REPORT OF THE No. 32 



reported plentiful this winter, and are doing well so far by the report of the 

 farmers through the country. With a favorable spring, quail should be 

 plentiful next fall. Partridge are becoming scarcer each year. Last fall 

 there were few killed in the neighborhood, so the season he thinks should' 

 be the same as for quail. When the season opens on the 15th Sept. and 

 closes on the 15th Dec, it gives the shooters too much excuse to be out shoot- 

 ing quail, and they claim they are out shooting partridge. 



Wild geese were there in large numbers during the spring and fall of 

 1902 and 1903. The sportsmen used to have great sport chasing them and 

 trying to get a shot at them. In those years he and his partner killed 146 

 one season over a life decoy, but the last few years they have been getting 

 more scarce. They seem to change their feeding grounds, and the sportsmen 

 are getting very few of them. Wild duck were abundant in spring, but they 

 were very scarce last fall, except the grey and black duck, which were more 

 plentiful than in years past ; but the bluebill and other river ducks were very 

 scarce, so the fall shooting was not satisfactory to the sportsmen for river 

 shooting. Muskrats are as numerous as ever, a large part of his district 

 being suitable for them. Sportsmen enjoy hunting them. 



The game laws have been fairly well observed in his division. 



Game and Fishery Warden T. A. Hand, Sault Ste. Marie, reports that 

 the fishery laws were broken in several instances, but chiefly by Americans. 

 They have been doing as they like up in this country so long that they seem 

 to have got the impression that they own the country. When you get 

 American trap and gill nets set in our waters twenty miles over the boundary, 

 it is time something was done. He got these nets on several occasions, bat 

 was unable to get their boats on account of not having a proper boat, and he 

 thinks, to do justice to the men who pay a license and live up to the laws, 

 there should be a good boat on the water all the time between Killarney and 

 Michipicoten. It is very Hiscouraging to our own men to pay a license, set 

 their nets, and then have an American come along and set his net right across 

 our man's who pays his license. He has seen this done, and of course he 

 seized their nets every chance he got. 



Judging from the success of the various hunters during the past open 

 season, he is of the opinion that deer and moose are becoming more plenti- 

 ful in that district. He is proud to say that he thinks the game laws are 

 pretty well observed, as he had only one conviction during the year — that of 

 killing one moose during the close season. He is also pleased to say that there 

 were about three bucks killed this season to one doe. It will be noticed by 

 the returns from there that they did not sell so many non-resident licenses 

 as last year, owing, he has no doubt, to the raise in the fee, which he thinks 

 was proper. He had about half a dozen Americans come to him, and when 

 they found the fee was $50 they did not stay. 



Wolves are on the increase — at least that is his opinion, and he thinks 

 the bounty should be raised to at least |25 per head, and then a great many 

 more would be killed. Beaver are getting more plentiful, also muskrats. 

 Partridge are very scarce, owing, he thinks, to the lateness of the spring, 

 also on account of the heavy fall of snow on the 28th May, which he thinks 

 killed a great number of the young birds. 



Game and Fishery Warden, Capt. A. Hunter, Belleville, reports that 

 on the whole the commercial fishermen have had a very successful year. He 

 would suggest that farmers and residents of the Province be allowed to spear 

 suckers and pike for their own use in the early spring. He found that the 

 fishery laws were fairly well observed throughout Eastern Ontario. He 

 thinks better results and more revenue would follow if the angling permits 



2a F. 



