Jan. 4, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
*9 
for game, restricting the number to be taken, 
limiting the shipment of same, and now are 
about to collect a license fee from each hunter. 
Our game laws should have a section as fol¬ 
lows: Provided, however, that any person re¬ 
siding in this State who shall lawfully possess 
a deer, or part of a deer, may keep and con¬ 
sume the meat thereof in his or her own private 
family by serving a written notice on the nearest 
game protector, or assistant game protector, 
or on the town or county clerk of the town or 
county in which he or she may reside on or be¬ 
fore the last day of the open season for killing 
deer, which notice shall state as nearly as may 
be when and where said deer was killed, the 
sex thereof and the number of pounds of 
venison then in his or her possession, and that 
the same is to be kept and used in his or her 
own private family. 
Other States, with more rigid game laws than 
ours, have laws like the above. Our game pro¬ 
tectors would then have a chance to know who 
had filed such written notices, could look after 
them the next day, and later on see if others 
had venison in possession. 
It is said that the common law of our State 
provides that the ownership and title of all 
game is in the State. Other States have set 
this out in a special act, in order, it seems, to 
have no question raised, and more especially 
that the State may have the full right to regu¬ 
late the use and disposition of the same, whether 
taken within or without the State. 
The ownership of and title to all fish, birds 
and game in the State of New York is hereby 
declared to be in the State, and no fish, birds 
or game shall be caught, taken or killed in any 
manner or at any time, or had in possession 
except the person so catching, taking, killing, 
or having in possession shall consent that the 
title to said fish, birds and game shall be and 
remain in the State of New York for the pur¬ 
pose of regulating and controlling the use and 
disposition of the same. The catching, taking, 
killing or having in possession of fish, birds or 
game at any time, or in any manner, or by any 
person, shall be deemed a consent of said per¬ 
son that the title of the State shall be and re¬ 
main in the State for said purpose of regulating 
the use and disposition of the same, and said 
possession shall be consent to such title in the 
State whether said fish, birds or game were 
taken within or without the State. 
Ownership of and title to game has been, by 
the courts, decided to be in the State. (Geer 
vs. Connecticut, 161 U. S. R., 519; also U. S. 
Supreme Court, 161 at pages 522, 526.) 
In the first reference, 519, it is stated: “The 
wild game within a State belongs to the people 
in their collective sovereign capacity. It is not 
the subject of private ownership except so far as 
the people may elect to make it so. * * * 
We take it to be the correct doctrine in this 
country that the ownership of wild animals, so 
far as they are capable of ownership, is in the 
State.” 
It is somewhat generally known that an effort 
will be made to provide funds for the purchase 
of timber lands, and that our game laws are to 
he made more uniform, remodeled and codified 
at the coming session of our State Legislature. 
Clarence L. Parker. 
A Rabbit Hunt. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Grib and I returned recently from a short 
rabbit hunt. We took an early train Tuesday 
morning and arrived at our destination at noon. 
The weather was quite comfortable when we 
started, but had grown decidedly colder as the 
day advanced, while the snow showed a tendency 
to drift. 
We had expected to use a hound belonging 
to our host, which we had used upon former 
occasions, but were disappointed, upon our 
arrival, to find that said hound had been com¬ 
mitting such depredations among the sheep that 
MR. HOHENBERGER’s FIND. 
it was found necessary to dispose of him, there¬ 
fore we were left to start and track the rabbits 
ourselves. 
One afternoon was spent in thrashing numer¬ 
ous brush heaps and sedge lots, but our efforts 
were in vain. We were not rewarded by even 
the sight of a rabbit, and had it not been for 
a few old tracks, we should have given the trip 
up without further effort. 
That evening Mr. S. entertained us with ac¬ 
counts of the great quantities of game there was 
to be had in the vicinity in years gone by. He 
spoke in particular of the wild pigeons, which 
he had seen in such large flocks that it had 
taken hours for them to pass over. Alas! I 
know of but one place in Ohio where they are 
now to be found. 
The next morning we started out again, but 
had not gone far when we heard the yelp of 
a hound. Running to the top of a knoll, we 
could see the large muscular animal toiling 
through a drift of snow. Upon examination, we 
found the track of a fox which was not more 
than an hour in advance. Up to this time we 
had felt the cold keenly, but now everything 
was forgotten, and we followed the hound as 
closely as possible. Thus we struggled on for 
two or three miles over the roughest country 
which it has ever been my misfortune to get 
into, occasionally overtaking the dog, setting 
him aright, and starting on again. In the edge 
of a piece of woods we caught sight of another 
hound which took up the same trail that we 
were following. That was the last we saw of 
hound No. 2. 
Proceeding a couple of miles further we came 
to a road, beyond which extended a large 
swamp into which both dogs could be traced. 
Knowing that swamp by reputation, we con¬ 
cluded to travel no further, but to go in the 
direction which we thought the game had taken 
and endeavor to head hirrf off; but we had no 
sooner turned round than we espied the hound 
which we had first met, coming back on what 
proved to be the return trail. While sitting on 
the fence watching the dog, Grib noticed a 
track beginning at about eight feet from the 
fence. Examining it, we found that the fox had 
doubled until he reached the fence, from the 
top rail of which he had leaped in the opposite 
direction from that pursued by the dog, hoping. 
I suppose, in that manner to throw his pursuers 
off the scent and thus gain time. 
Whistling to the dog, we set him upon this 
fresh track and he dashed eagerly away and, ex¬ 
cepting an occasional yelp, we heard no more 
of him. We followed, cutting cross lots, for a 
few miles further, and must have been close 
upon the game, when Grib, unfortunately, 
stepped into a hidden woodchuck hole, strain¬ 
ing his leg and ankle in such a way that it 
necessitated his giving up the chase after vainly 
attempting to proceed. Although he insisted 
upon my continuing upon the trail, I did not 
deem it expedient to leave him to get home 
without assistance. Therefore, after all our 
tramping, we were forced to give it up. 
The hounds did their work, however, as that 
evening one of the neighbors happened in and 
informed us that “a fox had been killed on 
J.’s place (which was about a mile further on 
than we went) at noon that day.” This un¬ 
doubtedly was the fox which we had followed all 
the morning. 
Luck and weather being “agin us, and as 
Grib’s bruise was painful, we concluded to leave 
for home Thursday morning. 
A few years ago two dozen rabbits were con¬ 
sidered a fair bag for two guns to obtain in 
one day. Now a quarter of that number is all 
two men can expect. My luck upon various 
trips has dwindled from thirty to forty down to 
nothing, therefore I shall give it up hereafter 
and devote the entire time to foxes, of which 
there seems to be plenty. Watt. 
• Shot at the Sign. 
Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 16 .—Editor Forest 
and Stream: I am sending you a “sign” I came 
across on a recent camera trip north of this 
city. It appealed to me as a good thing for hun¬ 
ters to see. 
We have smokeless powder, but noiseless am¬ 
munition has not yet been invented, so there 
will be no hunting on this particular farm for 
some time. I complied with the request, how¬ 
ever, in a way, taking a parting shot with my 
noiseless camera. Frank M. Hohenberger. 
