Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-31
MUCH GAME WAS
KILLED THIS YEAR
DR.. .KalbfuS Believes Deer
Was Found to Be
Plentiful

In spite of the fact that the heavy
SHOWS brought the hunting season to
close a few days ahead of the
scheduled time. / believe that the
kill of deer and bear will run ahead
of last year. The reports we have
mad nave shown some fine bucks laid
low and the statements about bear
would show an unusual number
shot, said DR.. Joseph Kalbfus,
secretary of the State Game Com
mission, talking about the close of
the 1917 hunting season. Hunters
got pretty busy when the snow
squalls began and the drives were
pressed home. In the South Noun
tain region there were pretty active
times. From all accounts, the kills
early in the season We're not heavy,
but / guess they speeded up when
the weather turned.
THE bear hunting up the state
was excellent. Clinton county re-
ported fifty-five alone shot. North
ern tier counties also had some good
bear hunting. Bear were reported
as more or less of a nuisance to
farmers in the late summer and
fall and / guess some of them went
after the animals
DR.. Kalbfus expressed the opinion
would be a pronounced movement
on foot to obtain closing of a num-
Der of counties to grouse shooting
because of danger of wiping out that
bird. He did not anticipate opposi-
ton worth while to the new game
code. The new code said he, has
stood the test of only one season.
Most people desire to have game
laws stand a while and do not want
oh fNgFtt,
Hence, they will test out the code.
The sentiment of legislators last
spring was that the code should be
thoroughly tested out. This was
good year because there were as
many hunters in the woods and
fields as ever known and conditions
were fair.
Game wardens are now gathering
up data on the game Killed, both as
to head and weight, and the reports
are expected to be made in time for
the meeting of the State Game Com
mission on January 3. This should
furnish some very interesting data,
as last year a report which was un-
usually complete was made. 1t
showed about 100000 pounds of
meat secured by hunting. If the
kill this year is anything like that,
it will make a substantial contribu-
ton to the supply of food, to say
nothing of the recreation and
healthy conditions attendant on
hunting.
The Game Commission report last
year showed 100000 rabbits, 200,-
900 grouse, 10000 quail, $4,000
wild waterfowl, $4,000 woodcock,
100000 squirrels, 1900 pheasants,
1900 deer 5000 raccoons, 5000
wild turkeys and 435 deer killed in
the state.
The rabbit kill should be near
that of last year. Cottontails were
If anything more numerous and,
while the bag was limited, almost
every hunter seemed to be knocking
them over. Squirrels were also
abundant and hunters who found
birds scarce turned attention to the
chatterers in the woods.
The raccoon season ends with the
year. but the last half of the month
has not been conducive to much
sport in that line. rFr
The state has really great re-
serve familiar with firearms in its
hunters argues DIR. Kalbfus. He
says that approximately 100000,
maybe more, took out hunters Ii
censes. There were some hundreds
of nonresident hunters who came
into the state to enjoy the sport and
maybe 100000 men hunted on their
own lands. Last year he estimated
that there were 100000 hunters.
This year there will likely be more.
These men are largely used to camp
ing out. know how to handle guns
and can shoot. They will form "a
valuable reserve in addition to the
men being trained for military work
in event of emergency.