Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1909-10-09
THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE
Woodstock, Vermont.
Printed Saturday Morning
ONE DOLLAR A YEAR
Let Us Save a Few Deer.


England's largest deer hunting
grounds, seem able to get through a
season or two without a clash be-
tween the sportsmen and state Off
cials and without a wrangle over the
game laws. They kill a few hunters,
whose death, however, cannot be laid
to Legislative doings or misdoings,
but there are deer left when the
shooting is over.
Here in Vermont it is different,
vastly different, and the annual fuss
and racket is now at its noisy height
There are, as usual, appeals for radi-
cal changes in the game laws, and it
might be said that generally the
petitioners are right, no matter what
statute they are whacking, for the
biennial assembly usually enacts
few laws appertaining to and touch
ing on the wild beasts Of Vermont
that need much revision, if they
don't deserve prompt death.
Strangely enough, the annual
meeting of the Vermont Fish and
Game league, with it's accompanying
banquet and show of politicians,
doesn't appear to have a pacifying
effect on the passions of the sports
men and the people who are said to
be suffering from the ravages of the
deer. Indeed, that collection of
eminent faunal naturalists doesn't
seem to I've of much use. unless it is
to make trouble.
Vermont has many hundreds Of
beautiful deer and lot of us believe
that they are worth more alive than
dead We ought to save few, not
sacrifice them all, though there are
people who say that nothing but ex-
tinction will do anything towards
purifying present conditions as re-
CARDS the game laws and their con
tinued violation throughout the state
1t is asserted vehemently that
deer are becoming nuisance in
some parts of the state and are doing
more or less damage to almost every
cultivated patch of land Yet the
State puts up the price of licenses to
outside sportsmen, who are welcomed
and encouraged elsewhere, to point
almost prohlbitive, and compels local
hunters to pay for the privilege Of
firing protecting gun. The farm
ers are not allowed to protect their
crops, except to the extent of shoot
ing one deer every twelve months.
The shooting of does in other states
does not seem to have resulted in
diminishing the total number of
deer, but there is some justice in the
protest here on account of their long
immunity from bullets and buckshot,
and the half-tamed creatures will fall
easy victims to Vermont's license
holders.
Again, we are told that deer are
being shot the year around that
many more are killed between sea-
sons than during the legal period,
and that to much of this continuous
law breaking state officials are
knowing but inactive. More than
this, that most of these out of-season
hunters are pretty well organized
and the gane warden who goes up
against one must buck against a
whole community.
If this is so, if the stories told are
half true, the deer will soon be
driven out OF Vermont, without the
aid of the law allowing the shooting
of does, tame or otherwise.
A more sensible provision would
be to permit farmers and gardeners
to protect their crops from deer. 1t
would reduce the number of does.
which do the larger part of the dam
age, but unless the landowners
greatly abused this privilege IL
wholesale killing might be averted.
Illegal shooting has driven the
deer from the back districts to the
protection of settled neighborhoods.
Here they raid the beans and beet
tops almost unchallenged, and here
the October slaughter will be great
est If the annual killing is already
inaugurated, as is said to be the case,
the hunters protective league is in
good working order. for there are
certainly no prosecutions. The game
wardens seem to size up the situa