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Show LOCAL DUCK GLOB HIGHLY PRAISED What Field and Stream Has to Say About the Policy of tho Bear Rivor Duck Club. IN .discussing tho progress o game laws, especially with reference to the shooting of wild fowl In Ibe spring months. Field and Stream, a recognized sporting authority, pays the following high compliment to the Bear River Duck club of Salt Lake City: "As wo write these lines we havo before be-fore us a flhlnlng example. Itself full wan-ant for such writing. The open season on wild fowl In Utah begins February 15th. nnd continues until March 15th. Tho members of the Bear River Duck club of Salt Lake City know this spring reason as well as any other. Do they seek to profit by their legal privileges in shooting? No. To their honor be It said that the Bcar Rivcr Duck club cloned its clubhouse nnd grounds last February, and will keep them closed until the beginning of next fall's shooting season. We wish wo might ndd that nil other ducking clubH of that vicinity have followed this jplendld example of actual sportsmanship: sports-manship: and indeed we may add that many members of tho Salt Lake Duck clubs havo voluntarily put up their guns until next fall, although their clubs did not demand It- These gentlemen gentle-men hopo In tho next session of the Legislature to cut off this month of legal spring shooting. If tho Legislature Legisla-ture bo not so wise, many of them will bo permanently cut off themselves. Truo Sportsmen in Utah. "Now, that Is sportsmanship, actual, true-blue, clean sportsmanship, and It almost disposes us to admit, for the time, that that somewhat mythical being, be-ing, the 'True Sportsman.' Is not really a figment of the brain. "We commend theso gentlemen of Utah In all warmth and honor, nnd wish that our commendation commen-dation might mean more to them than It may. This Is, so far an wo aro aware, the first example of any sportsmen's club or tne country resolving to live Just plain decent, law or no law. As to the arguments which influenced them to this action, we need cite none whatever. Every ono knows the arguments argu-ments for and against spring shooting of wild fowl today. There Is no argument argu-ment for It except that of simple selfishness. sel-fishness. These Utah men have Phowp that a sportsman, or many Individual sportsmen, or a large organization of sportsmen, may claim the title of sportsman, and still be freo from selfishness. sel-fishness. We cannot sufficiently express ex-press our satisfaction over this Incident of proper standards voluntarily attained. at-tained. This example doth atono to us for many so-called sportsmen's convention con-vention which died when It adjourned, and left behind It no works accomplished accom-plished navo that of the old-time 'We Do Earnestly Resolve!' Look at Utah. She not only resolved, but actually DID. How It Is Down East "As to our brothers of tho East, if they cannot a3 yet record an example precisely similar to that of this Rocky Mountain ducking club, they can at least report progress. Tho Brown bill took caro of the spring shooting question ques-tion for New York In :ihli fnohtnn Tn be sure, this bill has not mot with tho approval of all thoso who like to shoot In the spring time. A number of shooters shoot-ers of Syracuse, N. Y., are fathoring an effort to amend this bill, or to draft a now bill to take Its place. These gentlemen, gen-tlemen, If they are not allowed to shoot all tho time, would like to shoot threo days in the week. They aro willing to pay a license fee of one dollar to the Forest, Fish and Game commission for that privilege. They are open scoffers at the Statement that the duck supply would locally bo Increased in districts where, spring shooting Is abolished. They set forth the argument that under un-der the present law shooting is permitted per-mitted when there are no ducks to shoot, and prohibited when ducks aro most abundant. They say that tho Brown bill Is 'needlessly hard.' "The foregoing statements are not arguments. They are expressions of a Blmple selfishness. We counl all the truo sportsmen of New York the sportsmen who are like those of Utah to keep an eye upon this Syracuse opposition op-position to th Brown bill. Against Spring- Shooting:. "Proof of the steady growth of tha national sentiment against spring tfhooting might have boen found In the resolution of executive agent Fullerton of Minnesota, at the meeting of tho League of American Sportsmen at Columbus, Co-lumbus, O.. in February, the tenor of which re-solution wan that spring shooting shoot-ing In all Its forms should bo nbolished, first because it is against nature, second, sec-ond, because gamo killed at that season lo not fit to eat. We counsol our friends who wish to amend the Brown bill of New York to look over this and other j records of sportsmen's gatherings of recent dates. We counsel them to follow fol-low the advice of such newypapers as the Palladium of Oswego. N. Y., which declares the Brown law has shown excellent ex-cellent results. Lastly, we counsel th sportsmen of New York, whether or not the Brown bill shall endure upon the stututo books, to remember the example ex-ample of their sturdy brethren of Salt Lake City. No matter what tho law is we are not obliged to shoot in the spring If we do not believe It to be right " |