Deer hunting on my place in northern Washington County, smack dab in the middle of the "intensive harvest area", has been less than intense this gun season. A total of four deer, none of them noteworthy, have been harvested out of the same stands that produced seventeen deer last year. My gardens are groaning in disappointment.
I do not hunt deer but I have pals who get after them with bows, shotguns, even muzzle loaders. I applaud each deer taken as do my sweet corn, green beans, beets and broccoli.
Many acres of field corn still standing tall and unseasonably warm weather are the best guesses for the lack of success. The hunters are dubious about the rut which should be in full swing by now. No chasing of does has been noted. No bucks running brainless with tongues hanging out.
Barb and Charles Kannegaard, hunting together in the same stand, mistook an odd spike buck for a large doe. The deer had a big body, a mature head, thick fur yet carried only pencil-sized antlers. And since one of the antlers was over three inches long they had to tag it with a buck tag.
Many, many yearlings have been sighted and passed on. This points to an even-sorrier spring for my vegetables. It might be time to put up that 10-foot fence I've been threatening to build.
