Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1920-12-10
LOCAL MEN FIGURE
IN COUNTY DEER BAG
Eugene BOyce Gets Bis d0aal il
Ript0n

At seven o'clock Monday morning
the rifle of Eugene Smith OF Roches-
ter blazed the opening of the 1920 deer
season in Addison County Mr.. Smith
IS credited with the first kill on Riptou
mountain and perhaps in the state On
Wednesday it was reported from Mont
peller that rs deer had been killed in
the county on the first two days. The
average was probably one deer for
every twenty hunters, Judging from re-
ports. The Wardens had not report
>ed fully at press time and were stalk
ing for their own deer whor Sou5h, WI
the telephone.
Gene Boyce Of Bread Loaf Inn has
reported the best bag in a g point
antler, weighing l60 pounds In Mid
dlebury there were Frank Warren, A.
b. Fisher, Arthur Kenwor.hy w c..
Penniman, Leo Lacey Frank Stearns,
Howard Foster Ellis Foster Edgar
Foster. Albert Houghton, Frank and
Joseph Cousino, Aaron Strong, Darrell
Butterheld, Paul Dow and Harold
Forbes who all got their deer
In Ripton Gene Boyce's antler led
the field. Walter Kirby, the Duncan
brothers, Mr. Palmer, Edison Harring-
ton and Charles Cook were also credit
ed with kills. In two camps of New
York and Boston hunters five deer
had been dropped although l9 guns
were prlmed for a sight.
Lewis Beers of Charlotte and Ben
iamin Vincent OF Richmond were
among those who took their venison
out OF the County.
More than 1000 deer we're killed and
reported to the fish and game commis-
sioner during the open season of 1919
and it is probable that fully as many
will be shot this coming week. Each
hunter is permitted to take one deer
buck or doe, as a change was made in
the gaTe laws by the Legislature OF the
previous year permitting the killing OF
both Sexes. If it is found that the
change has resulted in any perceptible
decrease in the number of deer in the
State the statute will undoubtedly be
revised so that in the future only deer
with horns may be shot.
Statistics compiled by the fish and
game departments of different States
90 far to prove the assertion that more
deer for a square mile OF territory are
killed in Vermont than in any other
section of the country. Deer are shot
each year in all but one of the IA coun-
ties and occasionally one is reported
rom Grand Isle, the smallest county
and composed of two large islands in
lake Champlain.
Not a few of the older hunters who
rave taken to the woods during the ..
)ast six DAYS can remember when there
vas not a deer in the entire State.
During the 20, years preceding 1880 =;
hese animals, which furnished the
arlv settlers with much of their meat ,
md a considerable portion of their
lothing, had practically become ex- :
met.
In 1878 number of sportsmen living r
Il Rutland and Bennington Counties, 5
including the late United States Sena- i
or Redheld Proctor. raised fund with I
'hich to purchase deer and start a b
lid herd in the mountains. They Sc 4
ured 10 from a park at New York h
tate Prison at Dannemora, which n
,ere released in April. The follow {
lg month they secured four more, and c
iese we're taken to the southern part y
the State From these IA deer have /;
ONE the thousands that have been f,
not in Vermont since the first open h
Jason in 1896. r,
For IS years the deer were rigidly
rotected by the State, which imposed
fine of 500 for violation of the stat
te that gave the animals immunity. #
al