I think it's very sad that so many Vermonters really don't know what good hunting is like, but at the same time I think it's great that people can hunt for 16 days and never see a buck and still be happy. I can't do that. I love the outdoors and all types of hunting and fishing, but during deer season I want to see a buck. I have to question how happy a hunter can be after hunting hard the entire season and maybe only seeing a flag or two. ???????

There really is no reason Vermont cannot have better hunting (more deer and larger bucks). For those interested in shooting a mature buck (I'll leave whata "trophy" is up to the person hunting), Vermont is dead last according to a recent article I read. From 1991 to 2000 there were two bucks from Vermont entered into P&Y and B&C. For comparison purposes, New Hampshire, which is approximately the same size as Vermont, has similar georgraphy, etc., entered 65 bucks. That's roughly 30 times the number Vermont produced. Shoot, little old Rhode Island produced more than Vermont did (8)!

Vermont's deer herd has never been managed properly. NEVER! There are reasons for that also. At one time the state legislature managed the herd, if you can believe that. They called all the shots. Now that the F&G hascontrol because of political pressures they still haven't (or can't...I don't know which) managed the herd properly.

I just feel really badly for my friends and family back in Vermont who love to hunt. My wife's family has two deer camps up in the mountains there. There are about 12 guys between the two camps who take vacation the first week of deer season every year to hunt. These guys are good hunters.....really good hunters. As of yesterday, no one had seen or killed a buck yet.

I really don't believe protecting spikehorns is going to solve the problem, but if nothing else it has people thinking about the problem.