The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-01-09
Another Sportsman's
Point of View

Editor islander Kindly allow me
to make a few remarks through your
paper in connection with Mr.. John
w. GeoRhegan's article in last week 9
Islander entitled "a Sportsman g
View
NY attention was first attracted
by the statement that it would b. q
physical impossibility to exterminate
the deer on Orcas island. The rea-
son given was { at there are places on
the northeast side of Mt. Constitn-
ton that "are inaccessibIe to man. .
To interested persons not familiar
with this island or with that part OF
it. this is, without doubt. very en-
couraging-in fact, strangers will,
in all probability. read it and consid-
err the matter of protecting the deer
entirely disposed of. and the deer
themselves safe and secure for all
time But we who have lived and
hunted on the island for the past fif-
teen or twenty years cannot share this
implicit confidence in the natural
protection afforded in these places.
] am we'll acquainted with the terri
tory described as ga natural paradise
for deer" which is comparatively
small, and know of repeated instan-
ces where deer have been hunted and
4: hln93
parts of it, The only protection is a
dense growth of underbrush. which is
by no means impeDetrah le and which
is quite likely to be swept clean bv
the next fire that goes through. When
there remain on this island only those
deer that can be sheltered in such
places the question of protecting that
class of game will be settled.
Mr.. Geoghegan also states that the
most serious menace to the deer on
Orcas island Is the lack of sports =
real sports He explains by say ing
there are more deer killed in the clos
ed season than in tee open season and
!
and popular sport. We are informed,
too, that these deer killed i'm viola
ton uf the law are "killed on the sly
and sneaked to the home of the hunt
er after dark or by back way.''
1t would naturally be inferred from
this that the residents of the island
| 10, h.,n of
criminals. The only hunters who
possess proper and Rentlemanly idea
of sport are evidently those few hun
dred that favor MS with visit in Oct
oter and kill comparatively small
numb ers' of deer.
Now, spend most of my time on
Orcas and believe that am in as
close touch with conditions here as
the author of ga Sportsman View"
can possibly be. | am positive that
summer hunting Is not engaged in to
any extent and that 1T has not been
for several years past-also that b
very small number of deer are killed
persons out for the purpose of hunt
ing. 1t is true that there are some
deer killed at all times of the year.
If found in fields destroying crops
they are quite likely to get shot but
it is not done on the sly nor are they
hidden or dragged in after dark. Some
unlawful hunting is done by "real
sports, too. who come in parties a
few DAYS before the season opens and
pretend to wait for the opening day.
Two deer. cold and stiff, and showing
many signs of having been dead many
hours. we're seen shortly after day
light on the morning of the first day
of last October in the camp of a party
on Mt. Constitution Mr.. Geoghe-
gan was member of this party.
1t is quite possible that deer are
more plentiful on Mt. Constitution
now than they we're ten or twelve
years ago. The hunting season has
been CUT down from three months to
one. and hunting with dogs is now
prohibited entirely, instead of being
allowed during October as it was up
to few years ago. In 1905 and1YO6
there was no open season. During
these years the deer increased rapidly
but since then they have not increas-
ed anywhere near as fast as the mum
Der of hunters has.
am of the opinion that Mr.. GeoR-
began's theory. especially on summer
hunting, is based largely on what be
has been told. Such information is
alright when kn wn to be reliable.
but l advise hint thoroughly inves
tIyate any he may rom that youne
man who claimed killed seventeen
deer last fall before the season open
ed.
A. B. LanRell.
East Sound. January 6, 1919.
Lame Shoulder