The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-02-01
The Fish and Game Law.
RUTLAND, Jan. 20, 1877

RUTLAND, Jan. ~, 1871
Editor Rutland Globe The articles
on the fish and game law which have APP
peared in your columns recently, wholly
ignore the existence of the land owners.
Not one of them contains an allusion to the
depredations which hunters ard fishermen
commit upon the premises they visit, and
yet the killing Of game and the taking OF
fish is q small matter compared TO these
depreda,ons. Not only is the grass along
both banks of most of our streams trodden
down where they flow through meadows,
but our fences are broken down, our bars
are left down aud our gates are left open
Thus our animals are suffered to pass from
field to field and from farm to farm, with
out regard to the growing crops, and are
allowed to escape into the highways or on
to the railroads, the resulting damages be-
ing often far greater than the combined
value of all the fish and game on the prem
ises thus visited and then there is not one
hunter in dozen who will not, for the sake
of smoking out ten cent squirrel, set fire
to the interior of five dollar tree and thus
destroy it. But squirrel hunting is pur-
sued mostly in the fall when the ground is
covered with dry leaves. Consequently,
extensive forest fires are occasioned every
| fall by this business of smoking out squir-
rels. Three years ago, our sugar orchard
was firei in this manner, and hall of it was
| burned over. Several large trees took tte
| in the inside and were destroyed, together
with hundreds of trees from one to five
| seasops old; and the sugar house was saved
only by the almost supeIbuman exertions
of few neighbors, who chanced to discov'
cr the fire. In addition to all this, oul
sugar houses are constantly cing iiddled
with balls and shot and win them, the
pans, store tubs, buckets and other imple-
ments kept therein.
Now what the land holders want, is Law
which will enable them to regulate as far al
possible the business of hunting and fish
lug auu ,uuo UAIiuuS iINi.- --o-,;se
persons who would be likely to injur
their property and also those who ere no
able to reimburse them for losses whicl
they may accidentally occasion. This tn
present law, if generally enforced-as
should be will enable them to do and
have no doubt that it was passed as muc
to secure the premises of the land owne
from indiscrminate invasion, as to sffor
further protection to fish and game.
One of the writers whose articles hav
alluded to, assures US that our fish az
game laws have heretofore kept man
sportsmen away from our state. Wei
what of it7 The people of the state have
at least, lost little in the way of revenue
and very few friends whom they were Ill
willing to lose. Not n few OF these ou
side sportsmen come to our stale, ind
themselves for time upon their frieud'
depopulate the woods and waters 10 tt
neighborhoods they visit aud then depaI
leaving, as precious legacy, pair of ca
off boots, a thresdbare coat and lively n
membtance of an abnormal appetite, ant
possibly, microscopic sum Of money
Some of our laws may seem TO SAVIOR of IL
hospitableness, but for the mere axe OF al
quirirg OF peri etuatins reputation Il
hospitality, We Can hardly sff rd 10 lnvi'
hither men who are likely u prove =
dsm-dam-dam-a damage instead of
blessing" II.