re¬ 
ported immediately. He would not consent to 
a hearing on the bill nor allow its opponents any 
opportunity whatever to put in any argument 
against it. 
I inclose you herewith a copy of the letter 
sent out by our president and trust that you 
can get same into your next issue and also ad¬ 
vise the sportsmen of the State of the methods 
employed by the friends of spring shooting, 
L. C. Andrews. 
The letter follows: 
“There has been introduced in the Assembly 
of the State of New York bill No. 611 which 
seeks to amend Section 170 of the forest, fish 
and game laws, extending the open season on 
duck, geese, brant and swan to the last day of 
February. As the statute now reads, the open 
season on these wildfowl, with the exception of 
brant, closes on Dec. 31. This amendment is 
effective on Long Island only. 
“After years of fighting, the sportsmen in New 
York State succeeded in stopping spring duck 
shooting in their State, thereby winning one of 
the greatest victories that has been won for pro¬ 
tective legislation. 
“There are evidently in New York city a few 
shooters who, owing to their close proximity 
to the best duck waters in the State, feel that 
they are entitled to special privileges, but the 
sportsmen of New York State have placed 
themselves on record as opposed to spring shoot¬ 
ing, and a bill which seeks to resume that sport 
in any section of our State cannot help but meet 
with their disapproval. The fight against spring 
duck shooting is being carried on all over the 
country and in many States in which spring 
duck shooting is still legal. Bills are now pend¬ 
ing which will stop the practice. 
“The only arguments in favor of the practice 
of spring duck shooting are selfish and are not 
worth the consideration of sportsmen. Will you 
not appeal to your assemblyman and senator, 
asking them to oppose Assembly bill No. 611 
in order that New York State, by the passage 
of this bill, may not take a retrograde move¬ 
ment, but that we may still set an example 
which may assist.other States in stopping spring 
shooting?” 
Gainesville, Tex., March 15 .—Editor Forest 
and Stream: I am an ardent reader of Forest 
AND Stream, have been reading the different 
articles on spring duck shooting, and will say, 
I want to see the day when our legislators of 
Texas will pass a game law against spring 
shooting. I think our wildfowl should be pro¬ 
tected the same as upland game. There is no 
law against shooting ducks at any season. I 
hope our brother sportsmen will get this bill 
through to a protection of our ducks. 
W. C. Chambers. 
New York Legislalure. 
In the Senate Mr. Stilwell’s bill relating to 
trespass, etc., has been read twice and referred 
to committee. It makes trespass and taking or 
disturbing fish and game on private lands with¬ 
out the owner’s permission a misdemeanor and 
also provides for exemplary damages not ex¬ 
ceeding $25, in addition to actual damages. It 
also strikes out Sections 28, 29, 30, 32 and 33 
of the game laws, relating to private parks, and 
makes it unlawful to take game on any public 
highway or on lands held by any municipality 
for water supply purposes. 
In the Senate Mr. Meade has introduced a 
bill authorizing the Forest Commission to pur¬ 
chase 1,000 pairs of Hungarian partridges for 
liberation in different parts of the State. The 
bill carries an appropriation of $15,000. 
Mr. Meade’s bill relating to imported pheas¬ 
ants in certain counties is in committee after 
second, reading. 
Assembly bills: 
Mr. Lupton’s bill appropriating $12,000 for 
the establishment by the game commission of a 
State game bird farm has by unanimous consent 
been advanced to second reading and referred. 
Mr. Reed has introduced a bill amending Sec¬ 
tion 98 of the game laws so that it may be made 
unlawful to sell aigrettes or the feathers or 
plumage of any species of the heron family. 
By Mr. Toombs—Adding to the present hunt¬ 
ing license law a provision intended to permit 
a non-resident after securing a hunting license 
at a cost of $5, and a 2S-cent fee, to hunt on 
property in the State which he owns, has an 
interest in or pays or helps pay taxes on. 
Audubon Society of North Carolina. 
The seventh annual meeting of the Audubon 
Society of North Carolina was held at the 
hall of the Benbow Hotel, Greensboro, N. C., 
at 3 o’clock on the afternoon of Saturday, 
March 27. 
