Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-11-05
1hE pEER SEASON.

lplentitude of deer OF Of hunters, or, al
is most likely, of both, a much greater
number OF. these animals have beer
slain than ever before. Present esti
mates are in the vicinity OF 500, bu
we imagine 500 or 1000 would be near
er thegtruth, were all the reports in
A noticeable fact is that no locality
has had a monopoly of the hunting
this year; it has been pretty evenly
scattered over the state. Perhaps the
wooded slopes of the Green Mountains
have furnished the best sport, but the
area over which good hunting extend
ed has been much larger than hereto
fore.
What effect this heavy slaughter Of
bucks will have on the stock Of deer
in the state is matter OF some con-
Germ. In former years the killing has
not been appreciate as factor in
checking the increase of the species,
which has steadily gone on. But no
such general slaughter has taken place
before. This season, single hunters
have given way to bands OF three. six
or more, who have gone into the for
ests and made ten days business of
lying in wait for the deer at their now
well-known runs and lurking places.
More than this, the animals, during
the long and well-observed closed sea-
son, have become so used to man, so
almost domesticated, that they show
little fear when the date arrives for
the rifle to gather its harvest. Many a
fine buck has been slain at its haunts
near q habitation, which, from long
immunity, it has come to regard as
perfectly safe. Such methods hardly
give the deer a fair chance for life,
and the sport OF shooting them too
much resembles the killing Of COW
or other domestic animal.
A deplorable feature connected with
the open season is the frequent and
quite inexcusable killing of does,
against which there is clear prohibit
ton by law. The hunter, in his anxi-
ETY. to bring down game eagerly
sought, catches sight of a deer, perhaps
at early dawn or dusk, and blazes
away, quite regardless of whether the
animal carries the antlers that denote
the buck or not. He chances it, and
fires. II it is a buck, he calls it good
luck and comes to town in triumph.
If he kills doe, he clears out and says
nothing, or perhaps takes pains to Sc
crete the carcass. From the number
OF doe carcasses found, and the GER
tainty that only small part of those
killed by lawless hunters are ever dis
covered and reported, it is clear that
very many female deer have been
slain this year. We would not inti-
mate that all hunters are lawless, or
that the prohibition against doe killing
has no effect, but there is no doubt,
however, that the law is so freely vio-
lated as to make some change a matter
worthy of consideration.
One of the state fish and game CON-
missioners believes that Vermont
should pattern after Maine and New
Hampshire, and fix hunters license
fee for all who come from without the
state to take deer. Owing to this fee
in those states, and the absence of the
fee in Vermont the tide OF outside |
sportsmen has turned to Vermont this |
year in large volume, and many of the |
deer killed have been slain by these
hunters. If Maine and New Hamp- |
shire find it to their advantage to re-
quire a license from these hunters.
perhaps Vermont might. Then as to
does, the commissioner is of the opin-
ion that in view of the widespread vio-
lation of the law prohibiting their kill
ing; the waste OF the carcasses that re-
suits; the fact that it does not tend
toward propagation to allow does to
become so much more numerous than
bucks; and the fact that young deer
are old enough when the hunting sea
son opens to shift for themselves; for
all these reasons the commissioner
thinks it would be wiser and better for
the state to allow does to be killed. as
well as bucks, during the open season,
no single hunter to take more than one
animal of either kind.
Personally, we should prefer an alb
solute prohibition of the killing of all
deer until they shall have become
much more plentiful than now. We
regard them rather as beautiful crea-
lures designed to live and enjoy Cod,
and air and the shelter of his
forests than as fit game for the hunt
er's rifle. They look better runnipo
over the fields and clearing the fence.