The times., 1899-08-07
NEWFOUNDLAND HUNTING.
American sportsmen Delighted Will
the Reduced License Fee.

st. Johns, n. F., Aug. 6-The New
foundland Legislature has just passed an
/ act which will be hailed with satisfaction
by American sportsmen. BY it the hunt
! ing grounds of the island will be thrown
open to men of moderate means and limited
holiday time Heretofore the fee exacted
1 by the colonial authorities for permission
/ TO shoot caribou has been 500 for seven
/ head-fve stays and two does For this
! there has been substituted graded license,
] as follows: For $40 license is granted,
good for one month, permitting the holder
to kill two stays and one doe; for $50 the
NUMBER is increased to three stays and one
/ doe. and the period is extended to six
weeks; while for $50 two months license
is obtalnable, with the right to kill FIVE
stays and two does. These licenses can
be obtained from any magistrate. Justice
or game warden on the island, on payment
OF a registration fee OF 81 and subscribing
10 an oath or affirmation not TO violate
any OF the provisions of the game laws
of the island
These are in brief: Not to kill deer out
of season; not 10 have in ones possession
nor to sell or buy any portion of a deer
out OF season; not TO kill more deer than
provided by the license; not 10 snare, trap,
or pit caribou, nor to hunt them with dogs
nor with any contrivance or weapon other
than firearms. The employment of non
resident guides, bearers or laborers is pro-
hibited except under a special license, for
which S25 is charged, but as numbers of
competent local guides and other attend
ants can be had at low rate of wages this
should not operate as hardship upon any
visiting sportsman. In any hunting party
all deer killed by the employees count as if
killed by the principals, and every licensee
on receiving his permit pledges himself to
enGeavor 10 remove the carcass or flesh OF
any deer he may kill and not use for food
into some town or settlement within ten
days. The reason for this is that a few
years ago a party of British naval officers
from the warships on the station slaugh-
tered over 100 caribou near ford on the
northwest coast and after removing the
heads and antlers from the finest stays left
all the meat TO rot unburied, with the re-
suit that the deer have completely aban-
doned that region. The new regulation
prevents the possibility OF repetition of
such unsportsmanlike conduct.
The Devastating season opens on July
10 and continues until October l, when there
is an interval of twenty days Shooting is
resumed On October 20 and continued until
February l, from which time until the mid
die OF July close season is observed The
caribou are TO be found in the vast tracts
of interior forest and the uplands known
as ''barrens," untrodden except by the oc-
casionaI hunter. The deer are in count
less herds, and those in the colony who
have most closely observed their habits
say that with proper safeguards against
wanton killing there is no reason why
they should not continue TO provide the
finest sport for the hunters OF Europe and
America when every other accessible hunt
ing ground has been depleted Il must be
remembered that the 100000 people who In
habit Newfoundland live round its coast
line and that three miles from high water
mark there is not a settlement The rest
of the 4, GOO square miles of the island is
given up to the wild animals, which in
clude bears, wolves, foxes, lynx, caribou
and hares.
The best time for American sportsmen
10 visit the island is the month of Sep
tember. The best route is that by rail
TO North Sydney, Cape Breton, where the
steamer Bruce is taken across the ninety
miles of water separating this island from
the Continent. Landing at Port-auX
Basques in five or six hours, the hunter
boards a train, and a run of twelve hours
places him in the midst of the deer
country. At Bay of Islands, about two
thirds of the way, guides. canoes, and all
the other accessories TO a successful hunt
ing trip can be obtained.
September is the best month to visit the
island, because then the sportsman can
vary his caribou hunting with other sport,
such as angling for trout or salmon. Nc
fee is exacted by the colony for any form
OF sport except deer hunting; the trout and
salmon rivers are free to all, and the game
birds can be shot by any person possessing
the requisite fowling piece. The guides
engaged for caribou shooting are equally
available for the angling and bird shoot
ing. A visitor. therefore, with the leisure
and equipment can claim his fill of enjoy
ment there within a month.