File:Bulletin (Pennsylvania Game Commision), no. 10 (1911) (20507069001).jpg

Title: Bulletin (Pennsylvania Game Commision), no. 10
Identifier: bulletinpennsylv10penn (find matches)
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Pennsylvania Game Commission
Subjects: Game protection; Birds
Publisher: Harrisburg, Pa. : Pennsylvania Game commission
Contributing Library: Penn State University
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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Photograph by W. Gard. Conklln. Fig. 3. PRIMEVAL WOODLAND IN CLARION COUNTY: COOK FOREST These magnificent White Pines are among the finest in eastern North America. and to hear the croak of the great northern raven, one of the rarest and shyest of North American birds. That such sights are still to be had in Pennsylvania is due to the intervention of the several departments of the State government organized tor the protection of the wild creatures and the natural resources of the Common- wealth, backed by the conservation forces of the outdoor-loving men and women of Pennsylvania. Dr. Joseph S. Illick, State Forester of Pennsylvania, has defined a forest as "a complex community of living things," and in speaking of the Pennsylvania Forest, I shall try always to keep before you this broad and sweeping visualization. The forest, then, is not only the trees, but also the shrubs, the wild flowers, the grasses and mosses. It includes the wild creatures from the tiniest warbler and chipmunk, to the wild turkey, the deer and the bear. It is the fish in the streams and the streams themselves, and it is with the ad- ministration of all these things for the general good of all our people that we are now concerned. Conservation matters in Pennsylvania are officially handled by three departments: the Board of Game Commissioners, the Board of Fish Commissioners, and the Department of Forests and Waters. I shall endeavor here to present in brief some of the functions and activities of the Game Commission. ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD OF GAME COMMISSIONERS The spirit of hunting seems to wake a thrill in the breast of every male American, boy or man. We like to imagine ourselves as our hardy ancestors, clad in buckskin and dependent on our long rifles for our daily food. Even those who have never killed a buck, or shot a grouse, and who would not have the slightest practical idea as to how to make themselves fairly comfortable in the woods, find a vicarious excitement in reading in the newspapers or magazines of hunting experiences, or in listening to the "tall stories" of their friends. Hunting, therefore, has an almost universal appeal. Prop- erly supervised by wise conservation measures, and inspired by sportsmanlike ideals, it is one of the most useful and wholesome recreations, and should be perpetuated and made possible for suc- ceeding generations of American citizens. Pennsylvania years ago was a "shot out" state. While there was still an abundance of small game, the big game, deer and bear, was almost exterminated. This was due to an almost total lack of pro- tective laws and of public education as to the benefit and value of the wild life of the Commonwealth. In contrast with this depletion of wild life of the Commonwealth at that period, the legal kill of the two years 1924-1925 was 17,000 buck deer, about 2,000 does and 1,400 black bears. The legal kill of 1926 was 12,500 bucks, 1,200 does, and 650 bears. In 1925, cub bears were protected by law. The annual value of fur taken in

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