Stealthy Little Deer

It's hunting season again. We permit a very limited number of hunters on our property -- friends and relatives -- but we are adjacent to a hunt camp, and you do hear the sound of guns these days.

Why would we let anyone shoot a deer on our land? Well, here's the thing. We have been partipants in the provincial Forest Management program forever. Over the years, the directives have changed with this program -- once upon a time, they wanted the slash or tops cleared up, for instance. Now they are directing that slash and tangles be left in the bush. They are recommending something called Exclosures, which are in fact small fenced off ares within the bush, all designed to give the young trees a better chance to get up above the browse line. In short, there are too many deer in this region to sustain themselves, and they are causing damage in the forest. This is in part due to artificial feeding programs that indiscriminately feed large herds of deer through the winter, boosting their numbers. These are often poorly thought through -- providing high protein feed to deer in winter, boosts their metabolism until they require far more feed than a deer surviving on tree buds and cedar browse would require. Every spring, we find deer that have gone down to starvation. Personally, we'd prefer a wolf pack. Or a bullet.

We have deer that bed down every winter in the horses' hay -- but this is timothy hay, not high protein alfalfa, and the only harm done is to Nancy's pocketbook.

While we don't hunt ourselves, we have no issue with careful, legal hunting with the intent to use all of what you shoot. It's poachers we abhore, and we prosecute them to the full extent. Having lawful hunters on our property helps to discourage poachers, too, so that's a good thing.

And it is not as easy as it sounds to 'go hunting.' The lads are out there today, in sleet. They can easily spend the whole day, and see deer, but never be in a position to 'get the shot.' It isn't uncommon for the hunters to come home empty.

However, the boys are always getting new toys. This year, our cousin was the first to put a Stealth Camera in the bush, along the deer run where he has his stand. Now these cameras work like this: they can 'see' in the dark. They have an infrared beam... break the beam, and the camera takes a picture. Now the hunters are like the fishermen -- who could once spend all day happily fishing, coming home with an empty creel but a renewed and refreshed outlook on life, with blood pressure down, and dispositions sunny. Then they got fish-finders. Now they can see the d*** fish down there... but can't get them to bite. They spend the day, still coming home empty handed, but with their fishing rods tied in bows and their blood pressure steadily climbing. Dang fish... There they are... right there... and they won't bite!!!

Now, with the help of the stealth camera, the hunters learn nifty facts. Like our cousin Ross, who got over 300 hits on the camera in one night. Now, some of them were raccoons -- he needed to raise the beam a bit. But still, he got 155 pictures of deer. Bucks with 8 points. 6 points. Spike horns. Does. Fawns. A buck with a broken antler. Did he see any of these during the day, while sitting out there int he bush... Well, some of the does -- but he has a buck tag, so he can't hunt the does... none of the bucks. But he knows they're out there... somewhere...

Rick and Dave have a camera set up this week. It took this photo just after midnight.
The Conservation Officer laughed at Nancy one year, when he dropped in to find 10 deer resting on the lawn. "I see," he said, "you've got it figured. The deer are on the lawn all day while the hunters are in the bush, and then, come evening, you switch them around." We all laughed at the time, but looking at the photos from these cameras, he has a very valid point.

Now last week, we had some incredible weather -- spiking into the 20's. Some of our hunters confessed that they had a little nap out there in the bush, just enjoying being outside and alone in the fabulous weather. For most of them, that experience, being out, being in the forest, is far more important than the hunt itself.

Fishermen, hunters... fishfinders and stealth cameras aside, never forget... it's about the journey.