1912 AND FISHEIUES COMMISSION. UH 



parted. As a rule the caribou can be more easily approached than the 

 moose, being neither so alert nor so cunning, but it is unquestionably a 

 magnificent animal and a valuable asset to the provincial game re- 

 sources. Its comparative scarcity in the accessible portions of the Pro- 

 vince, therefore, renders it most imperative that every precaution should 

 be taken to preserve it. The same remarks, therefore, in regard to the 

 length and period of the open season for moose would apply equally to 

 the caribou. In fact, the principal necessities in regard to the moose, 

 caribou and deer are to have one open season for all three of them, 

 applying equally to all parts of the Province; to restrict the killing to 

 the males of the various species ; and for the present, at least, to reduce 

 the period of the open season for all three varieties to a maximum of 

 fourteen days. 



A matter of no little interest to the public Avould be the publication 

 from time to time of statistics showing the numbers of big game taken in 

 the course of an open season. The possession, in fact, of information on 

 this subject by the Department would appear to be most desirable, for 

 it would seem to afford the only reliable basis on which to found restric- 

 tive legislation dealing with this subject. Licenses to hunt big game 

 have to be taken out by both residents and non-residents, the charge for 

 the latter being considerably in excess of the former, and it would seem 

 that no undue hardship would be placed on any licensee by requiring 

 him to furnish the Department from which the license emanates with 

 full detail of his kill. If a coupon for the purpose were attached to the 

 license, no doubt the great majority of hunters would willingly comply 

 with the condition, and there can be little question that the approximate 

 statistics obtained by this means would be both useful and interesting. 



Unfortunately it must be recorded that in certain portions of the 

 Province the weight of evidence obtainable points unmistakably to the 

 fact that considerable destruction of big game must still be attributed ta 

 the presence in the woods of lumber camps and other enterprises in- 

 volving the feeding of gangs of men by private companies and indi- 

 viduals. As a rule it would seem that the larger concerns are not guilty 

 in this respect, but in addition to making ample provision for food sup- 

 plies for their men, issue also strict instructions to their foremen against 

 the illegal taking of game, and that it is, in fact, the smaller concerns 

 \\ho are the most persistent offenders. It is perfectly apparent that in 

 a district where big game is comparatively abundant a great saving will 

 be effected to the timber licensee or contractor if the butcher bill can be 

 reduced by some thousands of pounds of meat secured at little or no ex- 

 pense in the forest, and, indeed, there is little doubt that in some cases 

 men are employed solely for the purpose of hunting for certain of the 

 camps, regulations on the subject notwitlistanding. The difficulty of 

 obtaining accurate information as to such infractions of the law is con- 

 siderable, for, as a rule, the camp is situated at some considerable dis- 

 tance from a railway, and even if the visits of the overseer could occur 



