The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-01-19
GAME ABUNDANT IN COUNTY
Continued from Page L.

1920 open season Windham county isl
found to be still leading strongly, with a
record of S26, Rutland being second
with 697. Bennington 691. Windham
564. Addison 39S. and Washington 3S7. |
Grand Isle. on the lower end of the |
string, again this year reported no deer
killed.
Going back again to the biennial re-
port it is found that in the list of deer
killed while damaging crops Windham
county reported 107 out of total of
al for the whole state. Addison. Gale
Lamoille and Orleans reported none
killed, Essex only one, Orange two,
Windsor five. Bennington and Washing
ton seven each, and Rutland II. The
report also shows that in the twO-year
period the amount paid farmers and or
chardiStS of Windham county for deer
damage was over 60 per cent of the
amount paid in the whole state.
Stated in another way, the wardenS in |
this county had to go and personally eX-
anime over 40 per cent of the deer shot
doing damage in the whole state. and
O.. X. the shooting of them. and the
Nlndham county warden personally had
to go and examine over 60 per cent of
the crops in the state on which deer
damage was claimed Working with the
chairman of Seectmen in the various
towns. he had to award damages on these
claims. all this being in addition TO ever
seeing and assisting in the usual protec
tive patrol work in his county No other
county warden in the state had very
much deer damage work to attend to,
consequently had that much less expense
10 report. and a correspondence greater
amount of time to devote to patrol work
The deer damage awards in Windham
county alone, during the two years end
ing June 30, 1920. totaled S2.01S.4 A.
and only So 1860 for the whole state
in the same period. The damage award
ed in this county during the year ending
June 30. 1919, was SCH .6S more than
that awarded in the year ending June
~. 1870. the decrease being partly due
to the fact that an open zone was estab
hShed in Westminster, partly to the fact
that there was much less early-seaSon
damage to bean fields and truck patches.
and partly because deer practically
ceased doing damage in some towns
where they had previously worked the
crops severely.
Now a word about the deer damage
| claims. The bill which resulted in the
law as it now stands was prepared and
put through the legislature largely by the
l-effOrtS of Windham county agricultur-
| lists and AZ a whole the farmers of this
county who had already suffered consid-
erably from the depredations of the fast
increasing deer herd. were well informed
| from the start as to the possibilities of
the situation. and proceeded to avail
| themselves of its. remedies much more
freely than did the farmers in other
| counties.
1t is also claimed by some that the Sc
| lectmen in SOME towns apparently not
wanting to bother with adjusting claims
| have discouraged the claimants by neg
| lecting to act, taking advantage of the
| technicalities of the law, especially that
part which requires a written notice of
| the claim. The farmer would notify
| them verbally that he had damage, but
| they would neglect to inform him that
/ he must give them written notice, and
| would take no action, perhaps telling
| him it would cost him more to get a
dollar out of the state than the dollar
would be worth, but in Windham county
| all the selectmen apparently have been
| ready to act whenever a claim was called
| to their attention. The policy of the
| fish and game department has been in
| favor of a liberal Interpretation of the
law. and in Windham county at least
| it has been administered in accordance
with that policy.
\ year or two ago Essex cOuaty news
papers. in commenting on the. number
of deer shot doing damage in Windham
county. stated in substance that no deer
| yer did damage in Essex county. pos
| ably because the farmers killed them all
| III before they had a chance to destroy
| any crops, aud the biennial report bears
that paper out somewhat in it's presulnp-
| tion. only one such deer having been re-
ported from that county in the two years.
| and Essex has quite a number of deer.
| too. 1t is not insinuated that similar
conditions do or even may exist i'm other
| counties, but the fact remains that out
| side of those from Windham county
| very few reports of deer shot doing dam
age ever reach the department.
Also in accord with the fact that in
| this county are the most deer is that
| part of the commissioners report show
| ing the number of deer Illegally or acct
dentallv killed. that is. shot out of sea
son. killed by dogs. bobcats, automobiles.
railroad trains or other agencies. or dy-
ing from wounds inflicted in the open
| season. THIS report is necessarily very
incomplete. nj best but of the 19f 70