Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-27
TAILED DEER
GlimpSes of Animal Much Dis
cussed in New Hampshire.
vExATI0N TO THOUSANDS
Granite State Protection Has Made
Them Plentiful.
DEER ARE DAINTY FEEDERS
Best Opportunities Ever Had for
Photographing Wild Animal in
Its Native Haunts.
vExATI0N TO THOUSANDS
DEER ARE DAINTY FEEDERS
Written for The Star.

| written for The Star.
| The white-tailed deer is an animal very
| much discussed in New Hampshire lust
| now; he is causing joy or vexation to thou
sands OF people. BY some he is considered
| one OF the giories of the landscape, and by
| others. one of the worst pests that ever
| narrowed the soul of the small farmer.
For many years now the deer have been
| well protected in the Granite state. an. as
a result they have Increased until thew
are comparatively plentiful In a short
stage drive OF five or ten miles II is no
| uncommon thing to see several deer, either
slngiy or in little bands of from two to SIX
They are most likely to be seen In the
early morning, standing knee-deep In the
trout brooks, perhaps. toward SHUTDOWN
when they may be observed stealing gently
out from the shadows of the woodland,
where they have rested during the brighter
part OF the day. And il, I'm the morning
one KEEPS an eye on the road itself he is
likely to see the small divided footprints
which tell him that deer have passed that
way during the night. These footprints diff
Ter considerably In size, the largest ones
being those of the big bucks those of me-
dlum size having been made by young bucks
or does. while the tiny ones are the tracks
or the lawns. and are seldom seen except
In company with the larger ones made by
their mothers.
But none of these interesting sights, nor
all of them together. account for the large
amount OF discussion of which New Hamp-
shire deer are just now the subject. The
TACT Is, deer are dainty feeders and too
greatly appreciate the product of modern
agriculture. Many of them, at least, nave
acquired taste for farm vegetables, and
this taste once cultivated is never out
grown Having tasted the real thing they
Will take no substitute, and practically MOTH
| ing on the farm is safe from them. Scare
| crows seem rather to attract Them and no
| ordinary fence is of any use against an
| animal which can crawl under the lower
bars OF gate or leap seven or eigh- feet
| high without trying.
| The farmers are SO strongly divided on
the subject that the question of an open
! season is in some parts of the state re-
I garded as a political issue. L have heard
more than one man remark, Before | vote
| for So-and-So, l must ask him his views
concerning an open season on deer"
| Many of the farmers state that while
they like to see the deer back here again.
| they cannot AFFORD to pay any considerable
| sum OF money for the sight. This they are
| sometimes obliged to do, nevertheless since
| the deer invade their farms and steal the
best to be found. There is at present no re-
| dress as no damages are collectabe from
| the state, and there is a very heavy PEN
| atty for shooting deer. except during q
| very short open season in few counties
| While the loss sustained is usually small,
| and not more than the average farmer can
| bear. there are cases where small farmers
| lose a great deal more than they can az
ford. One. for> instance, told me that he
had made a speciality of squashes, and, just
| before the harvest, some deer came over
| the fence one night and destroyed several
hundred pounds of the crop. OF this they
had eaten comparatively little but they
| had gone from one squash to another eat
ing part and leaving the rest to spoil.
| This man felt the loss very severely, but
| he had to grin and bear it, because there
| was nothing else to do. 1t is undoubtedly
| for the good of the state that the deer are
| allowed to Increase. for aside from the
| question of sentiment their value as
| some time available addition to our food
supply Is very great; but for this very rea-
| son it would seem fair that at least in coun-
| state should pay for damages to property
which the owners are by law forbidden to
protect.
Deer or Cabbages.
| Many others there are, who. like the
| writer, get so much pleasure from the liv-
| ing deer that they are more than willing to
pay for 1t by placing their farms and gar
dens at the disposal of their visitors from
| the woodland. They prefer animals to vege-
tables-deer to cabbages, for instance. II
you have a few spare pennies you can buy
cabbages, but the picture of a doe suck
ling her little spotted fawn. or of a five
point puck clearing the fence like a steeple-
ckaser-you can't pull out quarter and
buy that just because you want II.
One morning last week, just at daybreak,
looked from my bed room window and saw
a shadow moving toward me along the out
side of the garden wall. 1t would glide
forward few feet, then stop, and present.
ly move forward again. moment later
something arose from behind the wall-it
was the head of a deer The nose was
pointed directly toward the house and the
ears stuck out at angle of forty-five
on either side, like a butterfiy's wings
There were antlers, SO | knew it was a
doe. So erect and motionless was this
shadowy head against the lighter back
ground of boar frost upon the grass that,
had it not been for the characteristic pose.
trhf how no n Lei kan
stump of a tree The animal was not alarm
ed, only cautious and wide awake, and in
a few seconds the head dropped be-
low the top of the wall again. 1t was be-
coming lighter every moment, and when
next the head appeared l could begin to
distinguish the features and see that the
animal was chewing something. probably
grass.
Very soon she began to give her attention
to some object inside the garden, and after
little preliminary craning of the neck
she rose easily at the wall, SKINNED il like
a swallow, and walked directly to an apple
tree, where the windfalls lay in profusion.
But she was not allowed to enjoy her find,
for, lightly as she had cleared the wall.
she had broken the silence enough to awak-
en- collie pup, who now came yapp.ng
out ears acock and tail in air, filed to
the brim with the Importance of self-im-
posed duties guardian of the house and
grounds. The deer looked over her Shout
der with apple in her mouth. saw the
terrible infant coming. wheeled about and
a moment Il looked If the puppy had got
himself into trouble, for an angry doe Is
no mean foe for small dog; but she
quickly changed her mind and, with flag
aloft, cleared the wall again and, at an
easy, elastic trot. disappeared down the
road.
Went on With Toilet.
Two days later. as my wife and I were
driving along country lane, we saw a doe
in pasture just over the wall. We pulled
up gently and sat in silence to see what
she would do She was watching the buggy
intently when We first her. but in a
moment or two she turned and licked her
flank. sure sign that she was not much
afraid My wife stepped from the carriage
and held out an apple. The doe was in
terested, and craned her neck toward the
fruit, but did not advance. and presently
went on with her toilet though she were
alone. Seeing this. remembered the
camera, and, taking it from the back OF
the buggy, got over the wall into the pas
ture The deer retreated few steps, then
stopped, and when bit off piece of the
apple and threw it down about ten feet In
front of me she walked up and smelled 1t.
of course, she would not eat after man,
hut tho fart that had ofYered IN ebora