6 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
The act making changes in certain small game seasons has par¬ 
tially met the desires of sportsmen, although sentiment in favor of a 
synchronous season for all small upland game is constantly growing 
stronger and the next Legislature will no doubt be importuned to 
open and close the season on rabbits, squirrels, ruffed grouse, ring- 
neck pheasants, quail, etc., on the same dates. If this can be brought 
about conditions will be materially improved. 
The act returning a portion of the penalty to persons who through 
mistake kill an illegal deer or elk while not generally understood 
among sportsmen this season because of the State Printer’s delay in 
delivering the new 7 Game Law Pamphlets is meeting the entire ap¬ 
proval of sportsmen. Reports made by our Acting Secretary since 
the date of his annual report indicate that a number of good sports¬ 
men who actually made mistakes and killed illegal deer came for¬ 
ward immediately and acknowledged their error as w r ell as dressed 
and hung up the carcass as required by this act. They later received 
a return of one-fourth of the penalty paid. When this law becomes 
more thoroughly understood we are sure less carcasses of illegal 
deer will be left lying in the forests to decay, as the men who make 
an error will have an incentive besides good sportsmanship to come 
forward and acknowledge same. 
County Treasurers assisted splendidly in seeing to it that all 
foreign-born residents presented naturalization papers before being 
issued a Resident Hunter’s License, and these people were caused 
but little trouble this year through improperly issued licenses. 
Since the passage of the act denying a division of penalties col¬ 
lected from aliens under the Alien Dog Law and the Alien Firearms 
Law we are pleased to report that but few complaints of persecutions 
among the foreign-born residents of the State, as was formerly the 
custom, have reached us. Our several salaried officers are at this 
time, as in the past, making a special effort to educate these people 
to the provisions of these laws without the imposition of penalties, 
although in some cases apparently the only remedy is to impose pen¬ 
alties in order that the provisions of this law 7 must be obeyed. 
GAME CONDITIONS. 
Information gathered by us individually as well as through the De¬ 
partment indicates that game conditions generally were more favor¬ 
able throughout the State this year than for some time past. Re¬ 
liable data recently obtained satisfies us that we have more game of 
various kinds left over in the covers of Pennsylvania at this time 
than at the close of any season for at least five years past. Many 
sportsmen as well as old experienced employees from whom informa¬ 
tion on this subject has been solicited are all positive in their state¬ 
ments that rabbits, squirrels, ruffed grouse, quail, deer, and bear are 
all found in sufficient number in practically all sections of the 
State to supply considerably better hunting next fall than the sports¬ 
men enjoyed this year regardless of the fact that during the 
season just closed 401,130 Resident Hunters’ Licenses and 1,128 Non- 
Resident Hunters’ Licenses were isued. The highest number of Resi¬ 
dent Licenses heretofore issued in any one year was 315,474 in 1917, 
7 
The number of farmers and their tenants who are permitted to hunt 
without a license added to the licensed hunters this year we are con¬ 
fident will make a total of not less than 600,000 men w r ho hunted 
for game in Pennsylvania this year. This increase in the number of 
hunters is very largely attributable to improved game conditions and 
the prominence our work has attained. 
During the close season of one ye^r placed on ruffed grouse these 
birds apparently increased nicely in all sections of the State where 
they had not been too closely killed off prior to that action, but in 
sections where they had almost been exterminated they w 7 ere barely 
able to survive and in such sections perceptible increase has been 
noted. However, many sportsmen who hunted for grouse during 
the early part of the season and found birds scarce were surprised to 
find them fairly plentiful in the same territory during the latter part 
of November and the deer season. If we are fortunate in having a 
favorable hatching and rearing season this coming spring the grouse 
will again be fairly plentiful. 
The wild turkeys of the State are increasing rapidly and the sports¬ 
men generally are well pleased with the results obtained. Some of 
these birds will be trapped and transferred to other suitable sections 
if weather conditions are favorable, in this way distributing turkey 
hunting over a larger portion of the Commonwealth. 
Deer are increasing very rapidly, the total number of legal bucks 
killed this year being 2,913 in comparison with 1,754 last year, which 
had been the highest number killed in any one year previous. If 
the same ratio of increase continues it will be but a matter of a 
short time until the annual kill of legal male deer in Pennsylvania 
will outdo any other State in the Union. 
The bear have increased very rapidly and in some sections are be¬ 
coming somewhat of a menace to the welfare of the inhabitants, not 
so much because of the actual damage done as the undesirable effect 
upon the increase of sheep and other livestock in those sections. 
Farmers become fearful and discouraged, frequently disposing of their 
flocks lest the bears begin destroying their sheep, and we believe it 
would again be advisable to permit through proper legislation the 
use of pens for the taking of bears. If deemed necessary the number 
of bears that may be taken in one pen in one season can be limited. 
The elk introduced are apparently increasing nicely, although com¬ 
plaints relative to damage and annoyances continue reaching ns. Our 
previous conclusion that Pennsylvania does not afford sufficiently ex¬ 
tensive range for elk is without doubt correct, although the opening 
of the season in 1921 may have a desirable effect and cause these 
animals to retreat to more extensive range areas. 
We invite your attention to the addendum to our Secretary’s re¬ 
port relative to game killed, etc., which data we believe is accurate 
concerning the kill of large game and quite authentic relative to 
small game of various kinds killed during the season just closed. 
HUNTING ACCIDENTS. 
According to data collected there were 35 fatal hunting accidents 
and 128 non-fatal accidents during the hunting season just closed^ as 
compared with 19 fatal accidents and 48 non-fatal accidents during 
