336 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Feb. 27, 1909. 
being even more rapid than in small parks. 
There can be no doubt of the success of 
ventures in propagating the Virginia deer under 
natural conditions as wild game, as is proved 
by the experience of a large number of hunt¬ 
ing clubs and private owners. 
The good effect of preserves on the supply of 
game in the State should not be overlooked. 
While they may temporarily restrict the hunt¬ 
ing privileges of a few citizens, they ultimately 
become a source of game supply secondary in 
importance only to State preserves or game 
refuges. Already a number of private reserves 
have become overstocked, and game has escaped 
or been turned over to the State to become the 
property of the people. The success of private 
enterprise in propagating large game in in¬ 
closures has thus become an object lesson for 
State game commissioners and others, and 
suggests the feasibility of the State’s under¬ 
taking a similar work for the people. 
The chief obstacle to profitable propagation 
of deer in the United States is the restrictive 
character of State laws governing the killing, 
sale, and transportation of game. Many of the 
States, following precedent, lay down the broad 
rule that all the game animals in the State, 
whether resident or migratory, are the property 
of the State. A few States except game ani¬ 
mals that are “inkier private ownership legally 
acquired.” A few others encourage private 
ownership by providing a way in which wild 
animals—deer and the like—may be captured 
for domestication. Generally, when private 
ownership of game, is recognized by law, the 
right to kill such game is granted, but the 
owner is hampered by the same regulations as 
to season, sale, and shipment that apply to 
wild game. One by one, however. State legis¬ 
latures are coming to recognize the interests 
of game propagators, and game laws are gradu¬ 
ally being modified in accordance with the 
change of view. 
The following States have recently modified 
their laws so as to provide, under regulations, 
for the sale of deer from private preserves. 
Transportation and even export are included in 
some of them. 
Arkansas.—Possession, sale, and shipment of 
deer or fawns is permitted when they have been 
raised in captivity for domestic purposes and 
are accompanied by an affidavit from the raiser. 
Colorado.—Owners of private preserves under 
a license are permitted to sell and ship deer or 
other quadrupeds that are accompanied by an 
invoice. A fee is required for each animal sold. 
Illinois.—Any person .who raises deer for 
market may kill and sell them at any time in 
the same manner as other domestic animals. 
Indiana.—The provisions of the law as to 
possession and sale do not apply to persons 
who have under ownership or control any deer 
raised in a deer park. 
Massachusetts.-—The owner may sell his own 
tame deer kept on his own grounds. 
Minnesota.—Persons who desire to domesti¬ 
cate deer, moose, elk, or caribou may secure a 
permit to do so from the State board of game 
and fish commissioners by paying a fee of 50 
cents for each animal in captivity and a like 
fee for each animal added later by natural in¬ 
crease or otherwise. The animals kept in cap¬ 
tivity may be sold or shipped within or without 
the State, by permission of the commissioners. 
Missouri.—Deer or elk, alive or dead, may be 
shipped from any private preserve and sold in 
the markets of the State when accompanied by 
a tag furnished by the game warden of the 
county, showing whose property it is, where 
killed, and to whom shipped. 
New Hampshire.—The Blue Mountain Forest 
Association may kill elk, deer, or moose in 
their preserve for one month after the open 
season, and at any time may transport them 
outside the State. 
New York.—Deer may be sold during the 
open season; and moose, elk, caribou and ante¬ 
lope from private parks may be sold during 
the same period. Common carriers may trans¬ 
port animals into the State for breeding pur¬ 
poses, but may not transport venison unless it 
is accompanied by the owner. 
North Carolina.—Seventeen counties permit 
the owner and keeper of an inclosed game re¬ 
serve, who raises deer for use or sale, to kill, 
sell, or use those raised or kept in said in¬ 
closure. 
Pennsylvania.—Owners of game preserves 
who hold a game-propagating certificate may 
sell and transport deer or fawn for propagating 
purposes only, after securing the written con¬ 
sent of the president of the board of game 
commissioners. 
In three or four other States game “under 
private ownership, legall.v acquired,” is sup¬ 
posed to be exempt from the general provisions 
of the game law; but in a test case as to its 
sale or export it is doubtful whether the courts 
would so hold without more specific provision 
legalizing such commerce. 
The domestication of deer and elk offers an 
interesting field for experiment, as well as re¬ 
munerative returns for the investment of 
capital. 
The wapiti and the Virginia deer can be 
raised successfully and cheaply under many dif¬ 
ferent conditions of food and climate. The 
production of venison and the rearing of both 
species for stocking parks may be made profit¬ 
able industries in the United States. 
Instead of hampering breeders by restrictions, 
as at present. State laws should be so modified 
as to encourage the raising of deer, elk. and 
other animals as a source of profit to the indi¬ 
vidual and to the State. 
Safeguards against the destruction and sale 
of wild deer in place of domesticated deer are 
not difficult to enforce. For this purpose a 
system of licensing private parks, and of tagging 
deer or carcasses sold or shipped, so that they 
may be easily identified, is recommended 
It is believed that with favorable legislation 
much otherwise waste land in the United States 
may be utilized for the production of venison 
so as to yield profitable returns, and also that 
this excellent and nutritious meat, instead of 
being denied to 99 per cent, of the population 
of the country, may become as common and as 
cheap in our markets as mutton. 
Club Banquets. 
The annual banquet of the Megantic Fish and 
Game Corporation will be held on the evening 
of March 6 at the Plaza Hotel, New York city. 
The annual banquet of the Greenville Bait- 
and Fly-Casting Club was held on the night of 
Feb. 2.3 in Greenville, Pa. Commissioner W. 
E. Meehan was the guest of honor. 
Protectors* Convention. 
Albany, N. Y., Feb. 15 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: The annual meeting of the State 
forest, fish and game protectors was well at¬ 
tended. Chief Protector John B. Burnham 
opened the meeting and spoke of the great im¬ 
portance of getting convictions. The fact that 
there was only one protector to every 100,000 
inhabitants made it imperative that the game 
' laws should be rigidly enforced. He also called 
attention to the need of more support from the 
State at large and to the question of enforcing 
the law against dogs in counties where deer 
have recently entered. It has been the custom 
in such counties to allow dogs to run foxes and 
rabbits, but since the coming of the deer the 
dogs sometimes follow the deer and kill them. 
It was decided that owners of dogs in such 
counties should be warned as to the law and 
then held responsible if deer were killed. 
An appropriation for a game rearing farm 
is to be asked for this year. Mr. Malloy, of 
the Society for the Preservation of Game on 
Long Island, made an excellent address. The 
object of his talk was to criticize the depart¬ 
ment in a fair and just way. He spoke of the 
need of more support from the State for the 
game wardens. The police of New York, he 
said, can go out and make an arrest any time 
with the assurance that the department will back 
them up to the last letter, whereas if a game 
warden makes a mistake, or in fact does his 
duty and is sued or arrested for so doing, the 
State leaves him to look out for himself as best 
he can. 
The wardens, he said, are underpaid. This 
should be brought to the attention of the Legis¬ 
lature and remedied at once. Laxity in the en¬ 
forcement of the law led to crime and murder. 
Mr. Malloy believed that the game laws should 
be very strictly enforced so that respect for the 
law would he instilled into everyone. He was 
opposed to the cold storage of game and also 
against allowing game to be sold in restaurants. 
Pie believed that if all restaurants were pro¬ 
hibited from selling game they would be will¬ 
ing to abide by the law. Section 87, he said, 
should be changed, as it was used as a loop¬ 
hole to break the law. 
He said further that wardens should be em¬ 
powered to arrest poachers who were found 
with the tools of their trade in their possession 
instead of having to see the game actually killed 
or caught. Our police are empowered to arrest 
on such evidence and he believed the State 
police should have the same right. 
One other point is worth mentioning. Mr. 
Malloy was of the opinion that the forest, fish 
and game commission should have its own 
Jaunches, as in so doing the protectors could 
discharge their duties without advertising their 
movements by hiring launches. 
In the afternoon Dr. W. T. Hornaday, of 
the New York Zoological Society, and Frank 
M. Chapman, of the American Museum of 
Natural History, spoke on wild animals and 
fish. Both the addresses were full of interest 
throughout. The business meeting followed the 
next day. Edward K. Parkinson. 
All the game laws of the United States and 
Canada, revised to date and now in force, are 
given in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
