Page 81 - Our Vanishing Wild Life

Alabama California Colorado Connecticut . Idaho
Illinois Indiana
Iowa
Kansas Louisiana Maine Massachusetts Michigan Missouri
o 090 138 689 41 058 19 635 50 342 192 244 54 813 91 000 44 069 76 000 2 552 45 039 22 323 66,662
Montana Nebraska
New Hampshire . New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Rhode Island South Dakota .... Utah
Vermont Washington, about Wisconsin Wyoming
59,291 39,402 33,542 61,920
7,000 150,222 0,541 31,054 27,800 31,762 40,000 138,457 9,721
1,486,228
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REGULAR ARMY OF DESTRUCTION 59
People who do not shoot have no conception of it ; and neither do they comprehend the mechanical perfection and fearful deadliness of the weaponsused. Thisfeatureofthesituationcanhardlyberealizeduntil some aspect of it is actually seen.
I have been at some pains to collect the latest figures showing the number of hunting licenses issued in 1911, but the total is incomplete. In some states the figures are not obtainable, and in some states there are no hunters' license laws. The figures of hunting licenses issued in 1911 that I have obtained from official sources are set forth below.
The United States Army of Destruction Hunting Licenses issued in igi i
Total number of regularly licensed gunners
The average for the twenty-seven states that issued licenses as shown above is 55,046 for each state.
Now, the twenty-one states issuing no licenses, or not reporting, produced in 1911 fully as many gunners per capita as did the other twenty- seven states. Computed fairly on existing averages they must have turned out a total of 1,155,966 gunners, making for all the tJnited States 2,642,194 armed men and boys warring upon the remnant of game in 1911. Wearenotcountingthelargenumberoflawlesshunterswhonever take out licenses. Now, is Mr. Beard's picture a truthful presentation, ornot?
New York with only deer, ruffed grouse, shore-birds, ducks and a very few woodcock to shoot annually puts into the field 150,222 armed men. In 1909 they killed about 9,000 deer!
New Jersey, spending $30,000 in 1912 in efforts to restock her covers with game, and with a population of 2,537,167, sent out in 1911 a total armyof61,920well-armedgunners. Howcananyofhergamesurvive?
New Hampshire, with only 430,572 population, has 33,542 licensed hunters,—equal to thirty-three regiments offull strength!
Vermont, with 355,956 people, sends out annually an army of 31,762 men who hunt according to law; and in 1910 they killed 3,649 deer.
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