Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-01-04
conclusions reached which are embodied

| posing sentence whether it shall be a fine
| or imprisonment, or both, but In case OF
| q fine Ii cannot be less than $500.
| Calf moose is defined to be one not less
than a year old. and having two prongs
! or tines to its horns.
| There appeared to be strong feeling In
| the State that moose need more protec-
| ton than Is given them under the present
| statute, but in view of the opinion of a
| large number of people who think that
moose are actually increasing. your COM
| mittee have thought lest to let the moose
| law remain, so far as the close time is
concerned, as it has been during the past
| two years.
Standardization. The close time on
| caribou is made the same as that on
moose, reducing the open season from
| Oct. to Jan. l, TO six weeks, viz. from
| Oct. 10 to Dec. l. The killing of calf
moose or calf caribou is absolutely pro-
| hitited
Third-A change is made in the deer
law, striking Off the last Is days in De-
| cember as open time, SO that the open
| season on deer will be from the 1st of
| October to the 18th day of December.
| Your committee deem this change very
| important, as but few hunters are in the
State after the 18th of December, and the
lumber camps are in full blast, with full
crews. and the bucks commerce to shed
| their horns as early as the 15ths and be-
sides Ii is important that the comm .ssion-
ers and guides should have opportunity
to file their reports required by law, dur
| ing the last days of December. An i'm
portant section is added to the dee. law,
| however, as 1OilOWS. permitting the TAX
ing of one deer for food purposes only,
during September, and to be consumed by
the party taking it in the locality where
taken, when accompanied by a registered
| guide, under such rules and regulations
as the commissioners shall establish from
| time to time. on payment OF a fee of $6
by nonresident and $4 by a resident. in
| the counties of Oxford. Franklin, Somer-
set, Piscataquis, PenobscOt, Washington,
Aroostook and Hancock; the form of the
permit Is prescribed and can only be is
prvyrt, ,s-i. n,II lrn
paid for in advance. The money thus re-
ceived shall be paid to the State treasurer
and expended by the commissioners for
the benefit of the fish and game.
A section is inserted permitting the
transportation of game lawfully killed.
without the owner accompanying 1t. by
purchasing tag provided by the COM
missioners, to be attached to the game
on payment of fee of s. for a moose, s.
for caribou ard 81 for deer.
The Sunday close time on big game Is
retained, only so far as IL pertains to the
settled portion of the State. section is
inserted permitting the commissioners to
in moose. deer and caribou hides, upon
payment of a fee. They must keep a
record of all hides purchased of whom
purchased, and to whom sold, and make
report annually to the commissioners.
Fourth-The Game Birds. The sale of
ruffed grouse and woodcock Is absolutely
prohibited. and only 10 of any one kind of
game birds may be taken by any one per-
son in any one. day. Parties lawfully
killing these birds may send them 10. their
homes or friends, by purchasing tag
birds, the money thus received to be. used
for the projection Of tne fish and game.
Fifth-A fee of S. is required of such
persons as are licensed to retail deer and
also of all hunting and fishing camp pro-
prictorS,. and they are required to make
a written report anapaliy 10 the commits
sixth-F'ish. The open time on fish re-
mains unchanged, except that the open
fseason commences IN The spring soon
as the lakes and ponds are free from ice,
instead of the irbitrarv time, May ], as
now fixed by law, and except that all ice
fishing for trout and salmon is prohibited
bec' and various other ponds and lakes
in the State that have hitherto been
closed against ice fishing by private and
special laws, or by the rules and reguld-
tions of the commissioners.
The law closing the tributaries to all
lakes and ponds heretofore closed against
fishing remains unchanged. and such ad-
ditons are made to the list as seem to be
desired by the sentiment of the people in
the various localities where these streams
are situated. Togue is protected the same
as trout and salmon; the white perch law
is changed to what 1t was before the last
revision, so that the close time on white
perch is from April to July L. The
transportation on fish, without the owner
accompanying 1t, is permitted under strict
rules and regulations, on payment of a
trout, togue or landlocked salmon. and
% cents for white perch.
But 10 pounds of fish may be taken
when fishing through the ice by any. one
family in any one day, and the use of but
five set lines in the daytime is permitted
when fishing through the ice. when under
the immediate. personal superintendent
of the person fishing.
Seventh--The beaver and muskrat law
| is retained, provided, however. that the
prohibition in relation to muskrat shall
with the operation or maintenance of any
canal, ditch or lawful dam, or cranberry
bog, and the further exception that the
close time on muskrat is from June l to
Oct. l.
Eighth-'rhe law requiring the registra-
ton of guides has been strensthe
Guides may be registered in three classes
first, second and beginners class, and
what constitutes. a first-class guide. or a
second-class guide, and beginner, is
specifically stated. :.
The commissioners are given power to
cancel the certificate of any one reSis-
tered as a guide for. cause shown, and
| after due notice and hearing.
| "A tirst-cass guide is required to be one
who shall be at least II years of age. of
good repute and friendly to the fish and
in all proper ways all violations thereof:
he shall be thoroughly competent to ira
verse the hunting ground of the State, in
which he is licensed to guide. and be
skilled in the use. management and hand
ling of canoes and row5oats, on lake.
pond or rver.s and in the use of firearms,
stances, to be a guide for inland fishing
and forest hunting parties. A person may
be licensed As a sacond-ciass guide who
does not in the judgment of the comsnis-
sioners possess all the necessary Qua1ifi-
cations of first-class guide, yet Is
deemed suitable to act as guide in certain
localities, and under certain conditions,
and guides may be limited in the terri
torv in which they are permitted to guide.
A ,aaginners or learners license may be
iss I. ID to such persons as .desiresto engage
in and become proficient in the business,
under such restrictions and limitations as
the commissioners shall uetermine.
| Provision is also made that those per-
sons who engage in the business of hunt-s
ing the fur-bearing animals of the State,
skunk, muskrat and foxes excepted, shalt
procure a license therefor and pay fee
of s. annually.
The power to issue licenses to persons
to take birds, their nests and egg ) for
scientific purposes, is given to the COM
missioners, the same they have power
TO license taxidermists.
The commissioners are authorized to is
sue permits, on reasonable terms, to take
| suckers cusk white fish and pickerel, to
responsible persons, at designated times
and places
Ninth--A section is added that the COM
missioners shall be provided with an
office at the State CAPITOL with suitable
furniture, stationery and other facilities
] for the transaction of the business of the
1 department., and that they may have
clerk at a salary not exceeding $500 per
| a nna a hoard