Development on Deer Hunting

Many of us might not be aware of how the deerThe only way to do this, now that most of their
hunting has been commercialized and how it isnatural enemies have been controlled, is to permit an
supporting the growing fashion industries. It suppliesannual kill that will equal the annual increase. In their
leathers for branded footwears. This can be noticedefforts to protect the deer herds, the different
by the financial picture of the country. But the goodstates have enacted different laws, but these laws
management of the deer herds has improved theirare similar in that they all permit a short open season
numbers compared to their numbers during the timesand they impose a definite bag limit. Some of these
of Indians.restrictions were adopted on an experimental basis
The sport of deer hunting has been commercializedand have never been revised. Some of these have
to a great extent. This is true of many sports. Deerproved sound while others are of doubtful value, due
hunters help support many of our industries and theirin part to the lack of definite biological knowledge of
dollars play an important part in the financial picturethe animals.
of our country. Clothing manufacturers haveI have always been doubtful of the value of the
developed special clothing and shoe factories makeso-called "buck law" that has been used by several
special footwear for hunters. Arms and ammunitionstates over the years. Here in Maine, we allow the
factories would need to curtail production drasticallytaking of one deer of any size or sex and our herd
between wars it was not for the sportsmen's orders.has prospered. In at least one other state, the herd
The development of better hunting guns has aided inhas increased, apparently at the expense of the
the development of better military guns. Sportingindividual deer's size and vitality. Most of these laws
camps dot the hunting country and are largelyare in the interest of conservation and sportsmanship.
supported by the deer hunter's dollars. The statesThe least sporting methods of deer hunting are
themselves have placed a price tag on deer in theusually banned by law, not entirely because they are
form of a hunting license. This tax is supposed tonot sporting, but because they are the most
defray the cost of game management. On the wholesuccessful and therefore the most detrimental to the
the different states have done a good job inefforts of maintaining the deer population and to
managing the deer herds and these herds are todaycontinue hunting.
in better condition than at any other time since theNight hunting, probably the most successful method
Indians. What the future holds is something that onlyof taking deer, was one of the first to be banned.
time will tell.My first experience with this type of hunting
At the present time we have an abundance of deeroccurred when I was sixteen. I was working on a
in the major hunting areas. The only serious threat tosmall construction project in the deep woods of one
their well being is that overpopulation might bring onof the more popular deer hunting regions. I do not
some disease or that lack of food might cause aknow what the law was at that time, but it was the
serious reduction of the herds. All things in naturecustom to supplement the commissary with deer
must balance and if the deer population becomes toomeat whenever possible.
large, nature will call a halt in one way or another. It isIt is the duty of every citizen to protect this
up to the states to see that this natural balance isprecious animal from extinctions by keeping them in
maintained and the herds are kept within their naturalcheck.
limits.