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We live in a large town, ever growing larger. Across the street are a woods, eventually leading down to the river. The woods shelter a large number of deer, and while there are also a large number of coyotes, they don’t seem to curb the deer population much. At one point, the town hired sharpshooters to thin the herd, but there was a large outcry from the softhearted, so the practice wasn’t continued. This despite the large number of deer-related crashes in the area.
As the Gardener, I had come to hate the deer. They came across the streets and damaged the trees, bushes, and other plants that I planted and cared for - sometimes carelessly breaking off branches and trampling plants. And they roamed around the neighborhood like Hindu cows with no fear of humans, in a way I found offensive. Some of the softhearted would even feed the deer, even though this was illegal. But I considered them to be akin to a plague of large rats - I would shout at them to scare them off, and they would just look at me blankly.
My wife has long dreamed of hunting a deer, butchering it, and tanning and using the hide. Though we had been bird hunting together, deer hunting was not of personal interest to me - as red meat is not something I particularly seek out. However, having a friend who is an experienced hunter, I got a plan worked out and we found ourselves in a deer blind one cold Michigan morning.
Luck was with us that morning, as a group of deer moved into sight. My wife took the shot and it was a clean hit but ricocheted into a second deer, which then ran towards us. I was ready to take a shot, a coup de gras, but it was not necessary - the deer dropped before I fired. When we approached the downed animal, my previous feelings of irritation and dislike towards the species.. vanished. The deer was beautiful, there is no better way to say it. And I felt compassion and kinship with it, it’s life having come to a close, as all of our lives must.
That feeling stayed with me. I will still shoo the deer away from my plants. I still dislike our town’s weird fascination with tame deer and inability to come up with a sane herd management policy. However I can no longer find it within myself to hate the deer. It is curious thing.. that the Predator could find love for the prey, which the Gardener could not.
As the Gardener, I had come to hate the deer. They came across the streets and damaged the trees, bushes, and other plants that I planted and cared for - sometimes carelessly breaking off branches and trampling plants. And they roamed around the neighborhood like Hindu cows with no fear of humans, in a way I found offensive. Some of the softhearted would even feed the deer, even though this was illegal. But I considered them to be akin to a plague of large rats - I would shout at them to scare them off, and they would just look at me blankly.
My wife has long dreamed of hunting a deer, butchering it, and tanning and using the hide. Though we had been bird hunting together, deer hunting was not of personal interest to me - as red meat is not something I particularly seek out. However, having a friend who is an experienced hunter, I got a plan worked out and we found ourselves in a deer blind one cold Michigan morning.
Luck was with us that morning, as a group of deer moved into sight. My wife took the shot and it was a clean hit but ricocheted into a second deer, which then ran towards us. I was ready to take a shot, a coup de gras, but it was not necessary - the deer dropped before I fired. When we approached the downed animal, my previous feelings of irritation and dislike towards the species.. vanished. The deer was beautiful, there is no better way to say it. And I felt compassion and kinship with it, it’s life having come to a close, as all of our lives must.
That feeling stayed with me. I will still shoo the deer away from my plants. I still dislike our town’s weird fascination with tame deer and inability to come up with a sane herd management policy. However I can no longer find it within myself to hate the deer. It is curious thing.. that the Predator could find love for the prey, which the Gardener could not.
