PERCENTAGE LOST OP SEALS STRUCK. 399 



When I was a boy I used a shotgun for taking seal, bought from the 

 Hudson Bay Company at Fort Simpson, and have 

 always used a shotgun for sealing. I think about Smith Natch, p. 298. 

 two out of ten seal shot are lost. 



Sometimes I lose two and sometimes three seal Ban Nathlan, p. 286. 

 out of ten I shoot. 



Use the shotgun for taking seal, and lose about j s. NeishTcaitk, p. 287. 

 25 per cent of those I shoot. 



Have used a Hudson Bay shotgun since I can remember for taking 

 seal. I very rarely lose a seal, because I shoot 

 them close to the boat. mida-ah, p. 288. 



It depends a great deal upon the weather as to the amount of seals 

 obtained by the hunters. After a heavy blow you 

 seethe seals lying on top of the water asleep, John O'Brien, p. All. 

 and you can get very close to them, and on an 



average you would get 2 or 3 out of every 5 or G you kill or wound, 

 while in rough weather you would not get 1 out of 5 or 6 killed or 

 wounded. 



Not being hunters of experience, our men lost about two-thirds of 

 all the seals shot. Good hunters would not lose to 

 exceed 25 per cent. * dso " T ' oliver > P- 372 - 



We used shotguns, using buckshot, and I have known twenty shots 

 to be fired at a seal before we got her. When 

 we shot at " sleepers " we got a good many more John oisen,p. 471. 

 than when we shot at "breachers" or "rollers," 



and we secured on an average about one out of every three killed and 

 wounded. The percentage of loss of those killed and wounded is fully 

 as great as I have stated. 



When rifle is used less that one seal for five shots is secured; many 

 shots miss, but of those seals hit about one-half 

 are secured. w. Boherts, p. 2ii. 



An ordinary hunter, on an average, will not kill one out of four 

 breaching seals, and sometimes he will not get 



one. The sleeping seal is the most easily killed, Adolphu,sSayers,pA7?>. 

 and we got about one out of three killed and 

 wounded. 



It is very hard to estimate the number lost of those shot, but I should 

 judge an expert hunter would lose certainly from 

 40 to 60 percent, and a hunter not particularly L. G. Shepard,p. 188. 

 expert would lose from 80 to 85 per cent. 



In some instances we ran upon schools of seal and shot five or six, 

 all of which would be lost; in other instances we 

 would secure about one-half of those wounded. Wm. Short, p. 348. 

 One-half of all seals shot on the coast are lost. 



About 25 per cent are lost when shot with a shotgun and more 

 are lost when shot with rifle. Shotgun and rifle 

 are nsed by me for taking seal. J<*><& Shucky,p. 289. 



