18 REPORT OF BOARD OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONERS. 



years ago the legislature divided the State into game districts. Those 

 selected were based upon artificial boundary lines without sufficient 

 regard to natural conditions. In order to be satisfactory, districts 

 must be based upon faunal, geographic and climatic conditions. In 

 another part of this report will be found a suggestive districting 

 scheme, which we believe will be far more satisfactory. 



The present condition of game in the State is far from satisfactory. 

 It is possible to secure the bag limit of any variety of game in any 

 part of the State only with a great deal of difficulty. This is not 

 necessarily due to the lack of enforcement of our present game laws, 

 but to the fact that the seasons are too long, not rightly placed, that 

 the number of hunters has been increasing year by year, and to numer- 

 ous other causes. 



DEER. 



It is reported in many parts of the State that deer are on the 

 increase. In view of the greater number of hunters, this is remark- 

 able if it is correct; but it is doubtful whether careful investigation 

 will uphold the current reports. There are probably killed in the 

 State each year by hunters, 10,000 deer. Records were secured in 

 1911 of nearly 7,000, and it is safe to assume that at least 3,000 more 

 were killed. It has been estimated that every mountain lion will kill 

 at least 52 deer a year. Place the lion population at 250 and we can 

 charge up 13,000 deer to lions. Coyotes and other varmints will 

 without doubt bring the total number of deer killed up to the neigh- 

 borhood of 30,000. In average years the natural death rate is not 

 great; most of them meet violent deaths, so that 30,000 can be fairly 

 accurately placed as the number of deer dead from all causes in the 

 State. 



ELK AND ANTELOPE. 



Of the thousands of elk and antelope that formerly ranged in our 

 State, we now have but a few scattered bands, feeble reminders to fill 

 us with remorse for the protection we did not give such magnificent 

 game. In the San Joaquin A^alley near Button Willow and in the 

 Sequoia National Park range are all that are left of the thousands of 

 "tule" elk that formerly were found throughout the San Joaquin and 

 Sacramento valleys. This species is peculiar to California. They now 

 number between 400 and 500 head. It is reported that twenty odd years 

 ago the band had decreased to less than twenty head. Since that time 

 they have been given protection by the Miller & Lux Company and 

 have now increased to their present number. On account of the size 

 of this herd, it will soon be necessary for the State to take care of 

 them, as no private interest can stand the expense of so great a num- 

 ber of large animals ranging at will through fences and over fields. 

 The writer and Professor Grinnell of the University of California 

 during the past summer visited this section of the State, and a plan 



