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Show WARDEN SHARP HAKESKEPORT Condition of Game I ' in Utah. Good Work Is Done at the State Fish Hatcheries This Year. Legislation Is Needed for the Protection Pro-tection of the Wild Waterfowl. Water-fowl. fltAtn Fish nnd Game Commissioner John Sharp has completed his biennial report. re-port. It Is an extensive review of tho work dono during tho p:ct two yean with some suggestions for Improvements In speaking of the destruction of wild water fowl. Mr Sharp says in part: "This class of g:imo blrls 13 by far the most numerous and Important of any that we have In tho State, and I regret to observe that, from year to year a very perceptible diminution in numbers Is noticed no-ticed by close observers. The Stato Commissioner has made three or four biennial bi-ennial visits to tho Hear river swamps within the last nine years for tho purpose of personal examination, and ho Is free to say that) In his opinion the birds, at least all kinds of duckn, have dwindled at least CO per cent In tho last ten years, eomo observant sportsmen estimate, tho Shrinkage much moro thun this. In the absence of a report of the number of wild fowl killed In tho Bear river swamps during the full season of Y.A, the l ommis- sipner would roughly estimate the t t . i kill at IOO.i.mi bird, ami in if.ilt Luke and Davis and Weber counties from G0.fXi to 76,000 The other counties of the Slate arc unimportant in the mailer of wild ducks, and would probably not total over 25.000 In the kill for the season In view of the rapid depiction of the wild ducks that la no doubt Increasing from year to year, more restrictive legislation is necessary befor It Is too late. Tho present law Is not too strictly observed by some sportsmen, sports-men, and most If not fill of the market uliooters, and bus loophob-s for evasion. At thw B-m- river swamps where the ducks or-- being driven farther and farther far-ther out from the rush lines into the open water by so much shooting and dally pur-sun pur-sun by th'j shooter it becoming so difficult to get to where tho birds nave been driven that the market shooters In many Instances take their blankets and "grub" lti their boats and go out as fat as they can pursue tho ducks to their resting places and camp over night to get the llmli for two days, but these hunters will sometimes come in the evening of tho second day with three or four limits, and claim that they havjo not violated the law. This Is a er' reprehensible practice, prac-tice, as It drives the ducks still farther out Into tin- open water, keeping them from thcli f. . tlin-j; grounds, and doing an injustice to other shooters who do not llkj lo go so far to get some shooting And, It Is not :lt all Improbable that they violate vio-late the provision against night shooting when the moon is out. The law should be amended to overcome this diftlculty by making It a misdemeanor to have more th.m Forty ducks in possession In any on day to the man. There an- probably from fifteen to twenty-live market shooters on the Bear river swamps shooting ducks for market everj day during the season from October 1 to December 1, or as long as the water does not freeze over till De-CembeT De-CembeT 15, and a dally average of as many sportsmen who do not shoot for market, but who go there to get recreation and some ducks The Commissioner is fully convinced that the onl way to prevent the extinction of the wild waterfowl of the country Is to prohibit the sale and traffic m them, as l). is been dono with the other kinds of wild game in the State. Great Interest Is being taken In the protection pro-tection ;uid preservation of the wild fowl of the country, and it Ifl gratifying to learn that the Federal Government is preparing pre-paring to take a hand In the World Of protection. pro-tection. To this end, a bill was introduced Into the J louse of Representatives December De-cember 3, by Hon. George Shlras 3rd of Pennsylvania, entitled an ael to Protect Migratory Game Birds of tho United States, This bill authorizes tho Department of Agriculture to make nil needful rules and regulations for tho belter protection of these buds everywhere in the Tutted States, and It Is confidently believed that this Is the onl way of reconciling tho confUi ting laws of the various States In regard to these various mlgratorv gamo birds. Our present law prohibits the sale Of all kinds of wild game except watcr-fov watcr-fov 1 Native Grouse of the State. There are four species of grouse native to this State; sage hen, pine hen, ruffed grouso or drummer, and the western sharpta.ll grouse or prairie chicken. These birds are also becoming reduced In num-beis num-beis each year, especially the prairie chicken variety whose habit of breeding and feeding In the grain fields and low foothills of the farming districts where they are more exposed to gunners during the shooting s' ason than any of tho other species of grouse. it would bo well to prohibit the killing of this species for two vars, and give them a chanco to Increase. In-crease. Imported Game Birds. Three kinds of upland gamo birds havo been Introduced into tho State by private eitlzi ns in years pjst The Bob-white or Eastern quail, the California valley Qua41 and tho ring-necked Chinese or Denny pheasant. The Bob-white quail is nearly If not entirely run out The Chinese pheasant Is Increasing In Salt Lake county rapidly from a plant of about fifty birds liberated by the Walker Bros., on their farm some years ago. The California quail have increased rapidly under protection protec-tion of the law during the l:st few years In Salt Lake. Davis and Weber counties, whero tho Commissioner would recommend recom-mend a short open season of ten days, from the 20th of October lo the 1st of No- ember. Although tti" State h.'LS done considerable consider-able for the first interests of the Slate nothing has been done by It In the way of Introducing or dl.sw il.utlng game of any kind. Some dozens of the California quail havo been trapped in Suit Lake county nut distill. i I by tho Commissioner to several counties, where they are doing well, but the expense of trapping and shipping has ieen borne by Individual en-t en-t rprlso of gun clubs and sportsmen. Some provision should be made by tho State for the ,-xp. use ,,f trapping and distributing dis-tributing these various kinds of game birds to the counties that have none, and for the Introduction into tho State of oher suitable kinds. The Fish and the Game Law and Its Enforcement. During th biennial period of 1903 and 1904, this department has issued twentv-oiih twentv-oiih appointments to Deputy State Commissioners Com-missioners under pay from the State in various sums according to services rendered, ren-dered, for th enforcement of tho law for tho protection ot the flsb and game of the State: and twenty-live appointments to Millilite r deputy ornmlsslom i rendering p rvl( without pay when Occasion required. re-quired. During tho two years eighty-two arrests aro reported for violating the Qsh and me law; and sixty-six convictions had, with fines aggregating $7W20. Somo difficulty Is encountered ny tno Department of Fish and Game in the en fu-. i merit of the law, by reason of Lho apathy, disinclination or other roasons shown bv some Justices of the Peace before be-fore whom offenders against tho fish ond game low are broughl for trial. In quits a few Instances where convictions havo been had, a very small fine of from Jl to tC only has been Imposed, when the least flno that may be made for any Infraction of the law Is $10, and from that amount up to $o00, at tho discretion of the court. Tim minimum of J10, however. Is not very often exceeded In the Justice's courts Such methods Of administering Justice against transgressors of the law, In a tr vi itj that encourages further trans-cri trans-cri salon, and Increases the contempt and disrespect of tho offenders, for tho law and lLs officers, and renders tho enforcement enforce-ment of the law more difficult and ex-l ex-l enslve Something should be dono whereby where-by such cases may be appealed to a higher high-er court, or teed their Honors on fluh for a while. Somo Amendments to the Fish and Game Law Necessary. Vor the belter advancement of the fish and game Interests of th Slate there aro somo features of the law that should bo revised and amended. These amendments Will be presented to tho Legislature at the proper time, but the commissioner in of tho opinion and would suggest that It would be better lo havo tho law rewritten and compiled Into a new bill, embodying tho present necessary amendments, and re-enacted Into s new law, which wcuid thus avoid the Inconvenience and perhaps ofi lion In looking up the session laws of tho last t-.s.. or three l.j.gi-jlafires for the amendments and changes that ha o been made. Predatory Animals. Tlilfl class of wild animals Is TOIT destructive de-structive to all kind:, of wild game, and game birds as well, as the aro to domestic domes-tic animals and slock; and from reports received and the bounty list in the office Of Uio State Auditor, It would seem that thoy are not being exterminated very' fast, but, on the contrary, are increasing In tho more sparsely settled districts of tho State, whero sheep and cattl range mostly. The bount list In the office of the Stato Auditor shows approximately the numoer of these carnivorous beasts klllea lu the years llKG-o as follows: - 2 Wildcats and lvnx. 4000; bear, cougar and wolf 1500, making a total to-tal number of 5.000 of theso parasites that proy upon and destroy tho domestic and game animals and birds, thnt havo been killed In the last tv.o years, and yet they Beem to be BS numerous as ovor. Tho bounties on tho above 35, 00 predatory animals ani-mals killed during the last biennial norlod Involves an expense to the State of i4L,f"0, which naturally raises the question, "In tho present bounty system the best means of exterminating or controlling theso pi i " As suggestion aro lu order, this commission believes that tho best and cheapest method for tho Stato to handle and control them, and eventually exterminate extermi-nate them. Is to lnaugurato an organized eystcm of hunting, shooting, trapping and poisoning, on a plan something similar to the following: Let twenty mon. say, bo employed by the State on a salary that mu be agreed upon, and let theso men outtlt themselves and go In pairs Into the worst Infected districts and hunt, trap and kill steadily during the four winter months. November, December, January and February, when tho pelts are In prime condition for sale, and when tho animals can be better and easier captured. Their outfit should be a comfortable camp wagon, such as iho sheep camp wagon, with team of Morses or mules. The men should be good marksmen and hunters, and havo accurate shooting rifles, together with a few traps and poison, and, last but by far the most Important, each party of two should have a small pack of two or more stag or wolf hounds, which can easily pel; up a coyote In a very short tlmo whenever or wherever he shows himself. Theso men engaged In this way Would soon learn all tho habits of these various predatory animal and would become be-come expert In capturing thm In a short time. And now as to tho expense: day that twenty men wero employed throughout through-out the State In this business, and tho salary was &i each per month for the four months mentioned Tills would bo $8000 per year or JIO.OOO for two years, as au-.ilt.st $11,500 for lh last biennial period, during whi' h $.0,".i of theso animals were killed, at an average cost to the State of about $1 J per head. I 'pon Inquiry , it lias been ascertained ascer-tained from u reliable source, that the present market value of theso 25.60 pelts In the raw state. and classified, would amount ot about $4i".Wm which the state treasury received no benefit from, would amount to about fHo.OoO, which tho of tw nty hunters and trappers live times over for their services during the four months named of each winter, for two yeari As an Inducement to extra effort Oil the part of tho hunters, they might bo allowed a percentage or bounty of ' cent per pelt In addition to a salary, and then tho Stato would be even from tho salo of the pelts. It Is believed that, if the situation sit-uation were fully understood, there are plenty, of nu n In the outlying district of the State that would equip themselves for a systematic hunting and killing of theso destructive animals during tho winter months, when employment Is scarce, for tho profit that would be mado from the salo of the pelts, und the State would be relieved of tho troublesome question. There would be no profit In killing theso animal In the summer time for the pelts, as tho fur is not In a salable condition at that time Should a war of extermination In a few years, regardless of tho profits In the salo of the pelts, bo deemed advisable, tin n these twenty hunters and trappers could be employed the year around at 11200 per year, which would be llttlo moro thun half tho amount paid by tho Stato in the last tWO years. Thero Is ono feature fea-ture of this plan as suggested that might be taken a an objection to it, and that is that tho personal honesty, Industry and Integrltj of the men employed would havo to bo taken for granted, as they could not very well be kept tab on, for tho reason rea-son that their work and movements In the fleld would necessarily bo govorned by circumstances and their own bost Judgment. Judg-ment. These men could also do good service ser-vice as fish arid gamo wardens while In deadly pursuit of their destructive game. It I hoped that these suggestions may provoko discussion of this vexed question, that will result In the adoption of some plan to get rid of these carnivorous pests that aro so destructive to the domcstlo and game animals of the Stato, in a more effoctlvc and less expensive way than tho present bounty system. Recommendations. The Stato Commissioner respectfully recommends That tho Stato fish hatchery be Increased In-creased to doublo Its present hatching capacity, ca-pacity, and provision made for the samo and its maintenance. The additional cp-i cp-i i Lting i " nss would bo llttlo moro than at present. That a dwelling house b built for tho hatchery employees, and provision be made for It That the threo remaining acre of Superintendent Su-perintendent Walker s land adjoining tho hatchery' grounds bo purchased by the State for additional pond room That tho open season for duck shooting covering the period from February 15 to March 15 bo repealed. That tho traffic and ale of wild wstur-f..wl wstur-f..wl be prohibited, tlv samo as other kinds of Wild game and gamo brds. That the fish and gamo law bo complied and re-enacted, with necessary amendments. amend-ments. Thnt the seining season In Ro.ir lake be I hanged from tho two spring months, extending from tho Ifitb day of May to the ljth day of July to the month of September Septem-ber and October, so that the trout and black bass may not ho disturbed or taken during their spawning Reason That provision be made for the expense of transplanting bass and cattlRh from Utah lake i" stock other public waters of tho Stato, and also for the distribution of quail or other gamo birds throughout the State and tho introduction of othor gamo birds. That niorn efTeetlve measures be adopted for the sen enlng of irrigation dltche nnd canals against tho destruction of tho fish of the State. That the Btate lish and Gamo Comml-slon Comml-slon be gl.ti full control nnd authority to appoint ftsfa and game wardens for each county, and provision made r.,r their compensation com-pensation out of the State treasury' That provision be made for the Stato fish exhibits at Stato fairs. That a short open season of tm dxyg. (r m the lf th of O, tobr to the Hj .. mber b m.ide. to permit n hm-1 Ing at.' ... 5 ut Ik Davis and Weber counties. During the List iu" . '.re iosHj entire bulk of tl"h t.iken for cemiaB! use from the wao rs of this StatsH tak' u in 1'i.ah iind Rich countleH Utah and Bear hikes, but owing tH division of i. ' r : i . tv. - 'i I'tih ! Idaho. It Is difficult to p t a reportK Ku h county of tho fish taken for inaSV-use inaSV-use The fish end game warden flH county. Mr A Slade. In his annUBH port ! es the t rulllc f'-'r the last X. At the Fish Hatcheries. C Ce.rp 3M'-'i i-.nn.pj nt - I S. V- .Su. k-rs. 181, 7t"i pounds at I'o .. . Catfleh idre-. i' - f-'. l-'W iB Cat ash 1 un.lr . l.SH BInck bau9. :i pounds at 10o Tr-ut iprnat.- u'c. at 00a -Hl Mountain h.-rrtni;-i. -eua.ls at iHaTH Chub, 18,000 poundi at Zc Total value of catch Total nuuib'.-r of i-oundu caurtat Mm For 1903. iarp, J9C.3S pounds at 1 1 :c - I Suckers. 371.850 pounds u l'iO Cateflah (drese.l). lbs. at IT? c Ijar Catflsb (undressed) 26.626 Ibi ot ! W. Black baes 11,300 pounds at Wc... Trout Iprhai') use) 0 lbs at Wo. .. Mountain h-rrlnK J300 (.eun.ls at ltt.. K Chubs, 16 Tj iuiioj ut 'E Total value of catch 'fl Total number of pounds caught Grand total val f.r years :f-M-M.SK Number of poun.ls for 1TO3-04 'Wt During the. two years eleven applloam for black bafts to stock private PonjH been received and 31j spawning naH niah d for that ;. .r, nmJM Pish and 'cuu- WnUn ..ir im Evans of Pongultch. In Garfield estimates the uuantlty of trout tjBpiB that county as follows for l'.0 1 Taken from Funru'.teh I -: Taken frem Msmi ' 1 ota,r creeks of county "'im For Yea 1904. Taken frem PanruH-h la' "" Taken from Mammoth cre'-k -j Taken fmm Pajirulth rrek .. "J Taken from other waters and atreama n count Total Miscellaneous. Kistem M Br .. TtoUtJ There has been retained at th 5 St h.iloherv f r t.r ' Grayling trout try 1 Stcclhent trout fry 1w" Furnished to apill'an'a for pn- , vate ponda, Eastern brook,tBjH tr,.ut 1-''UW Nnllvo trout fry furr.loho-1 to jm applicants for prlvato ponJa . Recapitulation. It Is shown from tho fonolng : JIJ tlon that there nns be. n lll:'n"JB pul.lle waters of the Snw durii.B t"J raj-em W Pounds rotBMi Trout fry from Imported 'Sk. ' I rnoatly Eastern brook trout M Th.re haa ben pluntel In t"' m. . publlo waters, native trout jSH ' retained at Stato hiichOTTj ti -n brook, graline ' i (i ry) s steel head : Mt Sold to applicants for private ponda, Eastern brook trout t BoM to appVlcanta for private p-jnda, natlvo trout fr; Maklim a (frond total fheryMSH eated at tho Stale nM h-ry the year 190J assT'-paUns; .IJt In addition to the forcing SJS plenishing the public waters van obtainable arletles of 1 ' . nc Dtsssf; Plsb and Game department H Its rustling agent. "."' bI.,,r,. of i.PPli- t Ion i" - ntA pries s , forB Frov. riser 'Ibis ' f,t"n'' stattTsjK number of try planted In the Slw yax 1903 to I.OTS.CW. |
