256 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Feb. 15, 1908 
Open Season for Deer. 
Norwich, N. Y., Jan. 24 —Editor Forest 
and Stream: There will be a movement 
this winter to have our Legislature put 
the open season for deer back where it 
formerly was, from Sept. 1 to Nov. *5. Per¬ 
sonally, I think this should be done, and as I 
do my hunting in October, and have for years 
past, I trust no one will accuse me of selfish 
motives, so far as venison is concerned. I am, 
however, selfish as far as human life is con¬ 
cerned. 
It is not only a mistake to put all of those 
who hunt deer in the Adirondacks into the 
woods during the short period of six weeks, 
as called for by our present law, but it is an 
absolute wrong. It very much increases the 
danger to human life, as a large majority of 
all who hunt deer in the mountains do so dur¬ 
ing the last twenty days of October, just be¬ 
cause the open season closes on the 31st of that 
month. 
If all these hunters be divided into three 
classes, we may not be far wrong, namely, 
those who wish to hunt in September because 
the weather is mild and they can then best take 
their vacation time in the woods; those who 
prefer hunting in October when the leaves are 
to some extent off the trees and brush, when 
the weather is crisp and venison in better con¬ 
dition; and those who prefer to still-hunt in 
November when venison is at its best, and can 
be taken home without danger of spoiling dur¬ 
ing transportation, and used in the family. 
If the open season thus be made to cover 
two and one-half months it will much better 
accommodate all classes of deer hunters, will 
more evenly distribute thte number of hunters 
in the woods at any and all times during the 
open season, and will very much lessen the 
loss of human life, for the.re will not be as 
many mistaken-for-deer shootings as now. 
There need be no fear that the deer will 
decrease in number if violations of the game 
laws are prohibited. We have enough deer, 
and will have enough for all legal killing. I 
can speak for thirty years of active experi¬ 
ence deer hunting in the Adirondacks. We 
have many more deer now than in 1878, and 
they will steadily increase if all illegal killing 
is stopped, even though we have two and one- 
half or three months open season. Food con¬ 
ditions are very much better for deer now than 
formerly, and with the dogs strictly kept out 
of the woods, there need be no fear that deer 
will decrease if they are hunted until Nov. 15 
or later. 
Last October our party came out from camp 
before our set time was up. Why? Simply, 
because we had all the venison we had use for 
and did not wish to shoot more. We were 
hunting on the same ground where we began 
thirty years ago, and deer are much more 
numerous now than when we first hunted in 
that section. 
Reports show that less deer were shipped 
from the Adirondacks last season than in any 
season the past few years, and also that in the 
short season of six weeks we had eight or 
more men killed, while in Maine in ten weeks, 
where many more men hunt than hunt in New 
York, not one man was mistaken for game and 
shot. It is estimated that from seven to ten 
thousand persons hunted big game in Maine 
this past open season, 2,151 of whom were 
nonresidents. Why, then, shorten our open 
season to give more protection to deer? Why 
not lengthen the open season and better pro¬ 
tect the lives of those who hunt deer? We 
have all the deer we need, but no family has a 
father, husband, son, or brother to spare. 
Again, it is a bogy or bugbear to think that 
a few days’ hunting on snow, if it comes, in 
November will exterminate our deer. Let it 
again be stated; we have and will have all the 
deer all our hunters are entitled to, under pres¬ 
ent laws and restrictions, if our open season be 
from Sept. 1 to Nov. 15. Maine allows hunt¬ 
ing until Dec. 15, and nearly all the open sea¬ 
son of ten weeks, in that region, is on snow. 
For years my party went into the woods the 
first week in November, and came out the first 
day of December, as the law permitted hunt¬ 
ing until' that date. For the past several years 
we have done our hunting in October, and 
can get more deer and easier by still-hunting 
on leaves than when we hunted on snow. All 
our venison all these years has been taken by 
still-hunting, and that method of hunting is all 
that its name implies. The fact that we can 
hang up deer when still-hunting on leaves 
clearly shows there are more deer now than 
in years past, when we hunted on snow. 
An acquaintance, living in the western part 
of the State, who has had nearly if not quite a 
half century of experience, and who is familiar 
with the Adirondacks, writes as follows: 
•‘I do not know as you are aware of the 
feeling many in this corner of the State have 
against the law passed last winter cutting off 
the two weeks in November for hunting deer; 
in fact, that act shuts out one-half of us from 
participating in the pleasure of deer hunting 
almost completely. We can’t go in October 
when the weather is warm, hunt on the leaves 
and get deer and have them spoil in trans¬ 
portation. If we go into Maine and get one or 
two the Lacy Law catches us up. Pennsyl¬ 
vania gives us the latter half of November to 
capture a buck deer, but prohibits us from 
taking it out of the State.” 
It is expected we are to have a resident, non¬ 
resident and alien hunting license law from the 
present Legislature, and it is thought this will, 
to some extent, help protect hunters from 
being shot, especially if some restrictions or 
requirements are provided for in the law. It 
is also thought it will to some extent lessen 
the number of hunters, though this seems 
doubtful. With this we should have a close 
season for guns, so that it will be unlawful to 
have guns of any kind in the Adirondack Park 
and adjoining counties during the close season 
for deer. A law of this kind -will go further 
to protect our deer than any protective law 
now on our statute books, excepting, only, the 
law which prohibits the use of dogs in deer 
hunting. It will keep a lot of game poachers 
and hobo hunters from camping in the woods, 
during much of the close season for deer, and 
stop the killing of deer all the year round. 
It seems quite clear that we have and will 
have enough deer for all lawful, sportsmanlike 
shooting even if the open season should be 
extended, as some claim it ought to be, until 
the last day of November. If, on trial, this 
should result in saving the lives of hunters, it 
will be well to keep it in force, even should 1 
neer decrease in number. That would bri 
its own remedy, for when game is scarce fev 
men go hunting, and that would act as a h 
ance in a natural way, allowing the deer 
again increase. 
Flowever, I am confident that we will h; 
all the deer needed, with an open season of 1 
-or twelve weeks, if illegal killing of deer 
stopped. Let us try it and find out whetl 
it will protect the hunters and save huir 
life. Of what little value is animal life wl 
compared with human life. Talk with or wi 
your assemblymen and senators, -asking th 
to consider this question, and help enact la 
which will better protect those who go hu 
ing. Clarence L. Parker 
Junior Sportsmen. 
The annual meeting of the Junior Branch 
tile National Sportsman’s Association was h 
recently at the Plaza Hotel, and the follow 
officers and committees were elected: Willi 
E. Reis, Jr., President; Roy Floyd-Jones, 
Vice-President; David Coddington, 2d Vi 
President; Samuel Crawford, Jr., 3d Vice-Pr 
dent; Captain J. A. H. Dressel, Treasurer ; 
Philip M. Seixas, Secretary. Games Commit 
-—Chairman, Clifford L. Binn; John C. \ 
Riper, George H. Berlin, Stanley McNabb, 
L. Proctor and W. L. Regan. Committee 
Fish and Game—Chairman, F. R. White; Fr 
erick J. Sullivan, John T. Ellingwood, S. S. 1 
Glave, Jr. Camp and Forest Committee— Ch< 
man, Oscar Carlson; Reginald Telfair, Art 
Kinkade and Claude L. Smith. Committee 
Shooting—Chairman, John Langdon Les 
Arthur Stone, Harry S. Devaga, John L. 1 
Ginnes, Harry Blanchard, Leonard McCloy ; 
Clifford Guenther. Ways and Means Commit 
—Chairman, Carl A. Dannefelser; Harry V. 1 
fair, John Joseph Fish, William Cogsvydl, V 
ter Bihn and Plenry C. Berlin. 
The committee on camp and forest repor 
that many new camps were organized during 
year, and that there are now nearly 1,000 be 
camps in the United States, showing that 0 
400 different summer camps have been added 
the list during the past three years. All the 
ports of other committees were laid on the ta 
owing to the time taken for the annual electi 
but another meeting will be held next week ; 
these reports taken up. 
Membership tickets at $2 per year will 
issued to any boy wishing to join the Junior Bra: 
of the National Sportsman’s Association. M< 
bership to the association also includes a s 
son’s pass to the Motor Boat and Sportsma 
Show, held each year at Madison Square G 
den, and a subscription to a monthly magaz 
to be published of general sports and woodcr 
which will be the media for summer car 
throughout the United States, with other inter 
ing news. Entries for the shooting contests r 
be sent to the secretary and treasurer of 
Junior Branch of the National Sportsman’s . 
sociation, Room 10037, Metropolitan Life Bh 
No. 1 Madison avenue, New York city. 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained fr 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer 
supply you regularly. 
