The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-05
LUMBER CAMPS
WATCHED CLOSELY
Venison Cheaper Than Pork for
the Cutters of Tall
Timber. &s.. 4
Special to The Journal.


Calumet, Mich, Dec. 5.-While a
majority of the hunters who went into
the woods at the opening of the deer
season were fortunate enough to secure
one or more of the fleet-footed animals.
the number killed is said by many to
be less than that of a few wears ago,
a. and some of the questions being asked,
GAM Are they becoming less year
their own?'' These are questions which
every person who is interested in the
subject of game and game protection
Will be glad to be enlightened upon.
;. len years ago five deer were the
limit for each licensed hunter, and in
even novice could secure his full
quota. OF deer, and this was equally
true In some parts of tho lower PENN
sula. The result Of this was that the
slaughter OF deer was frightful. Some
OF the camps in the upper peninsula
ten years ago, composed of from six
to eight men, took out of the woods
the full number of large deer for every
man in the party. 49,,
Lunabermen to Blame.
For instance, the camp, composed of
eight men, including one as cook and
whom hunted. vet this camp had forty
deer carcasses hung up in less than
ten days after the season opened, and
nad the same number of carcasscs
hauled out to the railroad station and
sh1pped to different points.
III, 1t was no uncommon. thing for a
hunter, to 90 into the woods and see
from three to dozen deer in a days
hunt, and in most instances be able to
XII more and sell the deer SO killed to
LUMBER camps in their vicinity, altho
the lumber camps in many instances
employed man to supply the camp
with fresh meat, and thousands of deer
were killed by these hunters.
Fenlson became drug, in some lum-
asked for beef and pork instead. Beef
and pork were costly, while the deer
cost nothing but the killing, so the
unprlnclpled proprietors Of these lum-
berlng concerns continued to employ
men to kill deer in and out of season.
But now all is changed. The present
law allows but two, deer to be killed
iby each licensed hunter, and if the lum-
Der camps use deer for meat they are
doing it SO slylv that they are not be-
ing caught at it very often.
The sympathy of the game vardens
generally is with the settlers, who &C.
ccaslonally will kill a deer for food, and
it would be practically Impossible to Sc
cure jury to convict settler on such
a Charge. but not so with the lumber
camps, who are made the special mark
for prosecution when caught at it.
Kill Was Smaller.
The number of deer killed in Michi-
gan; has decreased from $4,000 in 1903
to $500 in 1905, .altho the number Of
licensed hunters in the woods has in
creased. The Inference is that the deer
are surely being exterminated in Mich
igan forests, but lovers of the sport
say they are as plentiful now as they
were ten years ago, and it is just as
easy to get five as two. A sportsman
who killed two deer within thirty min
qtes after leaving camp on the first
day Of the present season saws that
part of the country he hunted in is
full of deer. He also saws that great
many hunters stalk deer there, and
notwithstanding this fact, he believes
sportsman would have no trouble in
filling his license there at any time.