Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 October 1901 — Shoot That Crow. [ARTICLE]

Shoot That Crow.

fie is a Game Exterminator and A Bold Bad Bird. Editor Republican:—Will you allow me space in your paper to express myself as to what I think to be some of the worst “game hogs” we have to contend with in our state today ? There has been much said regarding our present game laws. I say that they are good as far as they have gone, but that they haven’t gone far enough. Game wardens are all right, if they are the right kind of men, they can and will keep the market hunters and men that want to hunt out of season from violating our game laws to a certain extent. But my object is not to argue this question but to show that we have more and worse game hogs to contend with than man, and I claim that Mr, Crow,'the weasel,’ the skunk, the mink, the hawk, and last but not least, the prowling old tom cat destroys more game and song birds by killing the young and robbing the nests of their eggs, than the sportsmen do with gun and dog and I believe that if our law makers will only offer a bounty on the above named game destroyers, enough so that it will pay the boys, both of town and country, to kill every one they can, that we will, within a few years, have our fields and forests full of game and song birds. It was with considerable interest that I read an article in the American Field, written by August Ferrias of Illinois, in which he gave his experience with the crows and for many years I have pointed out to the sportsman and farmers of our county that the crows were an enemy to man, but they have shaken their heads and said I was wrong. But I still kept slinging lead at the crows as long as I was able to go hunting. Mr. Ferrias, like myself, is a man that has long believed that the crow is largely responsible for the scarcity of our prarie chickens and quail as well as many of our song birds. I say long may he live, and may age never dim his eyes or weaken his tigger finger, so long as he wants to use them for the purpose of trying to exterminate the crows from our land. Mr. Ferrias states that there were nine prarie chicken nests on his farm containing 119 eggs, which were destroyed by crows. It would be safe to say that 100 would have matured from these eggs. And supposing the nine crows destroyed the nine nests, would not the one hundred chickens have destroyed more harmful insects and weed seeds than those nine crows? And the prarie chickens would be far better eating when they were killed. The game birds of Indiana are considered worthy of protection. Game wardens are appointed to protect the same from illegal killing by man, but what does our game law profit our inhabitants, if the game destroyers herein mentioned are allowed to destroy the eggs and young birds for ninety days of each year to say nothing about these destroyers which hunt every day and night of the year, rain or shine. The truth of the matter is the sportsmen and farmers of Indiana are like the chump who some times holds the sack for his friends td drive the snipes into on a dark night. The game wardens probably do prevent much illegal killing of game by man but they are entirely powerless to prevent its being illegally killed by birch of prey and vermin. I think a good way to prevent our game and song birds against extermination would be to pay a bounty on these game destroyers. Crows are getting more numerous every year. They are to be seen all over our fields by the thousands and many farmers through this region are annoyed

by the crows carrying off eggs and the young of their domestic chicken, and what must be the destruction among the wild birds from the same cause, without the aid of man to protect them, can only be imagined. A friend told me that while plowing last spring he flushed a prarie chicken from her nest. The nest contained fourteen eggs and some of the eggs were pipped- On visiting the nest the following day he found that every egg had hatched, and the old bird was apparently brooding'the young birds a few yards from the nest. On returning to the field after dinner, he saw a crow a short distance from the old bird, and it seemed to be eyeing her very closely, but as he came nearer the crow flew away. That was the last he saw of his brood of prarie chickens, although he was in the field several times after that, besides he made inquiries of others and the’ answers were always the same. They had not seen the birds, the crows doubtless got them all. Now my brother sportsman and farmer friend, don’t think for one minute that I want all the blame shouldered on to the birds of prey and vermin, for there are others, and if this article finds a place in the columns of the Republican, you may heai from me again. Let us hear from others. J. W. King.