Oct. 31, 1896.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
barren from killing off the males. During the past sum- 
mer Game Warden Cummings, of Presque Isle, Me., has 
spent most of his time between the mouth of the Allegash, 
on the St. John River, and Chamberlain Lake, 150 miles 
away in the Maine woods. Moose are said to be more 
plentiful here than in any other part of the world. Of 
the nearly 500 moose counted by Mr. Cummings between 
June 20 and Oct. 1, he did not see over seventy -five males, 
and half of these were yearlings. Bela Fowle, of Milo, 
one of the oldest and most exj erienced guides in Maine, 
has seen herds of from fifteen to thirty moose this sum- 
mer, and there was seldom a bull among them. Other 
good guides, who care more for truth than they do for 
getting money by practicing deception upon their patrons, 
complain about the scarcity of large male moose; and they 
say that moose hunting will soon come to an end in' 
Maine unless more stringent laws are passed. 
Two years ago of the 10,000 men who sought moose in 
Maine about one in forty captured the game he sought. 
Of the nearly 18,000 men who hunted moose in Maine last 
year not one in fifty saw what he wanted to kill. It is 
estimated that about 25,000 hunters will seek moose in the 
Pine Tree State between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 1896. Ninety 
per cent, of those who passed a week or more in the 
woods in October returned home to tell their friends that 
nobody can kill a bull moose in Maine while the ground 
is bare. Growler. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST, 
The Wisconsin Deer Law. 
CHiCAao, 111., Oct. 33. — Rarely have sportsmen's circles 
in this part of the country been more excited than they 
have this past week over the sudden news of the change 
of the Wisconsin game law. This change cuts down the 
possible shooting season on deer in 189l5 to seventeen days 
total, and that a month earlier than had been fixed upon 
by hundreds, and indeed probably thousands, of deer 
hunters for a trip into the Wisconsin woods. By all odds 
the story of this singular state of affairs is the most im- 
portant sporting news of the season. The facts were 
mentioned briefly in these columns in last week's Forest 
AND STREAKt, nothing definite at that time being known 
by anybody as to what would be the result of the tangle 
made by this sudden and unannounced action of the 
Supreme Court of that State. Day by day since then the 
interest in the news has grown, and meantime very many 
letters have been received at this office asking definite 
news as to what will be the legal deer dates in Wiscon- 
sin. I am now in position to give authentic and thor- 
ough statement of the case, and also to show something 
nf the extent of the annual migration of deer hunters to 
Wisconsin, a traffic which wiU this year be cut down 
probably one-half at least. 
Game Warden J. T. Ellarson has published a circular 
giving the status of the game laws since this decision of 
the Supreme Court, and in his circular says that the 
wardens will stand on the dates of the law previous to 
the law of lb95, namely, that of 1893, in which the deer 
season is Oct. 1 to Nov. 1. To avoid confusion in regard 
to dates of open seasons on other varieties of game, the 
dates given by Warden Ellarson are here given : Deer, Oct. 
1 to Nov. 1. Brant, Sapt. 1 to May 1. Grouse, goose, 
mallard duck, partridge, prairie chicken, plover, quail, 
snipe, teal duck, wood duck, woodcock, Sept. 1 to Dec. 1, 
Duck (other than mallard, wood and teal), Sept. 1 to May 
1. Rabbit (with dogs), Nov. 1 to Oct. 1. 
How the Trouble Happened. 
The manner in which the blunder over the Buckstaff 
law (or the law of 1895) occurred is thus set forth in a let- 
ter from Col. H. B. Harshaw, of Oshkosh, who had the 
interests of that law in charge in the matter of execution 
at Oshkosh and other points, and was well advised of the 
intents of the law and instrumental in its passage. From 
Col. Harshaw's clear exposition of the case it looks cer- 
tain that the deer will get a good chance in Wisconsin 
this faU, for the season will be up Nov. 1, The Supreme 
Court will not reconsider in all probability. What the 
results will be for the sportsmen who were diligent in the 
enforcement of the Buckstaflf law in good faith during the 
time it was considered the law of the land will make a 
very interesting study in law. The fishermen have been 
very vindictive against the sportsmen for confiscating 
their nets and breaking up their illegal and pernicious 
traffic in tho game fish of Winnebago and other large 
lakes of the State, and it is sure they will attempt retalia- 
tion by damage suits for loss under the late prosecutions. 
The sportsmen interested in that should, however, not be 
troubled in mind yet awhile, for the whole affair is apt to 
end in bluster, and it is sure the courts would be very 
lenient with the sportsmen if any such case came up, for 
there was no intent or supposition of any illegal action on 
their part, and the law had never before been tested or 
passed upon in any way. The fishermen will not do 
much by way of retroactive revenge, and the sportsmen 
will soon be after them again with another and better 
law. Anyone acquainted with Mr, Buckstaff and Col. 
Harshaw will hardly expect them to quit the matter at 
this interesting stage. Col. Harshaw writes as follows: 
E. Hough, Esq.— Dear Sir: Answering yours of yesterday regarding 
the decision of ttie Supreme Court handed down on the 13 -.h, whereby 
they hold that what we had supposed to be our flsh and game law of 
1895 had never passed (legally) the Legislature, and was therefore a 
nullity, I would say that I have very little hopes of the ciurt chang- 
ing their decision. Should they do so it would come too late to be of 
any avail this year. 
You ask for my views on the present tangle of the Wisconsin game 
law and any light I can give you on the matter. Our Supreme Court 
held in February of this year that the law was constitutional, and that 
the Legislature had the power to pass same and provide for its en- 
forcement, the question as to whether the law had properly passed or 
not not being raised in that case. Another case was subsequently ap- 
pealed to that court on tbe question as to whether the printed law 
ever legally passed, and they decided as above stated. 
The whole blame for the failure of the bill to become a law lies with 
the Senators who were respectively chairmen of the Committee on 
Fish and Game and Enrolled Bills. A bill that did not pass both 
houses was enrolled, certified to the Governor and approved by him. 
A portion of another bill which did pass was certified to him and also 
approved. The bills contained a repealing clause of all prior game 
laws passed. This being no law leaves the game law of 1893 In force. 
By the law of 1893 the open season for shooting deer is Oct, 1 to Nov. 
1, and, as I understand, will be enforced. This gives the deer this year 
tne benefit, ol thirteen days. 
Beyond any doubt the Legislature will pass a law substantially the 
same as the 1895 law. As soon as that law was passed the people 
adjacent to Lake Winnebago took its enforcement in hand- We had 
wardens appointed, and the State having made no appropriation for 
payiag any expenses of enforcing same, raised money for payment of 
deputies, hired a slearoboat and enforced the law vigorously from 
June, 1895, to Oct. 13, 1896, taking and destroying nearly if not quite 
100 miles of nets and many thousands of set hooka and lines. The 
result was the best fishing in these waters with boot and line for the 
past ten years. 
The rivers and lakes are now filled with nets, and thousands of 
pounds of fish are being shipped from our waters every day and will 
be until we can get a new law. When we get a new law you may be 
assured it will be a good and valid one, and it will be enforced. 
Oshkosh, Oct. 21. H. B. Harshaw. 
Extent of the Deer Trave;!. 
Another very great factor in favor of the deer this fall is 
the fact of tbe Presidential election now so near at hand. I 
learn from the three great railroad systems which go from 
Chicago into the Wisconsin deer country that a very large 
number of parties — especially from Ohio and Indiana — 
had made arrangements to go to Wisconsin immediately 
after election. 5lany of these will now not go at all, as 
they are m the habit of going for the full season, and 
would not now have time to get ready and come back for 
election. So far as I can discover, all these different facts 
coming together will lessen the number of deer hunters 
at least one-half, and if more than that, so much the bet- 
ter for the deer. 
The hunters who will go into Wisconsin this fall will be 
largely from points near Wisconsin. Chicago will send a 
good number. Of course, the resident hunters will not 
be so much affected. I think that there are probably at 
this writing about 2,000 deer hunters out in Wisconsin. 
There would be relatively about 4,000 this fall if the 
game law had not changed. The number will be in- 
creased to probably 2,500 before the end of next week. I 
do not think 3,000 to 3,500 is an outside estimate of the 
non-resident hunters who will go to Wisconsin each deer 
season now, since the Michigan license law. This esti- 
mate is far more apt to be too sinall than too large, but I 
make it conservatively. 
The general oatfsenger department of the Chicago & 
Northwestern R. R. tell me that they will send three 
parties, comprising twenty-one men, to Wisconsin next 
week. They sent ten Chicago men up Wednesday. 
They think Chicago alone will send from 150 to 300 deer 
hunters over their road this month. At the hurried op- 
portunity given them to get at figures, they could not 
state positively much about their deer traffic this fall,- es- 
pecially as the matter was still in confusion, as they were 
answering telegrams and letters from all oyer the 
country in regard to the change in the law, which was 
widely spread by the daily press, in some respects incor- 
rectly. The Northwestern road, however, state to me 
that they carried between 1,800 and 2,000 deer hunters, 
non-residents, over their road alone into Wisconsin last 
fall, and that almost all of these came from Ohio and 
northern Indiana. This sudden jump in deer traffic was 
the unmistakable result of the Michigan license law. The 
figures are authentic. A great many of these parties 
were large ones, and it was the custom of the road, in 
common with other railroads, to send special cars down 
into Ohio and Indiana for the accommodation of these 
parties, which ran from half a dozen to twenty-five men, 
usually under the leadership of some one acquainted in 
Wisconsin. The cars were sometimes "combination" 
cars, with a baggage compartment, so that the parties 
could be put through to their camping grounds without; 
any change or trouble to themselves at all, taking their 
camp dunnage along at no expense or annoyance. The 
Northwestern folks say that this fall the State to have 
the deer traffic will be Minnesota, whose dates are Nov. 1 
to Nov. 30, A large number of these Ohio parties have 
signified their intention of going out after election, cross- 
ing the State of Wisconsin and going into Minnesota, 
along the Duluth, Mesaba & Northern and the Duluth & 
Winnipeg railroads. Nov. 4 will see an exodus of prob- 
ably 1,500 deer shooters from Ohio alone. A great many 
of these men are reported to be farmers, who make this 
fall hunt their big yearly trip and rarely leave home for 
any other sort of hunting. Of course, there are hundreds 
of others of all professions. 
The Wisconsin Central R. R. reports a similar state of 
affairs to the above in its deer traffic arrangements for 
this fall. All the railroads deplore the misunderstanding 
regarding the law, as it costs them many thousands of 
dollars, all these parties being "long hauls" whose round 
trips figure up toward $20 apiece. One man, Phil Miller, 
of Eaton, Ohio, had a party of seventy-nine men made up 
to go to Wisconsin this fall immediately after election. 
He was in town this week bound North, and says that 
only three of his party came with him. The Wisconsin 
Central think they will lose about one-half their deer traf- 
fic this year. They carried about 300 men from Ohio last 
year, and expect 150 to 300 at the outside this year as it is. 
Their total last year was about 600, or at least they know 
they had that many, perhaps more. This year they ex- 
pect not over one-half or a third of that number, from 300 
to 450. The bulk of these men scatter out between Med- 
ford and Glidden, there being small choice for location in 
that region. Fifield receives much traffic of that sort, 
and is reported good. 
The Chicago, Milwaukea & St. Paul R. R. is the third 
line which runs into the deer country of Wisconsin, and 
it carries a great many hundred men annually in this 
business. This month it reports knowledge of only about 
forty men who have gone up from Chicago. More are 
expected as the understanding of the case grows more 
general. This road does not expect over half its usual 
quota on this ti'affic. 
The vicinity of the Gaylord Club catches a good many 
deer hunters, and another very popular point is Star Lake, 
to which the new spur of this road was extended two 
years ago, and where deer are accessible at reasonable 
distances. Many persons go in at Minocqua, Squirrel 
Lake and other points closer to the beaten paths, but 
where good deer country is near at hand. Manitowish, 
Turtle Chain and other localities are also good. Coon's 
Camp on Trout Lake is open for the deer season this year. 
The Bucks at Manitowish are no doubt ready to guide 
parties, and they are reliable-men who will find game. 
Snow in Michigan. 
Deer hunting matters are still further complicated by a 
heavy snowstorm this week in^the upper peninsula of 
Michigan, which it was thought might block railroad 
travel, 4in. having fallen at the time of the report, with 
more following fast. 
The Express Companies Act. 
The deer law matter has come to the notice of the ex- 
press companies running to Wisconsin. The National 
Express Co. has a circular to-day in the hands of all its 
agents and also the railroad companies interested, advis- 
ing all of the change of the law, and stating that the law 
of 1893 is now in force, The circular states that under 
that law no deer can be shipped or carried out of the 
State, whereas under the law of 1895, now nullified, two 
deer could be brought out in possession. 
Deer Hunters Numerous In the Woods. 
Under any ordinary circumstances it is no sinecure to 
go hunting for deer in the State of Wisconsin. There are 
a good many deer, but also a good many hunters, some 
of whom are the usual touch-and-go, hit-or-miss sort. I 
have stated that the death roll of victims of these hunters 
last year was thirteen , that many men being known to 
have been accidentally killed by deer hunters who took 
them for deer. Probably a great many more were killed 
whose deaths were never reported in the newspapers. 
Last year, between Iron Mountain and Champion, on a 
strip of country about forty miles long and half that 
wide, there were 500 deer hunters at one time. At least 
a railroad man told me he knew of that many who 
bought tickets for the points on that strip of country. 
There are a great many chances that a sportsman hunt- 
ing deer in such a goodly company will not get killed. 
Indeed, the great majority of shooters who went in there 
were not killed, or even fatally injured or crippled. 
One hundred men got off at the station of Rhinelander, 
Wisconsin, last Sunday morning, all bound for deer hunt- 
ing, according to reports received here through a party 
of muscallonge anglers who have just returned from 
Wisconsin this week. They say that there is great ex- 
citement among the local hunters, and all are pressing 
into the woods. 
This local traffic is to be added to the vast number of 
non-resident shooters, whose numbers I have tried to ar- 
rive at above. The grand total of deer hunters out in 
Wisconsin during the deer season is something which is 
hard to get, and outside these columns I have never seen 
it attempted. With the help of the railroads, as above 
quoted, I should say there may probably be 5,000 to 6,000 
men, residents and non residents, who hunt deer in Wis- 
consin. This is in the legal season. Not all tbpse men 
hunt legally by any means. Many of the large Ohio and 
Indiana parties take in dogs with them openly. It is 
known by the railroads that the non-resident hunters 
nearly all — I will not say all— smuggle out venison 
wrapped up in the tents or baggage when they go home. 
The railroad men tell me that they do not think the hunt- 
ers average a deer apiece, though some parties of good 
hunters kill twenty, thirty or forty deer in the season, 
sometimes two or three dozen men hunting with various 
luck for a week or two weeks, rarely for a less time. 
On top of this influx of shooters, who shoot in legal sea- 
son and with more or less regard to legal methods, there 
must be added the large amount of illegal shooting prac-» 
tic 2d by local shooters all through the summer, and by 
city parties of fishers who take in rifles as a matter of 
course. The game laws in Wisconsin are not as well ob- 
served as they are in Maine. I am not familiar enough 
with that State to know how the amount of hunting ter- 
ritory or the number of hunters compares with the same 
in Wisconsin, and I do not know how the deer compare 
in numbers; but it seems to me that the big and hospitable 
Western State might well take counsel of its Eastern sis- 
ter and begin early to look sharply after its game. 
I do not think the case is much the same 
in the two States as to revenue from non-resi- 
dents. Nearly all the big parties I have mentioned 
are camping parties, and these do not spend much money 
in the woods region. The local storekeepers complain that 
they do not even buy bacon or ammunition of them, and 
many local men complain of the non-residents on one 
ground or another, whereas in Maine this sort of travel is 
much sought and valued, and makes a regular and well 
estimated source of revenue to many men aside from 
those of the railroads. There are guides in Wisconsin, 
but not so many as in Maine, and the guiding industry is 
not cultivated to the same extent. I should take the 
character of the Maine trade to be largely of city men 
with money, and that of Wisconsin to be made up more 
of men who do not care to spend $1,000 for a deer, but 
who like to kill and eat one just the same. As times go 
by the condition in Wisconsin will come more and more 
to resemble the condition in Maine. It is wilder and less 
regulated in the Western State. I confess it never seemed 
attractive to think of being tagged and checked all 
through the woods, as they seem to do with a fellow in 
Maine; but after a while we will do that out here. I 
think a good system of tags should be established for Wis- 
consin. I would not think of going into Wisconsin my- 
self without a serviceable metal tag made of some non- 
corrosive material attached to my person, which would 
serve as a means of identification for my remains if found 
a year or so later. As to the deer, in either Maine or Wis- 
consin, it seems obvious that they would better learn how 
to climb trees, for they will have to get off the earth if 
they stay on the ground. Yet so far as can be learned at 
this early writing, the wily white-tail is taking care of 
himself so carefully as to be as abundant this year as it 
was last in some parts of the State of Wisconsin. 
Michigan License. 
There are several Chicago gentlemen who pay their 
license and go to the Michigan south peninsula this fall, 
thinking the hunting will be better there, One party of 
four, whose names I could not get at the time, will leave 
this city together for the south peninsula. The number 
of non-residents will, however, be very small in Michigan 
this year. As Wisconsin has no license law, it will be in- 
teresting to compare the game supply in the two States 
during the ensuing years, and perhaps additional light 
can in this way be obtained, though all such comparisons 
are more or less vague and unsatisfactory, and only to be 
arrived at in the most general form. I have no advices 
as to how the license law of Michigan is liked by the 
local hunters, but it certainly is cordially hated by the 
non-resident hunters. Meantime there are some thousands 
of men who wish this week that the date of election did 
not conflict with the date of deer. 
Notes ©f the Shooters. 
Messrs. J. A. Kline, H Kline, C. Hess, G. Wertz and 
W. F. Williams, all of Yoimgstown, O., called at the 
Forest and Stream office this week on their way to 
Conover, Wis. , where they wiU hunt deer for the remain- 
der of the season, i , 
Messrs. F. S. Wheeler and C. E. Rollins, Jr., of Chicago, 
with their friends Messrs. Johnson and Gobel, also of 
Chicago, stai-ted yesterday for Minocqua, Wis., for a deer 
hunt. 
