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Several years ago, a low-life neighbor whose own land is posted came onto my 90 acres to shoot an “extra” deer. Apparently bored or angry at his lack of success, he shot one of my dogs instead. Despite confessing to F&W and the State Police, cruelty to animals charges against him were dropped. At that point I seriously considered posting my land, but mindful of other hunters who treated my family and my land with respect, I served him with a no trespass order instead.

I’m willing to give my woods over to hunters in November. I keep my dogs on a short leash and have plenty to do around the homestead getting ready for winter. I’m not willing to give up the month of October, however. October is one of my favorite months for being in my woods. I’m either working, getting in the last of my winter wood, clearing roads and XC ski trails, or hiking with two- and four-footed family members. The cool, bug-free environment, the glorious vistas, and the opportunity to explore and enjoy my land mean too much to me to sacrifice for an October hunting season of dubious value. Simply put, if October hunting is allowed, the posted signs will go up on my land.

If the state were concerned about safety when hunting does with rifles, perhaps we could have a blaze orange requirement for that part of the season. Come to think of it, blaze orange is a good idea any time you walk in the woods during hunting season. The safety statistics of every state that requires it are ample proof.

They tried that here in central New York. Bow hunters were outraged. It didn’t fly - thank god for common sense!

This comment came in as a Letter to the Editor for the printed magazine.

Out West buffalo and bison have been brought back to healthy populations.  Even though the opposite problem exists in the Northeast of too many deer, the solution may be the same. Is there any way that deer may be allowed to roam somewhat freely and their meat be sold and enjoyed by the general population in a very sustainable way as is done in the west?  It may be worth looking into.

Sincerely,
Pam McGuinness

The hunter is still our best controller of the deer population. I don’t understand the opposition to law abiding citizens helping control the population, and at the same time reap the reward of the meat provided. We are subjected to hormone riddled meat and fish and poultry today, why is it so reprehensible to some to partake in some natural, healthy meat? Through licenses, It places money in the state’s coffers, people get meat and it helps control the damage done by deer/car collisions, overbrowsing and landscape damage.

I was also happy to see the bird population mentioned. There are 27 or 28 birds on the threatened list that are shrub nesters that have had their nesting areas (the first 6 feet of the canopy) decimated by deer. Let’s not forget the babesiosis, erlichiosis, Lyme disease, etc,causing untold millions of dollars of damage, not to mention the suffering being endured by people contracting these horrible maladys.

Great article! I have a theory that Oak trees retain their leaves to protect the acorns as they develop. I have not documented it, but I have noticed in years when ther red oaks retain their leaves well in to January and February, they have a good crop the following year. I have not noticed this in white Oaks. I am not sure if this theory also pertains to the Beech trees, but I will be watching next year, because this year they seem very persistent in their leaf retention.

What gives me hope -

In the winter, it’s seeing the crows as I leave the office. They flock up in Greenfield. Their sounds and swoops bring me joy. It’s breathing in the crisp morning air and being greeted by the resident chickadees. It’s the surprise of seeing the raven couple visit our yard. It’s the beauty of where landscape meets streamscape - ice bubbles skirting rocks, water babbling beneath the ice; snow snakes slithering in the wind, snow laden hemlock. I don’t even need the promise of spring on sunny winter days; just the connection with the forest and stream sends me into delight.

I would be interested in any photos or recent stories.  I have grown up in Southern Vermont and have heard three credible stories of either catamount sightings or prey cache in the last 5 years.  I now live in Northern Vermont and being an avid woodsman and hunter I hope to see there return soon.

I grew up in Vt and graduated in Botany from UVM with Dr. Hubert Vogleman.  Since then I have earned a M S and PhD in Botany at Montana State Unv. and taught at Montana Tech of the University Montana (formerly Montana School of Mines) in Butte for thirty 33 years. I grew up in the Woodstock area and my parents later in life lived on the lived on the Westerdale road near the Lincoln Bridge between West Woodstock and Bridgewater North of Rt 4, after selling Up Hill Farm.  Maurice Sawyer my father while living on the Westerdale RD discovered a Chestnut tree on the NW road side bank underneath the electric or telephone in the late 1960’s or 1970 and one day in that same time frame he showed it to me and indicated his concern that it might be cut because of the lines.  This past Dec. with Jimmy Richardson, a high school classmate from the Richardson Farm in Hartland was with me and we decided to see if the chestnut tree was still there.  It was and is a growing magnificent specimen.  I share my fathers concern and feel that some chestnut authorities ought to know of its existence. You might give Jim Richardson a call (802) 457-1959 and go visit this tree.  Thanks Paul Sawyer

Hope…..to me, a resurgence of Spring from the long winter…..to dream…

The days get short and cold and dark, and insects scurry, under bark. The geese fly over, heading south, winter’s here…there’s no doubt.

The bears and bats are hibernating, chickadees are contemplating…suet cakes and sunflower seed, we recognize their time of need.

Mother Nature’s slowing down, she calls the snow to cover ground, and signals us, get in the wood, dig up the carrots, bring up canned goods.

The farmer with the haylofts full, slows down a bit, enjoys the lull; is thankful for the land that gave, the crops they store, the food we save.

The sun sets low, the temperature drops, the books come out, we don wool socks.  Sit close to the fire and dream of Spring, when birds long gone, return to sing.

Hope for me is in the small things. I personally am not a fan of winter although could never imagine living anywhere but Vermont. So it is one of the hardest times of year for me to keep an optimistic view as opposed to hibernating on the couch with some coffee and a book for the remaining winter days.  My solution; enjoy outdoor activities such as snowshoeing, cross country skiing and even ice fishing. I realize at first thought these fly in the face of someone who hates the cold and has poor circulation. But as the blood starts pumping and the sun shines on my vitamin D deprived face, I can feel the doldrums leave my body and a feeling of renewal is its replacement. Once that initially kick in the butt happens I can then actually enjoy the beauty of winter. The exciting animal tracks in the field by my house, the gorgeous icicles that collect on the branches of trees, the beautiful skylines at different points of the day, the heat of the wood stove after an outside excursion and a nice cup of hot cocoa. This give me hope during the cold days of winter.

I saw what I think was a mountain lion today in the deep woods of Extreme Northern Maine.  I have pictures of its paw prints and picked up a frozen scat which could possibly prove what it was.  i will attempt to get the scat to someone who knows how to identify this amazing creature.

I have two questions that arise from pondering this excellent article:  We (meaning, grandly, Humanity in this century) may need to return to wood as a primary building material because there could be so MUCH new building to do, assuming the oceans rise some while some areas (like Arizona) become uninhabitable, except at a prohibitively high cost in energy (shipping all food and water in plus all the cooling). Producing that much steel might well not be doable, and petroleum-based products will presumably become less and less available. On the whole, I think it would be easier and more prudent to bite the bullet and reduce our CO2 emissions and our need for energy in every form right now.

The effect on the biosphere is also a major concern. We need more forests (not managed plantations), not less… Does anyone know how much forest it takes to provide enough oxygen for humans and all the creatures we depend on?  Trees are also critical to the soil’s ability to absorb and hold water, and water tables are already unacceptably low and dropping.

If anyone can tell me where to find a sensible discussion of these issues, I’d be grateful.

This comment came in as a Letter to the Editor for the printed magazine.

To the Editors, In the first sidebar annotation of DR. Edward H Risley’s Camp log, the practice of “brushing ” A road is misunderstood. Laying small logs and brush across wet spots was an is part of woods road construction, though typically with animal powered harvest that brush would be well covered under packed snow and ice so as not to hang up hooves and boots. And it certainly wouldn’t be found being confused for a man, crossing a lake. No, clearly the “brushed tote road front” ... “coming around Cooper’s Point” was rather a vertical display of contrast, evergreen on white ice, to flag clear and safe passage. The practice was taken further in Colonial New France where Quebecois settlers of the Plains of Abraham were expected to not only clear their portion of the common road, but to plant and maintain a line of large trees to mark roadway in drifting snow.

Eli Berry
Washington, ME

Would it be possible to create a pellet to inject into the deer to prevent pregnancy for a period of time.  (Like Depo Prevara for Human Women and NORPLANT FOR human women.)

You would never get to all of them, but you could develop a gun like contraption that would shot the pellet into the deer and then at the same time tatoo a place so the next time it will be known that that deer has already had the pellet implanted.

We spay and neuter out dogs and cats. 

Killing the deer is distasteful to most Americans, unless it can be done discreetly and used in pet food.

Dee-deeee….

The spring song of the chickadee gives me perennial hope. It starts any time between Christmas and New Year’s, right after the sun has hit its low and slowly, inexorably, daylight starts increasing, a minute at a time.

I don’t notice the song’s absence until I start hearing it again. It’s particularly comforting on frigid mornings when you know there are still three months of winter to go.

Despite the harsh cold and seemingly neverending winter in Vermont, it is still possible to remain hopeful.  As a native Vermonter, I believe that it is crucial to remain hopeful.  We have recently experienced a two-foot snowfall in a single evening that appeared to make time stand still, and we have felt temperatures fluctuate from negative 7 to plus 47 in a single week.  This is what makes Vermont unique and reminds us that spring is just around the corner. 

Looking out at my wood pile, I remain hopeful that I will have enough wood to make it through the rest of the winter in warmth.  I have to admit that, although I much prefer the summer, there is something comforting about the crackling of a fire on a cold night.  Television as most people know it, does not exist in my home, and the wood stove is the centerpiece of the living room.

There is wonder and amazement in my son’s eyes as he sees the wintery world around him, and I am eager to teach him about the natural environment, seasons, plants, and animals of this region.  I am hopeful that his childhood will be full of learning about and understanding nature and the environment, and that he will be respectful of our world.

As I clean my chimney from atop the roof on this spectacular day, I look out across the land and feel happiness, contentment, and hope.

There’s more than hope!  As I write, it is New Year’s Day…I have 2 or 3 months of good skiing ahead of me in our beautiful forests.  By April I will have had my fill and won’t care about the mud.  I’ll spend April gathering together seeds for my garden and watching for early flowers and this fall’s garlic to pop through the snow and know that as soon as the ground dries up I can begin planting!

What gives me hope as the seasons change, as the challenges continue, as the day comes to an end, yet begins again, and again, and again? Nature. Nature continues to exist in every corner of every day, for me. I look for it. I look for beauty, for wildlife, even if only a songbird, for the trees, for patterns and colors and something different today than yesterday. Remaining aware of the life surrounding me helps me to keep the chaos in check. The awareness that this world belongs to something much greater than me is a comfort, and a gift every day.

I know that the spring bulbs and other flowers will come up no matter how bad the winter is and that keeps me going!  It also heartens me that I get to co-exist with the other wildlife on our few acres and I do my best to share the land with them.