Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-02-16

six ,ncaths OF last year. He did not
see m" Moose where five years ago he
would have seen several. He believed
the feo,. To be more plentiful than ever
before.
senator Kellogg opened the case for
the ramon$trants, saying that he rep
resented = large number OF the camp
ovn,rs a. the northern part Of the
State aad especially in tile vicinity OF
patrcn. He believed that in that sec
ton at least there are as many moosc
and as larg" moose as ever. III lsiC
thcrr w"rc shipped out over the Ban
s"r 6 Aroosto0k Railroad 49, moose: {:
III lana. IL. in isoS. ll9; In $780,. which
vas q banner year, "a; in 1906. lss. He
did not think these figures indicated
q decrease in moose. He admitted that
the camp owners he represented do not
depend entirety on moose to attract
their PATRONS but he believed they un
dcr&tocd conditions in their section
very wcll and that when there was Il
need for close timc they would ask
for it
Captain Pollard. one of the oldest
gam" wardeEs in the state. stated he
knew Arooetook county to be opposed
to tho measure and he believed there
arc more .noOSe in the State now than
10 wears ago.
lie belicVcd that the size OF the head
depends on the conditions surround
ing the animal. Thus one that comes
through the winter in good shape amt
find. good feod viii grow much bet
ter set of antlers than one that La
u-Cn hllf starved.
Senator Theriault believed that even
if Maine should place a close time on
moose the animals would wander over
into New Brunswick and be shot there.
The bulk of the hunting in .Aroostook
county now is for moose and they are
not decreasing in the Aliagash or Fish
river sections with which he is fa-
miliar. He thought perhaps they
might be Scarcer in some parts of the
State but thought this was due to the
opening of the country. He did not
consider it just to the men who had
invested largely in camps in the moose
hunting country to deprive them of
their living by making a close time.
Representative Mace of Great Pond
believed that the scarcity of feed has
driven the moose out OF some sections
Ol lfit Sldtt, Dut lIl'N h0N'A n'it ~
plentiful in Hancock county as at
present. He could see no danger of
determination under proper regula
tions or even the present laws. He
considered that most of the non resi-
dent hunters want to XIII moose ana
would not come If deprived of the
privilege Ten years ago there were
very few moose in Washington or
Hancock counties where they arc now
plentiful. He thought that they found
| the best feed where land had been
fburned over and followed the big fires
| from one section to anothe7.
l.. r. Carleton. formerly chairman OF
the Fish and Gam" Commission. said
| that he had been able to note some
great changes in the game conditions
lin Maine. When he was a boy the
greatest number of moose had been
! found in the HanGeley rogion where
| they had been hunted ON the crust
| with dogs and driven out of that sec
ton. There were plenty a few years
ago in the Spencer pond and East
| Branch regions. ON the whole, how
lever, he believed there are moro moose
and as large moose and more bulls
now than there was 10 years ago or
five years ago.
| Big bulls are even known to wander
iinto Kcnnchcc county occasionally
| where years ago they were never seen
New railroads that are planned are
bound to drive them from their haunts
land it will be next to impossible to
save them to the state. Under pres
lent conditions there is no necessity
for a close time and Mr.. Carleton be-
iieved that if one should be provided
Maine would loose more by moose
wandering away in search of solitude
into New Brunswick than it would by
lallowiug them to be killed as at pres
ent. fieibelieved that the open season
should he made shorter but close
time of four wears would moan 'the
lconfisGation of property l Of great
value in the shape of camps in the