Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-10-30
GAME PROTECTION.
What Commissioner Carleton
Says Of the Ohio Party.
Public Sentiment Fayors the Enact
me1t Of. a Law
Compelling Use d Registered Guides or Pay
ment Of License Fee by Non. residents.

Commissioner Carleton was seen, las
night, by a Journal man on his return
from Bangor, where he had been to sex
the warden whom he recently sent tC
Jackman to look up the r~ry large
Ohio party that was reported to him by
registered guide to be camping and
hunting in the vicinity of Jackmar
without guides and slaughtering game
Mr.. Carleton said this was the second
large party from abroad that had gone
into the woods to hunt without any
guides that had been carefully looked
after by direction of the commissioners,
and that the results emphasize several
things: That the race Of game hogs
are not yet extinct; that some people
who hunt are afraid of a registered
guide; that it brings sharply to the at
tention of the people the discussion
that has been going on for some time
Of the necessity of either compelling
non-residents to employ registered
guides. or pay a license fee for hunting.
ut is well known that have long been
in favor of the latter, but have not urged
it before the Legislature for the reason
that whenever the proposition has been
made it has been met with the strongest
possible opposition from the great ma
jority who are entirely friendly to our
fish and game interests.
1.-The other proposition, viz, to compel
non-residents to employ registered guides,
is new one, and meets, or appears to
meet with universal favor among the
guides. The proposition is new. from the
fact that this is the first year of regis
tered guides. How it will be regarded
generally, l am unable to say. 1 have
been so severely criticized in certain
quarters for the guide law and the moose
law, that l feel like going slow about
making any new communications
though the wisdom of both of these is
pretty generally admitted now. 1 think.
ITO say that a person shall pay a
license to hunt or that he shall hire a reg
istered guide, may seem entirely wrong
to many, but the game belongs to all the
people and they can say when and how it
can be taken. The question of game pro-
lection is, however, solved, when the
guide bill is perfected. There is no. ques
ton about it.
you notice what the warden says-that
1t would take 1000 wardens to guard that
section alone against the depredations of
the hog hunter and poacher,' and We are
unable to employ with the means at our
disposal for the whole State but
bakers dozep,i;i7r W ..
'It may be regarded as a stretch of au-
'thority to say now to the hunter, 'un-
less you employ registered guides you
will be prosecuted for illegally kindling
fires on land not your own but here
were large parties of 100 or more from
far-away Ohio, utter strangers, in the
game preserves Of the State. We could
not keep a warden 10 watch them; they
had no registered guide from whom we
could get information, and the commits
sioners thought that this was the only
way to deal with the situation, and in
structed the wardens accordingly.
There is evidence of Illegal killing.
in fact we know that they violated
the game laws, and that they were care
less about fires, but would not any man
be uneasy, whose fortune is in timber
lands to know that large parties are
roaming over them at pleasure, camping,
shooting, kindling fires, etc. Have these
men not a right to protection from the
State because the State by it's policy
advertises for hunters to come here; the
fact u.s. these practical questions have got
to be met and / am glad the people are
thinking about them. ~
This Ohio party came to Maine over
the Canadian Pacific Railroad, brought
their supplies with them and did not spend
a dollar of money in Maine. The four
boxes seized, belonging to five members
Of this party who left on the train the
warden arrived on, contained four Win
chester rifles, one shot gun, tents, camp
ing tools, seven deer skins, five deer
scalps and a dozen saddles Of smoked
deer. Their names were Fred M. Hale,
Orville w. Hale, J. E. Collins and Mr.
Shaeffer of Wilmington, Ohio. The rifles
and outfit will be attached on civil suit
to recover the penalty for illegal trans
portatiOn.
There has been less poaching this year
than ever before; the warden service has
been of a higher order, though no more
of it. but above all, the guide bill is help
ing us wonderfully.
while 1 am about it, let me say that
of the seven human beings VINO have lost
their lives either in forest or lake since
the open season commenced. in no in
stance was a registered guide employed OF
connected.
More people are here to hunt than ever
before and the leading sporting paper OIL
the country says editorially that we have
not now a 1.-THE of the numbers that will
come in future years. The subject is
worthy of the best thoughts of our brain
lest people, that only wise measures shall
prevail.
Every precaution is being taken by the
forest commissioner, who was wisely
| member of our board. as well as by this
| board. to prevent forest fires and the de-
struction of property.
1.-The public can rest assured that We
are doing everything in our power te
nrosoot tho 1ivas of the SportSmen anC