The deer here in Whiting are like pigeons in Brooklyn--everywhere. The first 10 times you see deer on your lawn or scurrying across the street it is amusing and clearly marks the difference between here and city life. After that, they're no more interesting than the squirrels scampering up and down the trees.
But in terms of intelligence, or at least survival instincts, pigeons have it all over deer. A pigeon, seeing you approach, will walk, run, and if it has to, fly away from you. A deer, seeing you walk through the woods, stares at you. Headlights aren't the only things that freeze deer. Apparently anything will. Walking along Sunset Road this morning a deer in the middle of street just watched me get closer and closer until it decided to walk away.
So I don't see why hunting deer can be considered a sport. I could have bagged 25 deer by now if I had a rifle and I'm positive I'm a lousy shot. They just stand there. Eventually, if you keep walking toward one it will grunt and turn while seemingly out of nowhere 3 or 4 more appear and they go bounding over the bushes, their white tails erect and it's very bucolic, but again, if I had a rifle there wouldn't be any frolicking through the woods.
Don't get me wrong--I have no objection to hunting deer, particularly if the hunter is going to eat the deer. Shooting deer (or any other animal) just to shoot them seems stupid to me but I don't care--lots of things seem stupid to me that I don't care about--in fact that's one of the reasons I don't care about a lot of things because they just seem stupid. Full circle.
I just don't get why guys have to sit in trees at dawn waiting for deer to appear--they're all over the place. You could walk into the WMA behind the house and in 10 minutes shoot your deer and then try to figure out how to drag back to your pick-up. I don't see what the big deal about hunting deer is.
And as for the deer, I don't get them either. Why don't they at least present a moving target immediately? And if they're so easy to shoot, how come there are so many? Obviously, this city boy is missing something in the hunter/deer dynamic. Possibly, the deer get more canny in the fall when the hunting season begins.I don't see why they would, but it could just be another level of miscomprehension on my part. It will interesting to find out.
Larry, I need you here for the birds ... big brown hawks, bigger brown hawks, hawks with sreiped tails. Alsowhite egrets benefitting from white cows. And one field of white cows with a black cat amidst them. What were my hawks??? SM
ReplyDeleteDon't know about the hawks--need a little more info--possibly kites or hobbies. Hawk similar to Northern Harrier is there but you'd recognize that.
ReplyDeleteAs to the egrets, I'll bet those are Cattle Egrets.
Thanks, guess you can't just jump on that plane to come have a look, eh? I could ask the birds to wait. I have seen something reminiscent of northern harrier. And definitely yes to cattle egrets if they live here. Met two birders from England also missing binoculars and bird book, also because impractical onbike. Can't have everything.
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