CHAPTER XXIX. 

 Destruction of Game and Game Birds. 



OF late (1908) there has been much writing and law making 

 in an attempt to preserve the game of this commonwealth, 

 and it reminds one of the old adage of "Locking the Barn 

 Door, after the Horse was Stolen." At the last Assembly 

 of the Pennsylvania Legislature, there was a Bounty Law passed 

 with an appropriation of $50,000 to pay the bounty on the differ- 

 ent animals. The appropriation was exhausted almost before the 

 trapping season had begun, or at least should have begun, so far 

 as the trapper's interest was concerned. Now, I wish to speak of 

 the bounty as to fox and mink, and I wish to speak of an incident 

 that came under my observation. 



A neighbor of mine makes a business of trapping each fall ; 

 there were three in the family, who trapped last fall. They caught 

 11 fox, 4 mink, 8 coon, 2 weasel and 1 wildcat. This catch was all 

 made before the 20th of October and sold for $34.45, or including 

 bounty, $66.45. Now, had this same fur been caught in November 

 or December, thp fur alone would have brought at least $68.00, 

 and the taxpayers would have been $32.00 ahead. 



I also know of another party who dug out two nests of young 

 mink and got nine young ones. The old mink escaped. I asked 

 this man why he did not let them go until fall or winter, as these 

 dens were near his mill? He informed me that he never fooled 

 away any time trapping and had he left them go until fall the mink 

 would have been gone and now he was $6.50 ahead. Now, this 

 man had actually destroyed at least $30 worth of furs to get $6.50 in 

 bounty. 



While I think that the bounty on wildcats and weasel is all 

 right, I do not think a bounty on fox and mink at all necessary. 

 The high price their fur brings will induce the trapper to take all 



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