30 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



law is as nearly ideal as it is possible to have a game law. When you 

 can separate a distinct class of animals which hunters are allowed to 

 kill and which, in practically all instances, can be easily distinguished 

 from the protected class, you have a law that will insure the maximum 

 protection and utilization. The protection of does, fawns and spike- 

 bucks insures a constant supply. Forked horns and larger deer can be 

 easily distinguished. As long as this law remains and is enforced, 

 our supply of deer is going to continue. The danger lies in the killing 

 of the protected class by careless hunters who shoot without knowing 

 at what they are shooting. If a doe or spike buck is killed, they leave 

 it to rot in the brush. Such violators are extremely difficult to appre- 

 hend and can only be controlled by a considerable force of deputies 

 throughout the entire deer section. 



Spotlight hunting has increased and is the greatest menace to the 

 deer at this time. Such hunters will kill does, fawns and spikes. They 

 work on the principle that they are violating the law anyway and 

 another violation will not add greatly to the offense. It is extremely 

 difficult to devise a law that can be enforced that will put a stop to 

 this illegal work, but it is believed that if a statute is adopted prohibit- 

 ing the carrying of uncased rifles and shotguns in automobiles at night 

 in sections frequented by deer, that much of the night killing will be 

 eliminated. 



Deer hunting with dogs has been severely criticized by many con- 

 servationists. There are many excellent arguments that can be made 

 for and against the use of dogs in hunting. In most of the eastern 

 states, dogs are prohibited. If it is deemed wise to further restrict 

 the use of dogs, it might be well to consider a law that would provide 

 that only small dogs be used. Such dogs would not be swift enough to 

 catch, or large enough to kill a deer, but would be entirely satisfactory 

 for "jump dogs" and for trailing wounded animals that would other- 

 wise be lost. 



The Work of the Commission in the control of mountain lions has 

 brought out many interesting facts regarding the distribution of lions 

 in our state. A bounty on lions has been paid for nineteen years. 

 During that time, 4680 lions have been killed. For the past eight 

 years records have been kept of the number of each sex killed. These 

 records show that 51 per cent of the lions killed have been males, and 

 49 per cent females. 



There is every reason to believe that we are slowly but surely getting 

 the best of mountain lions in California and that the number of animals 

 killed is slightly better than the normal increase; but assuming that 

 it is only the increase and knowing that the normal litter is only two 

 kittens and that the female lions whelp every two years, then assuming 

 that 25;"), the average kill for the biennial period, represents 49 per 

 cent of the lion population of the state, we estimate that the total 

 number of lions in California is approximately 520. These figures are 

 10 per cent less than a similar estimate made five years ago. A study 

 of the accompanying cut will show where lions have been most abund- 

 ant during the last nineteen years. The greatest number of lions, 

 2630, have been killed in the northwestern portion of the state, and of 

 thai number nearly 1100 have been killed in the humid coast counties of 

 Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte. It would seem from this that 

 the lion is not like other cats— afraid of water. It is also interesting 



