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Show Field and Stream VERNON W. SHIELDS JusF as I expected! The state Legislature passed Senate Bill 257, the measure that would increase hunting license fees with the increase in-crease going into a special fund to pay damages caused by big game. Of all the low-down dirty pieces of legislation, this measure takes the cake! Over one hundred thousand thous-and sportsmen in the state of Utah are opposed to this bill, but only twenty-five or thirty private land owners were in favor of it, so the bill get's passed. One of our brilliant bril-liant senators made the bright remark, "This is a bad bill, but I'm going to vote "Yes" to get it out of the .way." What a fine representative repres-entative of the people he is. He could have voted '"no" and got it out of the way just as easy. As things now stand, the state of Utah stands to lose about $750,000 every two years as a result of this legislation. This is Utah's allotment under the Pittman-Robinson Act. This money is to be used exclusively exclus-ively for game managment, and there is only a definite limit to the amount of money that can be spent by the Fish and Game Department for damages. The sponsors of this bill have tacked on a clause which states that the damage provisions will be voided if - it violates the federal act; nevertheless you're going to get stuck for an increase in your hunting -license To date, this bill has not been signed by the Governor, and Joe Johnson, Secretary and Treasurer for the Utah Sportsmen's Assn., informs me that his organization is writing writ-ing a letter of protest to the Governor. Gov-ernor. I was unable to contact Mr. Mooberry, President of the Tooele Wildlife Federation, but other oth-er officers of that association say that they intend to file protests immediately. What the sportsmen of Utah ought to do is to band together and refuse to buy a hunting license at this increased price. If they'd stick together they could do it and thereby show our legislators a thing or two. ' Here's a summary of Fish and Game bills passed by the 28th Utah Legislature. Senate Bill 244 - - to change opening of deer hunting season from the third to the fourth Saturday Satur-day in October. House bill 37 - - to limit any one individual to one special deer permit per-mit in any one year. This bill has been signed by the Governor. House Bill 42 - - to make success ful applicant for special elk or antelope permit ineligible to apply for another for two succeeding years. A good bill and signed by the Governor. House Bill 59 - - to permit aliens to hunt after fifteen years residence resid-ence in the stae; signed by the Governor. House Bill 174 - - to permit year around fishing for non-game fish on the Colorado, Green and San Juan rivers. I have been informed that the State Land Board has the Timpie Springs area up for sale. Certain interst in Tooele and Grantsville sportsmen are circulating a petition petit-ion to have this area set aside as a public shooting grounds. They plan to try and get the' Federal Wildlife service to take it over. If they fail in this, they intend to persuade the Utah Fish and Game Department to purchase this from the state so that it can be used for the benefit of all sportsmen. I doubt very much if the federal government will take this area under un-der their wing because it isn't large enough to meet federal- requirement; require-ment; however, the state Fish and Game Department should be interested inter-ested in acquiring it. More power to the Grantsville sportsmen in any e-vent. e-vent. pi ' ' |