Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-12-08
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The matter was Yesterday called to
the attention OF Chairman Harry B.
Austin OF the Maine Fish and Came
commission. who sa.1. in substance:
yes. know of the campaign, al
though none Of the petitions have yet
oeen received at this Office. 1t Is a good
move IN the right direction. carrying
out what the State has already started
right on Mt, Desert island, and 1 hope
that 1t will be carried through success
fully, because I believe in that method
OF protecting and propagating our
game.
Speaking Of previous legislation in
the same direction on Mt Desert. You
will remember and copies Of the game
laws will show you that special law
of 19o3-5 allowed but one months open
time on deer on that island, and that
was removed in 1913, since which deer
hunting on Mt. Desert has been abso-
lutely prohibited. 1t is we'll known that
deer have very materially increased
there since the year-around close time
went into effect.
Then a special law in 1913 was
passed to prohibit hunting and killing
any wild animal or any game or other
wild bird in that part Of Eden bounded
on the north by the Atlantic ocean,
south by highway from Hulps Cove
bridge to Beaver Dam bridge, west by
road from Beaver Dam bridge to Sails
bury Cove: except that any wild bird
except ruffed grouse or Hungarian par
fridge. and any wild animal found de-
stroying property may be killed and
trapping Of wild animals under the gen.
eral law is permitted.
Il heartily favor this move by the
Mt Desert island citizens to secure the
prohibition Of hunting on all parts of
the island because l think that one of
the greatest menaces to the protection
of our cartridges on the island is high
prices the rich summer residents are
willing to pay for the delicacy, thus
causing the killing off of the young
birds and the fines not being heavy
enough to deter the young hunters and
others from killing the birds.
Again. the more game refugees that
can be established In our State. the bet
ter will be the conditions for the pres
ervation and propagation Of our game.
The state of Illinois policy is in the
ing of deer, pheasants, quail, etc, some
thing in the line of our own raising of
trout, salmon and other game fish In
our State hatcheries. Pennsylvania has
tried out to some extent the same plan
and Also the establishment of frequent
game refugees throughout the game
counties of that state. The boundaries
of these refugees are defined by a single
strand wire fence. 1t is now becoming
more and more the plan in Pennsylvania
to depend for it's game propagation on
these refugees instead of on the game
farms.
Game raised under these natural con-
ditions is, as it attains age and conf
dence in itself. constantly escaping to
the outside territory and thus is stock
ing all the hunting section of Pennsyl-
vania with the finest kind Of game at
a very satisfactory rate.
Take it here in Maine, we are al
ready doing something along that line
For instance, all hunting is prohibited
on kineo Point; the same on Lake Me-
gunticook in Knox county; Prouts Neck
Rtchmonds Island; large tract in the
Spurwink district in Scarboro; a por-
ton OF Mt. Desert; deer hunting on all
parts and all hunting on the south point
OF Swan island Clown of Perkins,; also
deer hunting on Isle au~Haut, Cross
island in Washington county and Deer
Isle or town Of Stonington in Hancock
In fact you will see that we have made
quite a start toward the propagation of
game by means of refugees
with the tremendous increase in the
of automobiles hFinc,ip,,
itors each year, and consequently more
hunters, and with the other better ia
c1lities for getting into the hunting
sections, we are killing off our game at
rate that sharply demands more re-
strictive legislation in order to keep up
the supply and afford any sport of this
kind TO coming generations
TO be sure, l stated at the opening
OF the season this year that there were
more deer in our woods and fields than
ever before, a statement which was
much questioned--but the reports Of
the deer killed and brought out bears
me out in every particular And that
emphasizes what just said. Our pre-
vious methods of projections have
proved good-yet so many more are be-
Ing killed each year. that we might
soon go back to Short" conditions and
must therefore look out for the future,
win more and still better protection.
To do this l am in favor Of such
plans of protection as are proposed for
MT. Desert and it will be wise. in nv
opinion. to extend the same plan to
other sections. I am also heartily in
sympathy and endorsement of Con-
gresham Guernsey's idea Of a Nation
al park in the Mt. Katahdin region. It
would be grand thing to get such
large area under government protec-
uon and supervision, on account of