104 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Jan. 24, 1914. 
year is the greatest in the history of hunting in 
the State of New York that the nearest approach 
to it was 1912, the first year of the law, when 
eight were killed. He says that hunters do not 
blame this legislation for the high death list, 
but consider with amazement the extravagant 
claims the Commission has made for it “in the 
face of the facts,” and adds that the law per¬ 
mitting the killing of bucks only “has utterly 
failed to protect human life.” He also avers, 
that, in addition to the foregoing numbers, there 
have been 31 kinds of hunting accidents among 
boys and men. 
Therefore, Mr. Vosburgh is of the opinion, 
that “the law should be wiped off the books.” 
He says it is hard on the hunters and that we 
are facing a serious situation in the propagation 
of deer; that if, as claimed by the Commissioner, 
between 9,000 and 10,000 buck deer were killed 
last year, we shall soon have hundreds of doe 
deer “dry” or not bearing fawns. He favors a 
new law allowing but one deer to each licensed 
hunter, either a buck or doe, with the season 
shortened to 30 days instead of six weeks, and 
thinks that such legislation would allow surviv¬ 
ing deer a better chance to propagate, without 
increasing the actual number killed. He sug¬ 
gests that the minimum age for issuance of 
licenses be increased to 18 years. Mr. Vosburgh’s 
strongest point, however, is that a game law 
should be enacted holding criminally responsible 
any man who takes the life of another while 
hunting, and states, that many of the accidents 
of the past year were due practically to criminal 
negligence, but that only a few persons had been 
held for the Grand Jury. 
Holding no brief for the Conservation Com¬ 
mission, and only desiring that the true facts 
shall appear to enlighten the Legislature in its 
commendable effort to meet this most important 
question, let us turn to the published statement 
of the Commission, issued about Nov. 26, 1913. 
This declared that only two (2) men had been 
killed in 1913 in this State by hunters who mis¬ 
took them for deer; that reports from 125 
protectors showed' that there had been, up to 
that time, 19 fatal accidents in all kinds of hunt¬ 
ing, and that of these only five (5) had occurred 
in connection with deer hunting. This, certainly 
made the buck law show up pretty well, for ;t 
clearly demonstrated that sportsmen are now 
under the necessity of estimating the length of 
horn and consequent sex of every deer they fire 
upon, and that they are carefully observing the 
law upon this point. 
Now, this law was passed, primarily, to in¬ 
crease the supply of deer, by arresting the 
slaughter of breeding does during the annual 
hunting season. It was also believed by its 
farmers that it would sure'y tend to prevent the 
reckless firing at anything which simulated the 
form or actions of buck or doe and thus pre¬ 
vent loss of life. 
We may leave out of consideraton for the 
present the question whether or not the enforce¬ 
ment of this law has protected deer, and turn our 
attention to the more important and serious 
consideration whether it has, in fact been a 
conservator of human life. It will be seen at 
once that this law applies only to deer hunters 
in actual pursuit of their game in the open, and 
not to those preparing to visit or on their way 
to hunting fields. The results of the law, there¬ 
fore, can only be judged by accidents whici 
happened in 1913 to such hunters actually in 
the deer forests and to none others. 
Now we find that, at least, one man, Frank 
Holmes, an Adirondack guide, was shot by a 
New York hunter who was loading a rifle be¬ 
fore starting on a deer hunt, and that, in the 
case of Giles Jones, of Turin, N.Y., who was 
actually in the woods after deer, he was killed 
by a bullet from his own rifle accidently dis¬ 
charged by himself. These two last cases were 
placed by the Commission in connection with 
deer hunting, but certainly do not belong in that 
category. A law intended to protect hunters 
from death by being mistaken for deer cannot 
justly be charged with the death of a man killed 
by the accidental discharge of his own gun while 
hunting deer, nor with that of Warren Briggs, 
of Coffin’s Mills, N. Y., who was killed by his 
hunting companion, who actually fired at a deer, 
the bullet missing the game and glancing (prob¬ 
ably a high power rifle was used). 
An inspection of the remaining list of 
fatalities, those among small game hunters us¬ 
ing shot guns, and listed in the Commission’s 
published report, discloses the important fact 
that the great majority of all hunting accidents 
of last year and those that go to make up the 
26 claimed by Mr. Vosburgh in his argument 
and charged up by him against the buck law, 
were due to the recklessness and carelessness or 
the victims themselves—a most melancholy fact. 
It is also worthy of note that, although many 
women hunt deer and sma! 1 game in this State, 
that not a single case of accidental shooting is 
attributable to their sex in connection with hunt¬ 
ing, while no fewer than three (3) women have 
been killed, two of them by members of theii 
own households. 
It would seem, therefore, that with a total 
“kill” of about 9,000 buck deer last year, some 
30,000 persons having been 1 ngaged in deer hunt¬ 
ing, only two fatal accidents actually arose from 
the cause which the buck law was incidentally 
intended to prevent. 
This is almost positive proof of its efficacy 
as a means of protecting the life of deer 
hunters and increasing the number of deer as 
has been shown in this journal by experienced 
woodsmen, naturalists and authorities includ¬ 
ing Mr. John B. Burnham. 
It might be well to limit the shooting of 
buck deer further to those, having antlers and 
thus reduce the number of vigorous young 
yearlings and two-year-olds slain. It has always 
seemed to the writer to be unsportmanlike to 
shoot does carrying fawns, and we are only 
following the codes of England, Scotland and 
other foreign lands when we forbid their kill¬ 
ing altogether, as well as bucks without well de¬ 
veloped “heads.” 
It is considered best abroad to shoot off 
old stags with fine horns, and thus allow the 
most worthy juniors on the waiting-list to assume 
control of the “yard.” 
No extra penalty should be imposed upon 
the sportsman as such. Accidents in the handl¬ 
ing of fire r arms will probably always occur, 
but the way to prevent them is by careful in¬ 
struction to novices about to be entrusted with 
rifles, guns and revolvers. 
A thoughtful friend has suggested the 
passage of a law requiring the examination be¬ 
fore a state official of a person first desiring 
to use fire arms and the securing of a certifi¬ 
cate showing the applicant’s reasonable familiarity 
in the use of the rifle, gun or revolver that he 
intends to use, before a hunting license or pistol 
permit shall be issued to him. 
This would break up the practice of issu¬ 
ing licenses to striplings and all others not 
familiar with the practical use of fire arms. 
That such a law would result in a great sav¬ 
ing of life any old sportsman who has ever 
watched the performance of a greenhorn with 
his first gun or pistol will most emphatically 
agree. 
Cincinnati Revolver Club. 
Fifteen members were at the Brandemour Range on 
January 14 for the club team match, the Blue Team 
mustering eight men and the Reds seven. The Reds 
were not only short one man, but their crack members 
were out of condition, so that the Blues had an easy 
victory, winning by 205 points. High individual honors 
also went to the Blues, A. H. Kenen heading the list 
with 165. his second target having a good bunch of 
three nines and a ten, all five shots being in the black, 
and totaling 45. Elmer Hake, high man on the Reds, 
tied Kenan’s five-shot score, having a nice group of 
three tens, but dropping his last shot out of the black. 
He w : as second high man in the match. The next three 
places were filled by Red men. Capt. Schaefer, E. H. 
Thompson and A. A. Yungblut finishing in order given. 
A team match is being arranged with the Police Re¬ 
volver Club, which is once more to take an active part 
in the sport. Three targets were in use at this match, 
and the fourth range will he in shape for the next meet. 
Blue Team. 
A. H. Kenan . 
10 
10 
8 
S —43 
10 
9 
9 
9 
8—45 
9 
8 
8 
6 
4—35 
10 
9 
9 
8 
6—42— 
165 
Capt. T. F. Stevenson . 
7 
6 
5 
4—32 
10 
8 
8 
7 
7—40 
10 
8 
8 
7 
6—39 
9 
9 
9 
8 
6—41— 
152 
G. E. Pugh . 
.... Q 
9 
8 
7 
6—39 
8 
8 
7 
6 
6—35 
.8 
7 
7 
6 
6—34 
10 
8 
8 
8 
5—39— 
147 
H. C. Eustis . 
.... 9 
8 
6 
5 
5—33 
10 
9 
8 
8 
8—43 
10 
9 
7 
7 
7—40 
10 
6 
6 
5 
4—31— 
147 
F. Nagel . 
.... TO 
10 
8 
7 
5—40 
10 
8 
8 
7 
3—36 
10 
9 
8 
7 
4—38 
10 
8 
6 
6 
3—33— 
147 
K. W. Stevenson . 
8 
8 
6 
5—37 
Q 
*7 
6 
6 
5—33 
10 
8 
8 
8 
7—41— 
143 
A. E. Forester . 
.... 9 
9 
7 
6 
5—36 
9 
9 
5 
3 
.—26 
8 
7 
5 
3 
3—26 
8 
7 
7 
6 
4—32— 
120 
R. TT. Flvnt . 
.... 9 
6 
5 
5 
4—29 
9 
8 
6 
5 
5—33 
3 
5 
7 
5 
6—26 
9 
7 
3 
5 
3—27— 
ns 
Total . 
,136 
Red 
Team. 
E. Hake . 
10 
7 
6 
6—39 
10 
10 
10 
8 
7—45 
9 
8 
8 
8 
6—39 
10 
8 
8 
7 
7—40— 
163 
Capt. H. F. Schaefer . 
8 
7 
6 
5—36 
10 
10 
10 
7 
7—44 
10 
10 
9 
7 
6—42 
10 
9 
8 
7 
6—40— 
162 
E. H. Thompson . 
10 
9 
9 
6—44 
9 
8 
7 
7 
6—37 
9 
8 
7 
6 
7—37 
10 
9 
7 
7 
6 — 39 — 
157 
A. A. Yungblut . 
9 
8 
7 
6—40 
8 
6 
6 
5 
6—31 
10 
9 
9 
9 
6—43 
10 
9 
9 
7 
7—42— 
156 
Col. C. F. Hake . 
8 
5 
5 
4—32 
9 
9 
9 
7 
4—38 
8 
8 
8 
7 
6—37 
9 
8 
8 
s 
4—34— 
141 
Dr. Landis . 
. 5 
S 
4 
3 
•—17 
8 
8 
8 
6 
4—34 
.10 
8 
8 
4 
4—34 
7 
5 
6 
S 
4—27— 
112 
M. S. Bowman . 
. 6 
4 
3 
.—13 
5 
5 
4 
4 
.—18 
3 
3 
3 
•— 9 
.— .— 
40 
Chicago, Ill., Jan. 12, 1914. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Yesterday, with the temperature 30 degrees, a clear 
sky and a south wind blowing more than 20 miles, an 
hour, Homer W. Bishop made his best double American 
round. 
Score: 
29— 177, 30—192, 30—224, 89—593 
30— 178, 30—200, 30—230, 90—608 
EDWARD B. WESTON. 
It has been demonstrated that over-grazed 
stock ranges on the national forests can be 
brought back to use under a system of regulated 
grazing faster than if they are left unused. 
