76 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Jan. i8 , 1913 
that the buck law is necessary. The appalling 
number of people shot by mistake in the woods 
in States which do not demand that a hunter 
see the horns before he shoots, supply eloquent 
testimony that this precaution is essential to 
public safety. 
‘‘With the increase in population, dangers 
from the incautious use of firearms become 
yearly greater. The only argument that can be 
offered against observing the restrictions placed 
on hunters by the buck law is that in trying to 
tell whether a deer is a buck or a doe, the 
hunter may lose a shot, and such an argument 
carries no weight when we know that the time 
taken to make the distinction may save the life 
of another hunter. This argument is only of¬ 
fered by the tyro, and while it would be foolish 
to say that the tyro should not be allowed to 
hunt, it is certain that his inexperience should 
not be allowed to endanger the lives of others. 
There is no one thing which will do as much 
toward cutting down the annual loss of life in 
the woods as the general adoption and stringent 
enforcement of the buck law.” 
Bringing Game into New Jersey. 
Linden, N. J., Jan. 6 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: I have read with interest several 
notices in different “sporting papers” regarding 
the arrest and fining of sportsmen in New Jersey. 
I cannot sit idly bj' and see the State Game 
and Fish Commission of New Jersey maligned 
in such a matter. I think a little frank state¬ 
ment of my experience of having been arrested 
and fined will suffice to set at rest all such re¬ 
ports. 
I had been shooting at Greenwood Lake, 
N. J., several days and my bag consisted of 
two partridges and six rabbits. I took the after¬ 
noon “Sunday” train at Greenwood Lake Glens. 
On my arrival at Erie Station, Jersey City (had 
no gun or dog with me), I was arrested by 
Deputy Rayner, who demanded to know where 
I had gotten my game. I told him I had shot 
it up at Greenwood Lake, N. J. He took me to 
Hoboken, before Justice of the Peace. J. J. 
O’Brien, who fined me $46.80. I explained to 
the Justice of the Peace that if he would call 
up the clerk who had issued the license to me 
in Linden, N. J., he would verify my statement. 
This he refused to do. I was detained several 
hours in the office of J. J. O’Brien and finally 
was fortunate enough to catch a friend at the 
club who very kindly came down and paid my 
fine. 
I called on Ernest Napier, president of the 
State Fish and Game Commission of New Jersey, 
and stated my case to him. He immediately took 
steps to have my fine and costs returned to me 
(which was done) and assured me he very much 
regretted such action on the part of Deputy 
Rayner. 
He sent his very able game protector, Mr. 
Stratton, to Hoboken to hear my case, and after 
the hearing exonerated me from all charges 
brought against me. 
I was present at the hearing after which and 
in my presence Mr. Stratton told Magistrate 
O’Brien and Deputy Rayner that he did not 
want such a miscarriage of justice to happen 
again, and further admonished them to exercise 
some sense and judgment in handling such cases 
in the future. I have been informed that Rayner 
has been dismissed. I w'as never treated with 
more consideration and courtesy than I received 
at the hands of Messrs. Napier, Stratton and 
Hall; no partiality was shown me. Anyone who 
had proceeded in the same manner would, I am 
sure, have received the same kind and courteous 
treatment. Edw'ard Mitchell. 
My First Pheasant. 
Plainfield, N. J., Dec. 28. —Editor Forest 
and Stream: How familiar is the adage, “Of 
all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are 
these—it might have been.” However, in this 
case, being perverse, I reversed the order of 
THE evidence. 
things. “It” was. If I hadn’t hollered at a 
bunch of people coming up the road I couldn’t 
have turned author-sportsman, nor could I have 
shot the pheasant pictured herewfith. It was 
done this wise: On Election Day I went over 
into New Providence township to take a look 
at our old homestead, since converted into the 
Union County Tuberculosis Sanitarium. I took 
my gun, more for companionship than with any 
idea of getting a shot. I had nosed along, quar¬ 
tering the fields in the best imitation I could 
give of a well broken pointer, and had about 
decided to hike homeward. As I turned tow-ard 
the road, a hundred yards away, I saw some 
people whom I recognized. I let out a whoop 
to attract their attention, and whirr! whirr! 
cuck! out of the brush rose a cock pheasant. 
He beat me around a big tree and I didn’t get 
a shot. I marked him and trailed. He ran a 
considerable distance from where I marked, 
flushing twenty-five yards away. My story ends 
here. The picture indicates my luck. He was 
said, by the taxidermist to whom I took him 
for preservation, to be a very fine cock ring- 
neck. I haven’t recently seen a picture of a 
pheasant in Forest and Stream, to which I am 
a subscriber and an ardent reader, so thought 
you might be waiting for a good one to publish. 
This is it. Caption; 
Of sll good luck o’er moor and fen, 
’Twas a cock pheasant and not a hen. 
H. S. F., Jr. 
Big-Game Resume for the Season. 
Bangor, Me., Dec. 28.—A table showing the 
total game shipments for the season of 1912 
over the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad has been 
prepared in the offices of the railway in this 
city and given out for publication. According 
to the railway statistics there were more deer 
shipments this season than a year ago, the total 
being 3093 for 1912 and 3,025 for 1911. The 
moose shipments are much smaller, there being 
but 97 shot this year, against 188 last. The 
present season brought out more bears, the 
figures showing 66 for 1912 and 42 for 1911. 
The following shows the total shipments 
from each station in the game country; 
Deer. 
Hudson . 4 
Rradford . 4 
South La (Irange. 7 
Alton . 3 
f)ld Town . 10 
Medford . 7 
Rand Cove . 22 
La Crange .13 
Dover . 7 
Foxcroft . 10 
Sanserville . 3 
Guilford . 5 
Abbot ^’illage . 6 
Monson Junction . 5 
Monson . 14 
Blanchard . 61 
Shirley . 94 
Greenville .459 
Milo . 7 
Brownville . 42 
Brownville Junction . \ . 18 
Iron Works . 54 
Schoodic . 10 
West .Seboois . 58 
Norcross . 86 
Millinocket . 30 
Fast Millinocket . 12 
Grindstone .143 
Davidson . 16 
Stacyville .119 
.Sherman . 68 
Fatten .525 
Crystal . 3 
Island Falls . 85 
Dyer Brook . 2 
Gakfield . 60 
.Smvrna Mills . 9 
Hillman . 76 
Howe Brook . 98 
Griswold . 80 
Masardis .324 
Squa Fan . 5 
Ashland .172 
Fortage . 74 
Winterville . 46 
Eagle Lake . 1 
Wallagrass . 1 
Ludlow . 1 
Houlton . 16 
Littleton . 2 
Monticello . 21 
F)ridgewater . 13 
Robinsons . 2 
Mars Hill . 6 
Westfield . 9 
Easton . 2 
Fresque Isle . 10 
Mapleton . 4 
Ferham . 1 
New Sweden . 2 
Stockholm . 30 
V’an Buren . 1 
Grand Isle . 
St. John . 3 
St. Francis . 15 
Total for 1912.3093 
Total for 1911.3025 
Moose. 
1 
1 
16 
1 
6 
1 
1 
1 
■ 52 
'i 
'i 
ii 
4 
'2 
1 
1 
4 
1 
2 
97 
188 
F)ear 
2 
1 
1 
17 
1 
4 
’2 
9 
1 
'2 
ie 
3 
6 
66 
42 
Many of our readers take Forest and 
Stre.am. and we would advise all of them to 
do so, since many interesting articles are 
printed weekly.—From the Game Breeder. 
