are: Union County, 22% per cent; Mifflin County, 22 per cent; 
Perry County, 20 per cent; Cumberland County; 19 per cent; and 
Dauphin County 18% per cent. The lowest percentage of returns 
was received from Greene County, from which only 1% per cent, 
of the sportsmen sent in their reports of game killed. 
This tabulation demonstrated conclusively that the figures here¬ 
tofore used by the Game Commission were consistently below the 
actual kill. Hundreds of these who reported had killed no game, some 
not even hunted, still the tabulation shows that the 34,000 licensed 
hunters who reported killed on an average of more than eight rab¬ 
bits each, more than two squirrels each and almost one grouse each, 
with other game generally distributed in proportion. A much 
better percentage of large game hunters than small game hunters 
reported. On the same basis, however, it is easy to estimate what 
the 434,000 licensed sportsmen in Pennsylvania killed last year, which, 
if added to game killed by those who can hunt legally without license 
on lands upon which they reside and cultivate, said to number up¬ 
wards of 200,000 persons additional, will amount to considerably 
more than the figures of the Game Commission if the same general 
average holds true. 
According to the reports, eight per cent, of the sportsmen in 1920 
killed: 
Deer .. . 
1,163 
Blackbirds 
. 17,458 
Bear . 
116 
Reedbirds . 
. 3,692 
Babbits . 
. . 278,982 
Shorebirds 
1 018 
Hares. 
Wild Cats 
<s*> 
Squirrels . 
. . 69,119 
Gray Foxes 
. 910 
Raccoons. 
4,631 
Red Poxes . 
. 846 
Wild Turkeys. 
823 
Mink . . . . . 
.... I 229 
Ruffed Grouse. 
. . 28,619 
Weasels . .. 
. 6,552 
Ring-neck Pheasants 
2,373 
Stray House Cats .... 5,086 
••••••••*•••• 
4,497 
Crows . .. . 
. 17,088 
Wild Geese. 
149 
Hawks . .. . 
. 3,513 
Wild Ducks. 
4,698 
Owls . 
. 1,339 
The average number < 
if days hunted, according 
to the reports filed. 
was slightly more than six days per man. Present indications 
are that the number of reports received for the 1921 season will be 
far in excess of those received for the 1920 season, with the result that 
the data from such tabulation will be .considerably more valuable 
than for the 1920 season. 
HUNTERS’ LICENSES 
There are but few changes in the form of the 1921 license. In the 
hope of having sportsmen understand the necessity for carrying the 
license on their person and displaying the tag on the middle of the 
back at all times while hunting as now required by law, a line of 
large type with a hand pointing to it-was placed at the top of the 
license, reading as follows: 
22 
“Save $20.00. Carry tills license and display tag on 
middle of back while hunting.” 
In printing the tags, instead of printing on the back of the tag thar 
it is necessary to display the tag in a certain place and thus require 
a second printing operation, we placed on the face of the tag between 
the county number and the license number the following: 
“Display tag on middle of back” 
The result is that the sportsmen apparently understand the re¬ 
quirements under the license law today better than ever before. In¬ 
dications are that the total issue of licenses for 1921 will be more than 
450,000, probably an increase of upwards of 30,000 over 1920. The 
issuance of non-resident hunters 7 license will also apparently be some 
what greater than last year. 
The decided increase in the number of licenses issued is accounted 
for by the increased interest our people are taking in outdoor rec¬ 
reation, especially hunting, and the fact that the industrial depres¬ 
sion has permitted many men who were otherwise idle to spend some 
time in the open enjoying the beauties of nature, killing a limited 
amount of game, and, in most cases, securing some desirable food 
to add to the family larder. 
We were somewhat handicapped in distributing our licenses be¬ 
cause of the printers 7 strike and were compelled to postpone the date 
for beginning enforcement of the law, but were able to keep up 
with the demands for licenses pretty well until along in November 
when the supply for a number of counties was exhausted and we 
were unable to have our suj>ply of “Special Issue” licenses completed 
quickly enough to keep all county treasurers fully supplied. In a 
few cases county treasurers were compelled to issue receipts until 
the additional supply of licenses could be secured. 
Indications are that many hunters who heretofore did unsports¬ 
manlike things on lands whereon they were hunting refrained from 
doing so this season because the new location for the wearing of th 
hunter’s license tag made identification less difficult. 
e 
HUNTING ACCIDENTS 
With a larger number of hunters it is self-evident that the number 
of hunting accidents will also, unfortunately, be quite large. In 
making a survey of the accidents so far reported it is regrettable to 
note that 1 a great majority of hunting accidents are the result of 
carelessness with firearms in the hands of the persons killed, and 
not accidents occurring because fellow-sportsmen were carelessly 
shooting at game. The two drastic laws previously referred to in 
this report controlling the shooting of bullets and imposing severe 
penalties upon persons shooting others in mistake for wild crea¬ 
tures have undoubtedly helped very materially in reducing the loss 
23 
