Besides being an avid hunter, Roger Howard, former Land Commissioner of Aitkin County, collects old hunting memorabilia, including old licenses and copies of game laws. Some of the older licenses date as far back as 1900. He was gracious enough to provide some copies for me to review and read.

Back then game laws didn’t change much from year to year. In fact, Roger pointed out that licenses for 1900 were used all the way through 1902. The date on the license is blank so the issuer could just put in any year they wanted too. The cost of the license was 25 cents. On one side of the document is a certificate-type license and on the other side are hunting and fishing seasons/regulations.

Some game laws and seasons are very similar to what we have today. The season for ruffed grouse went from October 1st through December 1st. Waterfowl season went from September 1st through January 1st. Yet the season on woodcock opened on July 4th. Limits on all game birds were pretty simple, you couldn’t have more than 25 birds, waterfowl and upland birds combined.

Big game seasons were about the same as today. Deer season ran only from November 1st through November 20th, but you could shoot five a year. Moose and caribou season also ran from November 5th to November 10th, but they had to have antlers to be legal.  It didn’t say how many a hunter could shoot. There is no mention of a bear season. It was likely that bears were considered a threat to livestock and people were allowed to shoot them all year.

Listed with the game laws were the fishing regulations. Open seasons on fish were also similar to those today. Trout were legal to catch from May 1st to September 1st. The season on black, gray and Oswego bass, plus walleyes and other “food fish,” ran from May 15th to March 1st. I still haven’t been able to find out what bass was called an Oswego bass, though.

Is catch-and-release a new idea? Not really. Even in 1900 if you kept a bass or walleye under 6-inches you could be fined $5.00 to $10.00 per fish. Limits on fish were no more than 50 a day, all species combined. Game fish had to be taken on hook and line, but suckers, red horse, and northern pike could be harvested “in any manner at any time.”  Members of northern pike clubs will love that one!

Yes, some hunting and fishing laws/regulations were similar to today, others very different.  One thing is still the same: the manner in which they were written back then are just as confusing and hard to read as they are today!

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I was on a camping/party excursion with some friends and acquaintances (no names will be mentioned to protect the innocent). The campground was on the Mississippi River. Some people had brought fishing equipment and I asked to use it for abit. Permission was granted and I grab a rod and some beers to head down the bank of the river to wet my line and my whistle. Reaching what I thought to be a good location, I set up shop. The afternoon/early evening was nice and I was enjoying myself even with no bites on the line. Now the bait/lure I was using probably had no business being on the line for where I was, but I didn’t care, I was just hanging out.

Time went bye and I heard some rustling behind me, as though someone was coming. I thought it was someone I was camping with, no big deal, hopefully bringing me some more beers. Well I was wrong, I looked over my shoulder as they approached and saw Mr. DNR Conservation Officer! We talked for abit about the fishing, weather, blah blah blah. He asked me for my fishing license. Well, I was in a pickle since I didn’t have one. We talked for awhile longer, with no way of me getting out of this one.

Results of this was a warning, confiscation of the rod (which wasn’t even mine) and humiliation going back to camp. I paid the guy who’s rod it was for my mistake. I’ve always, always bought a fishing/hunting license for whatever I’m up to.

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