@Woodsman My wife and I spent the evening watching a lone deer licking up the melting snow mixed with road salt in front of my neighbor's mailbox last night. They are beautiful ... but also oh so tasty. When I watch them I can't imagine anyone killing them for food - and I wouldn't. I suppose if I lived out in the wilderness and they were one of my main food sources I'd have a different opinion. But since I live so close to grocery stores stocked with beef, chicken, pork, and fish I see no reason to go outside and shoot a deer. My brother-in-law is the family hunter and my sister occasionally stops by with a load of venison steaks. And although I personally wouldn't hunt them ... once they've been butchered it's hard not to accept the steaks and cook them up as soon as possible. One thing I did learn about venison is if you have a steady diet of it ... and you're prone to a flare-up of gout - venison will do the trick. The very first time I had a flare-up of gout was after my sister dropped off a freezer full of venison steaks, sausage, and ground venison. I think I ate it for dinner for a week or two. And then one night I woke up with the most ungodly pain in my foot and it had swelled up to the side of my head. And that's the first time I suffered from a flare-up of gout. Now it makes a regular appearance a few times a year, but I'm taking medicine for it and it's pretty well under control. So I keep away from venison. And when I do have it, I don't over indulge.
Deer in your own backyard, are one of the finest pleasures in life. Some folks think that because I hunt them, I have no respect for them, but the reality is quite the opposite. Deer need to be managed, into a sizeable population based on Department of Conversation standards. When they are not, some end up starving to death, and that takes around 3 days. A very slow and agonizing capitulation. A sharp broadhead properly placed, leaves the deer feeling the equivalent of a bee sting, and the quick experience of passing out.
IMO, the whitetail deer, is the most challenging game animal to achieve close proximity, after the coyote. Thing is, the coyote is not fit to eat, and he purposely does that, in order to up his batting average.
Those inside venison tenderloins, are one of the finest delicacies in life. IMO, much better than fish eggs or pork brains and scrambled eggs.
When the Kids were little the deer always showed up Christmas day, of course we told them the they were Santa's Reindeer cousins and they were saying hi.
We have coyotes (about 4 or 5) that walk in our area, including our sidewalks, at night, usually between midnight a 3 AM. When they howl to each other, they almost sound like babies crying... Needless to say, no one lets their dog out late at night... Also have a huge bald eagle that claims about 5 square miles (including a golf course) as his/her territory during the winter months. I think it's a female since it's so huge... It's majestic, to say the least...
I miss the Bluebirds we used to have at our first home along the shoreline. Our lot was slightly over an acre and wooded so it was ideal for a bluebird house. We always had occupants. It was quite special to see them, yellow Finches and Cardinals outside together. The color contrasts were spectacular. Now that we are in "busier" part of the state and our lot is fairly small, we only see Cardinals and Finches though other birds such as Bald Eagles can be seen at various times nearby.
We have 3 bird feeders in the backyard and we get Blue Jays, Cardinals, Doves (2 or 3 different types), woodpeckers, Red-headed woodpeckers, Mockingbirds, finches, robins, and several more that I haven't identified yet. We also have an abundance of tree rats commonly known as squirrels that like to try and steal bird seed. Most of our feeders are hung on Shepherd's Crooks and I found that if you put an old metal Slinky toy on the pole, the squirrels can't climb up to get to the feeder.
The coyotes also expanded their range into Maine, and become a problem for some folks. What'cha call a "foreign invasive species" ever since they left the SouthWestern states.
The Eastern Coyote is a new breed, the Western Coyote crossbred with Wolves in Alberta so they're larger with bigger heads and brains. My Neighbor is planning a surprise for them, she followed their trail in the snow and thinks she's found their Den. I have to take my dog out at night instead of letting him out at night until further developments.
This young lady and her fawn have been joining us every day since Thanksgiving.I started putting out corn for her and the squirlls so the birds can get some food also.
I love to watch the wildlife, makes me grounded and respectful of what a beautiful and wonderful world we have. We get everything at our home. We are just two or so miles south of a federal game preserve, and the deer come down the meadow bottom and feed on all 8 of my bird feeders, eat all of our flowers, and can destroy the plants and shrubs. During real cold spells in the winter we buy and feed them corn, although I do not want them to become dependent on us feeding them regularly. Every night they empty the bird bath. I do not care as I love to watch them when I can. It is so wonderful when the doe finally bring the fawns around as they are weaning them. I actually bought 2 "Deer Crossing" signs and put them on utility poles on our road so drivers hopefully slow down (but they don't).
I have seen an otter in our yard as we are only several hundred feet from the bay area, we have bald eagles, red tail hawks, kestrels, falcons, owls, raptors of all kinds, and so many, many species of birds. We have a groundhog that lives beneath our remote garden shed. We have rabbits, chipmunks, voles, mice, muskrats, and things I still cannot identify with confidence.
I figure it this way: We are actually living in their world. I appreciate that they 'allow" us to do so. On any given day we get incredible numbers of different bird species, particularly during the 2 migrations each year. We are directly on the "Eastern Flyway" and have thousands of ducks and geese flying just over the trees as they take of for, or descend to the game preserve.
I used to be an avid waterfowl hunter, but not anymore. I guess getting older I figure they have it tough enough without me shooting at them. I would rather bask in their beauty and enjoy nature. And besides, I can sit outside and just enjoy their company. And what better way to do that than with a pipe full of my favorite tobaccos.
My correspondents in suburban Cincinnati have been complaining about coyotes snatching pets. Worst we get around here in our northern NJ community are deer, something like a woodchuck, and raccoons.
We've had a Coyote try for a dog in the next town to us. My Sister in Law visited from Ireland a bunch of years back, she screamed and almost fainted when she saw a Possum, she thought it was the biggest, fattest Rat she'd ever seen.
@ghostsofpompeii i am a deer hunter myself, but i still understand where you’re coming from. When i see deer while I’m on a walk, or at my family’s property, I’m not thinking about hunting. I’m thinking about how beautiful they are.
Woodsman
Master
Comments
Deer in your own backyard, are one of the finest pleasures in life. Some folks think that because I hunt them, I have no respect for them, but the reality is quite the opposite. Deer need to be managed, into a sizeable population based on Department of Conversation standards. When they are not, some end up starving to death, and that takes around 3 days. A very slow and agonizing capitulation. A sharp broadhead properly placed, leaves the deer feeling the equivalent of a bee sting, and the quick experience of passing out.
IMO, the whitetail deer, is the most challenging game animal to achieve close proximity, after the coyote. Thing is, the coyote is not fit to eat, and he purposely does that, in order to up his batting average.
Those inside venison tenderloins, are one of the finest delicacies in life. IMO, much better than fish eggs or pork brains and scrambled eggs.
This young lady and her fawn have been joining us every day since Thanksgiving.I started putting out corn for her
and the squirlls so the birds can get some food also.
I have seen an otter in our yard as we are only several hundred feet from the bay area, we have bald eagles, red tail hawks, kestrels, falcons, owls, raptors of all kinds, and so many, many species of birds. We have a groundhog that lives beneath our remote garden shed. We have rabbits, chipmunks, voles, mice, muskrats, and things I still cannot identify with confidence.
I figure it this way: We are actually living in their world. I appreciate that they 'allow" us to do so. On any given day we get incredible numbers of different bird species, particularly during the 2 migrations each year. We are directly on the "Eastern Flyway" and have thousands of ducks and geese flying just over the trees as they take of for, or descend to the game preserve.
I used to be an avid waterfowl hunter, but not anymore. I guess getting older I figure they have it tough enough without me shooting at them. I would rather bask in their beauty and enjoy nature. And besides, I can sit outside and just enjoy their company. And what better way to do that than with a pipe full of my favorite tobaccos.
It really is a good life. Thank God I enjoy it.