News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-04-30
A HARD WINTER ON GAME
LIVING ON THE BOUNTY OF KIND
HEARTED FARMERS.
Deer, GaHnt with Hunger, Entering Farm
yards TO Feed wi. b the CnttIe.

A few days ago the New York Sun
printed story about seven deer having
left the woods near Pocano, Penn. and
taken up their quarters with farmers
cattle in his barnyard. The story was
read by several farmers, and has
brought out reports Of similar incidents
In the towns of Bethel and Forestburgh,
N. Y. As the presence OF so shy an ami
NAL as the deer in the very dooryards Of
farms and of village residences is some
thing rarely, if ever, noticed before in
the region the inference is that the
winter has been the most severe one on
wild animals in the swamps and woods
ever known. The snow has been over
three feet deep on, the level in the
woods, and the thermometer had ranged
steadily below zero for more than week
in the Sullivan county mountains.
A few days ago George E. Stanton,
who lives beside the plank road,
near Mongaup Valley, saw large deer
oO"h Aodt0 bOndAo hAb
house. 1t jumped the fence within a
rod of the house, and leaped into the
barnyard, where it made itself at home
among the cattle, and began to eat from
the hay rick. The deer was gauut with
hunger, and none OF the farmers family
had any disposition to disturb it. A
young hound that lay on the back stoop
got scent of the deer, and before he
could be secured was chasing it across
the fields toward the Mongaup River.
The snow being deep and covered with
a thin crust, through which the deer
broke at almost every jump, the dog
gained rapidly on it, and when it was
within quarter of mile of the river
caught up with it and seized it by one
of the hind legs. The deer kept ON,
dragging the dog through the snow as
he held fast to its leg.
Stanton and two of his sons, fearing
that the dog would kill the deer, joined
in the chase with the intention of taking
the dog off and capturing the deer alive
if possible. They overlook the dog and
deer on the bank of the river. After a
desperate struggle the deer was bound
with rope and brought back to the
barn. 1t dashed wildly about for some
time, but finally quieted down, and now
eats as composedly as any of the cattle.
if it is not disturbed by the presence of
any one.
One day last week farmer living in
Bethel township saw buck toward
evening leap the fence into his barnyard.
The barn door was open, and the buck
went in. The farmer ran to the barn
and closed the door. The deer was
feeding in a manger by the side of a
COW. 1t was startled by the closing of
the door, and jumping over the manger
tried to jump out of small window in
the opposite side of the barn. The
permit the pas
sage of it's body, and it hung wedged in,
struggling violently. The farmer and
two other men tied the deer with ropes,
and got it out of the window by cutting
away the boards. They locked the ami
NAL in an outbuilding, The next morn
ing a doe made its appearance at the
barnyard. Being frightened away it
ran half way across a field and stopped,
looking wistfully back.
At the same time great noise was
heard in the outhouse where the buck
was confined. The farmer went in and
found the deer entangled in the rope by
which he had been secured around the
horns, and lying on the floor kicking
and struggling. The farmer hastily cut
the ropes for fear the buck might inlure
himself. He was no sooner free than
he sprang to his feet, and dashed against
the door which had been left aiar, and
went bounding away across the fields.
1t was joined by the dog, and the two
disappeared in the woods. The next
morning they were both in the barn
yard again, and ever since then the
farmer has left hay and fodder in the
yard for them. Them come every night
and eat it.
A neighbor of the above farmer dis
covered buck and doe among his cat
tie week ago, and they steal back at
every opportunity to share the fodder.
AL of these deer were thin almost to
emaciation when first seen, but have in
creased greatly in flesh on the fare ol
the kind-hearted farmers. Deer have
been seen among cattle in Other
parts of the county, but, according te
reports, some of them have not Jared sc
we'll, for in spite of their miserable con
dition, they were followed and killed by
heartless mountaineers.