42 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 
DEER ARE VERY PLENTIFUL 
By SpeciAL WARDEN VirGIL L. PoweELt, Vernonia, Oregon. 
During the time I have been 
serving as a deputy game war- 
den, which is about 18 months, I 
have spent considerable time in 
the protection of deer from dogs, 
mostly in the vicinity of which 
I live. This I consider to be one 
of the most important laws in all 
the game laws. In fact, the only 
arrest I have made during the 
term of my office has been for 
running or hunting deer with 
dogs. 
About 18 months ago, when 
I first began the work of pro- 
tecting the deer from dogs, I 
would say that not more than 
10 or 15 deer were left in the 
township where I am located, 
being township 5 north of range 
4 west, Columbia County, near 
Pittsburg. At that time hounds 
could be seen or heard running 
deer every week in the year. 
Now hunters use their dogs sev- 
eral miles distant from this 
place, and what they do not kill 
they drive over to my township, 
where they find protection. And 
I would say at this time that the 
deer have increased in this town- 
ship in the past 18 months from 
10 or 15 to, I would say, anyway 
50 or 75 deer. 
The deer have become quite 
tame within the past year. I 
Picture of seven months old pet deer saved have counted a number at dif- 
from being killed by dogs by Special ferent times from May 1 to Aug- 
Warden Virgil L. Powell. ust 20 browsing in my field, and 
would scarcely run from me. 
The most of these, however, were does which had fawns or soon 
would have. 
During the past 20 months I have taken three deer away from 
hound dogs in the Nehalem River, which would have soon been killed 
by the dogs. Two of these deer died soon afterward from being pur- 
sued by these dogs and getting hurt. The third one, which I took away 
from dogs, I got in the Nehalem River near Pittsburg on June 11, 1915. 
This was a little fawn, scarcely a week old. This I brought home and 
raised on a bottle, and still feed on the bottle up to this writing. He 
runs with the cows during the day and follows them in the barn 
during the night. 
Certainly no hunter would hunt deer with dogs if he had gone 
through the experience with a deer such as I have this one. 

