Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-06-29
LAW, OR LICENSE i?
THE CLASSES OF MEN WHO WAGE WAR
ON WILD GAME.
MarISet-Hunters Who Observe the Law.
and Some Who Do Not-The
Deer Slaughterers.

There recently appeared in the RECORD
UNION an item, taken from a Yolo ex-
change, stating that market-hunter in the
western part of that county had killed a
deer, and, as il was during the close sea-
son, the act was severely criticised. a res
ldent of that neighborhood now comes to
the front with the following defense of
himself ard market-hunters generally.
The class OF maTket-hunters to which the
writer belongs are probably those whose la
bors are confined to the marshes, and
against whom there is little or no COM
plant. He writes:
EEs. RECORD UNION: / See an item in the
RECoRD-UNIoN of JuEe 20 that Ruhels my
tether Headed game Exterminators and charg.
ing il 70 market Hunters now I Have Bin Hunt
ing Tor market lOT the last yeas and l never
Have hot Eny game out of season yet and Do
not know of any market Hunters that Has But
! know that il IS So called sports from citys and
lOWHs tnHt is the PerpTOIdC there men of
leisure that likes the fun they care nothing for
the game ss food only 10 Have som Sport and
very often they are the limbs OF the Law I
Have Done all in my Power TO PROTECT the game
at this Place When IL shuld Be PIOtekted ~
wish that we Had a law on Ducks gain as
they ought to Be PrOtested in the Raising sea-
son now allow me to say that / Know a most
all OF the market Hunter Il l Do not know one
But when the shooting season is over BE Layes
his gun way until the next winter We Do
not sn0Ot Tor tuu But for the money that is in
u and there BY give People in the cityS food
that they void other wise not get for If thew
depended on the city Sports they would not get
Eny as we often meet men that can't XII! some
ana we sell them a coed String and ProIois to
Keep still now give the market Hunter a pasI
4 90 Tor your ktch neighbors His sons with
lheIr tine Dogs guns.
Our Understanding friend may be tell |
ing the truth, 50 far as his own conduct is |
concerned, and he is also certainly correct |
IN charging class of city shooters with |
frequent violations of the game laws This
journal has no excuse to offer for any class |
OF men who ignore the letter of the law |
and slaughter game ont Of season, be they
city shooters or professional hunters. In |
either case they should be held amenable
to the law, and it is the duty OF The law
and police officials of the several counties
to prosecute them as promptly and as vigor- |
ously as they do other offenders. Game
laws are enacted for purpose, and that is |
to prevent the undue determination of
wild game by lis slaughter in the breeding
season.
OF course, hunting for the market. dur |
ing the proper season, is a legal-and in |
times past has been an acknowledgements |
non. Indeed, so far as Wild fowl or mi
gratOry game IS concerned, ard even nuails |
and some other species OF upland game, |
there IS no danger OF immediate eyter- |
minaGon. so long as legal methods be |
pursued in their taking. But il |
is only too true that there exists |
class of market-lunIers who
have no respect fer either the letter or the !
spirit Of the law. Their only aim is to XIII !
all the game possible, for the profit here is !
IN II Tor themselves. To this end, deer are |
slaughtered at all seasons of the wear and |
their hides stored away in the mountains |
until the shooting season opens, when they |
are rushed into the market by tue thou /
SANDS. The deer season opens Oh the st |
OF July, and by the 5.h of July We have |
seen consiguments of As high as Gee deer !
skins each placed on the San Francisco !
market, shipped from in ana about Michi- |
gan Bluff, Placer county These hides were |
taken from deer killed, during the spring
season, in the mountains about the head |
waters OF the American Iiver-most of !
them by Flute Indians employed by white |
men.
Can this be called Iegitimate2 Could j.
be called honest, even if he deer were |
Killed during the oFen season Positively |
no. The deer and other game OF the hills !
and marshes are the property of all the |
people Trey not only belong TO the pres |
ent generation. but their progeny should |
be an heirloom preserved for the benefit of /
the coming generation The game Ger
taIu.y does not belong to few men who |
may desire 10 reap a money benefit for !
themselves, at the expense of their fellow |
citizens. Hence, the time IS coming when !
the people al large should pass laws limit |
ing be number Of deer that any person |
may be allowed 10 kill during a season, |
ana thus prevent both city shooters and !
market hunters from pursuing unlawful |
and selfish ends.
The wild game of the State is one Of its
attractions TO immigrants, and it should |
not be allowed TO be wiped out for the !
benefit Of few men. To early dags. when |
game was more plentiful, and the pJpula- |
ton sparse, the mission Of the market |
hunter was not as Objectionable as !
IN these days and, So far as !
migratory game-sUCh as Wild ducks and
geese-Is concerned, there is no danger OF |
its determination, so long as shooting IS !
prohibited in the spring. when the fowl /
are on their way north 10 their breeding
grounds IT is welI-known tao. that two
thirds OF the quail sent to market are
SHARED by professional nunters-trapbed, !
whole C9yeys at time. This IS against
law, and equally against d-cencv, and there
should be officials in every county clothed
With special authority to hunt up and
BRING 20 justice every creature engaged in
such EeiSrI0uS WORK. a markat-huater
can bean honest, law-abiding citizen lust as
If engaged in any other calling but il is to
be regretted that 100 many ct them are nor
entitled to this distinction. This class Of
professional hunters seem to thiul. that the
wild game was created for their sole bene-
it-to be killed ct any and all seasons. and
the profits pocketed by them Possibly
some day the public may awake to The
fact thai il has been asleep, and that dur
ing lis siumber il has been desDojled OF a
valuable property by guerriiiss Of various
grades-trom the city dude to the PiUte IN
disn.