350 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[April 14, 1892. 



ONTARIO GAME AND FISH INTERESTS. 



THE major portion of the leport of the Ontario Game 

 and Fish Commission is here given practically in 



full: 



DEER. 



We find that the deer, while still found in compara- 

 tively large numbers in some portions of the Province, 

 are not nearly as plentiful as they were some years ago. 

 This is easily accounted for, the clearing up of the land, 

 the improvement* in modern firearms, the ravages of 

 wolves, and the ceaseless and indiscriminate slaughter 

 in and out of season, appears to have well nigh extermi- 

 nated this noble animal. The extent to which yard- 

 hunting and crust-hunting is practiced is incredible; not 

 only are the bucks killed for food purposes, but small 

 fawns and does heavy with young are remorselessly 

 butchered, either out of pure brutality or for the sake of 

 the almost valueless skin. 



It is generally admitted that to distinguish between a 

 buck and a doe or a doe and a fawn when the animal is 

 running at full speed and a momentary glimpse is only 

 obtained, is a difficult matter, but we desire to impress 

 upon all true sportsmen the necessity of sparing the 

 smaller and weaker animals as far as possible, even if 

 the sacrifice should cause them the loss of a shot. 



In some counties deer are almost extinct, and we 

 recommend that deer killing be entirely prohibited for a 

 period of five years in the counties south and west of the 

 northern boundaries of the counties of Bruce, Grey and 

 Simcoe, as far north as the Severn river and the eastern 

 boundary of Ontaria. 



The use of hounds has proved one of the most vexatious 

 questions, and although the answers of the witnesses 

 show a large preponderance in favor of the use of dogs, 

 it must be remembered that many of the answers were 

 given solely from selfish motives, and are wanting there- 

 fore in weight and. accuracy. The Commissioners are 

 themselves evenly divided in opinion on this question, 

 five being of the opinion that dog hunting is neither in- 

 jurious to the deer nor the cause of extermination, 

 while the other five are of opinion that to the use of 

 dogs is principally attributable the steadily growing 

 scarcity, as well as the awful slaughter of the deer. 



The still-hunters who disapprove of the use of dogs 

 assert that deer chased by dogs are rendered unfit for 

 human food after the long chases to which they are sub- 

 jected ; that the deer are driven out of localities which 

 they would otherwise inhabit; that much loss of life is 

 caused by the chasing of does heavy with young, and 

 that the almost invariable method of killing dog- chased 

 deer is by shooting them through the head while in the 

 water, a procedure which is neither sportsmanlike nor 

 clever. 



Those, on the other [hand, who believe in the use of 

 dogs, assert that the still-hunter's bullet too often wounds 

 without killing the deer, allowing the animal to escape 

 and die in agony in lonely places where it can never be 

 found and where the flesh is never recovered to be eaten. 

 They assert further that the still-hunter does more 

 damage single-handed and kills more deer than any 

 party of hunters could possibly do. 



After long and careful consideration we have deter- 

 mined to recommend : 1st. That the present open season 

 from Oct. 15 to Nov. 20 be shortened five days so as to be 

 from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15. 2d. That the hunting of deer 

 with hounds shall only be lawful from Nov. 1 to 15 in- 

 clusive in each and every year. 



This, if adopted, will, it is thought, be found highly 

 beneficial, inasmuch as it will shorten considerably the 

 present open season, thus affording a better chance to the 

 deer; besides which the hunting of deer with hounds will 

 stop with the end of the season. 



Illegal killing of deer is practiced by all classes of the 

 community, and the law regulating the number of ani- 

 mals to be killed each season by each hunter and which 

 is popularly known as the "party clause" is entirely and 

 utterly disregarded. By subdividing into smaller parties, 

 and by joining more than one party in a season, sports- 

 men are enabled easily to avoid the law in question and 

 many more deer are therefore killed than the law allows. 

 The "party clause" should be abolished and sportsmen 

 allowed to kill two deer each per season, and no 

 more. 



We have found a very strong feeling against allowing 

 the continuance of the shooting of deer in Ontario by 

 foreign sportsmen, nor is this feeling unreasonable, when 

 deer are annually becoming scarcer and there is a dan- 

 ger that few may be left in the near future to supply the 

 wants of the home market. On the other hand it must 

 be remembered that foreign sportsmen put much money 

 into circulation and very materially help the residents 

 and business men in sporting localities. If it is not 

 thought wise to entirely prohibit foreigners from killing 

 deer in the Park a permit should be obtained and a fee 

 paid for the privilege. All dogs found running deer out 

 of season should be allowed to be killed at sight. 



The wanton slaughter of deer could be very largely 

 curtailed by the appointment of an efficient force of 

 game wardens. At present the enforcement of the law 

 is not the particular duty of any particular person, and 

 ■ it is found very difficult for that reason to reach those 

 who break the law. If the deer in Ontario are worth 

 preserving they must be preserved thoroughly, and this 

 should not be delayed for a single day. 



The appointment of an efficient force of game wardens 

 would be of incalculable benefit to the country, and go 

 far toward protecting and preserving the game and fish 

 of the whole Province. 



It has been suggested to us that a law ought to be 

 passed allowing pioneer settlers to kill deer for their 

 own family food at all seasons, but we cannot recom- 

 mend such a measure, as it would almost certainly lead 

 to abuse and tend toward confusion. 



MOOSE, ELK AND CARIBOU. 



The evidence taken, points conclusively to the fact that 

 the protection lately extended to this noble animal has 

 had the effect of materially inci-easing its numbers, but 

 illegal slaughter still continues. The hunters who kill 

 the moose to-day in Ontario do so principally for the sake 

 of the flesh, or for the sake of gratifying their desire to 

 kill large game. Neither the skin nor the head can be 

 openly disposed of or kept, and these are generally sunk 

 with heavy weights into deep waters to prevent the pos- 

 siblity of detection, while the flesh of the slaughtered 



animal is eaten as a delicacy. Special efforts should be 

 made to continue the protection of this animal and to 

 mete out strong punishment to the human assassins who 

 continue in their efforts to exterminate it. 



BIRDS. 



The supply of game birds is growing gradually less in 

 the Province. The difference in the close seasons for the 

 various birds has unquestionably much to do with this, 

 as many birds are shot out of season by hunters who are 

 pursuing other game, which at the time may be lawfully 

 shot. 



The extent to which the game birds of the Province 

 are being slaughtered for exportation to the United 

 States of America is almost incredible. Boys are 

 hired by stage drivers, train hands, commission 

 merchants, and others, to bring in as large a supply 

 as possible, and the extermination goes on incess- 

 antly, although the price paid for the birds brought 

 in is often hardly enough to pay for the powder 

 and shot used in their destruction. The American hotels 

 and restaurants are liberally supplied with Canadian 

 game, while in Ontario only those who are rich can af- 

 ford the luxury of a game dinner. The exportation of 

 all kinds of game from the Province should be prohibited. 

 Much game is sold out of season by game and fish deal- 

 ers, under the pretense that it has been imported. We 

 are therefore opposed to the unrestricted importation of 

 game, unless it can be so marked or labeled at the Cus- 

 tom House as to be easily identified. This method would 

 go far toward stopping the sale of birds shot out of sea- 

 son, and we recommend that the Dominion Government 

 be memorialized on this subject as well as on that of the 

 exportation of game. 



We recommend that five days and no more be allowed 

 to dealers for the sale of their stock of game after the 

 close season begins. The time at present allowed is too 

 long, and allows of game being received after the close 

 season begins. The sale or exposure for sale of quail, 

 snipe, wild turkey, woodcock and partridge should be 

 prohibited all over Ontario for a term of three years. 



The law which forbids the spring shooting of dxxcks 

 should be strongly enforced, but as to geese and swan, 

 there is no reason why these birds should not be shot in 

 spring. 



Duck shooting from sailboats and steam yachts should 

 be strictly forbidden. 



The destruction of ducks in some sections of the 

 Province, especially where private preserves are estab- 

 lished, is enormous. We recommend that no individual 

 sportsman be allowed to shoot more than twenty-five 

 ducks in any one day. 



Foreigners residing outside of Ontario should not be 

 allowed to shoot birds in the Province except upon pay- 

 ment of a license fee. 



With a view to preventing the shooting of game birds 

 and smaller animals in part of their close season, all 

 shooting except quail should begin on Sept. 15 and end 

 on Dec. 15. The quail season need not be interfered 

 with, and can stand as at present. 



In the matter of the protection of birds, the establish- 

 ment of a force of game wardens would also be very 

 beneficial, and the indiscriminate slaughter now com- 

 plained of could be much curtailed. 



The burning of marshes, which interferes with the 

 nesting of game birds and other animals, should be 

 strictly forbidden. 



The permits issued for so-called scientific purposes, 

 should be strictly limited in number, and not given ex- 

 cept under very stringent conditions, and to those who 

 are known to be bona-fide scientific men. 



The present trespass act should be amended so that 

 persons found, trespassing on farms or other private 

 property where game is preserved, should be liable to a 

 heavy penalty. 



Referring to Revised Statutes of Ontario, Chap. 321, 

 Section 7, that the words "and all other waterfowl" be 

 struck out. 



Shooting between sunset and sunrise should be strictly 

 prohibited, as much damage is done to partridges and 

 other birds on moonlight nights by pot-hunters who, with 

 the aid of their dogs, disturb the birds and then shoot 

 them in large numbers from beneath the trees. 



The open shooting season should include the first and 

 last days specified. At present many hunters shoot and 

 otherwise destroy game after the close season com- 

 mences, excusing themselves for so doing by the plea 

 that they were not sure as to the correct interpretation 

 of the law. 



The wild turkey should be closely protected for a 

 period of five years. 



FISH. 



The subject of the protection and preservation of fish 

 has been the most difficult presented for consideration. 

 Owing to the fact that the Province has not at present the 

 right to control all its waters, and as the Dominion and 

 Provincial laws vary considerably, much confusion is 

 found to exist. The laws are not generally enforced, and 

 although it appears that a few of the fishery inspectors 

 endeavor to discharge their duties faithfully, it is equally 

 apparent that the majority of them take little if any 

 pains to prohibit illegal fishing and to protect the valua- 

 ble stock intrusted to their care. 



The extent to which fishing is carried on in the close 

 seasons is alarming, and the exposure of fish in the mar- 

 kets of the larger towns and cities of the Province during 

 the close seasons is open and defiant. 



The extent to which netting is carried on is also incon- 

 ceivable, and the spawning grounds are stripped year 

 after year, until in many places where fish abounded 

 formerly in large numbers, there is no yield now at all. 

 If a force of game wardens was appointed, this matter 

 could be vigorously looked into, and the slaughter and 

 destruction could be very considerably lessened. 



The value of the fish yield is enormous, and too much 

 pains cannot be taken to preserve what should always be 

 a cheap food supply for the masses. 



A whitefish hatchery as well as a trout hatchery should 

 be established in the Province by the Ontario government. 

 This would be both useful and popular, and would pay 

 for itself over and over again. 



The visit of your Commissioners to the trout hatchery 

 of the State of Michigan abundantly satisfied them as to 

 this. A few years ago the streams of that State were de- 

 pleted, and not a trout could be found therein: the same 

 waters are now teeming with fish. The farmers and 

 dwellers along the banks readily assist in preserving 



them, and the railroad companies furnish free transport 

 for the Commissioners' car when fry is being sent from 

 point to point. No pains are spared to restock the 

 streams and increase the supply of fish, and the State is 

 now reaping the benefit of the wise outlay made in the 

 first instance. Your Commissioners found much to ad- 

 mire in the systematic course pursued by the Fish Com- 

 mission in the State of Michigan in regard to its work. 

 Every lake and body of water in the State is regularly 

 inspected at stated periods, the condition of the water 

 and weather at the time of inspection are contained in 

 the inspectors' report; the depth of the water, its tem- 

 perature, the conditions of the bottom, the number and 

 kind of fish taken, are all carefully noted, and the result 

 is that when the waters come to be restocked only such 

 fish are put in as are supposed to be able to thrive there. 

 The consequence being that waste and loss iB minimized, 

 and much good accrues from the thorough and syste- 

 matic labor. 



Your Commissioners regret that they cannot make any 

 special recommendations as to the close season for the 

 various fish found in the Province. The evidence taken 

 points to the fact that nearly all the waters in the Prov- 

 ince are more or less depleted. 



Saw-dust, dynamite, improper fish-slides, indiscrimin- 

 ate netting, and the cutting down of shade trees, have 

 all done their deadly work, and to add to the general 

 discontent, there is no reason to doubt that the seasons 

 now set are not universally approved of. 



The close season for one particular fish, in one particu- 

 lar district, appears to be perfectly unsuitable to the same 

 kind of fish in another part of the same district. This is 

 easily accounted for by the differentiation in the con- 

 ditions of the waters, some being deeper and therefore 

 colder than others, and some containing a lack of proper 

 fish food. 



The only satisfactory way in which the fish seasons 

 can be properly set, is by the establishment of a perma- 

 nent Game and Fish Commission, whose members will 

 give the matter special and thorough study. This a work 

 which cannot be done in a day, and a vast work which 

 lies ahead of such commission, but it is a work which can 

 be made immensely profitable for the Province, and 

 which will have the hearty sympathy of all classes of 

 the community. 



Pound nets should be entirely abolished in the waters 

 of the Province, and that no gill netting should be al- 

 lowed except by special permission from the Game and 

 Fish Commissioners. 



Careful attention should also be given to the matter of 

 winter spawning in landlocked waters. There are some 

 waters in which no harm can possibly result from this 

 pastime, besides which many fishermen depend entirely 

 for their winter supply of food on the fish taken in this 

 manner. On the other hand, there are many bodies of 

 water in which this practice is most pernicious and det- 

 rimental, and this is a matter which should receive very 

 careful attention. 



Many fish are destroyed by camping and fishing clubs 

 for the mere sake of making big catches, so that the 

 number of fish taken are far in excess of what is required 

 for food purposes. By such means as these many of the 

 waters of the Province are being depleted, and your 

 commissioners therefore recommend that a limit be 

 placed upon the size or weight of the fish allowed to be 

 taken. Unless some such step is taken the indiscrimin- 

 ate slaughter which has been going on for years will soon 

 deplete the waters of the Province entirely. 



In the meantime, pending the possible appointment of 

 a permanent Commissioner, your Commissioners feel 

 themselves quite unable to offer any suggestions as to 

 close seasons, although they are of opinion that the 

 present laws, for the reasons above given, are not satis- 

 factory. 



HARES OR RABBITS. 



These animals should only be killed from Sept. 15 to 

 Dec. 15, so that one general shooting season may be ob- 

 served. 



SQUIRRELS. 



Squirrels should be shot only from Sept. 15 to Dec. 15 

 in the proposed general shooting season. At present the 

 slaughter of these animals is indiscriminate, and the 

 black squirrel has almost disappeared from the Province. 



FUR- BEARING ANIMALS. 



The beaver, otter and fisher are growing very scarce 

 in Ontario, and should be strictly protected for five years, 

 during which none of these animals should be allowed to 

 be taken or killed. The present trapping season should 

 be shortened one month, so as to end on March 31 in- 

 stead of April 3u> The present season is too long, and 

 interferes with the breeding season. 



WOLVES. 



Much harm is done to the deer and larger game ani- 

 mals of the Province by wolves. The trappers and hun- 

 ters assert that the wolf is an animal which can only be 

 taken with great difficulty, and the bounty at present 

 paid is altogether too small, to induce them to follow the 

 animal. The bounty should be raised from $6 to $12, and 

 the same arrangements made for the payment of the 

 bounty in unorganized districts. No bounty is paid for 

 the destruction of wolves, except in organized districts 

 or within one mile of settlements. Those who live in 

 unorganized districts, suffer much from the depredation 

 of the wolf, but the authorities are too poor to pay a 

 bounty, and consequently, no effort is made to kill the 

 destroyer. 



FOXES AND OTHER VERMIN. 



Your Commissioners recommend that $1 bounty be paid 

 for each fox destroyed, as this animal is a great destroyer 

 of young game. All vermin not specified and protected 

 by "the game laws should be killed at sight. 



GENERAL QUESTIONS. 



The close seasons for game and fish are not generally 

 respected throughout the Province, the laws being broken 

 by all classes of the community, principally, however, by 

 settlers, Indians, boys and pot-hunters. A Provincial 

 force of game and fish wardens or protectors should be 

 established. Sub-wardens should be permanent residents 

 of the localities under their supervision, because they are 

 intimately acquainted with the game districts and the 

 residents of the neighborhood, and would naturally hear 

 more of what was going on than a stranger could possibly 

 do. 



Sub-wardens should be appointed by the chief warden, 

 who in turn should be appointed by the Game and Fish 



