614 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[April 20, 1907. 
Warden Tinsley on Canadian Laws. 
In the report for 1906 of the Game Commis¬ 
sioners of Ontario, the following remarks on 
game laws by Chief Game Warden Tinsley 
appear: 
‘‘From reports of wardens, deputy wardens 
and those on special service during the open 
season for moose, caribou and deer, I am glad 
to be able to report that the game laws have 
been fairly well observed. Of course the diffi¬ 
culty of effectively enforcing the game laws in 
the northern portion of the province, in which 
railroad construction prevails, will be under¬ 
stood by those conversant with the situation. 
When we take into consideration the large num¬ 
ber of ignorant foreigners employed on these 
works, most of them having cheap guns in their 
possession, it is not difficult to realize the im¬ 
possibility of effectively enforcing the game laws 
in the vicinity of the numerous construction 
camps until the laws prohibit the possession of 
firearms by any person in the camps referred 
to. A similar provision applicable to all lum¬ 
ber camps is urgently required, as I have stated 
in former reports that those who knowingly 
and wilfully violate the game laws for the pur¬ 
pose of trade, barter, or to feed employees, viz., 
storekeepers, fur dealers, commission mer¬ 
chants, and those in charge of lumber camps, 
should be fined to the fullest extent for each 
and every infraction. This can only be accom¬ 
plished by having wardens charged with the 
duty of inspecting lumber camps, stores, etc., 
empowered to act as justices of the peace for 
the entire province. It should be apparent to 
those who have given this matter the least con¬ 
sideration that the province receives scant 
justice from many of the justices of the peace 
under obligations to wealthy lumber and other 
companies. This feature unfortunately prevails 
to some extent among others whose duties 
bring them in contact with those in charge of 
lumber camps. 
“I am convinced that it is expedient f<pr the 
protection and preservation of all species of 
small game in the province to collect a license 
fee for killing any species of game. This would 
also have the much desired effect of preventing 
country storekeepers employing boys to shoot 
partridge for export. This would enable the 
Government to provide more effective _ espion¬ 
age in the northern districts, where this prac¬ 
tice prevails. It -would also provide funds for 
such additional work, and would also prevent 
many accidents resulting from guns in the 
hands of careless boys. Such action would have 
the approval of sportsmen and the general 
public. The continued abuse of the privileges 
accorded tourists visiting the province by many 
of them would justify the Government in pro¬ 
hibiting firearms of any description being in 
the possession of tourists or guides in the 
northern parts of the province during the re¬ 
spective close seasons for game. Guides should 
be compelled to procure licenses, and it should 
not be left optional with them, as at present. 
Several of the United States now require both 
residents and nonresidents to secure licenses be¬ 
fore hunting. The returns for 1903 show that 
in ten of the States which have such a system, 
viz., Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minn¬ 
esota, Nebraska. North Dakota, Washington, 
Wisconsin and Wyoming, the total number of 
licensed hunters was 261,241. The largest num¬ 
bers in any of the States were 78,823 in Wis¬ 
consin, and 95,250 in Illinois, the average for 
each of the ten States being 26,124. Licenses 
for hunting small game are not required by 
residents of Minnesota, Michigan, Wyoming or 
l\ebraska. This proves, owing to the rapid in¬ 
crease of population and decreased cost of guns 
and ammunition, how urgent the necessity has 
become for a general license for hunting or 
killing any species of game. Mr. T. S. Palmer, 
of Washington, referring to the above, says: 
‘The destruction which an army of 26,000 hunt¬ 
ers roaming at will over any State or province 
might bring about is beyond computation. In 
the absence of game laws these persons would 
be free to hunt during every month of the year, 
to shoot game throughout the breeding season, 
to break up nests, kill song and insectivorous 
birds, destroy eggs, and net or trap, desirable 
species to the point of extermination.’ 
“The tendency of the respective game laws 
has been to restrict hunting by shortening the 
open seasons to some extent commensurate 
with increased modern destructive methods. 
That this is wise policy cannot be denied. It 
is time the issuing of hunting permits to settlers 
in organized territory was abolished. Many of 
the settlers or farmers in the exempted districts 
have better farms and are in better circum¬ 
stances than many of the farmers who have to 
buy licenses. The reasons for granting such 
permits in 1896 no longer prevails. The north¬ 
ern portion of our province is becoming noted 
as one of the best health and pleasure resorts 
on the Continent. 
“The foreign tourists who annually visit our 
northern resorts, large as the numbers are, will 
increase ten-fold in a few years, if the attrac¬ 
tions remain, namely, an abundant supply of 
game and fish. To insure this, the Indian and 
settler problem in unorganized territory will 
have to be solved in the near future. Many of 
the Indians and so-called settlers are more de¬ 
structive to game and fish in the unorganized 
districts than all'the wolves in the province. 
Like the wolves they recognize no close seasons, 
often killing moose and deer for the hides alone, 
leaving the meat to rot in the woods. A man 
having business at the head of Lake Nepigon. 
three years ago, in the fall of the year, on his 
return reported having seen the far-famed Ne¬ 
pigon trout piled up like cordwood for the pur¬ 
pose of feeding dogs during the winter. Em¬ 
ployment can now be procured in nearly all 
parts of the province by those who want to 
work. Such vandals should be made to either 
work or starve, and not be allowed to lead 
lazy loafing lives, destroying valuable assets of 
the province with impunity.” 
The Vanishing Elk. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
The article contributed to a recent number of 
the World’s Work on the subject of “Killing 
Elk for the Elks” calls attention to a very sad 
but true state of things. Every lover of nature 
who sees in the creation of wild animal life 
some other purpose than a means of gratifying 
the appetite for wholesale butchery cannot fail 
to be impressed with the idea that something 
effective should be done ere it is too late to 
preserve the elk. I would consider the exter¬ 
mination of the elk as even a greater misfortune 
than the destruction of the buffalo, because it 
is a much superior animal. There is no quad¬ 
ruped on the North American continent which 
surpasses the elk in shapeliness of form. The 
symmetrical proportion of its antlers and their 
perfect poise when borne along with a graceful 
and easy movement leave an impression which 
appeals to one who appreciates animated nature. 
Having had opportunities of observing these 
animals amid their natural surroundings, I may 
perhaps be excused for indulging in a brief 
eulogy, particularly if it has the effect of excit¬ 
ing some active interest in the subject of their 
preservation. It is painful to reflect that such a 
beggarly remnant survive of those immense 
herds which once rivaled in numbers the buffalo 
and ranged from the Alleghanies to the Pacific 
slope. 
The mania for securing elks’ teeth, particu¬ 
larly by members of an organization known as 
the Benevolent Order of Elks, has been pro¬ 
ductive of a great deal of injury. The value of 
the teeth, their portability and the ease with 
which the elk can be destroyed without danger 
of detection renders their doom almost certain. 
If the inducement to slay these animals was 
simply on account of their antlers and the meat, 
they would not be exposed to such a ruthless 
and uncompromising war of extermination. The 
game law of Wyoming permits only two heads, 
that of Idaho one, and elsewhere the number is 
limited. This protects the game from being 
slaughtered by sportsmen from other localities, 
because the trophies are too bulky for trans¬ 
portation without being exposed to almost cer 
tain detection. The meat would not particu 
larly appeal to the taste of an epicure. Any un 
principled pot-hunter, however, can fill a ba 
full of teeth and convey them away without ex 
citing suspicion. During one of my lnintin 
trips in Wyoming I discovered five elk whic 
had been destroyed and nothing taken excep 
the teeth. One day I came across a dead bu 
with a splendid set of antlers—I stopped whil 
a man of my outfit took out his knife and cr 
the mouth open, it being frozen, in order t 
secure the teeth. But he found that they ha 
been already extracted; that was all, apparently 
the butcher desired of the animal which had bee 
slaughtered. 
In the fall of 1905 elk were quite numeroi 
in the Jackson Hole country. I saw two here 
and I believe there were not less than four c 
five hundred in each. Since then I have hear 
of terrible havoc being wrought among then 
I can realize how easily this could be accon 
plished, for I feel certain that I might ha\ 
slaughtered nearly one hundred myself had 
attempted to do so during a month I remains 
in camp. The two heads which I finally secure 
as trophies were the result of a careful sele< 
tion after having rejected a considerable numbe 
of opportunities to kill other specimens. 
When the snow becomes deep a large mini 
ber of elk travel beyond the limits of the Yellov 
stone Park because the feed is too scarce to su 
tain them within its limits. The United State 
Government, however, has the right to exter 
the limits of the park and take in a considerab 
portion of the adjoining territory south of i 
which is the principal winter range. This lar 
is not especially valuable and its incorporate 
inside the park would work practically no ii 
convenience to any one except perhaps to son 
pot-hunters who are located on the outskir 
for the purpose of carrying on their nefarioi 
business. The stress of hunger which drives tl 
wild animals out of the park into the deadly zoi 
where the rifle of the butcher awaits them cou 
be largely obviated if some tracts of land with 
the national preserve were irrigated and sow 
with alfalfa. This experiment has already bee 
undertaken on a limited scale through tl 
private initiative of Major Pitcher. 
It is a matter of common observation th 
wild animal life in any new country when e: 
posed to the advance of civilization is almo 
entirely exterminated as soon as its haunts b 1 
come at all accessible. The sportsman who tin 
seeks to gratify his taste for his favorite pastin 
must exercise his patience, quite as much as b 
skill in looking up localities which are remoj 
and difficult to reach. Providence seems to hal 
endowed the hunted animal with a cunnit 
which teaches it to change its habits for i 
own protection; otherwise the remnant won 
not survive. If a cruel necessity does not cor! 
pel the game to leave its haunts where it 
under legal protection it will exercise its eti 
ning by remaining within those limits; it w 
naturally stay there if it is unmolested. 
Should the preservation of the elk depeit 
upon the game laws and their enforcement 
the State where they still survive, that anim 
will experience the same fate as the buffall 
To form an idea of the general character 
some of the legislation enacted one need on 
scrutinize a single provision of the law 
Wyoming. In that State a license fee for a ndj 
resident is $50, and for a resident $2, the liirj 
being two heads. A resident is charged a pd 
lar a head! Assuming that the fee is paid as 
the law enforced, this provision is ridiculous <■' 
its face. The game is the property of t 
State and the number of residents in the Staj 
who can exercise the privilege of killing 
only a small portion of the population and f 
that special privilege they should be made 
pay as much as an outsider. The State show 
receive a quid pro quo for what it gives, 
should make no difference whether dealing wi 
a resident or non-resident. It is not necessa. 
to go into any discussion at length concernit| 
the State game laws. It is sufficient to say thj 
the slender protection which they pretend 
afford is practically nullified through lax e 
forcement. Edgar F. Randolph. 
