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GROUSE SHOOTING LONG AGO Causes for the Scarcity of the Noble Bird Are Severe and Many Harking back to the days of long ago when one could shoulder his breech louder with a degree of certainty and step into the open and enjoy a good days sport with his dog bagging air the law al ¬ lowed of partridge most anywhere he chose to wan ¬ der makes one used to good gunning condi ¬ tions shudder to the marrow when he comes to face with the demoralized small game shooting con ¬ ditions as they are today todayThroughout Throughout the states which come within the range of the partridge belt and that was prac ¬ tically everywhere in all states east of the Mississip ¬ pi River and south of Greenland to the Gulf of Mexico there has been in times past good partridge or ruffed grouse shooting In some of the states it has been what one might call excellent But that condition is known only to those of us who traversed the side hills and the woodland clearings more than a decade ago agoIn In those days it was not an uncommon thing in trouting time to hear the cock of the woods drum ¬ ming on a fallen log for his queenly he One could not travel many miles along the banks of the brooks or streams that this familiar roll was not heard every little while in the early hours of the morning and quite often the rapid whir startled one from his reveries during these peregrinations peregrinationsThe The woods in spring were always alive with such sounds and in the days of midsummer one could not drive over country highways without coining in contact with one or more hens with broods crossing the dusty roads or see them feasting on the berries growing by the roadside or rolling in a dust hole by some sheltered stone Avail AvailAt At that time the natural resources of this noble game bird vere not questioned It was gen ¬ erally conceded that Mr and Mrs Partridge were quite able to take care of themselves and their increase for it was a widely scattered and most prolific family familySCARCITY SCARCITY NOTICED TEN YEARS AGO AGOSportsmen Sportsmen were at a loss to understand why good side hill and upland cover should become deserted by this grand bird The scarcity became noticed about ten years ago and annually increased in visibility until today one has to use a magnify ¬ ing glass to find much more than a trace of par ¬ tridge in some of the states statesThe The woods no longer ring with the drumming and a microphone would hardly detect the whir of a sudden rise and flight flightThose Those who know best the nature of the beast and the nature of some men make no excuses but drive directly to the evil and point to the laxity of the law and downright stubborn ignorance of legislators when conservationists and fish and game commissioners ask for special privileges and special funds to accomplish special things for the especial benefit of all concerned concernedPolitical Political pressure is too often brought to bear on upstate members by downstate dontcareadamns and it is very discouraging for any one with right ideas and right principles to undertake to make overtures to those with unscrupulous principles who think fish and game commissioners and conserva ¬ tion commissioners are holding down soft jobs and spending the public money to protect foolish ¬ ness when nature can protect itself itselfSome Some hunters are cautious enough to go through life like the busy bee and store up the honey for the winter time of their discontent They are liberal enough to take only what they need in order to supply the larder and obtain a good days sport sportThere There are others however who pass their days like the grasshopper feasting on the present tj teir fill and thinking not of the morrow And there are others so thoughtless and disinterested who feel so safe in their own security that they only think of locking the stable door after the thief has walked in and walked off with the old mare LUCKY TO BAG SINGLE BRACE OF GROUSE GROUSEI I presume there are some of these men who hunt that have hideous nightmares when they throw themselves down on the bunk at night after a fiuitless day afield One is lucky these days to bring to hag a single brace of grouse to pay for the time trouble and expense in going after them and blame the dog for his poor work rather than blame himself for his own shortsightedness They are not generous enough to think of conditions as they were and as they are and say I too am to blame And yet man is at fault faultSome Some hunters who think they know find conso ¬ lation in attributing the great scarcity of par ¬ tridges ruffed grouse to the inroads made upon them by vermin That cry has been taken jip and seems to satisfy the thirst for knowledge a good many have haveWhile While it is true that vermin do make inroads in the productiveness of the partridge the woods will never be so full of vermin as to cause the near extermination of this prolific and noble game bird The dangerous vermin has been mere man and it will always be so until that time conies when pro ¬ tective laws are made and enforced against him himMan Man with a modern gun man with snares and traps man insatiated with market greed and the man with no limit but the sky above man without laws that would check his culpability with adequate and severe penalty for his wrongdoings and man in the assembly halls of our states who doesnt know enough to listen to words of wisdom and act accordingly accordinglyIn In connection with this species we have snakes skunks hawks foxes jays martens and occasion ¬ al stray house cats catsWhat What we want is law in good and sufficient quantity and quality to protect There is only one way out of the dilemma provisions for a closed time on partridge for a period of three to five years and a penalty stiff enough to make a man think twice before he will violate the law lawThe The partridge under such circumstances will come ¬ back to his own and it wont take long before tilings will be as they were in the good old days a decade or so back Syl in New York Sun
