Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-09-08
= UhOUII VI 4 LLlS.
RECKLESS HUNTERS DO GREAT
HARM IN LOUISIANA.
Build Fires to Drive Out Game and
Destroy Pasturage and Prop
erty-Exterminating
Animals.
The demand for furs has caused an
INVASION of southern Louisiana by
hunters in search Of minks, raccOons.

INVASION or southern Louisiana b,
hunters in search OF minks, raccoons
pOssums ano even rabbits which threat
ms to eNtor!ainate these animals as eI
iecLuaIy as lde millinery hunters have
~termlnated the water toWl of the
III coast, says the New York sun.
he raVaGes Of the bird hunters Were
Sreat as completely to annihilate, in
70 seasons, four varieties O1 terms Pc
.u4ar to Louisiana. One of these va
rleties was killed entirely for It's tail
Ieathers, which furnished very hand
some aiSrette.
The Audubon society finally inter-
fered and secured from the leeisla-
ture protection for non-game birds
which they did not previously enjoy;
and this has stopped the slaughter, but
not until several species had been com
plelely eXterminated.
The energy OF the fur hunters is
likely to lead to similar hostile legis-
lation, il not By The legislature at any
rate by the police juries or governing
bodies of the several parishes. The
hunters have been far more active than
usual this year, and for the first time
are hunting pOssums for their skins.
There is no particular objection to
their killing the animals, except from
the negroes, who regard them as great
delicacies; but the manner in which
the hunters have carried ON the work
has been such as to arouse a great
deal of indignation and to invite pro-
hibitive laws
The coon Is particularly fond of
fish and shrimps, and as consequence
the swamps, marshes and prairies on
the gulf coast are filled with them,
and make splendid field for the hunt
ers. The population of this region Is
composed mainly Of fishermen, who do
not hunt, and when the fur hunters
business awaiting them.
Unfortunately they have tried to do
1t on too large a scale. The Louisiana
coast is covered with a coarse. grass,
frequently five and six feet high, and
when this is set on fire the coons are
ants in preserve.
The prairies have been fired in all
directions by the hunters. The result
has been to cause heavy losses to the
stockmen who feed their cattle in these
prairies and to the lumbermen and the
fishermen.
In Vermillion parish, which has over
million acres Of this prairie, the fires
started by the fur hunters have de-
stroyed nearly all the winter pas
turaee Of the cattle, and the injury to
the stockmen will mount up to the
hundreds Of thousands of dollars. The
police jury has prohibited coon hunt
ing in the parish as consequence.
The police juries of all the coast
parishes are likely to take action sim
liar to that Of NermilliOn, not in order
to protect cOOns and rabbits, but to pro-
tect the inhabitants against the reck-
lessness Of the fur hunters But for
this action these animals, now prob
ably more abundant in southern Louis
lana than in any other part of the
country, would be wiped out this year.
The recent raid on the coon, pos
sums and mink is due to the great de-
mand for furs and the destruction of
fur bearing animals in the northwest
The price paid for pelts IS so good
that the hunting OF tOOus and 'pOssums
is highly profitable. and a good hunt
er makes from IS to $25 day.
1t is more Profitable than shooting
ducks or other game. The carcasses
are thrown away after being skinned,
or else they are converted into oil. |
They furnish lu6ricating oil worth GO
cents a gallon, and good sized coon
will yield nearly half q gallon of oil.
Coon skins have been selling for
several years, b-inging from % 10 80
cents. 'Possur1 Skins have never been
sold in this region before the present
year, but are now in demand at from
10 to ~ cents. and even rabbit skins
bring 2 cents apiece.
Squirrels have heretofore been with
out value, but in the last few months
there has been a demand for squir-
rels' tails The minks have always
been in demand, but they have been
few until recently.
DR.. Parr had the largest notion