The record-union., 1895-07-05
GAME PRESERVES IN GERMANY.
The Systematic Way in Which Hunt
ing Is Managed There.

GAME PRESERVES IN GERMANY.
The Systematic Way In Which Hunt
ing Is Managed There.
In Prussia the game law allows the
owner of every piece Of land that is in-
closed by fence or wall the right 10
shoot birds or animals on it or to rent the
privilege out 10 those from towns or
cities, says the Country Gentleman. All
Of the land less than 200 acres in extent
which is not inclosed may belong to any
one according to law, but the shooting
privilege Is owned by the commune in
which me land IL located. The result is
that there is not ftee,' and indiscriminate
hunting. The spOrJsinen from the towns
or cities, however, for mere nominal
rent can find excellent hunting by hiring
from any OF the farmers along the line Of
the railroads. The game is generally
preserved and fed 10y the farmer until the
shooting season. for The abundance of the
game determines largely the price he can
obtain for the shooting privilege.
great deal Of the shooting land is owned
by the farmers. who do not inclose it, and
the communal authorities usually have
the rental of the shooting privileges.
Those renting privileges amount to many
million marks every year, and they con-
stltute very Important revenue of the
agricultural class. The communal au-
thorities credit TO each farmer his due
share Of the aggregate rental in proper
ton to the area of his land.
The leases OF the shooting privileges
are usually from six to nine or twelve
years, and, by furnishing proper tinan-
clal guaranty that the rent will be paid,
the privilege goes to the highest bidder
at a public auction. The club or individ-
ual leasing the land then assumes all re-
sponslbllity, both as to the rearing and
preservation Of the game and to the dam
age done to growing crops. Two Com
munal Assessors determine the amount
of damage done to farm crops by the
hares, birds or deer, and they levy the
tax to be paid the farmers. Generally a
local gaInekeeper watches over the small
preserve to see that the game is not mo-
Tested.
The great principle which has been in
culcated by this system is that game birds
are Just as much private property as the
poultry or cattle Of the farmer, and that
1t is just as punishable an ottense to kill
them without power from the authorities
as 1t is to rob a hen rOost or kill farm
er's COW or pig. a long course of public
education would be required in this
country before people could be induced
to look upon wild game in this light
Naturally there is poaching in Germany
the same as there is chicken stealing III
America, but it is doubtful ii the former
is much more general than the latter
Moreover, by this system the farmers
crops are protected from all injury by
irresponsible depredatOrs IN search of
game. The law torbids hunting on the
iarms when the crops are growing. The
field shooting begins late in the fall, when
the crops are all harvested.
No one is allowed TO wander over the
fields with a shotgun and a hunters ac-
coutrements without a license from the
local auth critics. In order to secure a
license the applicant must be man in
good standing and not under Is years of
age. These licenses to shoot on certain
fields cost from 10 cents to So year. Any
iniraction OF these rules Is punishable by
fines, confiscation of the gun and accou-
trements and by Imprisonment. Poach-
ing is thus kept down and the professional
bird and animal killer is abolished.
Sportsmen who pay for shooting privi-
leges are not governed by any unWritIen
code such as prevails IN America, that it
is not good form to sell their game in the
open market. In Germany they kill the
game for the sport and then sell it to help
pay for the expenses of the preserves
On some OF the best preserves the returns
from the farms more than pay all the ex-
penses, Men Of limited means can in
this way enjoy shooting to their hearts
content by using little business shrewd-
ness in conducting preserve. Without
this system many lovers of the sport
could not afford to indulge in the chase at
all. The game is plentiful and very gentle
when the shooting season begins, and
every owner feels assured that the multi
pllcaton of the birds and animals will go
on without interference trCm the poacn-
ers.
The principal wild game in Germany
are the stag, the deer, hares and rabbits,
pheasanJs, partridges. snipe, woodcock,
wild ducks. swans, foxes, badgers, fish
otters and many others. The hare is the
great national game animal, hunted alike
in every part of the empire by the plain,
average German sportsman. 1t is a su-
perior animal, both in size and quality to
the common brown American rabbit. 1t
does not burrOw, but seeks 9 shelter in
cold weather behind stones and roots of
trees. The small animal is in great
abundance, and 1t forms IA staple article of
food for the lower classes. They are very
prolific, one mother often bringing out
from fifteen to twenty-touS young ones in
one season. They preyed upon by
hawks, foxes and other enemies beside
man. but they multiply so rapidly under
the fostering care OF the laws that in De-
cember, when the shooting begins, the
hunters find plenty OF game. Paris is
great market for hareS, and it is not un-
usual for gaInekeepers in one place TO Or
der special car each day during the shoot
ing season to send straight through to the
French Capital. In Prussia alone as
many as 100000 hares have been killed
in one season, representing an income to
the agricultural classes OF nearly $780,
600.