The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-24
PLENTY OF DEER IN MAINE
Az ESTIMATE THAT THERE ARE 10000
RUNNING AROUND.

Next Month VIII lie the Time to shoot Them
to AdvsDtaRe-O Other Kind of Game Scarce
This Year Prospect for Moose Not Good
No One Allowed to XIII Caribou.
GMNDsToNE. Me. Sept 20 Tho city hunter
who wants to get big game In Maine this fall.
and who can dispense with hne scenery and styl
ish garments, provided he secure a moose
and two fat deer had better postpone his visit
until tho middle Of October. The frosts have
been late in coming and have fallen gently, add
ing a touch OF crimson and gold to exposed limbs
OF maple and beech, while the great Of
foliage remained green. Owing to the drought
which has prevailed, many trees on knobs hayo
rpened and turned red before the frost came.
filling the woods with isolated torches Of flame.
Meantime, all the leaves retain Arm old on
the trees, and will not let go until after severe
frosts and heavy winds
Owing 10 the masses Of varieg atod foliage that
crowd the woods and obstruct the vision one
meet with success at still hunting. As tho
deer and moose have quit the waterways and
taken TO the upands few animals can be shot
from canoes, while the dry twigs in the path
ways break at the smallest pressure, that stalk
! ing is next to impossible. Under these condi-
tons the only thing to do is to wait until the leaves
drop and then take along extra undershirt
to ward off the increasing cold
The law passed last winter, allowing hunters
70 kill one buck deer in September for consumption
upon the premises. has proved very satisfactory.
though many tourists have no doubt shot moro than
| the legal allowance. II is estimated that more
than 900 deer have been killed and eaten in
| the Mooschead Lake and West Branch regions
since Sept l. AS tho State collects fee Of 90
| from nonresident and - from resident hun
| tiers on every deer thus killed. tho revenue do
rived from this source will enable the commits
| soners TO hire two extra wardens the year round
| without additional cost TO the taxpayers The
| law enables those whose vacation ends before
| Oct. to get a deer and gives women and invalds
| who cannot endure October weather q chance
TO do some hunting without breaking tho law
| or being compelled to certify TO untruth when
| ever a game warden comes along.
| Tho outlook for deer hunting was mover 80
| good it is this year There ore over 100, 900
| deer running wild In the Maine woods this fall,
| or more than in all the other New England and
the Middle States combined Since tho fiies
have gone and tho animals have sought the
hills great herds Of 90 TO 100 deer have come on,
to the clearings, stripping the gardens and fields
OF every growing thing, Last week they attacked
a stack OF oats owned by p. J. Praoey. Of Stacey
vile, and leveled it to the ground In two nghta
There were about 500 bushels Of oats in the stack
Great fields OF turnips and cabbage have been
eaten down TO the ground and stacks of meadow
| hay that have been waiting the time when the
| lumbermen could haul them to the woods have
been wiped out il by fire. II Is no exaggera-
tion TO say that the average hunter who has aver
age luck leave New York on Monday morn
ing come TO Maine. get two deer and return 10
his starting point before Saturday night He
can do this at outside cost Of 500. and II ho
is an average man with average tastes he ought
TO do II for $40. or less
One who reads the advertisements OF Maine
camps and hotels in the sporting papers may DO
led to infer that moose are nearly as plentiful as
grasshoppers in the Maine woods This is big
mistake. Moose Of all kinds hard TO find,
and big moose with antlers worth the mounting
are very indeed. II man hunts moose six
weeks in Maine and finds set Of antlers with 80
inches spread, he may think himself very lucky.
OF the Is, 900 men who chased moose in Maine
last year not than 2 600 succeeded, and most
Of the captures were young bulls, whose heads
were not worth the taking home The head Of
bull moose from TO 10 years Of age is worth from
500 to $3.50 before II Is mounted while the meat
and hide will hardly bring S25 There Tower
big moose in Maine today than there were last
year. In spite Of much learned talk to the con-
trary. the moose is following the buffalo on the
road to utter determination.
No caribou may be killed legally in Maine for
six years There is also long close time on
beaver, but the animals few that tho law
do little good No wolf has been seen or killed
in Maine for more than IL years. II man comes
10 Maine for bears meat and his time In worth
twenty Ave cents day he will find IL profitable
10 purchase his bear from some old uapper rather
than try hunting for himself. In the backwoods
dairy districts, where much sweet corn Ia grown
for canning and enslaget here are plenty OF rae
coons, which may be had by anybody who Is willing
10 stay out Of nights and take a coon dog along.
As a hunt is the most exciting sport In
Maine, and as coon meat makes very good eating