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