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Show DELEGATES FAVOR REDUCED 1947 HUNTING SEASON A large majority of delegates to the recent migratory waterfowl conference in Denver was in favor of a reduced 1947 hunting season and a reduced bag limit, Randall L. Turpin, federal aid coordinator for the Utah Fish and Game Dept., reported today. He represented the Utah department at the parley tod said: "Some probability exists that each state will be allowed to set the dates for its own season," if the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service Ser-vice decides to limit the duck .hunt to only 30 days. This individual selection would have to come within the overall dates 'between start of the shoot in the northern zone and its close in the southern zone. Utah is in the intermediate zone. Thus, with the overall dates set approximately from Oct. 1 to Jan. 1, Utah would be allowed to pick any 30 ' consecutive days within that period. However, Turpin emphasized em-phasized that this was merely problematical. "A preponderance of opinion favored fav-ored a reduced season and reduced possession limit," Turpin said. "Most of the delegates were in favor of having one day's bag limit lim-it set as the possession limit. A majority favored no reduction in last season's bag limit of seven ducks. "Quite an argument developed over the method of establishing regulations according to zones," Turpin asserted. "A large number of the conferees were in favor of scrapping this method in favor of a plan whereby regulations would be set up according to flyways." The Utah official pointed out that considerable evidence was presented pre-sented showing that the Pacific and Central flyway breeding grounds are in better condition than last year, but that the Mississippi Missis-sippi and Atlantic flyway nesting areas are in hazardous condition. If the flyway management plan should be adopted, Turpin said, Utah would come under Pacific flight lane regulations, although actually the state's ducks are divided di-vided between the Pacific and Central. Cen-tral. The most drastic demands were made by Colorado delegates, Turpin said. Among other things the Coloradoans asked for a 60-day split season and a closed season on goose shooting. They told Dr. Clarence Cottam,' assistant director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, in charge of the meet, that Colorado would even favor a reduction in bag limit to three ducks, provided 60 days of shooting were allowed. This was necessary, they claimed, because of extensive crop depradation by ducks in the eastern part of the state. On the goose question, the Coloradoans Colo-radoans asserted that the entire "increment of increase" in geese had been killed off last year and that if shooting continued "Colorado "Colora-do will soon be out of the goose business." However, Dr. Cottam pointed out that each state has the right under the present law to make any reductions in federal regulations deemed necessary and that if Colorado Col-orado wishes to close goose shooting shoot-ing it may do so. Turpin predicted that there was but "slight chance the federal agency ag-ency will ever consider a split season sea-son for any state." |