The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1913-10-24
DEER PLENTIFUL
AS SEASON NEARS
State Wide Open Season Policy
In Massachusetts,.
MANY HUNTERS EXPECTED.

Animals About as ApproachabIe as
Cows In Pasture-Sportsmen Car
nival Expected-Hunters Must Sc
cure Licenses and Report to Game
Warden Every Time a Deer Is Killed.
Springfield, Mass.-The state wide
open season for deer in the week be-
ginning Nov. II will be a notable
hunters carnival. Deer have been rig
idly protected in Massachusetts, and
the first open season, three years ago.
was restricted to the five western coun-
ties. In spite Of three open seasons
deer are now more numerous in the
hill towns than at the time of the Rev.
olutionary war, in which period they
were unprotected Farmers complaints
of the depredations of deer were deftly
turned to advantage by hunters as an
argument for a state wide open sea-
son, which will be given a trial this
fall.
The greater part of the 10000 or
more deer in the state are in the FIVE
western counties, but in the open sea-
son, when the woods and hills resOund
with the report Of firearms, the fright
ened animals flee eastward in droyes
This year the fight Of the deer, unless
it be over the borders of another state,
will not avail. and it is expected that
the slaughter will be much greater
than last year. when about 1000 deer
were killed.
The law requires that all hunters
shall be licensed and that a report
shall be made to the fish and game
commission of every deer killed The
penalty is SO severe that the pro-
visions are generally observed.
Notwithstanding that deer in parts
Of Massachusetts are almost as ap-
proachable as cows In a pasture. and
In many towns by the exercise of a
little patience they can be prevailed
upon to eat from ones hand, the open
season has a fascination for thousands
of hunters. In Springfield alone last
year more than one thousand hunters
licenses were issued. This year a
small army of hunters from Boston
and other cities in the eastern part of
the state will participate. not TO men
ton New York and Philadelphia hunt
ers, majority of whom are stock
brokers. Game wardens are of the
opinion that there will be a hunter for
nearly every deer. and that when the
1914 legislature convenes the surplus
deer population will be the least of it's
troubles.
The principal restrictions of the open
season are that no hunter shall kill
more than one deer, that the meat shall
not be resOld. that there shall be no
resort either to traps or salt ticks and
shall be used. To minimize the danger
which attends the presence of so many
hunters in the woods a special statute
has been passed which prohibits hunt
ing for birds or quadrupeds with rifles,
pistols or revolvers during the open
season for deer. In former years a
large number of deer hunters have used
rifles. and If detected would insist that
they were bird or rabbit hunting and
that the deer was killed accidentally.
The new law eliminates this excuse.
Candor compels the statement that
deer hunters are guilty in too many
instances of unseemly depredations,
and the utter disregard of the rights
of others by comparatively few hunt
ers has led to the posting of thousands
of acres of land by indignant farmers.
Some idea of the increase in the
number of deer in Massachusetts may
be gained from the damages which
the state has been called upon to pay
to farmers. AS it is unlawful to kill
deer except under great provocation.
the state has found it necessary to
compensate farmers for damage to
orchards. gardens and growing crops.
In 1908 the state paid 1927 to settle
deer damage claims. In 1908 the
amount had risen to $4370. Last year
Massachusetts farmers collected $751;
600 for the depredations of deer.