The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-01-22
CHANGES IN GAME
LAWS SUGGESTED
Putney Man Makes Observation as to
Trapping and Deer Hunting
Violations of Statutes.

tlOldIlOuS ol otdtueoo-
Editor of The Reformer:-
Trapping in Vermont should begin Nov.
l. Why?
l. Because furs are not fit for garments
until November and they are too valuable
for garments to be killed and wasted by
being fly blown or ruined by warm wealth
er. All pelts are blue and poor furred
before November.
, This country needs its boys to help
harvest until Nov. / anyway.
9. There would be less danger in catch |
ing sheep, dogs and cats; besides the |
faimer does not like to have a pack of
sportsmen climbing his fences as they
are never better after the average hunter
climbs them, and when stock jumps out
for the first time it means days of lost
time and fence building for the farmer
right in his rush of work.
Now, as / have been a lifelong hunter
and farmer / feel capable of speaking ON
this subject. 1t appears to me that the
game law should contain the following
provisions:
No owner of dogs should allow more
than one to run at large at a time unless
being used for hunting purposes during
the hunting season from Nov. / to May
l. This would stop damage to sheep and
other property by dogs.
Now we have law that trappers
should visit their traps every "a hours.
1t is rule of trapping that man goes
every other day which works to an adj
vantage in catching the sly fox Nearly
all the trappers violate this law. Let us
| change it and then enforce it.
The law should allow a trapper to visit
one line of traps one day and another the
next, making 100 traps mans limit For
any violation of this law the trapper
| should forfeit his license for one year.
All trappers should collect their traps
Dec / or the traps should be forfeited
to the finder
| | have know of traps remaining in
springs and on dry land until May ! anC
being visited but very few times. Some
had game dead and spoiled in them alst
valuable sheep, dogs and eats.
A hunter can clean sthe hills with TIVE
good hounds, sport second to none, bu
no man can hunt with dogs through tn
trapping season without injury to then
| for the rest of the season. So let us Civ
the trapper one month of the best an
the only month when traps should be sci
| and the man with the valuable fox houn
| worth from $50 to 500 can feel that hi
| | great friend is not freezing in Il sno'
bank held by a trap when he went to tn
| spring to drink and where the trappe
mas not been, and will not be. for month";
| can give proof of many such as a
| these
HI | know of many valuable dogs bein
caught and injured in traps this fall, bl
the damage is nothing now like 1t Is
winter. when the foot soon swells an
| freezes and comes off later or causes IL
death OF the animal.
Now, have a few words to say on dee
Z They have caused more law-breakir
among young men than anything else
| know OF. Why are deer protected? n
| because the farmer wants them but b
cause the street and city men do, al
| they don't have to feed them The farI
er does have to feed them and you c;
find only few farmers who would sque
on man if they saw him shoot and ca
| ~ off deer This is what leads to 30
| violation of high penalty law. Such
fuence doesn't better our state. We ha
natural thieves enough without the tenn
tation of such a nuisance to encoura
breaking
To remedy this we must first satisfy t
owner of the farm by giving him t
right to shoot one buck or doe on
farm after Nov. | of each year. Deer
game will never prosper until the b
favors the farmer so he will look aft
them with an interest and be ready
squeal on the violator of the law. IND
these rules only bucks with horns oy
three inches long should be shot and t
season should begin Dec. l and last o
} week. This would give snow trailiT
more safety from fires and would COZ
after the fall rush of work and at til
when fences. if smashed. would not ha
to be rebuilt until spring, which is t
lproper time. The meat could be Ike
with less care and every sportsman wor
i land one deer easily in few years.
II. A. LOWELL
y Putney. Jan %, 1919.