Being a logger, I have no one to talk too, no one to watch, or no one to have lunch with...except ole Buck. We have been together now 2 years, and almost every day it has been just me and him. There is just a strange understanding, I don't hunt so I am not going to hurt him, probably put food on his table, which happens to be about 40 acres of my woodlot. Here he just does not have to go far for all his needs. There are acres of oats, alfalfa, timothy, clover and corn. At the same time he has several streams to drink from, and cut over, virgin timber, and softwood and hardwood timber spots alike. For a deer, it is a nice place to call home. I have nothing against hunting, and I let people hunt, even telling them where ole Buck is, and his habits, but it is hardly ratting on the old hunk of venison. I think he likes the challenge, and as wily as old hunters think they are, he is somehow smarter. He hangs out with me, just far enough away that the shrill of the skidder does not hurt his ears too much, but always within sight. The other day I saw him tucked up in the most unlikely spot ever, right as close to my house as possible, close to fields, down over a high rock wall in hiding. He stepped out to watch me come out of the woods with a twitch, full on hunting season, 10:30 AM, not a care in the world...no running off, no trot, just a look, a nod of understanding...we are friends after all, and I watched him the rest of the day. No one was going to hunt because I was there, and he was not about to leave my side...he knows friend from foe. I tell my friends who hunt for one reason, I like ole Buck and I would rather see him hanging on their wall then a stranger. From my house I can look up a this ridge, and one night my family was having diner and could see his twin daughters, his wife (though I doubt he is monogamous) and him...his head bristling with antlers. He has 12 perfect tines, and I would say from years of judging sheep carcasses...which I deem is fair...about 212 in weight. I know because he never runs off so I can get a long look at him, again we are friends so we often chat, him staring at me, tail up as if to run, but never does; I am not a real threat, just noisy with my saw and skidder...2 years of daily understanding after all. It has come to the point where I even talk to him, again no running off...I am not a threat, just a crazy human with a noisy thing that makes trees fall and an even bigger noisier thing that makes them drag out of the woods. But today I saw him again...two days after hunting season ended in Maine. There is some black powder hunting granted, but he made it through the toughest part of the season. I am kind of glad, he's a friend. Again, I have nothing against hunting, nothing against a person putting a nice trophy buck on the wall, but is it okay...just once for a logger to root for the underdog, or is that underdeer? We are friends...
I understand how you feel. We live in an urban area but it borders a Federal Reservation that is open for bowhunting. Come bow season we have "visitors" that come to our yard and the field behind us and stay for a while. They become "The House Deer" and are welcome here. We have had them in all shapes and sizes in our yard and even a doe with triplets in the spring. Very unusual in blacktails and one is often smaller than the other fawns. We had these two young bucks that hung around our bird feeder. My Wif says the one looked like a Chia Pet! Our yard is mostly deer proof but they do eat the hasta plants and a few others. I have no problem whacking a nice buck in fair chase but these are our friends!
