FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



A SYMPOSIUM ON ADIRONDACK DEER. 



Mr. E. A. Pond, of the Pond Music Co., 

 this city, has lately done an excellent piece 

 of work. He has, for years, taken a deep 

 interest in game protection — especially so 

 as to the Adirondacks. In order to find out 

 what effect our new laws are having on deer 

 in the Adirondacks, Mr. Pond sent out, in 

 December last, a circular letter to some 60 

 guides, hotel men, postmaster.- and others, 

 in the Adirondack region, in which he pro- 

 pounded the following questions: 



Are deer in your locality increasing or 

 decreasing? 



Were there more or less deer killed this 

 year than last, in your vicinity? 



How did the deer killed, this season, 

 average in size, as compared with those 

 killed in the previous year? 



These question^ are asked in order to 

 ascertain what legislation, if any, is neces- 

 sary to still further protect th? deer. 



About 45 answers were received, all of 

 which ' ontain valuable information. I 

 wish I ad room to print them in full; but 

 have n< . Here are a few which show the 

 trend c opinion among the people who live 

 with t'.ie deer, so to speak. 



Chief Game Protector J. W. Pond says: 



I note you are desirous of obtaining 

 ? .ne authentic information about the deer 

 j 1 the Adirondacks, and an opinion as to 

 what changes are desirable in the law gov- 

 erning the taking of same. 



" This Department is not advocating any 

 change, with a slight exception, namely: 

 to regulate the possession of venison, which 

 measure failed to become a law in 1897, 

 / when the open season was changed for the 

 killing of deer. We think the deer will 

 thrive fairly well under existing laws. The 

 indications are that deer are on the in- 

 crease, as few were killed this year, in com- 

 parison with former years. This Depart- 

 ment has not as yet received statistics from 

 the Adirondacks, as to the number of deer 

 killed in 1897." 



H. D. Stevens, Editor of the " Malone 

 Farmer " says: 



" I believe the deer in this locality are in- 

 creasing, under the present law, though it 

 has not been tried long enough yet to show 

 results. We cannot go into the woods and 

 catch and count every deer to see how much 

 they have increased, in a single season; 

 but next fall, when the hunting season 

 comes on, we shall know more about it. I 

 think the deer are increasing rapidly be- 

 cause so few were killed in this section this 

 fall, as compared with previous years. The 

 rate of slaughter of a year ago, and the 

 years immediately preceding, could not 

 be kept up without utterly exterminating 



the species. I think the law should not be 

 changed from its present form, for 4 or 5 

 years, except to shorten the open season at 

 both ends, perhaps. From September 1st 

 to October 1st is long enough. By cutting 

 off the first 15 days so many does would 

 not be killed. By cutting off the last 15 

 days tracking on the snow would be 

 stopped. I believe that when a start is 

 made to protect the deer, we should pro- 

 tect them; though I like to hunt with dogs 

 as well as anyone. In fact I cannot do 

 much at hunting in any other way; conse- 

 quently I had no regular hunt this year. 



" After we have protected the deer for a 

 sufficient time they will become plentiful 

 enough so that it will be as easy to get one 

 without hounding, as it was with the aid of 

 dogs before that method was prohibited." 



Mr. A. M. Church, Secretary of the 

 Adirondack Guides' Association, writes 

 from Old Forge: 



" Three things are necessary if the deer 

 and other game of this State are to in- 

 crease, or even continue to exist: 



" 1st. Better protection. 



" 2d. Absolute prohibition of the sale of 

 game killed in this State. 



" 3d. More food. 



" By better protection I mean a shorter 

 season for hunting, and more capable and 

 efficient game protectors. We must have 

 men who are acquainted with the country 

 they are to cover, and who are willing to 

 work. Those we have are wholly useless, 

 so far as deer are concerned. 



" The present market law is thoroughly 

 a pot hunter's law, and no one not on the 

 line of a R. R. leading out of the woods, 

 can realize the number of deer and other 

 game that is carried to market. 



" The last requirement must of necessity 

 come slow if at all, and is only to be 

 brought about by the cutting out of the 

 mature spruce and hemlock trees; thus 

 allowing the rays of the sun to penetrate to 

 the ground and warm and light the millions 

 of seeds that lie dormant, so that they may 

 grow, and form an undergrowth which deer 

 can reach and feed on. It is a well known 

 fact that in a primitive or virgin forest there 

 is little undergrowth, and consequently lit- 

 tle food for deer. 



" The present law is satisfactory to our 

 people, except that the open season is too 

 long and that it allows the sale of game." 



A. F. Down, express agent at Beaver 

 river, sa} r s: 



" Deer are not increasing. Fewer were 

 shipped in '97 than in '96. More large 

 bucks were killed this year. 



" A large portion of the surrounding 

 country was originally Dr. Webb's private 



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