Chapter 7 - Game Birds, Your Heritage And Responsibility

The study of American game birds is actually the study of the country itself, from the standpoint of nature and outdoor life. Where proper conditions for these species exist, you will find them in varying numbers according to the amount of disturbance man has caused in their environment, feeding and isolation.

There remain areas in the country which support many of the species mentioned in this book, where man's destructive effect is hardly noticed at all. In other places, the wild game has been forced by real estate development, wetlands drainage, commercialization, roads and pollution, to retire into more remote areas. Man has further unbalanced this remaining land and water by allowing natural and domestic predators, such as the house cat and dog, to run wild and feed on game.

However, there are signs, just beginning to be seen, that the country has finally awakened to the need to support the wild things and to guarantee their future needs. State conservation agencies, together with various departments of the federal government, have combined with owners of large tracts of land, such as the lumber and pulp companies, to bring about a multiple-use program—harvesting the timber and crops along with protection for the wilds, for man's and the creatures' benefit. It is here that organizations such as the Izaak Walton League- Of America, the Audubon Society and others have helped in great measure.

In still more areas of the country, the practices of conservation have enabled man to repair the damage he has done to the wilds, and to restock the fields and forests with many species for the nature lover as well as the sportsman.

Throughout all this development, it has been the sportsman who initially has been the most active of any group to guard against the bleak future of disappearing wildlife and to see that strong measures must be undertaken. Finally his voice has been heard. Many states are going on land-buying programs to set aside lands for wild-life sanctuaries, recreational parks and forests. Game bird species will thrive in these areas, particularly the birds like the grouse and the snipe, neither of which is given to artificial propagation as are the pheasant and the ducks.

That these steps forward will be maintained and increased in intensity is entirely up to you—the next generation. Those who have gone before, preaching, campaigning and actually fighting for the rights of the outdoors and the wild things, must eventually turn over the reins of government and sporting interests to the next electorate who will take over, as is their right.

This is a big package, loaded with many responsibilities. Industry and an expanding population is land-hungry, and the lessons of pillaging the natural resources have not yet been sufficiently learned by enough people to cause their designs to include conservation in any and all of its interlocking facets.

It will be an easy task to see just how well you are doing. Where the wild creatures cannot live any longer, you will not find them. This is the danger signal, for when they and their example of balanced nature leave, the human family is doomed to depart sooner or later. Where water becomes scarce and unreliable, life cannot prosper. Where soil has been eroded or drained of its values, proper food cannot grow and man, along with his wild charges, must eventually depart.

There are many who falsely criticize the sportsman and single him out as the one who has hunted the wild creatures to death. They claim that if we did not have hunters, there would be more wild creatures in the woods, fields and swamps. This is simply not so. The sportsman does take a small harvest annually of the game bird population in areas where it is legal. But remember, that it is the sportsman who has been the one to pay for the game protector and warden, the scientific laboratory and mechanics of the state conservation departments through license fees, and sporting goods taxes. The sportsman has created and supported such efforts as Ducks Unlimited, without which we would probably have few if any ducks flying at all. Do some research on this organization, as an example, and you will see that the sportsman's organizations have actually put money, brains and efforts into the protection of the wilds. Many other organizations have merely talked about it, or instituted sanctuaries, largely because the owners of the property have given it over to the cause merely to dodge taxes.

The way you can help as an individual is to join a rod and gun club and see to it that conservation is the number one subject at the meetings and that more than just debate goes on. All these clubs are aligned under regional or county federations and thus form a network of power which is felt by the state and federal politicians. Surveys have shown that there are a tremendous amount of people who hunt and fish, and who, also, vote.

Investigate the 4-H Clubs which also contribute much effort and practical assistance on their important grass roots level.

There are those who are against the killing of birds and animals. Being against this, however, is not going to guarantee wildlife safety against infringing civilization. The man who shoots a few pheasants or grouse or ducks can do more for wildlife in general, because of his interest and contact, for he is not only interested solely in killing game. Being a sportsman, he realizes that the sports of hunting and fishing are basic training for sportsmanship and honesty in dealing with life itself. Few youngsters who have been exposed to the sports have been juvenile delinquents. The two just don't mix. Furthermore, just because someone does not shoot a bird or an animal does not make him a saint. By NOT doing something, "bad" you do not necessarily become "good." There are many people who do not go around murdering other people, but they are not necessarily good people!

Be proud of the fact that you like to hunt and bring home game. By the same token, do not lose your temper with those who call you a killer. They just don't understand.

As a sportsman, nature lover, and one who likes to see the wilds as they should be, you have a great responsibility, both to your fellow man and to the creatures of the wilds. Whether you like to catch a bird in the binoculars, on film in your camera, or whether, in addition, you like to dine on broiled grouse, you have the job of seeing to it that these creatures live as they should, despite encroaching civilization.

Some day you will hand over the reins to your own younger generation who will, in their turn, thank you for what you have done, and will want to keep what you have guarded for them.

Don't let them down!

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