Pennsylvania’s Game Refuge System 
What It Is Doing to Bring Back Our Game 
the Pennsylvania State Game 
Commission, a Governor of the 
Forest and Stream Society and one of 
the ablest public ser- 
vants in the cause of 
J OHN M. PHILLIPS, President of, 
Prominent among them were the late 
Dr. Joseph Kalbfus and John M. Phil- 
lips. They realized that if the remnant 
of wild life they had enjoyed was to be 

game protection, has 
been dropped by Gov- 
ernor Pinchot because 
Mr. Phillips would not 
supplement the for- 
mal oath to support 
the constitution with 
a personal pledge to 
Governor Pinchot to 
respect his oath. Mr. 
Phillips states his po- 
sition very clearly, as 
follows: 
“Tf, governor, you 
can not trust me to 
serve you after I have 
taken an oath before 
Almighty God to sup- 
port the constitution 
of the state of Penn- 
sylvania and of the 
United States of 
America, including 
the amendments 
thereto, I can not see 
what faith you could 
have in any promise 
I might give to you 
personally. By doing 
as you ask I would not 
only lose the respect 
of the sportsmen, but, 
what means far more 
to me, I would lose my 
own self-respect.” 

[NX view of Mr. Phil- 
lips’ wide acquain- 
tance among sports- 
men and_ conserva- 
tionists, as well as 
the fact; that his 
twenty years of pub- 
lic service has re- 
sulted in building up a system of game 
protection that has solved the sports- 
men’s problems in Pennsylvania and is 
accepted as a model for other states, 
we are briefly summing up the history 
of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, 
its methods and its accomplishments. 
In comparison with to-day, the num- 
ber of hunters who could be classed as 
sportsmen in Pennsylvania thirty years 
ago was limited indeed, and the number 
of conservationists who were interested 
in saving wild life, was inappreciable. 

John M. Phillips, late Game Commissioner of Pennsylvania and member 
Advisory Board of Forest AND STREAM 
saved for posterity it would be neces- 
sary that there be a head to guide and 
direct their efforts to secure worthwhile 
results. Definite, organized effort was 
needed and needed at once. 
AFTER agitation and much work, 
the Pennsylvania State Game 
Commission was created by an Act of 
the Legislature in 1895. This Commis- 
sion, consisting of six sportsmen ap- 
pointed by the Governor, without re- 
gard to their political affiliations, con- 

cluded a thorough investigation of 
game propagation. Certain game ani- 
mals have been reared in captivity with 
a fair degree of success for many years 
past, but invariably 
the stock produced is 
not so desirable as the 
animals reared on 
free, unrestricted 
range, due largely to 
lack of natural food 
conditions and in- 
breeding. 
HEREFORE, the 
idea of game 
farms upon which to 
rear game in confine- 
ment was abandoned 
and the Commission 
adopted a plan by 
which native and use- 
ful wild life could be 
multiplied without as- 
sistance from man 
other than the system- 
atic extermination of 
vermin, feeding in the 
winter time, protec- 
tion from forest fires, 
and the prevention of 
overshooting and 
poaching. The game 
refuge idea was the 
obvious solution. 
Before deciding the 
location of a game 
refuge, representative 
sportsmen or sports- 
men’s organizations 
from the section of 
the State where it is 
desired to locate such 
a refuge are con- 
sulted. That section 
which will supply the 
best natural home for 
game and in which an 
increase and overflow 
will not become a 
source of annoyance to surrounding 
land owners is selected. Usually, the 
territory chosen is one on which most 
native wild life has been practically 
exterminated rather than one on which 
there is plenty of game. Thus the active 
co-operation and support of sportsmen 
is obtained. Instead of feeling that 
their best hunting grounds are being 
taken away, they realize that conditions 
will be improved for them by a game 
refuge so located. 
A single strand of No, 9 Double- 
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