The State-Sportsman-Landowner Triangle

Abstract

The proper regulation of hunting and fishing is a topic upon which any man who ever drew a bead on a fleeting form or cast a fancy fly on the bubbling brook has expressed opinions in no uncertain terms. Local fish and game clubs many times have proposed resolutions only to see their good intentions go for naught. This failure is due in part to conflicting purposes within a group, in part to lack of definite policies clearly expressed by the state fish and game commissions, and in part to lack of supervision by game departments, but rarely to over-enthusiasm on the part of club members. Each year organized sportsmen see themselves restricted by more and more regulations, of some of which they doubt the worth if not the validity, largely because they do not understand why they were adopted. A game department depends on revenues from the sale of licenses and to continue in office does a certain amount of restocking, brags about the capacity of fish hatcheries and game farms, puts much emphasis on law enforcement, but unfortunately neglects several other worthy phases. Sportsmen organize to realize their objectives, but often growl unceremoniously when farmers also organize. Many sportsman-farmer hunting cooperatives continue only a few years. Too many factors are involved to enumerate and discuss here, but if the legal aspects of acquiring game were better understood, more harmonious affiliations possibly might be achieved. When sportsmen fully realize the scope of activities of their fish and game departments, they will be more insistent that these departments equip themselves with proper personnel to carry out the many duties. In the process of going hunting, trapping, or fishing, there are several generally accepted transactions between the hunter on the one hand and a state