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Wild Ducks to Be Shot by Growers To Protect Crops

^[[S.F. Chronicle 10/[[[?]]/18]]

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Official Permission Given Rice Men, According to Official

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Wild ducks in the rice fields of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties may be shot whenever necessary to protect the crops, according to an official telegram received yesterday from Washington by Carl Westerfeld, executive officer of the Fish and Game Commission of California. This ruling holds good until the 15th of this month. Only rice farmers, members of their immediate families and employes, however, may shoot the ducks, and they must shoot in open field.

Another restriction in the ruling keeps farmers from selling these ducks, and provides that they must either eat them or send them to hospitals or charitable institutions.

This ruling is the result of six weeks investigation by Dr. H. C. Bryant of the University of California, who went up to the rice fields as economic ornithologist for the Fish and Game Commission, and Alexander Wetmore, of the Biological Survey. Carl Westerfeld also investigated the situation for several days and found that of the 144,000 acres planted in rice not more than seventy-five to 100 acres have been molested by ducks.

Westerfeld said yesterday:

"This ruling applies only to the counties named, and only to the people directly concerned. Hunters may not shoot ducks anywhere until the season opens about October 16.'

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