﻿10 
  HUNTING 
  LICENSES. 
  

  

  during 
  the 
  last 
  ten 
  years, 
  even 
  a 
  hasty 
  review 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  will 
  show 
  

   that 
  the 
  system 
  originated 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  early 
  date 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  a 
  

   and 
  was 
  in 
  reality 
  an 
  outgrowth 
  of 
  a 
  discriminating 
  attitude 
  toward 
  

   nonresidents. 
  Hunting 
  licenses 
  were 
  required 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  colonies, 
  

   particularly 
  Virginia, 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  hundred 
  years 
  ago, 
  though 
  

   their 
  object 
  was 
  somewhat 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  modern 
  times. 
  

   One 
  of 
  the 
  earliest 
  statutes 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  "An 
  act 
  for 
  a 
  free 
  trade 
  

   with 
  Indians," 
  passed 
  in 
  Virginia 
  in 
  April, 
  1691 
  (3 
  Hening's 
  Stat., 
  69), 
  

   the 
  object 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  stated 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  And 
  for 
  the 
  future 
  prevention 
  of 
  such 
  mischeifes 
  as 
  have 
  frequently 
  happened 
  at 
  

   huntings, 
  commonly 
  called 
  fire 
  huntings 
  and 
  other 
  huntings 
  remote 
  from 
  the 
  planta- 
  

   tions, 
  Bee 
  it 
  enacted 
  by 
  the 
  authority 
  aforesaid, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  hereby 
  enacted, 
  That 
  no 
  person 
  

   or 
  persons 
  whatsoever 
  shall 
  hereafter 
  presume 
  to 
  goe 
  an 
  hunting 
  remote 
  from 
  the 
  

   English 
  plantations 
  without 
  first 
  having 
  obtaiued 
  the 
  lycense 
  and 
  permission 
  of 
  their 
  

   Majesties 
  leiutenant 
  governour 
  or 
  commander 
  in 
  cheife 
  for 
  the 
  time 
  being 
  and 
  the 
  

   councell 
  of 
  state 
  under 
  such 
  restrictions, 
  limitations 
  and 
  conditions 
  as 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  

   giveing 
  such 
  permission 
  shall 
  be 
  by 
  them 
  thought 
  fit 
  to 
  be 
  enjoyned 
  and 
  appointed- 
  

  

  DISCRIMINATION 
  AGAINST 
  NONRESIDENTS. 
  

  

  In 
  an 
  act 
  passed 
  on 
  March 
  27, 
  1719 
  (Nevill, 
  86), 
  nonresidents 
  in 
  

   New 
  Jersey 
  were 
  prohibited 
  from 
  taking 
  oysters 
  or 
  putting 
  them 
  on 
  

   board 
  a 
  vessel 
  not 
  wholly 
  owned 
  by 
  a 
  resident. 
  The 
  discrimination 
  

   against 
  nonresidents 
  in 
  the 
  matter 
  of 
  gathering 
  oysters 
  thus 
  begun 
  

   nearly 
  two 
  centuries 
  ago 
  has 
  been 
  maintained 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  by 
  

   oyster 
  laws 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  1719 
  passed 
  in 
  1820, 
  181:6, 
  and 
  1899. 
  

   A 
  similar 
  discrimination 
  ma} 
  T 
  also 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  an 
  act 
  passed 
  in 
  Rhode 
  

   Island 
  in 
  1814. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  second 
  game 
  law 
  enacted 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina 
  (Laws 
  of 
  1715, 
  

   Chap. 
  Ill) 
  all 
  persons 
  not 
  possessed 
  of 
  a 
  settled 
  habitation 
  in 
  the 
  prov- 
  

   ince 
  were 
  required 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  certificate 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  planted 
  and 
  

   tended 
  5,000 
  hills 
  of 
  corn 
  before 
  they 
  were 
  permitted 
  to 
  hunt 
  deer. 
  

  

  Section 
  1 
  of 
  this 
  act 
  reads: 
  

  

  That 
  every 
  person 
  who 
  shall 
  hunt 
  and 
  kill 
  deer 
  in 
  the 
  King's 
  w*aste 
  within 
  this 
  

   Province, 
  and 
  who 
  is 
  not 
  possessed 
  of 
  a 
  settled 
  habitation 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  shall 
  be 
  

   obliged 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  certificate 
  when 
  required 
  of 
  his 
  having 
  planted 
  and 
  tended 
  five 
  

   thousand 
  corn-hills, 
  at 
  five 
  feet 
  distance 
  each 
  hill, 
  the 
  preceding 
  year, 
  or 
  season, 
  in 
  

   the 
  county 
  where 
  he 
  shall 
  hunt, 
  under 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  Justices 
  of 
  the 
  

   Peace 
  of 
  the 
  said 
  county 
  and 
  the 
  hand 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  churchwardens 
  of 
  the 
  

   Parish 
  w 
  T 
  here 
  such 
  person 
  planted 
  and 
  tended 
  such 
  corn, 
  as 
  aforesaid. 
  

  

  This 
  law, 
  which 
  contains 
  the 
  germ 
  of 
  the 
  hunting 
  license, 
  was 
  amended 
  

   twenty-three 
  years 
  later 
  (Laws 
  of 
  1768, 
  Chap. 
  XIII) 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  deny 
  the 
  

   privilege 
  of 
  hunting 
  deer 
  to 
  persons 
  not 
  having 
  a 
  freehold 
  of 
  100 
  acres 
  

   of 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  province, 
  or 
  not 
  having 
  tended 
  10,000 
  corn 
  hills 
  during 
  

   the 
  previous 
  year. 
  

  

  « 
  It 
  is 
  sometimes 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  license 
  idea 
  originated 
  in 
  Canada, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  

   strictly 
  the 
  case. 
  

  

  