26 Tet Ee AU DiUi8 O NSE .ULE Reais 
in Illinois as the Heath Hen in Martha’s Vineyard—if nothing decisive is 
done soon. 
Nor is this all. When the [llinois Conservation officials were ap- 
proached as to their willingness to cooperate with President Hoover’s proc- 
lamation they refused. We in Illinois have double or treble reason to bow 
our head in shame! 
When driving through the state in the vicinity of Peoria the writer 
has been handed handbills inviting him to certain private duck shooting 
grounds, where upon the payment of $10.00 per day he could shoot ducks 
over live decoys and in baited waters to his heart’s content! Should not 
the good citizenship of Illinois rise up in indignation against such condi- 
tions! Is there anything left under the sun that is not basely commer- 
cialized ? | Pie 
Before me lies a copy of “The Plain Truth About Game Conserva- 
tion,” published by that old war-horse of conservation, William ‘T. 
Hornaday. Subjoined is a clipping from it about conditions in our state. 
ILLINOIS.—The following new information is from Aldo Leo- 
pold’s excellent and instructive new book, “Game Survey of the North 
Central States”: 
“The most radical recent change in waterfowl shooting practices is 
the growth of artificial baiting. On the other hand it has also made pos- 
sible the systematic commercialized killing of great numbers of ducks on 
absolutely dry cornfields, miles from water. 
“The baiting capital of America is Beardstown, Illinois. In the bot- 
toms above and below Beardstown, clubs and commercial shooting grounds 
in 1928 were putting out as high as 7,000 bushels of corn per season on a 
20-acre tract. “The rates per acre ran up to 430 bushels per season. One 
baited dry-land commercial shooting preserve killed 4,000 ducks in 60 
days on 40 acres, or 100 ducks per acre per year. Its kill of 4,000 ducks 
is 266 limits shot by possibly 100 licenses contributing perhaps $200 to 
restore game, 
“Commercial preserves and toll farms on the Illinois place six or even 
10 guns over each ‘pen’ of the live decoys. It is frequently compulsory 
to shoot only at flocks small enough to be ‘cleaned up.’ One objection 
to dry bait grounds is that the flocks which come in are too large to be 
‘cleaned.’ Pot-shooting on the water or ground is prevalent on commer- 
cial preserves and toll farms, and unfortunately even in some clubs.” 
In an article entitled “The Stench on the Illinois River,” in Outdoor 
Life magazine, Gillham thus describes the effects of the Illinois commer- 
cial-club system on the unfortunate wildfowl using .the Mississippi Valley 
route: 
“The duck that starts his migration via the Illinois River routes does 
