| There are laws to protect the deer but some of | | | | usually death to the dog and a fine to the owner, |
| them are not implemented properly. In Maine it is | | | | no man who values a dog will use him for this |
| allowed to take a deer for so that the herds are | | | | purpose. |
| prospered. There are some laws that already | | | | I have watched a few of these dogs in action |
| banned the hunting of these deer so that their | | | | and I can see where there would be a certain |
| populations are maintained. | | | | amount of sport in this type of hunting, if it were |
| We had no regular hunter as some of the camps | | | | legal and if the dogs were properly trained. |
| had, but one of the men had made a salt lick a | | | | Slow-trailing dogs that do not drive the deer out |
| short distance from camp and, as he worked all | | | | of the country would seem to be the best deer |
| day, the only time that he could visit the lick was | | | | dogs. The deer circle ahead of these slow dogs |
| at night. I went with him one night when he killed | | | | arid the sport would be similar to fox hunting. |
| a deer. We were equipped with a miner's | | | | Most every one will admit that fox hunting is |
| acetylene lamp and a .45-90 rifle. We waited on a | | | | considered a good sport. |
| platform in a tree until a deer showed up and | | | | I knew of one poacher who owned two dogs |
| then he shot the animal. There was no pretense | | | | that he had trained to hunt deer. They were very |
| of sport in the killing. It was simply the killing of an | | | | fast dogs and they were trained to drive deer to |
| animal for its meat in the surest and easiest way. | | | | the man's house where he waited to shoot them. |
| Since then I have seen many refinements added | | | | This man's boys would take the dogs by a circular |
| to this type of hunting. The acetylene lamp has | | | | route to a point some distance from the house |
| been re placed by the electric spotlight. The tree | | | | and then turn them loose. If there was a deer |
| platform has been replaced by the mobile, | | | | between the dogs and the man's house, that deer |
| cushioned seat of a car and the old .45-90 is only | | | | had very little chance of turning back past the |
| a relic beside the guns of today. Only the poor | | | | dogs and it usually ended up hanging in the man's |
| bewildered deer is the same as it stands in the | | | | shed. He didn't consider this as sport, only an easy |
| light, waiting to be butchered. | | | | way to obtain meat for his family and to |
| The use of dogs as an aid to deer hunting, while | | | | supplement his income during the deer season |
| permitted in some areas, is forbidden in most | | | | when he sold a few deer to unsuccessful |
| states. Here in Maine, the use of dogs has been | | | | sportsmen. |
| outlawed for a long time and as a result I have | | | | When a hunter goes for hunting, he has to use |
| had little experience with this type of hunting. We | | | | the equipments for his safety. Nowadays the |
| have a few poachers who have deer dogs and | | | | equipments used in hunting have so much |
| who use them occasionally, but as the penalty is | | | | improvement. |