The first two weeks of November incorporate the gun hunt for deer up here. That means trucks parked along roadsides, hunters in the woods. The sound of guns. That's the hunt most people are aware of, although there is a longer season of bow-hunting, which being silent tends to be overlooked by the general public. Not overlooked by the deer, however.
The fact is that up here we have too many deer, and that largesse means the deer are over-grazing the forests. And that means that come spring, it's heavy sledding for these lovely animals. Food is scarce. The wolf pack does well. So no, we don't forbid hunting on our property, but we are very very careful about who we allow to be on it to hunt. There is a hunt camp located just to the east of us, and another farther down the Port Cunnington Road.
But the deer seem to know. I think they mark their calendars. The first week of the hunt, our hunters (who only had buck tags, and therefore could not hunt any of the does) saw not a single buck out there from morning to night, while up to twenty female deer came wandering past their stands, gazing at them incuriously. They went home empty handed. No venison on their tables this winter.
This little herd (there were 12 of them in total, not all crowded into my photo) were seen yesterday, in the field across from the Firehall, the field that leads to our Frisbee Golf course. They were happy, relaxed, and they know they've made it through.
Now, if they can find enough food to make it through the winter...
And I'm willing to bet that we'll start to see the bucks, probably next week, coming boldly out of the deep forest places.
Hunting season is over! Yeah!! I know it is necessary for controlling the deer numbers, but what it takes as a human to do this to an animal, unless you are a native, I am not sure I will ever understand that mindset. The irony is not lost on our family that we buy meat and others do this necessity for us - still, I am grateful to be removed from this task of slaughter for food.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lesley. Glad it is over. We have neighbours who hunt across the lake, but they are not hard-pressed for cash.
ReplyDeleteI know that many depend upon hunting for survival, and do not begrudge them that, as they hunt where people are not, and respect the wildlife.
It is the people hunting for sport that scare me!
Great post, Nancy! Glad you liked the birthday tea! They do a great job. Brian just had tea while watching his football games. He thought he was the only person in North America doing so! He even used a cup and saucer from my Hopeless Chest!
Animals DO know both dates and where the line is between refuge and hunting ground. It's amazing. I've watched flocks of geese and ducks land on a refuge pond, while there wasn't a single bird to be seen on the side of the fence where hunting was going on. They also know what country they're in. I noticed as soon as I moved here that all wildlife let humans get closer here than they do south of the US border. Have they learnt that Canadians are gentler?
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