Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1901-12-05
DEER SEASON ENDS
PROBABLY 1000 KILLED IN LAST
TWENTY DAYS.
MANY TRY TO EVADE LAW
Der, Charcoal, Christmas Trees and
in Many Ingenious Ways-Shooting
Time Ends for Upland srds-No
More Game Fish.
Madison, Dec. 2.

Madison, Dec. 2.
| The open season for the shooting o.
deer in the state of Wisconsin closel
! its 20 days duration yesterday and the
| game wardens are checking up the
| number of licenses issued and tryin9
| to determine the number Of the fleet
| footed animals turned into venisOn
| Incidentally statisticians are figuring
| out how many hunters and others wer3
| killed or MANNED while the slaughter
was on. The wardens will be increased
| in number this week and next in order
| to more successfully handle those who
are sure to try to prolong the open sea
son contrary to the mandate Of the
statute book
Although the season for shooting
deer closed yesterday, venisOn may be
transported until Dec. 5 in order to af-
ford an opportunity for the hunters to
get their game home. After that time
any carcass found in process of trans
portation will be seized and prOsecu-
tons will follow. 1t is expected that
a large number Of attempts will be
made to transport deer flesh contrary
to the law and added vigilance Of the
force of deputy wardens and an in
crease in the number of WardenS is in
consequence.
During the 20 days of the open sea
son for deer it is estimated that prob
ably 1000 and possibly 5000 Of the
animals were killed in this state This
appears to be much larger than the
number taken in Minnesota for the
game warden in that state has estimat
ed that probably not more than 1900
deer were killed here during the open
season. Up to last night there had
been returned to the office of Warden
Overlook in the statehOUse some 800
slips showing that number to have
been transported. The Wardens say
that the most Of the hunters are now
out of the woods and it is not eXpecte3
that the number of slips to be returned
hereafter will very greatly swell the
present number. Many Of the deer
kilIede are eaten in the woods and con.
sequently Dc not get reported as hav
ing been transported.
The wardens report comparatively
little trouble with the hunters during
the open season. The system of slips
and tags used in transportation
worked almost to absolute perfection.
Nevertheless there were cases, innUm-
cradle almost, in which the law was
sought to be evaded Saturday morn
ing Deputy Warden M. F. Carpenter
of Fond du Lac seized a carcass of
deer at that place, having discovered
it in the center of a carload of lumber
In loading the car a space was care
fully reserved in the center and the
carcass secreted there. Prosecutions
will follow The car was loaded at
Loyal.
'"The ingenuity with which hunters
try to evade the game law in the mat.
ter of transporting deer meat is simply
wonderful said Deputy Warden
Charles Nelson at his office in the can
itoI yesterday. I'VE have found IN
lawfully shipped venison this year in
every conceivable place of secretion
excepting a coffin box. The wardans
have taken deer meat in trunks. egg
cases telescope grips. butter tubs, tool
chests, potato barrels, in news boys
boxes, under births in Pullman sleep
ers and covered with luggage in pas
Serger coaches. The meat has been
shipped as turnips and other vega-
tables and even as glass. One party
shipped several deer in charcoal cars
and another in carload of Christmas
trees. The wardens overhaul trains
and baggage whenever they have rea
game. There have been about $500
and we expect many more will be made
now that the season has closed"
Warden Nelson takes no stock in
the sensational stories emanating from
GAINESVILLE a few days since to the ef-
feet that Indians were shooting hunt
ers in the northern woods in order to
brighten them. the suppositiOn being
that many Of the hunters found to
have been shot by stray bullets were
Intentionally fired upon by Indians.
He says it is not be be wondered at
that so many hunters have been
wounded or killed outright. Consider
ing the great number of hunters in the
woods and the strength Of the rifles
used in shooting the deer it would not
be surprising if a larger number CT
casualties resulted. The guns us ID
are of such power that bullet might
pass entirely through a deer and kid
a man more than half a mile away
The fact that there was very little
SNOW on the ground in the hunting 10
calities during the open season makes
it quite impossible to investigate
cases of accident very thoroughly
This lack of snow also handicapped th :
hunters in stalking deer and had there
bene more snow the number of deer
killed would undoubtedly have been
larger by several hundreds.
The number of licenses for shooting
| this year has been fully twice the mum
Der Of a year ago. There have beer
| issued 229 nonresident hunting Il
| censes this year, while in 1900 there
were issued only SO. These figures
| for nonresident deer licenses at 81;
| each. On these licenses some 200 dec
| have been shipped out Of the state
In the season Of year ago al non
resident small game licenses were IS
sued at SO each and this year the
number issued was 205. The number
Of resident hunting licenses has no
| yet been fully reported from thu
offices of the county clerks, but tn: