﻿192 
  Sixteenth 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  as 
  a 
  necessary 
  preventive 
  of 
  deer 
  accidents 
  will 
  scarcely 
  be 
  able 
  

   to 
  base 
  their 
  plea 
  on 
  the 
  official 
  figures. 
  Indeed, 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  

   that 
  the 
  annual 
  outcry 
  as 
  to 
  deer 
  hunting 
  accidents 
  has 
  been 
  justi- 
  

   fied, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  apparent 
  that 
  the 
  popular 
  idea 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  hunters 
  killed 
  or 
  injured 
  in 
  any 
  one 
  year 
  in 
  this 
  form 
  of 
  sport 
  

   has 
  been 
  greatly 
  exaggerated. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  figures 
  further 
  show 
  that 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  

   accidents 
  occur 
  among 
  hunters 
  of 
  birds, 
  duck, 
  rabbits 
  or 
  other 
  

   small 
  game. 
  Thirteen 
  were 
  killed 
  and 
  six 
  injured 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  

   season 
  in 
  this 
  wing 
  of 
  the 
  army 
  of 
  sportsmen." 
  

  

  The 
  hunting 
  region 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  is 
  peculiar, 
  in 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  

   convenient 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  densely 
  populated 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

   Similar 
  conditions 
  do 
  not 
  prevail 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States. 
  This 
  State 
  alone 
  has 
  a 
  population 
  of 
  nine 
  millions 
  of 
  

   people 
  — 
  one-tenth 
  of 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  Union 
  — 
  and 
  

   our 
  hunting 
  sections 
  are 
  easily 
  reached 
  by 
  almost 
  as 
  many 
  more 
  

   people. 
  The 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  has 
  increased 
  two 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  

   millions 
  since 
  hounding 
  was 
  last 
  in 
  vogue. 
  More 
  than 
  500,000 
  

   shot 
  guns 
  and 
  rifles 
  are 
  annually 
  sold 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  these 
  come 
  every 
  year 
  to 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  men 
  

   who 
  hunt 
  in 
  this 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  this 
  vast 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   hunters 
  rather 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  hunting 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  menace 
  

   to 
  human 
  life 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  State 
  where 
  the 
  hunt- 
  

   ers 
  are 
  grouped 
  thickly. 
  If 
  such 
  a 
  thing 
  was 
  feasible 
  no 
  one 
  

   should 
  be 
  granted 
  a 
  hunting 
  license 
  who 
  could 
  not 
  show 
  that 
  he 
  

   was 
  at 
  least 
  familiar 
  with 
  the 
  rudimentary 
  principles 
  of 
  loading 
  

   and 
  handling 
  firearms. 
  

  

  A 
  short 
  hounding 
  season 
  would 
  result 
  in 
  an 
  immense 
  influx 
  

   of 
  sportsmen 
  into 
  the 
  locality 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  permitted 
  and 
  there 
  

   could 
  hardly 
  fail 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  considerable 
  loss 
  of 
  human 
  life, 
  not 
  so 
  

   much 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  men 
  would 
  be 
  mistaken 
  for 
  deer 
  as 
  from 
  

   chance 
  shots 
  or 
  the 
  accidents 
  which 
  always 
  result 
  when 
  a 
  man 
  

   careless 
  with 
  firearms 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  proximity 
  with 
  a 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  other 
  men. 
  The 
  sportsmen 
  who 
  ask 
  for 
  hounding 
  do 
  not 
  

  

  