Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-03-15

ing them in the head, In winter, when the
snow was deep and the crust hard enough to
bear up man but not a deer. Thousands
were so butchered, and to the perpetrators Of
this wanton, cruel and useless slaughter are
we indebted for the almost total extinction
Of this noble game in Vermont. These in
human wretches could only have been actu.
ated by a wolfsh thirst for blood, savage
delight in taking life, for their poor victims
were worthless in all respects, their carcasses
too lean for food aud not even their skins
worth taking off.
Words are too weak to express the right
eous indignation one feels over such "pure
cussedness." Capital punishment would be
none too sharp retributon for such deeds
or better, outlaw the beings capable of such
acts and let them be shot at sight. Aresident
Of this town told me that he went once, in
Lincoln, with person on one of these butch
ering excursions. lie saw his companion
club one or two halfstarved deer to death,
aud went home sick with disgust. When
was a boy, fellow boosted TO me that he
chad had the fun of wrnging the necks Of
a covey of newly Matched ruifed grouse lie
would have been crust hunter" if there
had been any deer left there. II is some
thing to be thankful for, that he is no longer
a citizen OF Vermont
suppose most Of you have heard of old
General Strong's encounter with a she-bear,
which attacked him in the woods; how he
thrust one hand into her mouth and caught
her by the roots Of the tongue, and so held
her till he drew out his jack-lnife, opened
it with his teeth, and then ripped her belly
open.
Not so well known is the exploit of Tom
Sweet, who, while fishing in Little Otter,
saw a bear swimming the channel. lie pur-
sued her in his canoe and dubbed her to
death with his paddle and iish-pole Towing
his prize to shore, he made collar and
traces of bark for his old mare, by which
the bear was dragged home through the
woods When all the neighborhood had
turned out to hunt lynx, Tunis Van Niet,
who lived near the old stage road on Lewis
Creek, loaded his long smooth bore with his
last charge of powder and slugs made Of an
old sinker stole march on the organized
hunt and shot the lynx in one of the tall
pines in Dakins' woods. Near spring at
the north end aud west side Of Shcllhouse
mountain, Mary Cronlise, Nhils after the
cows, saw a great panther approaching h-r
jumping from tree to tree. The good dog
with her kept the animal from harming her,
meeting his attacks himself, while she iled
towards the house, where she was met at the
threshold 10y her mother, into whose arms
she fell fainting, The panther kept up a
running fight with the retreatng dog almost
to the house.
About 1880 a wolf came across the lake
and up through the fields to a barn, where a
flock Of my fathers sheep We're yarded.
lie made the circuit OF the yard, but was APP
parently afraid to trust himself inside it, and
went on to David Hazards fields, where
there was a flock OF sheep at stack. OF
these he killed twenty A hunt was organ
lied he was surrounded south Of the Fuller
mountain, Just on the edge of Monkton, and
was shot by Burrill Smith, Of that town.
This was the last wolf killed in this section.
In all these years foxes were SO plenty that
sheep keepers were obliged to fold their
lambs at night for security from them, or to
build fires in the pastures. For awhile
there was a bounty on foxes.
The lake and its tributaries teemed with
countless ducks, down to times within our
memory 1t is not many years since we used
to hear Judge Pierrepont's bag reckoned, not
10y the head but by the bushc To kill eight
or ten ducks at a shot was not considered q
very remarkable feat, when they were plen
tier than backbirds are now, and not more
wild. From midsummer till frozen weather
they swarmed in Little Otter, from the fail.
to the sand-bar aud all the length Of both
slangs. John HUFF, before mentioned, told
me that he went one day to the slang bridge
armed with sold Bell Muzzle," noted
killer and kicker, and got home at one in tn,
afternoon, with ffty-two ducks.
For many years after the settlement Of
the country, salmon were so plenty in Lewis
creek, it is said that men hiring out to far
mers living near it used to stipulate thai
they should be fed on salmon only a certain
number of times in each week. One of oul
Presidents ancestors caught a salmon Will
his hands in the upper waters of this stream
the fish being stranded in shallow rapid
In the same neighborhood Il woman snareC
one with a skein of yarn she was washing
The last salmon of which there is any ac
was speared with pitchfork by Stephel
Hazard and his brothers when they wer'
boys. There were quail here in old times
How plenty, do not know; but have Offer
heard my grandfather tell of covey h
wntered at his barn. The moose, mobiles
Of the deer kind is gone from here forever
He belonged to the great woods, and will
, them he has passed away. And though VI
have range enough all about us to hold man,
head of deer, it is not likely that thes
ranges wilrbe re-stoeked in our day Tn
beaver and otter are gene, and we shall SCI
> them no more Whether the salmon can b.
brought back to the streams he loved of old
is an unfinished experiment; and whethe
we can have the beautiful little quail among
us again, is an untried one But these thing
= are certain, that we may have in goodl,
numbers the game and fish still remainin;
in our woods aud waters, IL we will protec
them by proper laws, strictly enforced; b,
discouraging in all ways pot-hunting anC
poaehingi by encouraging, by precept and ex
ample, the fair-play-loving chivalrous spiri
Of true craftsmanship; by making all tn
people understand the true character of fielC
sports that they are the most healthful ant
: the least harmful OF all recreations, auC
that game and fish are good things 20 hav,
among us.
With the moose and deer and beaver ant
otter they hunted, our old hunters hav,
passed away Their antiquated flint-lock
lie rusted and cobwebbed in old garrets, o.
have fallen to such base uses as killing chip
hunks or soaring crows, and their stalwar
: bearers in the days of old are asleep in the
: quiet graves. Green be the turf above them