468 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
LJAN. 8, 1885, 
ber is concerned, of course this is sometimes the case. There 
are exceptions to every general rule, even in nature; while 
the fawn is depending on its mother for its sustenance it is 
not looking elsewhere for it. By September, with us, 
the forest herbage has ripened and withered, and is it prob- 
able that nature intends for the tender fawn to go from its 
mother’s milk on to the illmourishing twigs and buds, and 
meet our early and severe winters in its spotted coat; | think 
itis much oftener the case that there are both late and early 
fawns born in a warmer climate or where the temperature is 
more uneyen, as it is near the coast. I also believe that the 
deerin the southeastern part of this State mate as a general 
thing not less than two weeks later than they are with us, 
and are much more irregular in their heats. 
In writing this article, I have an eye on my own interest, 
it istrue, but I have tried to tell it as I believe it is; and Jet it 
be remembered that what is for my interest, is for the interest 
of every railroad, stage linc, hotel and camp, farmer and 
mechanic, and in fact not of a small portion, but the whole 
State of Maine. If Maine could but show her southeastern 
fall hunters a better price for fewer deer, and keep down 
dogs and crusters, even with no deer Jaw at all, her forests 
would not be thinned of deer by visiting and local sports- 
men combined. Carr. i. C. BARKER. 
P. §.—Dec. 27.—Your issue of the 18th inst. is at hand, 
and the extract from our Fish and Game Commissioners’ 
report read with interest and much surprise. f 
Tam not going to attempt to overhaul it; it speaks loudly 
for itself, and since it is written I hope it will be carefully 
and impartially read by all parties—men who haye hearts 
ana common sense, and understand the nature of the game 
in question as well as the selfishness of men, and the difier- 
ence of circumstances between the ones asking forthe change 
and the ‘‘prominent men.” 
Ts the tone of this report to be the ruling power in hand- 
ling an interest as important as the sporting travel to Maine 
is getting to be? The game laws of Maine have been broken 
no doubt by the visiting sportsman; but very few indeed 
are the cases but what they were aided and not discouraged, 
if not encouraged, by a citizen of our State, who received a 
good price for his services. Then accuse the guilty party and 
not a benefactor. . F.C. B. 
Bemis CAmps, Rangeley Lakes, Me. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
A recent item of attraction in the Boston market was the 
arrival Saturday of two moose. Both were cows, but one 
was large enough to have weighed some 500 pounds when alive. 
It seems almost shameful to kill such noble game animals 
for a purpose so mercenary and trivial as obtaining less than 
$50 per head, especially when we consider the great danger 
that the moose may yet follow the bison to utter extinction. 
The receivers of these moose are honorable marketmen, and 
they claim that the animals were not from Maine, but from 
the Provinces. They came by St. John steamer, and the 
parties claim that they paid duties on the venison. It is for- 
tnnate for the steamboat company that it is out of the juris- 
diction of Maine, else the law of that State forbidding the 
ee of more than one moose in a season, would be en- 
forced. 
Your correspondent ‘Penobscot’ claims that there is no 
Jaw on the Maine statute books against the transportation of 
venison from that State. Im his statement of a fact in the 
absiract he is correct, but the law forbidding the possession 
of more than one moose, two caribou or three deer in a 
season has been decided to apply to transportation com- 
panies as well as individuals, hence the effect has been the 
same as a positive statute forbidding transportation. It is 
well understood in Maine that ‘“Penobscot” or any other man 
could take his three deer, two caribou or one moose in his 
own sicigh and drive out of the State of Maine with them, 
but transportation companies will not take them; for, fol- 
lowing the admirable example of Mr, Puyson Tucker, 
superintendent of the Maine Central Railroad, they have, 
the most of them, issued positive orders to their employees 
not to take and forward game at all. This construction of 
the law has kept a flood of game out of the Boston market at 
least. But very few Maine deer have yet been received here 
this season, which ends on Jan, 1, and last year there were 
yery few. 
jt such writers as ‘‘Penobscol” and Mr, Wells would 
turn their talents toward aiding the most worthy efforts of 
the Maine Commissioners and friends of game protection, 
they would accomplish more of good for themsclves and 
their fellow sportsmen than they can by picking flaws and 
showing up to those who would kill game out of season or 
unlawfully some loopholes or methods of escape, If the 
Maine Commisioners have been successfullin even starting a 
system of game protection which is likely, if carried out, to 
preserve moose, caribou and deer—almost exterminated in 
other sections of the country—to a single corner of this great 
domain, then let them have their way [or ten years instead 
of two, as they so modestly ask for in their admirable report, 
The season has been very favorable for the preservation 
of the larger game in Maine thus far. There has been little 
snow as yet, and up to the very cold weather of the 19th 
and 20th of December the larger ponds, lakes and streams 
were not frozen over, In this relation moose, deer and cari- 
bou have certainly gained a month’s respite from the hunter, 
who waits for snow and the Jakes to be frozen. It is often 
that the grouad is covered with snow in Northern Maine as 
early as the 15th of November, and then the luting most, 
deadly to moose and deer begins. Ii is also well understood 
by hunters that the caribou delights in the early frozen sur- 
face of the lakes. This year he has not found theice to 
play on, and has saved his skin thereby. Parties from all 
sections of Maine, and even Massachusetts and Connecticut, 
have put off their deer hunting trips till the present time; 
and now it is probable that they will fall through altogether, 
the season is so late and the annual close time—January 1— 
1s very near. The gain to the larger game of Maine can 
only be estimated in thousands. 
_ The deer houuders, or rather their poor dogs, have fared 
hard this year. The Maine game law not only forbids 
hounding, but provides for the destruction of the dogs. By 
the game wardens a war to the death has been waged. A 
great number of poor dogs—or perhaps good dogs with un- 
worthy masters—have been destroyed. If one apothecary 
would tell his story, pounds of poison would be accounted 
for. Repeating ritles have also been employed by the 
wardens, A pack of four valuable hounds were taken by 
their owner from a Massachusetts town to Maine the other 
day. At his hotel, near the backwoods, he made consider- 
able brag and bluster, He was going to “hound some deer 
in spite of the law.” His bluster was quickly conveyed to 
the local warden’s ear, That functionary learned the course 
the dog-hunter proposed to take from his guide, and he was 
early on the ground, armed with repeating rifle. Two of 
the dogs fell before its bullets. The hunter himself came up, 
saw the state of affairs, and drew his revolver upon the war- 
den, with a ‘“D——n you, I'll teach you how to shoot my 
dogs!” The warden raised his rifle in response. The hunter 
put down his reyolver. Heswore he would lick the warden 
before he left the State. He would call off his dogs and 
leave. On second thought—‘‘No! 1’ll be d——nd if I will! 
Til run a deer, and you may shoot another dog if you dare.” 
The warden called the attention of his assistant to the fel- 
low’s statement, which was a confession from his own lips 
that he was hounding deer. The hunter saw the trap into 
which he had fallen, and concluded to give up the hunt. 
Before he got out of the State a warrant was served upon 
him for hounding deer, and he concluded to settle: but it 
was a hard blow to bear when he was obliged to surrender 
his two remaining dogs to the merciless warden. He goes 
back home a humbled man, with a wholesome respect for 
the Maine game laws. The baying of hounds is dangerous 
music for the poor creatures in Maine. SPECIAL. 
Kiditor Forest and Stream: 
We expect at the next session of our Legislature an at- 
tempt to repeal, or to so change our fish and game Jaws that 
it will amount to the same, and it is proper for us to give 
at this time our views freely, especially as you have so gen- 
erously opened your columns to us. One reason why J avail 
myself of this privilege is because your paper is so generally 
read in Maine, 
Facts are stubborn, and I intend to show by them that 
we shall not be justified in changing our laws that are now 
doing so much to replenish our depleted forests and streams. 
We know that poachers once had their way, and destroyed 
in a few years all our moose, caribou, and nearly all the 
deer, as well assmall game. Jam now talkitg of the central 
part of Washington county, or that which is drained by the 
St. Croix, Denby’s, East Machias, Machias,"Chandler’s Pleas- 
ant and Narraquagus rivers. 
At the close of the war small game, as ducks and grouse, 
was plenty, and large game was giving indications of slight 
increase, but crust-hunting was doing its work. It was 
evident that unless crust-hunting and the use of dogs could 
be stopped, it was useless to talk of restocking our forests, 
Laws were enacted forbidding the use of dogs and ecrust- 
hunting; poachers opposed them, and visiting sportsmen 
continued to come with their hounds, giving no heed what- 
ever to our efforts at protection. Laws were chanped from 
year to year, insufficient money was appropriated to enforce 
them, and what was worse, our wardens were worthless, 
nor could they have been else, for the courts would not sus- 
tain them in the performance of their duty. The country 
swarmed with dogs, from the meanest cur to the blood- 
hound, all trained for one purpose, the hunting of deer, 
regardless of Jaw or season, the little mean cur upon the 
crust and the hound to drive. 
Thus the destruction continued until the just indignation 
of the better part of the community was aroused, and then 
commenced the growth of game protection in Hastern Maine, 
The dog was taxed and legislated against for hunting pur- 
poses, but to no benefit to the game, for the poachers and 
visiting sportsmen still persisted in setting at defiance all 
laws. In this portion of the country other means were used, 
perhaps not commendable, but the true sportsmen and 
hunters were determined to stop the slaughter. Then com- 
menced the war of extermination—the farmers to save their 
sheep, the sportmen to save the game, and the hunters to 
restock for the market. Our best hunters shot, poisoned and 
destroyed the worthless curs and unlucky hounds, whose 
masters and not the poor brutes deserved punishment. It was 
soon found that deer were rapidly on the increase, not only 
from the natural multiplication, but by immicration from the 
surrounding country, which was infested by dogs, Market 
hunting began and there was a chance in it for a large num- 
ber of idle men, who were only living from hand to mouth, 
and cared less for the future; in short, the improyident 
in this community are as dependent upon their employers as 
children upon their parents. Middlemen saw their chance, 
and then another and more certain destructive agent threat- 
ened the extermination of all the gain of years of hard work 
in trying to restock our natural game region. 
We then petitioned our Legislature and had the anti-ship- 
ping law passed, and then came the how! abou. ‘‘the poor 
man’s Tights, the robbing children of bread,” etc., but the 
enemies of the law found a chance to evade it, on the ground 
of claimed unconstitutionality, and it was changed. Mar- 
ket-hunting increased tenfold each year, and our preserve 
swarmed with market-hunters from all parts of the State. 
Tt was evident that two more years would settle the question 
of the extermination of the deer, and we asked for relief and 
obtained our present fish and game laws; und the astonish- 
ing gain during the last two years in our large game, deer 
in particular, proves their worth. 
ladmit there are imperfections; one 1 would like to see 
changed, if it could be done without opening the way for 
the market-hunters, and that is to allow our friends the right 
to take home their game by the usual means of conveyance, 
steamboats and railroads, We who live near the bunting 
grounds do not feel this deprivation, for we can take our 
own teams into the very center of the game region. Let the 
friends who are lawyers help us out of this dilemma. 
Tt must not be supposed for a moment that this good work 
goes on without much hard work and cost. The poacher is 
the same to-day ag he was years ago, and isto be found 
plentifully among the market-hunters, The market-hunters 
and middlemen comprise all the enemies of game protection 
in this State. Our guides, enemies of the law, may kick at 
this, but I do believe, deep down, this is the truth even 
with them, 
Public opinion is changing in favor of the present laws 
rapidly, and our wardens can do at the present time what 
could not be done a few years ago. The most important 
requisite is an appropriation sufficient to enable the 
commissioners and wardens to carry out their work, for 
to depend upon the fines of law breakers is sheer nonsense; 
the law can been forced in no sueh way, I know it from 
years of experience. One great reason why the wardens 
have beén so efficient during the last two peers isthat the appro- 
priation made at the session of the last Legislature was more 
ample than usual. 
It is found in Maine that in order to restock our forests 
and keep them up to a certain standard with the yearly 
increase of hunterg and sportsmen, we must have restrictions, 
the most important I will enumerate. Natural laws must be 
observed; dogs are not to be used for any purpose where 
deer abound; market-hunting and jacking must be strictly 
prohibited; still-hunting is the only legitimate method, and 
the length of season restricted to suit the amount of 
destruction so as to insure increase rather than a decrease, 
The great abomination, crust-hunting, is one of the worst 
evils and most difficult to stop, Now that hounding is 
checked the deer are near the settlements and yard near the 
dwellings of these improvident people, who can in a few 
minutes go into their yards, shoot or more often with dogs 
and snowshoes, destroy the whole herd and hide them away 
in the night before the wardens even suspect mischief, This 
miserable business is continually going ou every spring in 
spite of the best efforts of our wardens. Ii would astonish 
the citizens of Maine not residents of the game regions to 
know the amount of destruction of deer in this way, and the 
cussedness of this class of poachers, Here comes in the use 
of the miserable curs, for nine out of every ten deer killed 
during crust time in Maine are killed by dogs or with their 
ad the smaller and lighter the dog, the better if he will only 
ollow. : 
For the future we must not step to the tear buf must econ- 
tinue to expose a bold front, We know that nothing short of 
a repeal of our present laws will suit the market-iunters. 
Not a single deer has been unsold in this town that has been 
for sale. This has been so for the last two years, nor can I 
learn of a single instance in any other town in this county, 
but the middleman has Jost his profit. The limitation of 
numbers of deer to each man would be a dead letter if ship- 
ping was allowed, for dummy shooting would take care of 
the “‘one moose, two caribou or three deer” clause. The re- 
fusal of the transportation companies to convey game is the 
teeth of the law, and is just what we must not change. The 
market hunters can market their three deer and three times 
three if allowed to kill at home. We all, every citizen of 
Maine, claim a share of our gume, and we do feel that a few 
market-hunters and middlemen have no right to demand or 
expect more than an even snare, which we claim should be 
limited about as at present. We all pay taxes, we all protect 
and our friends in our cities and large towns have the game 
rights a8 we, and we intend to give them the first chance for 
their vacations, and more, we are willing to share with our 
friends from other States provided they agree to eat what is 
set before them and not dictate to the cook or grumble at 
the proprietor, 
We understand that we have one of the besi health resorts 
on the coast of the U, 8. We expect some day the whole 
coast from Quoddy Head to Old Orchard, will be dotted 
with cottages for summer visitors, and that one of the great 
inducements, hoth for our own people and those of sister 
States to remain into the autumn and fall, is the game we 
intend to preserve. Can we afford to pass laws the coming 
winter that will insure the extermination of our game? Is 
it in guod taste for our friends from other States to dictate 
our legislation? We are not fools, and when our visiting 
friends threaten to leave for others and more congenial ‘‘play 
grounds” because we will not kill the goose that lays the 
golden egg, we are pleased, knowing well when our grounds 
are well restocked they will come back with their jacks. 
Another important point, should our present laws be re- 
pealed, protection would be dead and nothing would save the 
utter extermination of the whole. Ispeak advisedly, for I 
know the feeling of game protectionists as well as any 
man in the State of Mainc. That the deterioration of trout 
fishing in this State is due in great measure to over fishing IL 
believe and know, tor I have been satisfied for several years 
that September should be a close mouth. 
Ido not wish what I have said to be construed as a thrust 
at visiting sportsmen. - I hope all our friends in all parts of 
the State will see, we must have laws and money to enforce 
them—that laws to benefit a few cannot be enforeed—that 
market-bunting cannot be allowed in any shape. The inter- 
ests of the whole State require strict protection of both fish 
and game. ‘There must be a strong will to enforce the laws 
in the game regions which we now have, and is increasing, 
A step back at this time would be suicidal to the interests of 
game. Let us all be reasonable the coming winter, for let 
us remember that, had the Legislature of 1852 not enacted 
our present laws, we should have no game to quarrel over 
this winter. Let us preserve the fish and game as Jong as 
possible; but its utter extermination is not far in future. 
Onp Tue. 
Macurag, Dee, 30, 1884, 
Kiditor Forest and Stream: 
Having been born and reared in Maine, having spent more 
years in traversing her forests than Mr, Wells has spent 
months, numbering hundreds of her guides and hunters as 
my acquaintances, among them many of the best friends I 
have, my business interests being closely connected with 
their interests, it would seem natural that I should be as 
much concerned for the welfare of my native State as one 
belonging to another State who has only occasionally visited 
it. 
In his article of Nov. 15, Mr, Wells tells us in speaking of 
the northwestern corner of the State: “It groans under the 
burden of a climate not inaptly described as nine mouths of 
winter, and three months of very late in the fall, Except 
in a few favored localities, the most careful farming will 
produce only the barest necessaries of life, On lumbering 
in the winter, and on the money left by visitin® sportsmen 
at other times, the very existence of those humble dwellings 
which dot the margin of the wilderness depend, and on the 
latter far more than on the former.” Never having visited 
that remote corner of the State, | cannot speak from personal 
knowledge of its productions, but if Mr. Wells has visited 
any large portion of our State he ought to know that all 
through that large region which les north of the tract he 
describes, the climate is sufficiently mild to produce every- 
thing the inhabitants need, Should he visit Aroostook 
county, where but little, if any of ithe sporting money has 
ever been left, he wil! find thousands of homes on the edges 
of this wilderness, where the people haye not only the 
necéssaries but abundance of the comforts of life, His 
statement that the inhabitants of the remote portions of the 
State depend more on the money left by visiting sportsmen 
than on that obtained by lumbering is entirely at variance 
with the facts. The thousands of visitors who annually 
throng our seaside resorts as well as the many who visil our 
inland Jakes for fishing or recreation, leave a great deal of 
money which to some extent benefits others besides railroads 
and hotels. But the sportsman who comes here to iil 
large game, except the small amount he pays the hotel, 
literally benefits no one but the guide, His business is — 
beyoud the settlements, and he makes as short a stop as 
possible; most of his outfit and provisions he brings’ with 
him. To prove this take Mr. Wells own statement of 
expenses. ‘Staying at hotel—in and out—where guide — 
meets him, five dollars. Wages of guide, seventcen and a 
half dollars, Board of self and guide while absent (which 
board he furnishes himself and the materials for which come 
~ y mn fj 
