The sun., 1916-10-01

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GOOD DEEFEEkS6N
Large Crop Of Fawns, and
Sumner Rains Made Food
Abundant.
BUCK LAW SAVES LIFE

The season for deer having horns not
less than three inches long opened yes
terdsy In the following Adirondack
counties Clinton. Essex. Franklin. Iul-
ton. Hamilton. IIcrklmer. Jefferson.
Lewis, Oneida. Oswego. Saratoga, st.
Lawrence. Warren and Washington.
A sportsman who keeps in close touch
with game conditions not only In New
York State but in the United States and
Canada as well is John u. Burnham.
president Of the American Game I'ro-
tcctive and Propagation Association. As
man and boy he has spent thirty years
In the Adirondack region.
Discussing deer hunting conditions
yesterday In his office In the Woo'worth
Building Mr.. Burnham said he looks for
particularly good hunting season this
year, al 1t has been a good season for
fawns. of which there has been II partic-
ularly large crop. Tie bucks are heavier
this season because OF midsummer rains.
which made for tender food. Of which
there was a x eat abundance.
Although deer are harder TO get
han when there was no buck law on the
statute books there are more of them
THIS year than any other in the history
Of the Adirondacks. This will be the
. fourth year OF tho buck law. and while
hero and there 1t is unpopular more
States each year adopt the plan OF con-
serving life by making each gunner
know first ut what he aims.
Wolves Great Dec killers.
Mr.. Durham aid that some time
Ggo he listened 10 m address 10y Robert
B, Nichols Of indian Lake. chief game
protector of the eastern Adirondack.
division. In which Mr.. Nicho's stated
that the anti-hound!rg law was un-
popular In the Adirondack among the
natives some years ago because they DID
No know how to still hunt.
Since the enactment of that law the
natives have become proficient In the art
OF still hunting and now there Is no de-
sirc on the part OF anybody 10 go back
to the Old condition OF things.
So while there has been some unpopu-
isrity with the buck law the natives are
realizing that there Is no loss OF huinrh
life and the buck law has resulted III
the propagation OF the species 10 su'l an
extent that there are more deer IN New
York state AT the present time tina In
the memory OF the average hunter OF to-
day.
"When I was a boy l went into the
eastern Adirondack country I'm 1885,.
said Mr.. Burnham. and became ac-
Uuainted with hunting conditions. |
talked with old hunters. one OF them
was 30 years Old and he was familiar
with deer hunting In the early days. but
have no hesitation in saying that from,
my observation OF thirty yeas ther'
are more deer in the .~\dirondacks at
the present than previous 10 tho ci,i!
war, for the following reasons
"Therc were a great many wolves all
through the .Ad~irondacis. and Nose
Ames Of North Eliza told Inc that IN his
deer hunting days he would often iind
deer tracks only where there were wolf
tracks.
"Now deer and wolves cannot live to-
Gether. Three yeais x ! was hunt
ing on tne Ottawa River. and In the
winter when the snow was high on the
ground deer will frequently take to the
lakes where the snow is much less In
depth. I found a few deer there. but
Il IL almost entirely n moose country.
"Yet on the lower Ottawa River IN
the settlements deer hunting Is better.
although there are more hunters. The
reason is. obvious. The wolf hunts 800
days a year and knows no close season.
Last Wolf killed In 1890.
."Before the close OF the civil war
uuNInB anu pblsDiiIS VI "'i''S We"
begun. Emery Gale of Childwood and
John Muir Of Fine. st. Lawrence county,
were engaged In killing wolves and cata-
mounts FOR the bounty. They were paid
$50 for every wolf killed and $50 for
catsmounts. They and men. of their type
cleared the .\dirondacks OF wolves.
."ln the determination of wolves what
wia left of the extremely Intelligent ami
mails migrated across tho st. Lawrence
River. Now there are more wolves
across the 81. Lawrence, n ] should
not be a bi, surprised II the abundance
Of deer on the American side OF the
river might tempt them TO come a
aome day.
~ro-day II you want to find cougars
60 10 the Cascades. which is Il good deer
hunting place,
"The last wolf was killed by Reuben
Carey OF Brandreth Lake, New York,
IN 1896. No wolves had been killed for
q decade before that. rrior to that
wolves had not been abundant since the
'7Os. There liz no substantiating record
OF "a wolf being killed since then.
"Coinc!dent with the determination OF
tho wolf. market shooting began In 4
wholesale way. There was no enforce
ment of the game laws. Deer were
killed throughout the winter. They were
killed an long as they could be shipped
20 market. The killing was done by
organized hunters. They were organized
Just as thoroughly as We're the hunters
on the great plains. In the buffalo day
the hunters went forth. killed and were
followed up by the skinners. h in
turn were followed up by the s!l!ppels.
liarket Hunters Killed All Winter.
I'm those days in tho Adlrondacks AT
the beginning Of cold wrl ther when the
first snow fell these parties would go
into tho deer section and penetrate even
20 the heart OF the wilderness. There
was not II portion OF the Adirondack
section that was not covered by market
hunting parties.
"1hese men killed from the time OF
tho first snowfall 10 FAR into the
spring. During that pc. iod the carcasses
were shipped 10 city markets. Utica
on tho New York Central and North
Creek on the Delaware 4 Hudson We're
The principal points " shipment.
"rhey shipped deer out Just so long
a. horses could pull out the carcast.s.
After the roads became impossible In
the spring they killed for the hides.
1.-THE deer themselves. In some years
when the snow vas particularly high
would become yarded and these hunters
would go In and Kill them with clubs
TO save ammunition.
These hunters wen into the wilder.
ness on the south branch Of Moose
River between West Canada and
Naauette Lakes, In that section there
orc the remains Of only two old roads