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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1914)
8 i.A 7.11HSI wm. A RE you one of the hundreds of Oregon hunters who go out each year and bag a deer, a few pheas ants or ducks or some other kind of game bird or animal life? Have you ever, then, thought as you worked your way along through the ;, brush in the hills, or marshes, or -through the stubble in the fields, how tllong the hunting would keep up in this i, modern day of perfected arms, in creased numbers of sportsmen, de creased expanse of wild country and , general advance of civilization? ; In the enthusiasm of good hunting i perhaps you haven't given It much ; thought, but luckily the proposition , has been looked into by the state. As j. a result of this and thi3 alone the sportsmen of the future are to be able Ji to enjoy good hunting. Perpetuating wild animal life is a big ij undertaking and one which has been H overlooked by the majority of states. Oregon has been one of the first to j heed the necessity of keeping game i life extant and therefore this state holds the lead in the amount of work :r and good accomplished. !I It is being done by game reserva ! tlbns, refuges and farms where ani !'j mals and birds are being protected and . propagated and then liberated to grad- ;! llallv Hnrenrl Intn th himMncr rnnntrv to compare wits with the nimrod and kl. .J II .... .. The' state now has under guard a to J. tal of 143,789 acres of land surrounding ifstate institutions; 2654 square miles or 1.689,320 1 acres in other parts of the ,( state; thousands of acres of privately-i-owned farms and lands and all the ter. ! ritory within incorporated cities and j; towns. The Federal Government has ij four large reservations closed to hunt fine and hundreds of farmers have 3 closed their premises to the nimrod un Jier ' contract with the state. Not a tbird nor an animal can be molested in (' these reserves and steps have been 'ftaken even to protect them from their own enemies such as snakes and pred- atory creatures which prey on eggs, , young birds and the young of game , animals. The protection and propagation has been extended to dozens of varieties of : birds and animals, including deer, elk, i aiitPpes, mountain sheep, ducks, geese, brant, pelicans, grouse, pheas i' ants.' Boh Whites, forked-tailed petrels, 'i tufted puffins, pigeon guillemots and a few black oyster catchers. j Guards patrol the reserves, warding ; off hunters, trapping and shooting of ! predatory animals, posting "no hunt ! ing"' signs and promoting other pre ! cautionary measures to prevent inter i ference with the animals or birds which ' the state and Government are trying to protect. 1 The refuges are veritable incubators" I of wild lifo which would need no guarding if the sportsmen understood their Importance in building up the hunting. As the refuge plan has grown , intrusions and violations have been less i frequent and it is probable that in the " future the campaign of education now being promoted by the state will have 1 gained sufficient strength to make pos sible the elimination of the policing of the reserves. It was in 1905 that the need of refuges was first Been. At that time W. I Finley and others interested In the work of game protection and propa . gatlon took a trip into the game re gions and made a study of conditions. . It was concluded that the refuge plan ' was the most feasible and accordingly 1 recommendations were made to the state and to the Federal Government that refuges be established. In 1907 and 1908 lour bird reserva- Kf .;s.. tions were established tion of the President ' proclama the United States. Gradually year by year the game life was being driven back by the advance of settlers, the draining of marshes, the cutting of timber, the clearing of wild land, the building of roads into the wilds, making entrance by automobile easy and the making of Improvements in guns and ammunition and the means of transportation. And all this in addition to- the natural en emies of game life; which In Itself is enough to seriously hinder the spread of game. ' Eliminate all the natural enemies of birds and turn a. pair of bob whites or pheasants loose In a favorable coun try, and it will be but a short time before they will overrun that country, game authorities say. But as it is with the woods and hills alive with preying predatory creatures, the game bird and animal has a hard time in creasing. Add'to the natural struggle the devastation by hunters and the end of wild life can be seen unless steps are taken to protect it from hunters and its own enemies. It was in 1911 that the State Legis lature first took up the refuge propo sition. An act was passed giving the Governor the power to set aside land surrounding state institutions for game reserves or refuges. Under this law, 143.789 acres of land was set aside and the work of propogating animals and birds was started. ' It has Increased rapidly since, until now there are thou sands of square miles on which hunt ing is absolutely prohibited and on which the task of perpetuating animal life is well under way. In 1913 the State Legislature took an other step in advance by passing a bill establishing six large game reserva tions in different parts of the state. In cluded in the tracts are vast areas of state land far out in the mountains where animal life will increase rapidly. Not only are the animals which were in these places at the time the reserves were established fully protected but many new forms of life have been In troduced and are increasing rapidly. In the meantime the statn Antnhliahmi a big-game farm at Corvallls. where birds and animals are being propogated and liberated on the reservations. At the farm are a number of elk, deer, and antelope. The principal work of the farm, however, is the propogation of wild birds such as Chinese pheas ants, quail, bob whites and Hungarian partridges. These birds and animals are propogated and released on the re serves and refuges, there to increase and gradually spread into the sur rounding country. The extent of operations of the game farm is shown in the reports for 1913. A total of 2363 pheasants were raised and liberated during that year. A total of 708 quail and Hungarian partridges were liberated, making a total of all kinds of birds of 3071 for the year. An elk farm has been established in what Is known as Billy Meadows, in Wallowa County. In 1912 a herd of 12 elk was liberated on this farm and reserve by the state, the animals being secured from Yellowstone National Park. In 1913 another herd of 15 was THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, APRIL, 26, 1914. I 1 rf-c: 3l received. Of the number 24 survived. From the 21 there are now 30. In an other year there will be 45 or 50 and from then on the growth will be very rapid. In many of the reservations great success has been had in rearing birds. Large districts have been stocked with birds from a few pair turned loose from the propogation farm. The 1913 Legislature passed laws creating refuges or reservations of every incorporated city and town with in the state. In Portland and other cities game birds are seen in large numbers in the suburbs and. often times close to the center of the city as a result of this policy. Many of them are very tame as a result of the protection afforded them. The 1913 Legislature also passed a law prohibit ing any person from shooting from a public highway or railroad right-of-way. Inasmuch as the ocean beach has been declared a .public highway, shooting is prohibited 'from the Colum bia River to the California line along the ocean front. The work of guarding the reserva tions is becoming more extensive each year. The guarding is not only against hunters, but also against the r v., mals. Trapping of skunks, weasels. lynx, cougars and killing of snakes and other creatures is a big part of the work. Professional trappers are de voting their time to this phase of the work in an effort to hasten the up building of the game bird and animal kingdom, and much success is being reported. Although the reservations are fre quented by guards and the animals, or many of them at least, have been raised by man. they are wild, their natural life soon removing their tameness. This is true not only of the birds, but of the animals as well. This element is being promoted as much as possible, so they will have a better chance when they venture into the hunting grounds. The six game reservations estab lished comprise 2654 square miles, some being reserves for particular kinds of birds, and others being set aside for all varieties of birds and animals. In '7 . V' v Si- l1 'J 7 Baker and Union Counties and the southern part of Wallowa County is the Imnaha Reservation, taking- in 560 square miles or 358.400 acres. This reservation is devoted to the protection principally of mountain sheep, deer and Franklin grouse. There are a few elk also in this reservation. In the southern part of Crook County and the northern part of Lake County is the Deschutes Reservation, compris ing 1296 square miles, or 828.444 acres. This is the largest reservation "of the six. " It is for the protection princi pally of mule deer and antelope on the Winter range. It is also the natural home of the sage hen or sage grouse. In Southern Oregon, taking in most of Steins Mountain range, is the Steins Mountain reservation, comprising 6814 square miles, or 435,920 acres. In this reserve there are being protected mountain sheep, mule deer, antelope and sage hens. Sturgeon Lake Reservation is - on Sauvies Island in the Columbia River. It has an area of 6V4 square miles, or 4160 acres, and was set aside for the protection of waterfowl. It is a rest ing place for ducks, geese and other game birds, which are shot at all along the Columbia River. In their flight during the hunting season they can rest on this reservation. It Is also a large feeding place and propagation ground. Til a capltol reservation takes in the -7T 1 1 Kisssr ... . v: m J -i US.: 5V i 1 1 i i 4$ city of Salom and vicinity in Marion and Polk Counties. It contains 56 square miles or 35.840 acres. It was created to afford a large central refuge where game birds may be propagated and dis tributed over the country surrounding. In the Coast range in the. western part of Lane County is the Grass Moun tain reservation comorlsine 54 sauare 17ns State Has Taken the Lead in EslabHshing Game Reserves Where Wild Animals and Birds Are Protected Against Their Enemies. Deer, Elk, Antelope, Ducks, Geese, Pelicans and Many Other Kinds of Game Find Refuge in Thousands of Acres of Guarded Country. Other States Now Follow Oregon's Lead for the Benefit of Sports men in the Future. V miles or 34.560 acres. On thi reserve is a large herd of elks and many deer. The Federal Government reserves are for the protection principally of birds. The first reserve of the kind to be set aside on the Arch Rocks, Pacific Coast was Three comprising a group of rmall islands from a half mile to a mile off tho Oregon Coast, a few wiles south v -v. . W V 1 B of the entrance to Tillamook Bay. Im mense colonies of sea birds are found on these rocks. Included in th varie ties are California murres. Western gulls, brant. Balrd and Farallone cor morants. Kaeding and forked-tailed pe trels, tufted puffins, pigeon guillemots and oyster catchers. . On Lower Klamath Lake, lying partly In Oregon and partly in California, is the Klamath Lake reserve, taking in 132 square miles or 83.000 acres. On this reserve are hundreds ot thousands of wild fowl which propagate in thou sands m the marshes of the reservation. For the protection of water fowl the Government has established a reser vation taking in Malheur and Harney Lakes. This is called the Lake Mal heur reservation and takes in 143 square miles or 90.000 acres. Klamath and Malheur Lake reservations are two of the largest and best refuges ever established for the protection of wild birds. They are the Fall and Spring feeding grounds for myriads of migrat ing water fowl and untold numbers re main to nest and rear their young. Among the game birds that nest on these two reservations are Canada geese, various kinds of ducks, avocets. black-necked stilts. Western willets, klldeer and many others. The fourth of the Government reser vations Is that known as the Cold Springs reservation comprising a reser voir site of the reclamation service where water is stored for irrigation. It is in Umatilla County and takes in 2500 acres. When the reservoir was built a certain number ot seepage lakes were created outside the reservoir eite. The large body of water attracted ducks, geese and other wild water birds during the migrating season. Many of these remain to breed., Formerly there was no duck shooting in this dry area. Now there is good hunting In season. ' In protecting and propagating wild life the state fish and game depart ment considers that a great commer cial good is being done as well as the hunting being kept up. From an eco nomic and business standpoint it is said the game and other wild creatures of the state are worth over J5.000.000 an- nually. The saving is attributed to the protection from pests which i afforded by the wild life i