Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-05
DEER-SLAYIHG AGAIN.
TOWN SHOOTERS AND HIDE-HUNTERS
AT THEIR DEADLY WORK.
A Condition of Affairs that Demands
Prompt and Energetic Action by
the next Legislature.

A Woodland paper, in mentioning the
return to that town of trio of young men
who had been off to The mountains on a
short camping trip, adds that they killed
nineteen deer during their outing. This
statement is supposed to have been made
by the young men by way of Boosting of
their proves as hunters. If there was the
right sort of law in force in this State,
the gang would be behind the bars of the
County Jail awaiting trial for serious Of
Tense. This thing of slaughtering deer
and allowing their carcasses to rot on the
sides of the mountains should be stopped
by law. The three young men composing
the party alluded to could not possibly
have required more than couple of those
deer 1or tooa during their trip, and the
other seventeen represents nothing but
wsnton slaughter Uf the finest game of
which this or any other country can boast
These Woodland young men are prob
ably deserving of no more censure in this
particular than scores of others that have
gone out OF Sacramento and other places
and committed similar offences against
well, against decency and common sense
1t is this kind of conduct on the part of
thoughtless city hunters and professional
dollar-a hide deer-slayers that is fast rob-
bling the people of the State of a valuable
property, and it should be made penal
ctfense for any man, or set of men, to kill
one more deer in season than he or they
require for food.
The REcoRD-UHIoN has no more respect
for one class of game exterminators than
another, and hopes that in the absence of
any law limiting the number of deer that
person may kill public opinion may be
educated up to that point that it will come
to be regarded as absolutely disreputabe
for anyone to boast of having slain one
deer more than his wants require The
rate at which the deer of this State is being
killed off is disgraceful, and unless check
is put upon it deer will be as great rarity
ten years hence as an elk now is outside
the Businesses of the Rocky Mountains.
1t is only a few years since the noun
tains about the headwaters of the Rubi
con, stream in the northeastern portion
of Ell Dorado county, almost teemed with
deer, and it became the favorite resort of
summer camping parties from this vicin-
ity. If properly INDUCED in, the sport of
deer-shooting in that locality might have
been enjoyed for perhaps a quarter of a
century 10 come; but, where even two
years ago the deer were as plentiful as are
jack rabbits on foothill ranch, to-day the
most expert hunter is fortunate if he can
bring down one in weeks hard work
The work of determination has been going
on at such a frightful rate of speed, that
the glory of the Rubicon, as a deer. shoot
ing ground, has departed. This is the re-
suit of the combined efforts of a few pro-
fessional hide-hunters, and large mobs of
gentleman" shooters. The former have
employed hundreds of Piute Indians from
the Nevada side to come over and kill deer
for them, paying them in Winchester rifles
and provisions.
These redskins are allowed by our laws
10 kill deer at all seasons "fOr food" and
as there are no game wardens to look after
them, they Stay right and left, sparing
neither sex nor age. Thousands of hides
are annually sent to market by the boss
hunters, or dealers, and can be found in
the hide warehouses of this city and San
Francisco at almost any time. Each camp
ing party, also, has been in the habit OF
killing from dozen to fifty deer every sea-
son, the aggregate number being very
large, and in both cases does have been
Killed In almost as great numbers as
bucks.
1t is disgrace to the intelligence of the
Pa0>Sit dSe tndt suCa Wdnton destruction
OF noble and valuable game should be al
lowed, and the true sportsmen in the State
should combine in an effort to prevail upon
| the next Legislature 10 take the matter up
| and do something in the interest of pro-
tecting the deer. In the first place, there
should be Game Warden in every county
to look after violators eff the law Then,
too, II should be made crime for any per-
| son to offer deer hide for sale, or TO have
| ID bis possession one that had been mar
keted. The Legislature should also either
limit the number of deer that one person
| may kill land for food only during the
season, or else Absolutely prohibit deer.
shooting for a term of years, until the de.
pleted stock shall have been allowed to in.
crease.