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Show SPORTSMEN OFFER BILLS TO UTAH LEGISLATURE Although there seems to be an abundance of bills carrying the blessings of the state sportsmen now on the docket in the state House and Senate, the proposed legislation actually breaks down into about three major issues. The big game board of control. Both the Utah Wildlife Federation Federa-tion and the newer Utah Sportsmen's Sports-men's association have bills up for consideration. The Wildlife Federation Feder-ation asks (a) revision of the big game board of control to include the fish and game director, a landowner land-owner to be selected from the Utah Horse and Cattle Growers' Association, and the Utah Wool-growers' Wool-growers' Association; a sportsman, to be named by the Utah Wildlife federation; the U. S. Forest Service Serv-ice and the Taylor Grazing Service, Serv-ice, (b) That the big game board make scientific studies of the ranges in the state and decide fairly the carrying capacity of each range, (c) That open hearings hear-ings be conducted in each district in the state and that they be announced an-nounced so that all sportsmen, landowners and stockmen may have a chance to speak his mind in his own district, (d) That .the big game board, with the exception excep-tion of the federal agency representatives, repre-sentatives, be given expenses and a per diem wage for riding the ranges and making personal investigations. in-vestigations. The Sportsmen's association also has a big game board bill, which would abolish the big game board, the present fish and game commission com-mission and the state game refuge committee. It would replace the present five-man commission with a nine-man commission, chosen by the hunting and fishing license holders of the state. Both sportsmen's groups intend to seek a modification of the "no Sunday opening" law for pheasants, pheas-ants, which was enacted by the 1943 legislature. Both would give the director the power to open any seasons on any day he saw fit. The Utah Wildlife federation asks the installation of the merit system for the fish and game department de-partment employees while the Sportsmen's association asks civil service for departmental employees em-ployees The Sportsmen's association asks legislation to make fish and game violations a felony instead of a misdemeanor. The Wildlife federation asks legislation banning the use of "trash" fish as bait in waters closed clos-ed by the state. It would ban these "trash" fish from "good" waters. The Wildlife federation also' asks that service men on furlough and hospitalized servicemen still in uniform uni-form the privilege of fishing in the state without a license. |