85 



season? 



Mr. Black. Hasn't the farmer a right to, a shot gun, 

 to shoot his own deer? ! ,,1 pf, 



Pres. Yes, a shot gun or a rifle. 



Mr. Black. Whenever you catch them doing any dam- 

 age there is no law that prevents the farmer killing his 

 own deer. 



Mr. Frost. A man has no right to shoot the deer un- 

 less he sees, when he shoots him, that his trees are being 

 destroyed. The fact may be evident that they are being 

 destroyed, but unless Ije sees the damage being done he has 

 no right to shoot. That is the statement I want to make. 



Pres. Must the man that sees the deer see him des- 

 troying his property? .,,. ,!.j,,|y ^,v/o:> 91M 



Mr. Wheeler. It must be on cultivated land; the law 

 reads that it must be on cultivated land. 



A Member. I think that a year ago my town got the 

 most deer of any town in the state and it was estimated 

 jthere were 150 shot there and they were not all reported. 

 Thank the Lord, there were a lot of them that were not, but 

 lots of them were reported and our game wardens bore us 

 out in killing them. I think our game warden took a dif- 

 ferent view from some, because he had had lots of occasion 

 to have damage done himself and he knew something about 

 the deer. The trouble with the people that make the laws 

 is that so many aren't acquainted with them. If they would 

 come up and winter with us they would get pretty well ac- 

 quainted. 



A Member. The law reads that if they are destroying 

 any crops, except grass, on cultivated fields you have a right 

 to shoot them. That is, any crop except grass on the culti- 

 vated field. I know I shot one and my son one and we had to 

 report it, and the gam:e warden came and that was the end of 

 it. He didn' t take the deer. But we couldn' t sell it and had 

 to eat what we could of it. 

 ■A'-.,. A Member. I merely wish to say this, that I liope the 

 'motion will not prevail in the exact form in which it is, be- 

 cause I think that by putting us on record as favoring the 

 destruction of the deer is too radical a measure. I will offer 

 an amendment so that the word "destroy" shall be omitted 

 and the word "control" will be inserted, because I think 

 that if this Association goes on record as favoring the com- 



