The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-11-04
Shooting Season in New Jer-
sey Opens November 10
And Game is Elenlifuf.
WHERE 1T IS TO Be FOUND
OLD HUNTERS TELL TALES OF
BIG BAG CAPTURED IN PLACES
Now THE HOMES OF FASHION
= WHAT THE LAW SAYS.

The opening of the general shooting
season in New JERSEY is only a few days
off. A few years ago some wise gentle
men thought that The season for political
game should close before the shooting
season opened. The argument was that
too many good men neglected their duties
as citizens TO take advantage Of the elec-
tion holiday and go shooting instead of
voting and buying votes or working
around the polls. Men with guns and
dogs packed the trains going in every
direction on the eve of election day. and
they did not come back in time to vote.
It was debatable question whether
these delinquents were more on one side
than the other, but it was not from any
sympathy with the birds and rabbits that
the law was changed to make the season
open on November 10 so that no first
Tuesday after the first Monday could
possibly fall in the cunning season.
SO much for the law. The season
opens on Friday this year, and that is
possibly good for the game, as more
gunners can get away earlier in the
week than in the latter part. The worst
time for the game is when the season
opens on Monday. Shooting on Sunday
is contrary to law, but there is no law
against travelling and preparing for an
early start Monday morning.
A question 70 consider is, Does it pay
to own gun and dog in New Jersey. if
You must con6ne your shooting to this
state? It IS extremely doubtful if it
has been worth while to keep up an ex-
pensive cunning outfit in New Jersey in
the last twenty years
Time was when this State was un-
rivaled for wild game At the time New
ark was settled there were all kinds of
wild game indigenous to this climate
drinking from the Passaic and its tribu-
taries within the bounds of what are now
Hudson and Union counties. Panthers,
bears, wolves, bobcats, otters, minks,
weasels. skunks, oppossums and raccoons
invaded the very town in 1866 and in
1879 Bounty of ten shillings per head
was voted to everybody who should kill
wolf in the town. A century later no
small part of the rations of the defend
ers and the invading army consisted Of
deer. turkeys and other game killed by
hunters attached to the commands.
In the early part of last century there
was excellent cunning within a few
yards of the houses on the borders of the
city, and the old hintlock guns did little
to decimate the game. Deer roamed the
hills and dales Of the Watching noun
tains, and grouse were abundant Quail
bred in the back lots of town houses and
cottontails were everywhere. The COM
ing of the percussion cap possibly rem
dered the old muzz,e-loading guns more
effective against the game, but it did
not seem to make much difference.
In 1880 quail and rabbits could be
found within the city limits. and as late
as 1868 it was no uncommon thing to
see wild rabbits at Market and High
streets and bevies Of quail in South Or
ange avenue and Springfield avenue,
within what is now the city line. Quail
always associate closely with eivilza-
ton when they can, and long after 1855
they We're to be found on the uplauds
skirting the meadows, feeding with barn
yard fowl at times and resting in the
market gardens.
A veteran hunter who is still alive de-
lights in telling of killing two dozen
quail before breakfast in what is now
Mum avenue, East Orange. These
birds were of immense value to tho farms
ers, but they did not know it and slaugh-
tered them to sell at two shillings d
dozen, ignorant of the fact that the quail
lived almost entirely upon insect pests
in the Summer and upon seeds of weeds
i'll winter and were earning their right
to protection.
The extinction Of game in this state
probably dates from the improvement Of
firearms in the seventies, when breech-
loading guns overcame the prejudices of
tie gunners and came into general use.
The gunners multiplied greatly, too, and
our state being the highway between
two big cities. easy Of access from either
New York Or Phnadelphia, iuvssed
Slaughter from both sides. aud until a
few years age there We're no restrictions
upon allen aunners. Naturally the stat