Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-09-30
| The GAME SEASON.
Chairman Carleton Says Out
look is Very Favorable.
Deer are Plenty but the Moose Need
Protection.
The License Fee Will Not Keep Away
True Sportsmen.

| '"pJectS throughout the state.
Inc journal is glad to give it's readers
lhe views of Chairman L. r. Carleton
u the hsh and game commission as
nldde public in a recent interview.
Beyond doubt Mr.. Carleton has better
facilities for forming an unbiased
opinion on the subject than any other
man living. He is alert to the best in
teresfs of Maine. he is fair in his state
inehts and whatever he may say upon
the important subject should bear
great weight. Following is Mr.. Carrie
tons review of actual conditions which
prevail today.
| The conditions look very favorable.
There is no question about the deer
being very plenty. This is the general
| report from wardens who travel all
| over the State, and are constantly max
| ing reports to our Office. | also hear
the same report from guides and camp
proprietOrs. Deer are in every county
| and city and town and plantation. "As
for moose, there are still many left in
| Maine
THE conditions of the weather in
October and November will have much
to do with the number of hunters who
Nil NcljIS W Ah anu, anu liz e'iiiosihl VI
game that will be killed. Given as
good weather as last year, and there
| will he rot so many hunters as then,
in all probability, as that was an eX-
| ceptiOnally fine season for hunting.
But there will be enough-all our game
can stand. Present indications, from
the number Of hunters licenses already
soid-fifty or more through letters and
| applications received at this office
| show there will be a gOodly number of
hunters for big game in Maine this
! hunting season. There are some 'kick-
ers'' who say they shall go to Canada
go further and fare worse, get less
game, ard pay double the license fees
charged in Maine. The pot and market
hunters will not come to Maine. Thos"
| who have been in the habit of coming
to Maine and buying their game and
| taking their game to Boston and else
where and selling it in the markets.
realizing as much or more from their
| trip as it will cost them, Will not com"
| this year and this class has been too
numerous. Meanwhile, 1 feel that the
| fee of SIS will not keep away one true
| sportsman.
THE license law is also one of the
| best laws ever enacted, for game pro-
| lection in many respects. Mr. Math-
ews, Names labor commissioner, in
forms me that at least $1,000 men are
employed annually in the Maine woods
| in logging operations. Hon. Edgar j..
| Ring, land agent and forest commits
| sioner. and also one of our board OF
commissioners of inland fisheries and
| game. estimates one-half of these are
| non-residents, while wardens who are
| familiar with their nationalltles say
| the per cent. of nOn-reSidentS is even
| greater-aS much as tWo-thlrds. IN
| der the new law these non-residents
| cannot hunt moose and deer without
paying the license fee and it will save
| thousands of our large game animals.
| because the former butchers of big
game cannot afford to pay the fee of
SIS for the privilege to hunt.
"Another important factor which will
work for our game protection under
the new law is that nonresident
| cannot ship Il deer or moose out OF th2
| State unless he has his license to hunt
and shows it to the shipping agent,
| who must detach the coupon there
| from: and it will hardly pay the mar
ketmen to come to Maine and buy his
deer and pay SIS additional for his IL
| cense to hunt.
"Now as to violation of game laws,
especially the laws protecting moose
| and deer: These violations are flag
| rant and persistent. We have had
more prosecutions this year than ever
| before | asked Warden Pollard. who
| has been on the force eight years, the
| reason for it, and he said We are
finding out more He really did not
| think there was as much pOaching as
in former years. but we were getting
on to more of what was going on than
we had done.
'Poachers are divided into several
| classes;
First. those who shoot for the sake
of killing something. This class will
! kill unfortunately birds, squirrels,
deer moose or anything that comes
| within range of their guns. Several
| large COW moose have been shot down
by them this summer, as well as bull
moose doe and buck deer. and left to
| rot where they fell-shot out of pure
cussedness.
i Second. the so-called hide hunter
These hunt moose and deer indiscrim-
inately simply for their hides. The
i notorious Pete Fountaine is the apostle
} of this gang, and they are scattered
along the border a good number of
whom make frequent trips into Maine.
kill their game and get away across
the border unframed.
Third, the trapper who Kills our
game in season ard out of season to
get the meat for batting traps for
bears. coonS and foxes.
I Fourth, the summer hunters who
are rapidly increasing in numbers. who
board at our sporting camps take along
canoe trips or camp for weeks in the
! great woods along our river and other
waterways, and live on deer and moose
, to the exclusion of other foods. Nearly
all of these go into the woods with
rifles and shot guns and kill and eat
game and birds A gentleman from
Massachusetts-a lawyer-told me that
he thought it was generally under
stood that those camping out in the
summer We're permitted to shoot what
deer they wanted for food, so long as