GA.ME AS A 2TATI02TAL EESOUKCE. 



37 



In 1899 a close season on deer for 10 years was provided in New 

 Jersey and a number of deer obtained through the game commission 

 were liberated in suitable sections of the State. A¥hen the season 

 opened in 1909 hunting was limited to bucks and restricted to one 

 day, Wednesday, in each week in November; later the season was 

 opened for four or five days. In 1915 the season was opened on 

 both bucks and does, and 293 of those killed were does. The follow- 

 ing is a record of 3,626 deer killed in 12 years : 



Deer lilled in Neio Jersey, 1909 to 1920. 



Year. 



■ 



Deer 

 kiUod. 



Year. 



Deer 



killed. 



1909 



Sfi 



1915 



503 



255 

 327 

 353 



522 



3 S44 



1910 '• 127 



1911 ' 1171 



1912 ^ 2 109 



1913 ■ 149 



1914 ! 180 



1916.. 



1917 



191S 



1919 



1920. 









1 30 illegaUv. 



2 5 ille-allv. 



2 10 illegally. 



In comparison with the results elsewhere the number of deer 

 annually killed in New Jersey is small, but as the area there avail- 

 able for deer is limited and the season short, the discrepancy in the 

 results is not so great as would appear at first sight. In Vermont 

 the total number of deer killed during the first 10 open seasons was 

 3,489, and the daily average was about 58 ; while in New Jersey the 

 total number was 2,260 and the daily average was 56, but in New 

 Jersejr the large number killed in 1915, and the correspondingly 

 high daily average, were due to the fact that nearly 60 per cent 

 of the deer killed were does. 



The experiment of reintroducing deer into Vermont merits special 

 attention, because it has been a marked success and because the 

 records are sufficiently complete to make it possible to trace each 

 step in the work. Sixty years ago deer were practically extinct in 

 the greater part of Vermont, except in Essex County in the north- 

 eastern corner of the State. At that time the Rutland County sports- 

 men undertook the task of restoring the deer. Funds were col- 

 lected, 17 deer were obtained from various sources, chiefly from 

 Dannemora, N. Y., and liberated in the count}^, and in 1865 a close 

 season of 10 years was established b}^ the legislature. Since 1876 

 the close season has been extended from time to time so that the 

 deer enjoyed almost uninterrupted protection for 32 years, from 

 1865 to 1897, except during the open seasons of 1875 and 1876. In 

 addition, a standing reward of $50 was offered for evidence which 

 would lead to the conviction of anyone violating the law. Under 

 this protection the deer increased rapidly and spread throughout 

 the State and also into adjoining States. 



