The Ohio Journal of Science ran a fascinating article from an OSU 
professor in 1948: "The Relative Importance of Hunting Restrictions and 
Land Use in Maintaining Wildlife Populations in Ohio." Find it at 
https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/3664/V48N06_209.pdf?sequence=1 
   Birders will be interested in the huntable birds--you'll be surprised 
how many species--in the old days.
        Readers will be amused, or perhaps appalled, at the list of the birds 
our solons in the Legislature (p.224) designated "protected at all 
times" in 1874--the complete list is “crossbill or corncrake, dummock, 
Eur. Blackbird, great tit or blue tit, grossbeak, hedge sparrow, 
Hungarian robin, nightingale, redstart”, all of them seemingly names of 
common British birds.
        More thought-provoking are the changes in regulations covering
the taking of birds between 1857 and 1948. The first list of huntable 
birds regulated (dove, flicker, grouse, prairie chicken, quail, turkey,
woodcock) had a 14-day season from 9/15 through 2/1, and there is an 
1857 list of of only nine species named as "protected at all times" 
("bluebird, catbird, martin, mocking bird, red bird, robin, sparrow, 
swallow, thrush.")
        Four years later the prairie-chicken, grouse, and turkey seasons had 
lengthened by 14 days to 154, and seasons for killdeers and meadowlarks 
had been added. In 1861 flickers and wrens were provided protection. By 
1866 hunt days allowed for prairie-chickens and quails and turkey 
seasons had shortened by 41 days.  But by 1874, 123 days were allowed 
for hunting grouse, prairie chickens, ducks and geese. Three years 
later, quails and prairie chickens had a two-month season, and in 1883 
their season was only a month long, but in 1888 the season was 106 days.
        By 1900, the season for prairie-chickens and grouse was only 22 days 
long, and in 1902 they were protected.  In 1911, the legislature
acknowledged that "deer, otter, prairie-chicken, and wild turkey" were 
extinct in Ohio. In 1917, the following were declared songbirds, and 
protected: "blackbird, bluejay, bobolink, buzzard, eagle, gull, 
killdeer, mouse-hawk, nuthatch, quail, sparrow and other wild birds."
        By 1917, grouse season was 20 days, and by 1919 it was 11 days, then in 
1927 they were protected at any time; then it was 16 days in 1938. By 
1928 yellowlegs were off limits, and in 1937, golden and black-bellied 
plovers were protected. In 1943, the snipe was given full 
protection--temporarily. By this time, only the Hungarian partridge and 
the pheasant, both stocked European introductions, had newly specified 
seasons. In 1947, seasons were provided for "squirrel, coot, merganser, 
deer, ducks, geese, Hungarian partridge, skunk, pheasant, rabbit, and 
squirrel."
        Back in the day, the Ledge seemingly had only anecdotal advice; 
recently they have information from trained professionals; few species 
have been removed from the game list as a result, and the regulatory 
dates and bag limits don't change as often. In fact, some need to change 
more often, in my opinion. For example, does it makes sense to keep the 
bag limit for rails at 25 for year after year? Are snipes really 
numerous enough to allow their maximum take? Either way, the clumsy 
determinations of the state legislature over the centuries are one way 
of acknowledging the changing numbers---nearly all downward--of our birds.
Bill Whan
Columbus

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