52 RAISING DEER IN THE UNITED STATES. 



GAME PROPAGATION AND GAME LAWS. 



The chief obstacle to profitable game propagation in the United 

 States lies in the restrictive character of state laws affecting the kill- 

 ing, sale, and transportation of game. Many of the States, follow- 

 ing precedent, lay down the broad rule that all the game in the State, 

 whether resident or migratory, is the property of the State. A few 

 of them, notably Nebraska, North Dakota, and Tennessee, except 

 such game animals as are " under private ownership legally acquired." 

 A few others encourage private ownership by providing means by 

 which wild animals may be captured for domestication. Generally, 

 where private ownership of game is recognized by law, the right to 

 kill such game is granted, but the owner is hampered by the same 

 regulations as to season, sale, and shipment that apply to wild game. 

 One by one, however, state legislatures are coming to recognize the 

 interests of game propagators and to modify the game laws to meet 

 the changed view. 



TRANSPORTATION" OF LIVE DEER. 



Except in a few States that provide for the capture of wild deer 

 under permits, the only source of stock for private preserves is the 

 animals already in captivity. Hitherto the shipment of live deer 

 and elk from private preserves has often been permitted because 

 game wardens and others interested could see no advantage from 

 interfering, notwithstanding that a literal construction of the law 

 in many States would absolutely forbid such shipments. Pennsyl- 

 vania is one of the few States that give owners of private deer pre- 

 serves the positive right to sell and ship deer or fawns at any time 

 for propagating purposes. 



TRANSPORTATION OF VENISON. 



Under the license system and within specified limitations, some of 

 the States permit the holder of a hunting license to ship venison 

 lawfully killed to his home within or without the State. The gen- 

 eral transportation of venison, as well as its export out of the State 

 in which it was killed, is usually forbidden. Only a few States 

 permit the export of deer, and two of them — Delaware and Ohio — 

 have no deer, so that the animals are not mentioned in recent game 

 laws of those States. The laws forbidding export usually specify 

 deer or parts of the carcasses of deer; so that the legal shipment of 

 live deer is impossible except in States which make provision for their 

 export for propagating purposes. 



Before 1909 the two sections in the game law of New York refer- 

 ring to the killing and sale of deer specified " wild deer," but in the 

 section relating to transportation the word " deer " was unqualified. 

 The manner in which this omission at first affected the owner of a 



