Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-11-06
Hunter Seeks Bounty for
Fake bobCat Tail.
Counties Owing State for En-
torcement Expenses Must Pay.
Maine College Presidents Meet
With State Supt. Smith.
STATE HOUSE CALENDAR,
Next Meeting Of Governor and Council
Thursday, Nov. 18, at 10 A. m.

'"rhe bobcat law is vndicated,"
said Chairman Carleton of the fish and
game commission yesterday as he look
ed up from a letter which he had been
reading, land it has been demonstrated
that the hunters who are looking for
the bounty paid by the state for bob
cat tails have got to send in the gen.
uine article if they want their money,
for imitation tails won't do. There
won't be any flimfiamming of the State
along those lines. This little trick has
been tried and here is the evidence,
but the trick did not work.
So saying, he took from an envelope
a bunch OF Grayish brown hair that
was matted together and looked as if
it might have come from the back of
some coon cat, with the assistance of
a hair comb, and while it in some ways
looked as if it might have been a tail
Of some kind it was not enough like
the bobcat tails which had previously
been received at the fish and game de-
partment to claim even second cou-
sin relationship. The "tail' was
viewed with suspicion, and in order
to settle the question beyond 4 doubt
it was shown to G. r. HunncWell of
Auburn, the well-known authority on
furs and who perhaps buys more in
the course of year than any other
man in Maine. That gentleman
promptly decided that the specimen
was no tail at all, so far as Nature
was concerned, and that to all intents
it had been made up Of pieces of coon
skin. 1t will be many moons before
the hunter who sent in that tail will
get his bounty, and it is the hope Of
the department that his experience
will be n lesson to others who may per-
haps be inclined to make artificial
bobcat tails with a view to defraud-
ing the State.
The bobcat law, which is Chapter
1919 of the Public Laws of 1909 and is
entitled "An Act to provide a bounty
on Bob Cat, Loup-cervier and Canada
Lynx" and which went into effect
July l. has not thus far been very pro-
ductivc considering the claims that
were made by the supporters of the
measure relative to the plentfulness
of bobcats in the Maine Woods The
number of tails which have been re-
ceived to date. from the time that the
law went into effect, is 49, and 1t
does not appear at present as if there
were likely to be a very heavy drain
on the State treasury from that source.
The bounty of 81 which the State al
lows the hunter for q. tail of a bobcat
considering the rigmarole which he has
to go through before he gets his mon
ey, would hardly prove sufficient in
ducement for him to adopt the cap
ture of these animals as q means of
livelihood, or to go many miles out
of his way for the sake of getting one.
The law provides that no bounty shall
be paid unless the claimant, within
five days after he has killed such anl-
NAL, or has returned from the hunt
ing in which he killed it, exhibits to the
town treasurer the entire skin thcre-
of with the ears, nose and tail thereon
in as perfect state as when killed,
except, natural decay, and signs and
makes oath to certificate which
said treasurer may administer, in
which lie shall state that he killed such
animal and the time and place. which
shall be within the State of Maine.
and the treasurer shall thereon cut off
the whole of the tail from such skin
and forward the same to the fish and
game commission at Augusta and
shall also forward to the state auditor
the claimants certificate. For this
work the town treasurer gets a fec
of 25 cents per tail, which fee is paid
by the claimant. On receipt by the
auditor of tha two certificates he re-
quires from the fish and game commits
sioners certificate that they have re-
ceived the tail referred to, whereupon
he approves the claim for bounty.
and the claim is paid from any money
in tho state treasury not otherwise
appropriated.