(Though I hope to never make the comparison.)
Posted on 03/19/2005 8:29:04 PM PST by neverdem
Forgive us if you are among the millions of gardeners, farmers, bird-watchers, drivers, fence builders, claims adjusters, body-shop operators, roadkill scrapers, 911 dispatchers, physical therapists and chiropractors who know this already.
White-tailed deer are a plague.
In their overwhelming abundance, they are prime examples of an ecosystem badly out of balance. They denude forests, making life impossible for vulnerable native plants and birds while allowing invasive species to thrive. While deer profoundly vex suburban gardeners, that annoyance pales next to the lethal danger they pose to drivers.
Now, even bird lovers want the deer subdued. The New Jersey Audubon Society, in a report last week, urged the consideration of lethal means to solve the problem, arguing that fencing, contraception and other gentle tactics have proved largely ineffective. The group wants the government to rethink conservation policies it says are intended to maximize herds for hunters, and to consider - especially in the suburbs, where hunting is too dangerous - bringing in sharpshooters.
It may sound harsh, even strange coming from an organization whose mission is to foster "environmental awareness and a conservation ethic." But the group - which does not speak for the National Audubon Society - has it exactly right.
Deer are simply heeding the biological imperative to go forth and multiply. With no natural predators, and the suburbs a year-round salad bar, they have slipped out of their ecological niche - and it's our fault, not theirs. The deer did not ask human beings to create the kind of predator-free suburban landscapes in which they now thrive. But the mountain lion, gray wolf and bobcat are not about to return, and the houses and highways are staying put. People, therefore, must own up to their place in a compromised food chain, and assume the responsibility for managing it well.
Unfortunately, deer contradict our innate assumption that only ugly creatures can be vermin. As the recent release of the "Bambi" DVD reminds us, they seem miscast as villains. But wise conservation means looking at the environment as a whole - from the smallest wildflower on forest floor to the biggest brown-eyed herbivore. The whole system - not just the prettiest mammals - needs protection.
Dad has 200 mountain acres and plants the lower meadow in buckwheat, oats and a special antler-growth clover.
The deer get supplemented with unlimited corn, pumpkin and apples.
You have never tasted deer like these in your life...:)
Dear neverdem,
Well, I don't know.
I've had different sorts of fowl, and though they are a little similar-tasting, they don't taste quite alike.
I know that cows and buffalo are sufficiently-closely related that they can cross-breed. Nonetheless, my friend who has a buffalo ranch tells me they taste noticeably different from beef.
sitetest
Where have you seen those big bore airguns?
Glad to see your a member of the original PETA also. If God didn't intend for us to eat animals, why did he make them out of meat?
Hey, maybe I'm your 4th cousin or something. Where do I come to hunt next fall???
A friend of ours had a buck crash through the windshield and land in his lap while he was riding his Dresser to work.
The friend, the buck and the Dresser all ended up in a ditch.
The bike was messed up but fixable.
The friend lamented the rip in his Outback coat.
The buck, being deceased, had no comment.
Try this guy, he's the best around - a real master gunsmith:
http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/
You have to get on his list, though, since he builds to order.
The Koreans make some .45 and .50 models as well. Usually under the names Sumatra and Career. They are available at some of the larger retailers like Compasseco and Pyramid Air.
I always wonder how we can have hungry people in America when there are so many "problem" animals around to eat...
And every night I let the cat (a huge Tom) out, and every morning for three years he's at the door in the morning. What do you think I'm doing wrong?
(Though I hope to never make the comparison.)
Around here many hunters donate deer to homeless shelters and such all the time.
Problem is, unlike primarily "trophy" hunters, hillbillies tend to want to eat the deer themselves....;))
Iowa has a tag that you can get in addition to your regular deer tag. You can kill the deer and tag it, take it to a participating locker and then they give the meat to food pantry's and shelters.
The deer got up after being hit and angrily rammed into the woman's car. I've heard some stories where deer would keep going after being shot or hit.
Bottome line is that deer are not the nice, quaint animals the Left wants us to think. Just like rats with antlers.
And every night I let the cat (a huge Tom) out, and every morning for three years he's at the door in the morning. What do you think I'm doing wrong?
Failing to neuter the cat?
Deer Jerky is good stuff, and deer sausage is the best. The sausage is so lean you need to mix in a little beef fat when you make it. Deer sausage, biscuits, gravy and fried eggs is a breakfast to kill for.
I wish I could buy it in the supermarket.
Deer are a menace.
When I was young [about 11 or so] we went to see a friend of my dad who kept a "pet" buck.
It had a wonderful large chainlink dog kennel sort of enclosure.
Problem was, it was rutting season.
I went expecting to see gentle Bambi and this massive 150 pound psycho-ruminant came out of its' stable and literally charged full speed, antlers-first, right into the fence where we were standing.
Thank God the fence posts were set in concrete.
The buck shook disentangled his antlers, off the collision and backed up and did it again....and again....
As we left, I could still hear it clanging against the fence.
There was no doubt of his intentions.
Normally, I ride the ridge all summer on my ATV but when the rut starts, I stop.
I may have a 30.30 with me but what if I can't get it off the gunrack fast enough?
They're nasty when they're breeding and I have no desire to be gored to death atop some mountain.
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