Deer

The Department of Game and Inland Fishery in Virginia says that I should not name them. "...that they do not belong to you. They belong to the Commonwealth of Virginia Residents."

Well, I know this already! I suppose all the hunters know this too. They shoot them, carry the carcass home, gut it and cut it up for meat...or worse, hang it's head on a wall. They have actually claimed the dead animal as their own in doing this!

Ok! Ok! I grew up eating what my father brought home from "the hunt". We all loved it! We ate rabbit, deer, pheasant and caught fish. I believe if you kill an animal for food it's not much different than killing a cow or chicken for food. I don't get Sport or Trophy hunting though...never have! Killing for the sport of it is not something innate in man. It's just a chest thumping thing, I think.

So like I was saying about naming them...We call the female with two fawns in photos ABBY. The young buck (photo below) has one good antler and one that's short and distorted, we call him STUBBS. Other than those two I just call them all "GIRL" or "BOY" when I call out to them. I use "Abby" and "Stubbs" more like a reference than a real name.

They come out from the woods when they hear me call because it means corn and sunflower seeds have been put out. I keep salt lick blocks out for them too. They graze on my property and they love to eat my hostas which is why I started feeding them in the first place...to deter them munching on my plants. It works rather well! Plus I have learned to spray my plants with a concoction I made up...They hate it!

A few come right up to my porch and just stand there looking at me. They love apples and raw peanuts in the shell.

I need to plant a few apple trees and grow some peanuts!

Hey...I live in Virginia which is perfect for both!!

So I say to the DGIF - I don't want to name them, tame them or kill them. I just want to gaze upon their beauty in awe, watch their antics and grace...and feed them on occasion!

I don't want to domesticate any of the animals that wander or graze on our property. I certainly don't have a "Grizzly Adams" thing going on here. I respect the fact that they are first and foremost WILD and I would never try to touch, trap or tame any of them!!!

That said...It is hard not to feed them when they come close (the squirrels too) and look at me with those big dark eyes!

...And...it's hard not to give at least a few of them names especially when I see them every single day, without fail.

The other creatures that venture onto or live on our property are many different, colorful and noisy birds, a few rabbits, a dozen or so squirrels, 2 groundhogs and an occasional fox or two. Most of the property is cleared and kept mowed but we have many grown trees everywhere (black walnuts, pecans, Mulberries) and an assortment of berry bushes...lots of food for all!

We have 2 Black Labs and 5 cats (ah ha...no mice) that run free on my five acres. The dogs have an underground electronic fence around the entire property and they pretty much guard the perimeter with zeal. The deer are smart though and have figured out where the dogs boundaries are. One or two even stand on the other side of the buried fence line and just laugh at the dogs!