Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-09-21
CLASSES or spoRlsmeN.
Those Who Use Firearms for Destruction Of
Animal Lie Divided.

The approach of the open season for
big game IN Maine susdests the thought
that personls who use. firearms for the
destruction Of animal life may be divided
into three classes. The first and largest
class comprises the true sportsmen. The
members of this class do not call for con-
sideration at this time, for the true
sportsman breaks no laws and makes no
mistakes or a serious character that may
be avoided by ordinary carefulness The
second class y made up of those who
didn't know 1t was loaded and like the
poor. we have them always with us. Il
Is not necessary for them 10 Cu Into the
woods ia order to do their work, they
vacy Of their homes and they can allow
theft infant acquaintance to play with
rusty revolyers in the shade of their own
struction caused by this class is nearly
always attributed to carelessness bIt
the widepread desolation that marks its
% idioe rresnonsiaity The pa ,hir5
class comprises those VINO so off into the
woods and allow themselves to become
possssse ts, 81 an reslstble desire to shoot
Maine this season at least one man has
been shot and killed by another man who
mistook him for something else.
That most of these "accidental'' shoot
ingS occur in close time is 3; commentary
on and proof of the fact that very few
genuine sportsmen unpack their rifles in
, 1ne Maine forests many ny, days before the
came so closely under the head of IA Grim
NAL carelessness that comment is unnee-
eSsafy. The one safe rule for a man to
follow is TO hold his fire until he is abso-
lutely sure of what he is firing at there
should be no guess-work about it. Dur
ing the past few years statistics will
show that the yearly average in this
State has been about five persons killed
and 20 or 80 wounded by unskilled hunt
crs who bear in every bush and
who lose their wits at the cracking of Il
dry twig.
Many remedies for this trouble have
been proposed. 1t has been suggested
that no guns be allowed in the woods
during close time, or that persons who
take firearms in at any season be re-
CURED to give bonds in such sums as
shall be sufficient to cover all ordinary
chance of damage. but these remedies
are considered impracticable. There are
many men who are pasSably upright and
law-abiding when they are within sound
OF church bells, but whose consciences
become remarkably elastic in the wider
ness. 1t is not In the province of law TO
endow Il man with common sense and
good Judgment. and a lack of these attri-
butes is nearly always the cause of the
trouble.
The woman who ordered her son to
Keep out of the water until he had
learned to swim meant well enough. al
though she may have entirely missed the
ridiculous feature of her command. A
tyro in the woods should be content to
gain experience slowly The chances of
waiting to make sure as to the nature
OF what you are trying to kill are small
and not to be taken into account when
possible danger to human life is IA factor
to be considered There is nothing like
life in the woods to bring out the good
ana bad qualities of a man, and the
would-be sportsman who gets the unen-
viable reputation of being careless. soon
finds that his companionship is not con-
sidcred desirable
On the other hand word may be said
in criticism of the men who get shot.
Among hunters as rule. there is Il ten
dency toward chameleon effects in dress
ing for day in the woods; in other
words, 1t is considered essential to wear
clothing that will harmonize with the
surroundings. thus making the wcarer as
lnconspicuous as possible. This of course
renders the hunter less likely to be seen
by the game he is stalking. but it also
increases the chances of his being shot
at by some oVerZealouS hunter. Ii
Hung Chang. in his yellow jacket and
peacock feathers might not succeed in
shooting deer if he had to stalk the an
imal in open cover. but it is hardly pos
sible that the viceroy would stand any
chance of being shot by mistake for any
of our common wild beasts. 1t is not
necessary. however, to so to extremes:
the medium course always serves
Weekly Express.