The Republican journal., 1882-05-25
The Slaughter of Maine Moose.
DOES GAME PROTECTION PAY:

l''fS tAAlE HRpI lion PAY
Forest and Stream publishes letter from
Lucius l.. Hubbard. of Cambridge, Mass,
with regard to the protection of game, and
which contains table giving the results of
series of tours made by thirteen gentlemen,
either alone or accompanied by one or more
| friends. between the years 1868 and 1881. with
| all of the moose. deer and caribou ever shot by
| them i'll Maine. From the table it appears"
| says Mr.. H., 'that in 10 years IS tours have
| been made by the parties mentioned. which is
| equivalent to one tour by each of them in each
! of , successive years In . years then these
| parties spend an aggregate of 900 days in the
| woods. employ 100 guides. pay them $1,000, eX-
| pend altogether i'll the State over $4,000. and
kill : moose, caribou. and deer At this
| rate they would i'll year spend 200 days in the
woods, employ 20 guides, pay them 1000, and
| leave i'll Maine $500, and would kill an aver
age of IA moose. s caribou, and 8 deer.
| Unfortunately the means are not at hand of
estimating with any degree of accuracy the
| number of sportsmen who visit the Moosehead
| region annually, either absolutely or AS COM
| pared with the number of such as visit all other
| Wild regions of Maine. 1t is almost beyond
| doubt. however that this number increases
| from year 10 year, and if some method could be
devised to ascertain it. even approximately, for
| each season hereafter, the result would doubt
less be productive of good. The force of the
above figures is, however in no degree lessened
| by emitting these larger comparisons.
| Let us now see how much two enterprisng
| hunters yet from Il month ; Work III the early
| spring on the moose grounds Four instances
| have been known in recent years where parties
| Of two hunters each have thus taken, out of
| season, an average of 20 moose per party. Sup
pose the carcasses of 20 moose weigh l., 900 lbs.
| dressed, and that half of this meat-a large por-
tion-is sold at logging-camps and elsewhere at
| cents per pound. The profit would be $780,
| The hides, if saved and brought to market
| would bring so each, or 5000 more-$560 in all.
I Deducing $50 for expenses. we have $3.50 as
| the net profits of each man.
According to our table, 30 moose, if killed by
| tourists in one season, would bring into the
! State over S3I 900, and distribute among 2S6
guides $4,000, or $50 per man,
The moose killed by tourists are in great
majority of eases bulls. for reasons not necessary
to state. The ''crust-hunter," on the contrary.
| is likely to kill as many cows as bulls, for he
| comes upon and eXterminates entire wards" of
these creatures. in which the females are apt to
predominate. Now. 20 moose, of which the
| majority are females. if unmolested by the pro-
fesSional hunter during the close season, ought
| i'll years to increase by reproduction so as to
| number 100 by the end of that time.
Suppose we allow 10 per cent. for decrease
! from natural causes, and 20 per cent. for de-
| crease from hunting by professionals at legiti-
mate seasons, our herd would still contain 90
| OF this number 90 bulls and cows might be shot
| by tourists III . years, and. by the same figures
as before. their capture would bring into Maine
over $50 900. distribute among the guides over
20 moose to keep the supply good for genera
tons to come or until the forests of Maine shall
| have become farms, and the moose driven away
for want of shelter, which may kind Provi-
| dence prevent. In word then, two hunters
| destroy IN one month"; at profit of $500 to
| themselves. a self-perpetuating source of in
come, which, if protected, would yield to them
and their broher-guides s. 200, and to other
citizens of their State 81 600 yearly, for an in
definite time.
| ''O ularp m 1pluctIOpS havonH criticism I
| know | should include caribou and deer in
| them, not however, at the rate of four of each
| OF the latter to seven moose, because deer and
caribou are very little hunted for their hides, in
| the Moosehcad region at least. AS previously
intimated, it is difficult to form any estimate of
the exact value of game AS an incentive to tour
| lists to bring their money into Maine, and Of any
| one kind of game as compared with another. |
prefer to leave the matter to the general reader
i'll the hope that additional facts may be elected
| on the subject
| Not only is the game of Maine an attraction to
very many of her visitors, but the fish is equal
| ly so, to perhaps larger number of persons.
| and when we reckon, in our calculations, the
| number of fishermen who come annually to
Names tr0ut-streams, and the families they
bring with them, to remain at convenient lOcali-
| ties near by, the income thus derived by the
| people of the State must swell into thousands
and thousands of dollars annually.
| This subject is almost limitless, but leads in
yarlably to one conclusion; that if communities
on the borders of the game-lands have their
own interest and prosperity at heart, they will
see the necessity of preserving this source of
| revenue for the general good, and not allow it to
be selfishly destroyed for the benefit of fer. l
| sincerely hope that others who have greater
pecuniary interest in the subject than myself
| may succeed in their efforts to induce hearty
cooperation in the enactment of proper game
laws. and make provision for their rigid en-
fOrcement.