Cape May’s location brought large numbers of migrating birds to rest and feed there before continuing their long journeys, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries hunters took advantage of that concentration by lining up on Sunset Boulevard to shoot them, sometimes killing thousands in a single day. In 1935, the National Association of Audubon Societies leased 25 acres, posted No Hunting signs, and hired a warden to protect wildlife. This original Witner Stone Wildlife Sanctuary quickly expanded to 1,000 acres and successfully ended the shooting of birds at Cape May Point. During World War II, the sanctuary became part of a military base, and later the state of New Jersey acquired the property, with the original sanctuary land now part of Cape May Point State Park and Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area.