FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONER. 361 



The 1909 licenses were in the hands of the county clerks in time for distribu- 

 tion to their city and town clerks before the first of the year. Returns 

 from the hunting licenses at this writing indicate that a somewhat larger 

 number of licenses will be issued during 1909 than were issued in the pre- 

 vious year. I do not believe, however, that the number for the present 

 year will be more than 10 per cent, in excess of the licenses sold during 1908. 

 The licenses were effectively distributed in 1908, and very few men who 

 went afield hunting were not provided with licenses, despite the fact that 

 licenses were only obtainable for six months of the calendar year. One 

 reason why more licenses are not being sold this year is owing to the fact 

 of the general posting of lands by farmers and game protective associations. 

 Judging from the reports of protectors who have questioned hundreds of 

 sportsmen for their licenses, almost the only hunters who have not taken 

 out licenses are farmers who are privileged to hunt on their own farms with- 

 out licenses. From many localities which were formerly overrun by irre- 

 sponsible gunners who destroy insectivorous birds as well as game, word 

 comes that few if any of this class were afield. Many of the country news- 

 papers of the State print each month a list of persons in their localities who 

 have taken out hunting licenses, and as the records are easily accessible in 

 the city, town and county clerk's offices, it is a simple matter to ascertain 

 whether the law has been obeyed. 



At present New York State issues abouc 1 hunting license per 70 of 

 population. On the basis of 1 hunter to 5 of population, this would indicate 

 that about 1 in 14 of the adult male population has taken out a hunting 

 license. In England and Wales 1 hunting license is issued per 90 of popula- 

 tion; in Scotland, 1 to 111, and in Ireland, 1 to 167. In the western States 

 of this country the number of licenses in proportion to the population is 

 very much greater; but New York has too much of a city population 

 to ever come into the same class with the essentially hunting States. 

 As noted in my last report, there is a vast discrepancy between Hamilton 

 county in the Adirondacks, where 1 license is issued per 3 6-10 of 

 population, and New York county, where the ratio is 1 to almost 1,000 

 of population. 



