The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-01-14
SAVE The DOE DEER
An Argument for General Enactmer
of the "Euck" Law.


of the "Euck' Law.
Common sense economy and pub
lie safety demand that the so called,
Buck Law, prohibiting the killing of
female deer and fawns at all times,
be enacted in every state where it is
not now in force"
This statement was ELECTED from
John B. Burnham, President of the
American Game Protective and Pro-
pagation Association of New York,
in connection with the present agita-
ton in favor Of a Buck Law in Michi-
gan, which George Shiras Sd, one OF
the foremost naturalists Of the coun-
try, has been advocating.
."In connection with DR.. Fisher and
Professor Beal of the Biological Sur
vey," Mr.. Burnham continued, Mr..
Shiras has prepared table which
shows in a striking way the advant-
ages of the Buck Law in increasing
the number of deer which can proper
~ be killed each year These figures
show that if "a does and "a bucks, af-
ter years, be protected for 10
years, allowing annually thereafter
an average of 112 fawns per pair,
there would be 1860 of each sex, or a
total of 1920 deer in the herd. TAX
ing the same number to start with
and shooting so per cent of each
years bucks and does indiscriminate-
" the herd would be eXterminated at
the end of the same period and only
$50 deer would have been killed. If
we shoot only so per cent of the
bucks we will have killed 7S1 of them
in 10 years. like number will re-
main, and there will be a breeding
herd of 1862 does
These figures should convince
even the game hogs of the adyisa-
billty of protecting does The only
people who can be impeTvious to the
argument which they present are
! those who would like to cXtcrmiIate
cur deer Immediately with no
thought for the rights of future gen
erations and the wishes OF such per
sons should hardly be considered by
legislative bodies.
ITO put the matter in a way with
which everyone is familiar, out herds
of deer present to the people owe
them the same prOblems thai owners
Il cattle have 10 face In any one
gear a stockman could real'ze more
heavily by Filliny and marketing all
his cattle However, as such 1
course would put him out Of bust
ness force him to lose his profit il
the purchase of new animals lie
keeps the greater part of his COW,
and disposes of most of the bulls
Any other method would be consid
cred insane if followed by a private
owner, yet there are still many state.
in which the public owners of dec
pursue the disastrous course OF kill
ing the males and females alike
Desires the figures given by Mr.
Shiras in support of the Buck Law
we have the practical experience o
more than half the deer hunting
states of the Union. in which 1t il
now in force, and in every case this
ends to establish the accuracy of Ii,
theoretical estimate When the Law
was enacted in Vermont the dee
had been practically exterminated il
that state and it was necessary t
import them At the present tim,
more deer are killed in Vernon
than in any area of similar size il
North America, and that this Is so il
due entirely to the protection o
does.
But it is not only for economic
reasons that the Buck Law is neces
sary. The appalling number of pee
pie shot by mistake in the woods il
states which do not demand that
hunter see the horns before h
shoots, supply eloquent testimon.
that this precauhon is essential I,
public safety
With the increase in population
dangers from the incautious use o
fire arms become yearly greater. Tn
only argument that can be offere
against observing the restriction
placed on hunters by the Buck Law
is that in trying to tell whether
deer is a buck or doe. the hunte
may lose a shot, and such an argu
ment carries no weight when W
know that the time taken to max
the distinction may save the life O
another hunter This argument
only offered by the tyro, and while /
would be foolish to say that the tyr
should not be allowed to hunt, it /
certain that his inexperience shoul
not be allowed to endanger the live
of others. There is no one thin
which will do as much toward cut
ting down the annual loss of life i
the woods as the general adoptio
and ctripCont anForoap,npt % 81,