THIRD BIENNIAL STATEMENT 167 



We have been careful to stock our Preserves with the 

 large northern deer, most of them secured from Michigan, 

 Vermont, New Hampshire and New York, and the balance 

 from breeders within the State, the cost ranging from $15 

 to $30 each. 



Some of our deer are caught during the snows of early 

 spring, when hunger forces them to come to baited traps. 

 In many cases they are caught by being driven into corrals 

 through long V-shaped wire fences and shipped immediately 

 in individual crates. On account of the does being heavy 

 with fawn, they should not be handled later than March. 

 However, our losses have been negligible and have never 

 exceeded 2 per cent. 



We have never had a State-wide closed season on deer 

 in Pennsylvania. In 1905 our total kill in bucks, does and 

 fawns was estimated at 300, and it was then realized that 

 if something was not done quickly our deer would be exter- 

 minated. Our bear and wild turkeys were also on the road 

 to extinction. It was during that year that our first game 

 sanctuary was established in Clinton County, and by 1913, 

 when our Resident Hunters License Law was passed, giv- 

 ing us ample funds to carry on our work, we had six large 

 Preserves in operation and our kill for 1913 was approxi- 

 mately 800 deer, 300 bear and 500 wild turkeys. 



We now have 24 large game preserves of about 3,000 

 acres each located in our mountain counties, with a large 

 area surrounding them upon which our 600,000 sportsmen 

 may hunt without running up against trespass signs. We 

 also have six auxiliary game preserves, mostly on farming 

 lands for the protection and propagation of rabbits, quail, 

 ruffed grouse and English pheasants, with hunting grounds 

 surrounding them. During 1920 we expect to establish 

 ten additional large game preserves and at least twenty-five 

 auxiliary game preserves. 



Our kill of game has increased yearly since 1905, when 

 we established our first Preserve, and in the season of 1919 

 the total was as follows : 



