Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-02-26
The Seasons
Ghyssian g., {

son ct 1900 closed in Newfoundland
"'NihS opened III July last says re-
NNht !cttef from st. Johns to the Ros-
tuh ifahScilpt In these seven months
II II estimated that the total number of
'aiipou Killed was AT least 1000 the
largest annual bag Yet recorded. OF
| tHlS total about l2c0 fel before thn
guns OF English, American and Cana
u'ah SportSmen. who visit the COLONY
every summer and autumn in steadily
| increasing numbers. Alien hunters ara
SuhleCtcd to license fee ranging iron,
Nv 10 $40 according to the time pro
PoScd 70 be spent on the uplands and
| lfe numbe" OF deer desired and for.
the season just closed 30 such licenses
We're ISSUED and Sl0, 500 in fees received.
| incSe hunters can kill from three To
ciSht caribou, and allowing six as an
| average XIII. the total of 1900 is easily
reached.
OF Well-to-do islanders who would
come within the category of sportslnen,
| probably another 200 visited the in
| terror, where the deer abound and
! they must have laid low another 1900
deer The officers of the British and
! French naval squadrons which patrol
the coast of fishery protection service
every summer are keen hunters and
can engage in the sport in the remote
| northern sections where no mail boats
| run. but where their steam launches
can bring them in an hour o.. so to
some oG the finest stalking grounds in
! the world. To credit these officers with
900 head is Il fair estimate. This makes
| Il total of 5000 caribou killed by bona
! hde SportSm"n during the season for
! the antlers which serve as trophies of
the chase. and for paStime.
| OF the remaining 40C0 head half are
| slain by the fishermen of the northern
bays, who use the meat for food during
| the winter. and the remainder are
| killed hy the settlers along the south
| coast during the month Of January
ana dcported 10 ST. Johns to be sold in
III" open market for what it will fetch.
y hich this season. owing to mili
! weather. iS only one cent pc" pound.
| though when severe frost prevails, the
! nrtCe runs up 10 three or FIVE cents ac-
cordinG to the quantity in town. Fresh
| beef costs fifteen to twenty cents al
the same time. 50 it is not strange that
| there SHCuld be quite demand for
| Tenison among the poorer classes or
| that the charity societies should buy
| Il IN large quantities for distribution
| among their pensioners. or thal 4
| faVorite gift To an orphanage. ragged
school or a deserving case of destitu-
tion should be a carcass of venison.
| Newfoundland is certainly the only
country in the world where venison.
| which two centuries ago it was Il penal
offense for anE but a nobleman to nave
! in his possession. is 4 staple article Of
| diet for the masses. The old time
| writer's who discoursed 50 enthusiast
! iCally of the 'haunch of Venison'' ana
the pleasures Of the chase would be
| appalled, today if they could see our
| coastal steamer enter port with her
| hold filed with 3S3 deer carcasSes.
| which would be dumped out untore-
| mCniouSly on dirty quay and carted
| off by truckmen to the stores of the
] different consigHe-S, there 70 bv rrit mp
| into sizable pieces and displayed for
sale at the absurdly low price of
| cent a pound. At this writing such
scene is being enacted here. The mail
| boat arrived yesterday bringing Su-h 4
| freight as above noted. having carried
| 312 carcaSses the previous voyage. and
| reporting another shipload remaining
| at the main centres Of this strange
tiafiic. the meat spelling owing to mild
weather ana lack of salt to cure it,
For the same reasons the stock in
| town is being hurriedly sold out. for if
| il should spoil it would have to he
| destroyed. The two branches of this
| extraordinary deer-kiIlng industry. if
it may be so termed, will bear a more
detailed explanation. if only to prove
to American readers that this Mum
| chauSen-like narrative has very
| substantial basis of fact. \ more
| methodical, prosaic proceeding than
| the way in which the colonial fisher
| man goes about procuring of IA winters
stock of venson it would be difficult to
imagine. The 'baymen," so called from
the fact that they reside in the bays
| which eat into our northern and east
| ern Goa oastline. have the modus operandi
| Of this annual autumn hunt reduced to
! the regularity Of cioCkWork. W hen
| they return in the fall from Labrador
| where they have been cod fishing All
summer. they prepare for campaign
| against the deer. Their boats convey
them and their impedimcnta up the
! rivers to convenient points whence
| they can reach the interior. Here they
+, encamp and unload the boats which
are ulleu WIN DdTTtlS anu SAT-. l!'7'
things, as well as tents, guns and food.
are then carried to the hunting ground
! selected. Here a likely dcer-traii is
| chosen and the hunters post themselves
ialong it. When I'd of caribou comes
along Il Well-directed volley gives them
| the coup de grace. Then the hunters.
as expert in the use of a knife as o.
fishing appliances. speedily skin and
cut up the deer empty the barrels ~
| the salt and pack the meat therein
with layers Of the preSerVatiNe pc
tween. and the slaughter continues IN
til they have used up all the materials
provided. Thcn. after final stalk to
procure some venisOn for immediate
use and for gifts to friends. the party
! carry their stock back to the boats ana
return home. happy at their success
and confident of their ability to pa "e-
fiance to the terrors Of even famine
winter.
An even more buSiness-like grasp or
the situation is displayed by those VINO
cannot reach the deer country by boat.
These 90 by train. paying their own
,yrl aitrbf baifs