Deer Hunting

Occasionally, I run across a nugget that makes me frustrated. Other times, angry. Then, there are those incidents that simply leaves me sad.

I live in Northern Michigan where white tail deer are a part of life. For the hunters amongst us, the opening day of deer season is as much a holiday as even the most sacred of days. If you have a garden, be it flower or vegetable, they are frequently a nemesis that has a habit of making it their own personal dining room table. And for all, they are the most feared animal on the roads; difficult to spot, impossible to miss. They can be seen at dusk or darting from headlights; everywhere, yet skittish and nearly impossible to get up close to.

There was a woman who recently had an encounter with one of these graceful creatures where her story and the end result are impossible for me to reconcile. As the story goes, a fawn was happily munching away at her garden when the woman became “frightened” and made an attempt to scare the animal off her property. Her exact claim to the judge was that she was trying to “shoo” it away.

Speaking from experience, keeping deer out of my garden often proves impossible, but scaring them out of the garden couldn’t be easier. A little noise, a slight movement, and they seem to miraculously melt away in the blink of a eye. It may be why that when I do spot a deer in my garden I have a tendency to remain perfectly still and watch, the sight far more valuable that the last of my broccoli.

All of this leads me back to our story. The stated objective was to shoo the deer out of her garden with a shovel. Seems appropriate - wave a shovel at a deer and it is sure to disappear. The problem is that the young deer was actually beaten to death with the shovel. If the animal didn’t immediately dart away, we can assume that it must have been an extremely young fawn, which if you have ever been fortunate enough to be close to, couldn’t be any less frightening, or any less worthy of a shovel to the head. Sorry, simply not possible. She intentionally killed the deer. Her story is a lie, and once again I find myself unable to comprehend some people.

In the end the woman was found guilty of misdemeanor animal abuse, given 80 hours of community service and a $500 fine. I understand not wanting your garden destroyed by animals. I don’t understand this. Put up a fence.

Thanks for stopping by - I'll keep my eyes open for more people Squirrel Hunting With Bazookas.

Comments: squirrelhuntingwithbazookas@hotmail.com