FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



THE KILLING OF DEER. 



From Iron Ore, Marquette, Mich. 



Where a few years ago there were scarce 

 ioo hunters who sought deer in this penin- 

 sula there are now thousands. For weeks 

 before the open season began, last year, the 

 trains of the South Shore and Chicago, Mil- 

 waukee & St. Paul were delayed because of 

 the amount of baggage being handled for 

 hunters who came to the Michigan woods 

 to hunt deer. Where a few hundred animals 

 used to be killed now thousands are slaugh- 

 tered and their carcasses shipped to all por- 

 tions of the state, as well as outside, although 

 the latter is against the law. 



On every runway may be found several 

 hunters, and these do not rest with the kill- 

 ing of deer, but not infrequently get game 

 of their own kind. This species of murder 

 has been getting more frequent and the law 

 should be invoked for a suppression of the 

 practice. Of course it is impossible to put 

 brains into the heads of flightly hunters; but 

 it might not be amiss, when they are given 

 a license, to accompany it with a printed 

 sermon on the error of shedding human 

 blood, and mentioning a few of the ways in 

 which it is being performed by hunters. 



The opening of the country by railways, 

 by new wagon roads and by settlement has 

 narrowed the former tracts where deer were 

 wont to find shelter, and steadily the noble 

 animals are being decreased in numbers. In 

 a few years he will be a lucky hunter who 

 can get a saddle of venison. 



There are some features of the law to 

 which objection should be made. The 

 hunter is now allowed to kill 5 deer. That 

 is 3 too many. Two deer are enough for 

 any true sportsman, and the business of the 

 pot hunter should be discouraged. There 

 should be no selling of venison in the mark- 

 ets, as this offers an inducement to slaughter 

 for sale ; The present practice of issuing li- 

 censes is incomplete. It simply puts a little 

 money into the county treasury. Jones can 

 take out a license that gives him a right to 

 kill 5 deer. He goes into the woods with 

 Smith. Smith kills nothing while Jones kills 

 10. He divides with Smith. There are 

 many who do not take out licenses. While 

 Marquette county alone issued something 

 like 900 there were hundreds in the woods 

 who did not have them. 



There is not the attention given to the 

 killing of deer in the closed season that there 

 should be. The game wardens have a large 

 field to cover but they could put a great deal 

 more ginger into the looking for law break- 

 ers. Two weeks before the season opened 

 last fall plenty of deer were being killed in 

 the district South of this city. Deer were 

 openly brought out in wagons, before the 

 season opened. The game warden should be 



assisted by every citizen who has the preser- 

 vation of the deer at heart. All who are in- 

 terested should announce, openly, that they 

 will inform on any man they know to have 

 illegally killed a deer. Many look on it as 

 rather small business to report a neighbor or 

 acquaintance; but the way to do is to an- 

 nounce now that you will spare no one, and 

 stick religiously to the resolution. Each 

 hunter should do all he can to have the laws 

 enforced. The fellows who illegally kill deer 

 would fear this, much more than they do the 

 warden. The warden under his present plan 

 of inspection is too easily followed. He 

 drives through the camps in a buggy; his 

 whereabouts are easily known, and it is an 

 easy matter to keep track of him. There 

 must be more adroit methods observed to 

 catch the men who kill deer out of season, 

 and we can assure the warden that the num- 

 ber who break the law is large. 



The shining of deer by night is still being 

 indulged in and more than one horse has 

 been killed by those who cannot distinguish 

 between the eyes of that animal and of the 

 deer. 



We believe the season should be shortened 

 to 15 days, and that it should be at least 2 

 weeks earlier. The season as now fixed is 

 at the time when bucks are rutting and when 

 they and the does are most easily killed. 

 There would be less killing were the season 

 2 weeks, or even a month earlier than now. 

 And 15 days is plenty in which to kill. 



The deer is the finest animal we possess. 

 He is beautiful — too beautiful to kill, but as 

 he is destined to be disposed of, then let us 

 make his stay as long as possible. If the 

 deer are protected as they should be they 

 would be a source of much wealth to the 

 people of this state. They would increase in 

 numbers, and any true sportsman could get 

 one in 15 days. 



If attention is not given the matter the 

 time of the entire extinction of this splendid 

 game in Michigan forests will soon be here. 

 The sportsmen should make an effort to have 

 needed changes in the law made at the next 

 term of the state legislature. With proper 

 laws that will be enforced we can have deer 

 in plenty for all time. 



Every person who loves the woods and the 

 deer should make an effort to see to the en- 

 forcement of the game laws. If they would 

 do this the poachers would not try to kill. 

 They may be able to watch one game war- 

 den, but they cannot watch all the people 

 who want the law respected but who now 

 hesitate to make complaint, fearing to incur 

 the ill will of the law breaker. 



Either make the season shorter or prevent 

 the killing entirely for 3 years. Limit the 

 number to 2 instead of 5, and see that the 

 game wardens put a little brains into the 

 task of looking after the law breakers.— 



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