St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-11-16
PRESS COMMENT.
The Deer-Hunt Law.


The eopen season for deer hunt
ing in Vermont is still fresh in mind,
and the General Assembly is con-
ering various phases of the situation,
with the Intention of changing the
present law
II surface indications are reliable
there has been agroWing feeling
among farmers in the so-caI1ed back
districts that the matter of deer pro-
lection was being overdOne at the ex-
pense of unwarranted damage to
their crops and property.
Without discussing the merits of
| those claims, it seems proper to OBJ
| serve that the change of law which
permitted the shooting of female
deer during the past two seasons has
wrought a considerable change in the.
attitude of these farmers, most of
| whom now seem to feel that con-
tinuation of the practice would with
In short time ruin the sport of deer
hunting in Vermont, and this the
most of them do not desire.
There are three or four considera-
tons in this connection which a per-
sonal experience of deer hunting in
Vermont would emphasize, in the
mind of any unprejudiced hunter, as
advisable and important.
First, Vermont should quit the
protection of deer as an attraction to
hunters ii. e., as a business PROPOSE
tion) or should prohibit for another
term of years the shooting of female
deer. Better a season three times
longer and the shooting of bucks
only, than the present short season
and indiscriminate slaughter.
Furthermore, the weakest point in
present law is the collection from
out-Of-state hunters of a license fee
as large as is charged in Maine where
the open season is many times longer
and the license allows the shooting of
twice as many deer and a moose in
addition, while Italian laborers
and other aliens of that class, work
ing on pulp jobs and other contracts
in the widest localities of Vermont
are allowed to hunt nights and Sun
days without interference, and practi-
cally kill off and consume all the
deer in the localities where they stay.
The S. 500 license is too high. The
alien labOrers should not be allowed
to carry guns or have them in their
camps without payment of proper
license fee, and then they should be
watched. People who have lived in
the vicinities of these temporary
camps do not need information upon
this topic. They know And they do
of informers. 1t is a case requir-
ing personal action of game wardens
or county officials.
Game wardens are appointed, to
their Office by the State Fish and
Game Commissioner, and it is difficult
for him under present conditions in
some localities to be sure of select
ing men loyal to the spirit of the law
and sure to perform their duties; but
those attributes are of very great
Importance to prevent constant viola
tions of the law in more than one
Vermont community.
One other objection to the present
law, or its operation, relates to the
payment by the state for damage
done to crops by deer. Numerous
cases might be cited where such
damage has been appraised accord
ing to law by the selectmen and the
county game warden, and later the
amounts allowed on these claims
have been chancered down by the
State Fish and Game Commissioner,
who, has never seen the situation
which the appraisers have studied
and settled according to their COM
bined judgment. No other feature
has caused more dissatisfaction with
the law, at least in Windsor county,
than this, and some more reason
able and satisfactory method of adj
justment should be found. At
present we have two tribunals, often
disagreeing. One would be enough.