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 Deer season, or rather rifle season, is as important to the male Vermonter as the surf is to surfers at Big Sur. The week that begins on November 16th, is like the beginning of an unofficial holiday in the state. In many
rural areas, boys old enough to wield a gun and attend a hunter safety course are yanked out of school and taken into the woods. For them it is a "coming of age" ceremony, and as important
as any tribal ritual.
Business slows to a crawl, especially in the Northeast Kingdom. Want a plumber or a back-hoe operator for the week? More likely than not,
you'll be told that so and so is at "deer camp." Spouses are not usually welcome at deer camp, not that they would want to go anyway. Often, this time is viewed as an excellent opportunity to take a break
from the other half and have a good time, away from the "old man." A good time in some parts of the state is a visit to the local bar to view a performance of the Chippendale Boys
. This is a dance troupe of good looking young men who go as far as they can go under state law (taking it all off is not allowed in Vermont).
 Of course, the general stores are busy, doling out food, mountains of American-made beer in throw away cans, camping supplies, ammunition and estrous deer
lure. Lure, unless it's artificial, is made from the urine of a deer in heat. It is sometimes sold as an aerosol. It's odor is very strong and quite unmistakable. A friend of
mine, not knowing exactly what he was doing, wanted to sample this spray in a store recently and accidentally sprayed some of it up his nose.
Meanwhile, the normaly serene countryside echoes to the sound of gunfire as hunters "site-in" their pieces. Sometimes it sounds as if
there is a small war on in "them tha hills!" In fact the danger from stray bullets is very real, so if you are working outside during this
season, make sure to wear very bright clothing and go inside at dusk, taking care not to stand near any window.
Local hunters say there is a lot of game around this year. The state's Fish and Wildlife Department
says this season should be excellent for hunters because of a bulging deer
population. The Department estimates that there are at least 150,000 deer. A spokesman for the department says hunters will find most of the deer in the southwest, southeast, east-central and
northwestern regions of the state. The biggest buck are found in the Northeast Kingdom and in the Green Mountain Range in the center of the state.
Naturally, hunters like to eat and drink a lot after being out in the woods. You can't mistake them, dressed in their hunting attire,
standing around, on misty mornings, outside a local school or church after a "hunter's breakfast ," digesting what some might consider an outstanding carbohydrate and cholesterol download.
These breakfasts are usually inexpensive, yet filling. They represent one of the best values a Vermont tourist will ever find -- plentiful, very sustaining food. You'll find notices about the breakfasts, and
also suppers, tacked to trees or hanging from windows. If you want to join in, make sure that you look the part-tousled hair, bleary-eyed and no-anti perspirant in case the deer smell something strange!
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