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Jan. 8, 1885.) 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
467 
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that I can gather from my own experience, as well as from 
those whe ought to know, I consider that in the matter o 
destructiveness floating isto driving as one isto six. In 
June or July the jack unquestionably is far the deadliest; 
but those who,‘‘jack” thea would undoubtedly continue their 
nefarious warfare at those times, even if strictly prohibited 
altogether. 
Finally, if the dogs must run, keep them in . the kennels 
six weeks or two months longer—when the crying evil will 
be much mitigated. Perhaps, after all this is 1 more feasible 
plan, In discussing this subject last summer with two gen- 
flemen who, between them, control about 125,000 acres of 
Jand in the locality of which 1 have written, I learned that 
an effort had already been made to secure legislative relief. 
One of these gentlemen (who had labored personally at the 
Capitol in this behalf) remarked their arguments could not 
prevail against those of a gentleman who is opposed to them 
and described in eloquent language the delights of hearing 
“the silvery tones of the hound’s voice when he roused the 
noble quarry from his hiding place in the forest a rhe 
gentleman was right; it és a delight and a most inspiring 
one, but humanity—as well as policy—demand that the de- 
light be either foregone entirely or be less frequently expert- 
enced, otherwise the dogs will very soon be kept out of the 
woods in a way that their owners and abettors have not ap- 
parently considered—by the complete destruction of that 
which now tempts them there. 
SEYMOUR YAN SANTVOORD. 
Troy, N. ¥.- Dec, 25, 1884, 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Our law asit now stands is some means of game protection, 
but not near what it ought to be, and the enforcing of the 
present law is almost a dead letter. It also givesone month 
in the year it should not. That is August; it might as well 
give June and July. The fawns are not all large enough in 
this month to support and protect themselves, and are not 
weaned by the does. I have found plenty of milk in their 
udders in October, which proved to me that the fawns are 
not weaned at that late date, and this month, August, also 
gives the jack or night-hunter a chance to pepper their hams, 
legs and neck iull of buckshot. Limit the time to October 
and November 15 or December 1 only, and make a penalty 
larse enough to amount to something, say $300 for killing a 
deer out of season, $200 to be given to the complainant and 
$100, the remainder, to county treasurer to be used for the 
protection of all kinds of game birds, animalsand fish. Kill- 
ing of fawrs, spotted coat or not, should be unlawful. 
Traps, spring or set guns, salt licks and hounding deer 
should be unlawful the year round, with heavy penalties 
attached, 
Jack or night-hunting has long been practiced among all 
classes from the ist of June to September, and is one of the 
meanest kinds of slaughter of our deer, It is done for pri- 
vate use as well as for the table of some of our summer 
hotels tu please the palates of city boarders and to gratify 
their desire to killa deer, ‘The result is not only sure death 
to the doe, but death also to the fawns that are not strong 
énough to sustain or protect themselves. I have been told 
by more than one good hunter and guide that not more than 
one in five deer shot at nizht-hunting are ever taken or 
killed outright, and I have come to the conclusion that one- 
half of those fired at night hunting are mortally wounded 
and go back into the woods to die, fawns and all. About 
three years ago I was fishing at Ragged Lake in Franklin 
county ; it was the 4th of July; and smelling a strong stench 
near there, I landed and found about four or five rods from 
the shore a fine large doe with two fawns, dead. and one of 
them with its nose at the udder of the doe. The doe’s neck 
was full of buckshot and showed signs of great agony in 
death, This is only one of mauy such examples of night- 
hunting slaughter or peppering deer with buckshot. A 
friend of mine, a guide and hunter, who I know would tell 
the truth, went fishing to Plumadore Pond, if I remember 
right it was in June last. Hesaid, ‘‘I went down to the 
outlet of the pond to fish at the lily pads, and on the shore 
among the woods I found the paunches and intestines of 
seven full grown deer and one-half of a deer left on the 
ground to rot; and its shoulder and breast were riddled with 
buckshot.” For night-hunting the gun generally used is the 
shotgun with loads of buckshot; and I have often heard of 
finding deer with their bodies full of shot from this kind of 
hunting. I was hunting with a party one fall in October 
and one. of our party shot a very nice doe, which was found 
to have a charge of buckshot in her ham and udder. She 
had been wounded some time in the summer, and the wound 
had not healed up entirely. We had to throw away a 
uarter of what would have been the best of steak in season. 
‘his kind of hunting is going to exterminate our deer and 
that soon. [hope every sportsman will take up this matter 
at once and try and get laws passed this winter with penal- 
ties large enough to make it a give-away to any man that 
breaks it, I might say something about hounding, but will 
let some one open the case. But I will say I hope it will be 
stopped entirely, for itis death to deer. Let us use the 
hound on fox and hare. And spare the deer with all our 
vare. Fam Puay. 
ADIRONDACKS. 
Hditor Forest and Stream: 
Beginning with November, 1879, I have still-hunted deer 
in the Adirondacks each fall since. Prior to that time I had 
hunted in Poiter, McKean and Cameron counties, just south 
of us in Pennsylvania, where, up to 1860, deer were yery 
plenty, but with still-hunting and hounding they had m 1878 
nearly disappeared. Having a brother hving in Lewis 
county, N. Y., [concluded best to join him and his friends 
in the Adirondacks, and have hunted there since. 
Our party consists of four, two guides and hunters who 
were raised in Lewis county, their father being a guide and 
hunter before them, my brother and self, both haying hunted 
with shotgun and rifle since pence 
In 1879 we camped on Independence River; in 1880 we 
had a log house built at Sunday Lake in the Beaver River 
Valley, and hunted there two falls. Then we had another 
log house built at Fifth Creek Lake, cutting a road five miles 
through the woods to it, and have hunted there three falls. 
We go into camp right after election, and come out gener- 
ally aun the last week in November, and at latest on 
ec. 1. 
_ Below I give table showing the number of days in camp, 
including going im and coming out each year, the number of 
guns, the number of deer killed, showing the proportion of 
pucks and does, after which I wish to state some facts as 
regards the running of deer by dogs out of season, and also 
some matters that from information 1 believe to be true. 
Also some information relative to the increase of deer in 
ahh i 
| ‘ 
Potter, McKean and Cameron counties, Pa,, the past five 
that section. 
| 
Year. | Days. | Guus. Bucks. Does. Total. 
i] | 
Re 4 6 1 7 
21 4 9 2 i 
4 4 8 1 9 
24 4 10 2 12 
17 4 4 1 5 
23 3 9 2 aul 
I 
A total of fifty five deer, of which seven were fawns, and 
the bucks forty-six against nine does, including old and 
young, Why so many more bucks than does? Simply be- 
cause there are many more bucks than does left. How came 
this to be so? One reason, because of hounding, does fre- 
quent the rivers and lakes from spring until into the winter, 
nearly all hounds are started around the lakes where, as a 
rule, more does than bucks remain from Sept. 15 to Noy, 1. 
The bucks are further back on the ridges and mountains, 
consequently from two to three does are run in by dogs and 
killed to one buck. 
I think hounding should be prohibited in the State of New 
York for the following reasons: 1. It is brutal, 2. Itresults 
in the killing of many more does than bucks, thus doubly 
augmenting the decrease. 38. Venison so killed is wholly 
unfit for eating. 4. Dogs are not only used for killing deer 
during the six weeks allowed by law, but are used nearly 
every month in the year. 5. Unless driving deer with dogs 
is stopped, ten years will see the woods destitute of game 
During the summer months a show is madeof keeping the 
dogs chained, but from Sept. 1 until April 1 dogs are used 
in the Adirondacks to kill deer to a more or less extent. I 
know that deer have been run by dogs up to the very last of 
November the past six years in the Beaver River section, 
when the law does nof allow it after Oct. 31, and am in- 
formed by parties who have a chance to know, that for each 
deer killed in that section still-hunting, there are from five to 
six killed by dogging. I also know that deer are decreasing 
very fast in that section. What venison our party gets is 
for the use of our friends and ourselves, and we would not 
take a “‘run” deer as a gift, as it is not fit to eat. 
I still fish for trout in Potter, McKean and Cameron coun- 
ties, Pennsylvania (open season closes Aug. 1), and am in- 
formed by old hunters that the deer are as plenty there now 
as in 1860, and the increase is wholly attributed to the fact 
that dogging is not allowed and has not been for five years 
past, 
I know that our markets have been more than supplied 
with venison the past two years; also am informed that more 
yenison has been killed during the past two years than had 
been during the ten preceding years in those counties. The 
open season in Pennsylvania is from Sept.1 to July 1. 
Thus, with four open months for still-hunting, the deer 
have increased very fast; still I think the open season should 
close Noy. 80, the same as in New York. from talking 
with guides, hunters and hote) men in the Adirondacks, 1 
am satisfied that the most of them are in favor of a non- 
hounding law, that they would kill their dogsand do their 
best to enforce such a Jaw, because they see the deer are 
decreasing very rapidly, and know that their occupation 
decreases in proportion. 
Make a law so there is no excuse for keeping dogs, and I 
think the deer will increase. C, L. PARKER. 
WELLSVILLE, N. Y., Dec. 29, 1884. 
Editor Forest and Stream. 
You cali for suggestions, etc., in regard to game laws, 
more especially referring to hounding deer. It is the old 
story, and ever will be—much talk, many suggestions, and 
nothing accomplished, for there is too much of politics and 
red tape mixed up even in what ought to be a clean record 
from this curse. Facts, pro bono publico, for and in behalf 
of the ‘‘dear old woods,” as a friend has appropriately named 
the Adirondacks, speak for themselves. Our game laws are 
well enough, with very slight alterations, 1f they were 
strictly eutorced, but they are not, and cannot be with an 
inadequate force of game protectors. We need at least fifteen 
or twenty game protectors, distributed in appointment resi- 
dent near the woods, and whose sworn duty would compel 
them every fortnight to visit different sections, taking turns, 
and by appointment in these different sections, from May 1 
to Dec. 1, when sportsmen are in the woods, and have 
authority to make arrests on the spot, and to be required to 
report to some chief officer the result of every trip; and if 
arrests are made, to give names, places, what for arrested, 
and to deal summarily with offenders, and to be dealt sum- 
marily with if they are derelict in duty. By the above re- 
quirements guides and sportsmen would not dare eyen to 
seek remote ponds for slaughtering deer and trout. 
As to hounding, I would allow only one month, say Octo- 
ber, and no transportation of venison or trout from the 
woods for the next five years, under a very heavy penalty. 
Guides are very oftentimes at fault for transgressing the 
laws, but in many cases they are induced to transgress by 
special liberal offers. During August, 1881, a so-called 
sportsman from our city killed five deer in one day on Hitch- 
ing’s Pond, all driven im the water by dogs. I have talked 
with Dr, Romeyn and Messrs. Winant at Bartletts, Thomp- 
son Smith at Smith’s, all well-known and esteemed as thor- 
ough sportsmen and with many years experience, and Lthink 
they would corroborate what | have written. Jack-hunting 
ought to be forbidden under a heayier penalty. Ihave seen 
venison on tables at the hotels in June and July for the past 
three years. Parties even taking bounds in camp ought to 
be liable to arrest as it would be prima facte evidence of in- 
tent to run them. I do trustihere willbe no misguided 
tinkering with the game laws unless for the better, and 
decidedly so. * 
New YorsE. 
WeexstTER, Mass., Dec. 27.—As a well-known Webster 
hunter was hunting near ‘“‘Long Branch,” close to the Con- 
necticut State line, a day or so ago, he noticed a large 
black hawk swooping down to earth. He fired at his auda- 
cious fou, but never touched a feather, the monster fellow 
lighting near by. He carefully advanced toward the hawk 
and discharged his rifle, this time killing the hawk. Upon 
eer aia 3 the unexpected visitor he found a partridge 
beneath the hawk with his head picked just enough to kill 
it, though the bird was quite warm, It seems that this 
hawk had caught the bird, fastened it in ils talons, and flew 
to his death with it, and was eating it when killed, 
THE MAINE DEER LAW. 
f | years, during which time hounding has not been allowed 10 | poy» Horest and Stream: 
T ani one of the interested ones wishing for a change in 
the law, for I believe it will make more business, circulate 
more money, be au advantage to the whole State in general, 
and not decrease the game. This region has always been 
my home. With a strong passion for the woods from my 
| earliest remembrance and with but little home restraint, as 
soon as I was large enough to do anything I worked in the 
woods, For some years I passed most of my time hunting, 
trapping, fishing through the ice, logging, driving and guid- 
ing. As the Rangeley Lake trout began to attract attention 
and bring more sportsmen, warranting a business in that 
line, I began to invest the little that I had saved up, and now 
after fifteen years have passed I have many dollars invested, 
which I know, haying worked for them, are worth one 
hundred cents apiece, Naturally I want to see all the 
inducements that the region contains held up; and quite 
likely I know by this time about what color the goose is that 
is expected to ‘lay the golden egg,” and about what she can 
do if she gets the chance. 
While the deer in this region are very plenty, and would 
be very valuable were the law changed so that they could be 
sold when there was 2 demand forthem, but almost worthless 
as it now stands, is it unreasonable that we should ask for 
the change, especially when we are almost certain that the 
change will work as a protection? A longer open season 
suggests to some who are not thoroughly acquainted with 
the deer as they are in the woods and man as he is in the 
woods, that a great many more deer are to be killed; 
that men and boys are going to rush in from all 
sides, and without trouble indiscriminately shoot down 
everything that looks like a deer. This is not the case. 
Getting adeerin this region by a sportsman will mean 
work; it will mean the employment of a skilled guide. The 
guide handles his man, and self-interest, common sentiment 
of the other guides, hotel keepers and all interested, handle 
the guide, while honor goes a good way with both sports- 
man and guide. Itis for the guide’s interest that his man 
gets a deer, and but one, unless more are actually needed. 
No guide wants to be looked upon as a game waster, and 
they understand their interests too well to be such. Let any 
one who has lived or been familiar with the Rangeley re- 
gion, since it was found out that there was money in the 
trout and that it was for our interest for the sportsmen to 
come here and catch them, see how it has worked. The 
men that used to find pleasure and profit in using the spear 
and gig on the spawning beds in the fall and fishing through 
the ice in winter have forgotten all about it. Why should 
it not be the same with the deer? After all the best way to 
make a man of a man is to treat him likea man. You can 
coax 4 woodsman much better than you can drive him. 
How would it work to try to cure a “‘cruster” by treating 
him well? Leta hotel or camp keeper give him a good job 
guiding (most woodsmen remember a favor as long as au 
injury), then when he had got his money and was feeling 
well, talk to him a little; tell him the advantage of letfing 
the sportsmen have the deer, both to himself as well as 
others interested in the business. Would notthis be a better 
way than to put a warden on his track and haye him taken 
down riyer and fined? By the first way you not only 
awaken his self-interest and reason, but you bring out his 
honor. By the last way you deaden his honor, blind his 
reason, and send him back into the woods swearing venge- 
ance on both law and game. With deer in the woods all 
around him he sees no justice in the law that says he cannot 
have one except at just sucha time. Perhaps that meat 
that you say is not fit to eat may taste very sweet fo his 
scantily-fed family. 
I think that a great many writers on the habits of deer 
create wrong impressions by their limited knowledge of 
what they are writing about. Having had some experience 
with deer in one section of the country, they tell their story, 
giving one to understand that the habits of all deer are the 
same and all should be hunted in the same way. This is a 
great mistake. Three of the senses, namely, hearing, seeing 
and smelling, were surely not denied the deer; but these vary 
in their keenness according to circumstances. There is as 
much difference in deer, according to their surroundings, as 
there is in the dumpish steer that the small boy teams 
around in the State of Maine and the wild steer of the Far 
West that never heard the cowboy’s voice. Take the deer 
in Southeastern Maine, born and reared in a level, open 
country, within the sound of the woodsman’s axe, the bark- 
ing of dogs, the sound of human voices and the rumbling of 
passing wagons. He grows up to look at the main read 
running through the woods as his beaten path, the cattle and 
sheep in the back pasture as his friends, and the back field as 
a place he has a perfect right to jump into, tread down the 
mowing and lie down in the oats at his own sweet will, or 
till the farmer's dog gets after him; even then he makes sure 
that he is the one wanted before he does much heavy run- 
ning, and as soon as the chase is given up, back he goes into 
the oats if he feels so disposed. That same deer, reared 
among the mountains and densely wooded country of North- 
western Maine, would be a very different animal. 
The so-called sportsmanlike ways of getting deer may be 
yaried a good deal in my-estimation according to the natural 
advantages or disadvantages of the region, where they are to 
be hunted. If it requires work, patience and skill to get one 
with a jack, (and that is about the only way of getting one 
when they are wanted in Northwestern Maine) | fail to see 
why it is not just as sportsmanlike as it is to stand in the 
main road, or pasture, or open ground of Southeastern 
Maine and shoot them down, It seems a pity that two 
sections of country so differently situated as regards interest: 
as we are, cannot be governed by different laws, though I fail 
tosee why making September an open month would seriously 
affect that part of the State accessible from about all points 
by good roads. The local hunter and sportsman drives his 
team into the heart of the hunting country, he does not care 
to go until cool weather, when he can get his deer home 
or to market. Then they go at it with a vengeance. Looking 
over quite a portion of that country the other day from a tall 
tree on the top of Picked Mountain, between the head waters 
of the Machias and Mopang rivers, and a day later another 
ortion on the Narraqnagus River from the top of old Hump 
Back, and judging from the sights I saw in the wood and 
what the hunters told me of the numbers being killed and 
what had been killed in years back, I should say that the 
stock was up to the full extent of the pasturage and was 
standing the drainage well. Should sportsmen from without 
the State kill as many deer yearly in the whole State of 
Maine as are yearly killed in that one country by local sports- 
men and hunters, the State would realize more henefit from 
them than any one is aware of, 
As far as fawns being dependent on the motherin Septem- 
