Trap and Kill

What is it with folks who think predatory animals should be stopped from hunting?  I have read more than one comment on blogs about nature shows where someone is saying they think the photographer should discourage the lion, tiger, whatever that is hunting.  And do what?  Offer them a carrot???

So, I am back again complaining about the deer and the rabbits.  And the red squirrels.  And chipmunks.  All very destructive animals.  Not just to your yard, but to your home.  Just ask me or anyone who has had these destructive squirrels and chipmunks find their way into your home.  They actually chewed through the cement foundation wall!

The deer were not supposed to eat sedums.  So I planted them in the front yard.  Now, they love sedum.  And they even left a huge pile of deer poop next to them.  Disgusting, to say the least.  Last year I cut down the hedge in the back of my fence after they destroyed everything below four feet - the browse line.

My backyard is fenced to keep them out.  Unfortunately, the rabbits have found a way to tunnel under the fence.  So, I closed it up.  I go outside the other day to see some hostas literally torn to pieces.  By what?  So, yesterday, while standing in my kitchen, I see a rabbit in the yard.  I go to chase him out and I see him jump through the shadowbox fence.  How is that possible?

Well, here is how.

They chewed the wooden fence boards.  So, now I have ordered more rolls of chicken wire and will have to attach it all the way around on the outside of the fence to keep them from chewing.

My trapper guy says that it is next to impossible to get them into a live trap, you have to use a leg trap, which he will not use.  Where is Katniss Everdeen when I need her?  The other idea is to get a dog.  But a terrier would likely do nearly as much damage running through the plants to get the rabbit.  I know.  I have owned several dogs.

Another problem is voles.  They destroy the crowns of plants.  I read online that in some states it is illegal to kill voles.  Really?  They serve what purpose?  And one pair can produce 100 offspring in one year? 

And I am not the only one suffering.  I saw a garter snake in the flower bed - minus the end of his tail.  I wonder who did that to him?  Actually, snakes I do not mind.  And I have toads all over the place.

I love my yard.  But I am just about ready to move into a condo and let someone else deal with the animals.  This is getting beyond ridiculous.

Give me a Break!!!

I opened the garage door and walked outside.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw something on the porch and thought it was a package.  You are not going to believe this!

I guess he was tired of lying on the wet grass.  And no mother around.  Should report her for child neglect.

Sunday Number Two of A to Z Challenge

So this is my weekly wrap-up of what I didn't get around to saying this week:

1.  Baby vs baseball.  Really?  What planet do these men live on?  If you missed the hoopla over a future GREAT dad taking off opening day of baseball to be with his wife during delivery, maybe you should spare yourself from even clicking on the link and reading the asinine comments of some 'men'.  I would guess that these are the same idiots who think women should not breast-feed in public and that breasts are for ogling and their own personal gratification.  They are the real boobs of the world.  'Nuf said.  This gets my blood pressure up.

2.  Weight Watchers vs baby.  In all fairness, men do not have a lock on stupidity.  The local weight watchers here in Michigan is synonymous with a well-known West Bloomfield resident.  But they showed their complete delusion over healthy weight when they refused to hire a group leader because she was pregnant and over her goal weight.  They lost a lawsuit and had to pay.  They discriminated because of the pregnancy, which is a protected class under the law.  Duh!

3.  Barra under a bus?  Let me say that I am not one of those folks who sees conspiracy in everything that happens.  But, I admit that my very first thought when I heard that GM had covered up ignition problems was that Mary Barra had been given her promotion so that the good old boys could show that women cannot do the job.  Maybe I am wrong, but I think the timing and circumstances are highly suspect.  And its not just because I am a woman.

4.  Mother nature vs me.  Really?  Over 80 inches of snow with a chance of more this week?  What kind of PMS are you suffering from?  OTOH, the weather here is wonderful at the moment.  I even skipped yoga on Friday to work in the yard all day.  Or at least the yard area where I can actually walk without sinking into the mud.  I even put some pretty purple pansies in a container so I could look at something other than brown.  Unfortunately, by Saturday morning the chipmunks had not only eaten all of the flowers, they had dug a tunnel in the planter and ejected the plants.   Why did I ever laugh at 'Chip and Dale' cartoons.  Not funny!

Back here tomorrow with the Letter L.

The first A to Z Challenge Sunday

I am very used to sitting here writing my thoughts as they occur and then posting.  During the A to Z Challenge, those random thoughts get shoved aside so that I can concentrate on my A to Z posts and those of others participating.  So, on my free Sunday, here is a wrap-up of what has been going on.

I've been retired from public life for more than five years and yet on Wednesday someone came up to me and said 'Aren't you Denise Hammond?'  Never met the guy before.  At least I haven't gotten so old that no one recognizes me, but I think I just may start wearing my make-up more often so I don't look a wreck.  I have the feeling that if I was sans make-up he might have not said anything and just told his wife later that I was not looking too well.

We had one nice day this week when I got outside to do some early trimming and check out what winter damage there is.  Several trees and shrubs have the bark chewed off of them and since these were covered with snow almost all winter, I am thinking it is from rabbits.  Pretty sure I have lost some roses which I will not replace.  Also took a few minute to wash the windows here in my office.  It is so nice to look out and not see dirt.  At least in one room.

Cold and rain came back with a vengeance on Thursday and just continues.  Snow on Saturday.  Yuck.

And speaking of all this 'global warming', I was watching a program about how ice was carved from lakes and stored during the summer back in the days before refrigeration.  Seems there was one particular lake in Massachusetts that finally went bust in the 1920's when the winters starting getting warmer.  Wonder who the climate freaks are blaming for that occurrence?

I have finally settled on a carpet for my family room.  After listening to folks tell me about their love or disdain for wood floors, there seems to be no middle ground, I have decided that while I like the look of wood, I prefer the comfort of carpet.  And to me personally, it makes no sense to put down good hardwood and cover it with carpet with seems to be what all my friends with wood do.  DUH!  Besides, the wood would make my room darker totally defeating the purpose of my skylight.  I'll stick with the light color carpeting.

And again I am so glad I have the Internet.  My Advantium microwave oven was acting up.  Sometimes it would heat and other times nothing.  I Googled the problem and found that there is a switch in the door that can go bad.  Who knew?  I got it repaired and the unit works as good as new.  Most people assume they have a problem with the magnetron and get a new microwave, as one of my friends just did.  I am so glad I checked the Internet before I made that mistake.

Now that the ground is visible again, I will start having the dog-doo issues.  I saw this sign at a small outdoor market in Birnau, Germany.

I need a large one on a swinging pole so that I can whack my idiot neighbors in the head with it when they let their dog go on my lawn.  I am pretty sure their dogs cannot read and they are so busy talking on their phones or texting they will never see anything on the ground.


Here is a lovely shot of Birnau:

Back to A to Z tomorrow with the letter F.  Any guesses?

Groundhog Day

So, according to the groundhog, we are going to have an early Spring.  It seems to me we had one of those last year.  And then it was followed by another blast of winter that killed all of the flower buds on my little leaf lindens.  On the bright side, it also damaged the cottonwoods next door.  I think it was the first time I could ever remember not having my back yard covered with that white mess from those trees.

I have not seen any groundhogs around here in a while.  I think they moved on after I spent hundreds having them trapped and then I covered over all of their available hiding places with hardware cloth (wire mesh). 

It is no secret on this blog that I am not fond of furry rodents, no matter what their size.  Especially when they are living in my yard and digging around the foundation of my home.

As I listened to the radio today on my errands around town, I decided that I should have thought more about the future when I was growing up.

I came to the conclusion that on all those trips I made to amusement parks growing up and with my children later on, I should have spend more time at the arcade and less time on the merry-go-round.

My favorite ride was the carousel.  I never missed the chance to go on it.  Eventually, I would have mastered going around in circles without going on the ride. 

Had I spent my time in the arcade, I could have been learning something useful instead. I could have played 'whack-a-mole'. Maybe even have won a prize.  A skill I might find useful. 

It is fifteen degrees outside and I need to get he snow off my drive.  Not really pleasant.  But, if putting off Spring means putting off dealing with critters, I am all for it.

It's the Deer Problem, Stupid

Early this summer I received my issue of the National Wildlife magazine.  I admit to subscribing for the beautiful pictures of nature.  I do not read every article. 

One article I did read was titled 'In Defense of Wildflowers'.  No pictures, but everyone knows how much I love flowers, so I read it.

Imagine my dismay when I discovered that the reason for the discussion was that feral hogs were destroying the native flowers and habitat.  Feral hogs are a problem?  What about the g-d- deer????  Come to Town Hall or our nature preserve in the Spring and you may notice that all the tulips and trillium have been eaten by the deer.

According to the article there are 5 million feral hogs.  According to my web search, there are over 25 million deer with a population that doubles every two years.  Ten deer today, twenty two years from now.  And it's not that we have invaded their habitat (I've lived here 40 years), it's that they have more food sources and no predators.  (Why did we not allow Ted Nugent to bow-hunt deer in our nature preserve????   And yes, in the early 90's I thought it was a bad idea.  Stupid me.)

Their only predator here is the car.  I live in a state that is in the top five for deer crashes.  In my community there are a little over 31 square miles.  About 14% of that area is open water, or about 4 acres.  Last year there were eleven deer-car crashes reported.  So far this year there have been 10.  Ten crashes across 27 acres and that's not all roads.  Last month there was a dead fawn right up at my corner on the main road.

My theory about folks being upset about feral hogs is because they are not 'cute'.  Oh, the deer are so cute, along with chipmunks and squirrels (rats not so much).  It reminds me of people who choose their mates based on looks and then realize they have married a complete jerk.

The deer are a serious problem.  While I was doing my web search I found this article from a year ago about a car-deer crash that ended in the death of seven family members.  What will it take to make people see that we need to address this issue locally?

This week I received my newsletter from Christopher Kimball at America's Test Kitchen.  He lives in Vermont and it is bow-hunting season.  Here is an excerpt: 

This year I used a camouflage face mask that fits over my cap and, to my surprise, it made a difference. I had a young doe walk no more than 20 feet away and then turn to look at me for more than a minute without spooking. I guess human faces really are what scare deer the most.

Human faces?  What kind of deer do they have in Vermont?  I have never scared a deer out of my yard by looking at it and I think I look kinda human.  They certainly do not see me as a threat.  And I don't think they would run off if I stood on the deck with the bow and arrow I have hanging down in the basement.

I am constantly asked when the Township Board will address this issue.  Well, these are the same folks who refused to get rid of the mute swans on the lakes.  Nothing like paying thousands upon thousands of dollars in property taxes to live on a lakefront and then not have access to your beach because some invasive species is chasing you away. 

Sometimes I think our whole world is going nuts in the name of saving the environment.  What about saving the people? 

Chip and Dale are not so cute when they are destroying your Home

I am battling with chipmunks.  I have had problems with them for several years. 

About ten years ago we had a horrible stench in our basement.  I called a pest control company and after two hours and a few hundred dollars for his time, he discovered a hole in my concrete foundation wall where the chipmunks had burrowed through.  They, along with a few moles, had entered and died in the insulation.

A few years later, I went to change my furnace filter and wondered what was blocking the removal of the filter.  Turned out that a chipmunk had chewed through the outside vent opening for air, traveled down the vent pipe and landed 'kerplunk' on the floor of the filter cabinet and killed himself.  YUCK!  (Maybe that is slightly better than having a squirrel die in your sanitary vent pipe.)

This year I have holes and tunnels all over my yard.  I couldn't understand why one of my window wells was full of water since we had very little rain.  Turns out that  they had tunneled under the lily of the valley all around the well wall.  So, every time I watered the plants, the water would run into the tunnels and into the well before the plants and ground could soak it up.

I remember several years ago when I was working at town hall we also had a problem with chipmunks.  Our maintenance man was live-trapping and releasing - who knows where.  As he was coming back to our 99-acre complex, there was a resident at the entrance releasing his live traps of chipmunks.  Does not exactly solve the problem.

When my children were little I had one of those kiddie pools on the patio.  Many a morning I found dead chipmunks floating in it.  The lady at the garden center said she uses a five gallon bucket filled half-full of water with sunflower seeds on top.  She's caught over 20 so far this year.  Her son thinks she's cruel.  The last exterminator I hired (to trap a HUGE groundhog) told me he took over 100 chipmunks out of someone's attic.  (It was a very large home.)  EEEWWW!

I have set rat traps around the yard, but they get pretty good at not setting them off.  This morning I was on the internet and found this article on the problem.  Anyone know where you can find a carbon monoxide chamber?

Sometimes, Conserving Energy is Messy

For much of my younger life, my mother hung her clothes out to dry in the backyard.  That was after she washed them in a wringer washing machine.  My younger readers may not even know what one looks like unless they have been to a museum.  Here is one similar to what I can remember:

I remember how happy I was the day we got a new washer and later a new dryer.  No more hanging the clothes out to dry on the line.  No more worrying about rain if the clothes were out and you left home for any reason.  No more worrying about birds on the line and having to rewash clothes.  Yuck.

I thought about this yesterday after a friend mentioned that she is thinking of going back to hanging out her laundry.  Personally, I can make better use of my time and energy spent hanging out clothes, than actually saving a few pennies on running my gas dryer.

But that is not the least of my objections.  It is the birds.  Everything in my yard is covered with bird doo (sp?).  Light fixtures, downspouts, mailbox, deck, furniture, well, you get the idea.  Here is a photo of a statue in my front yard:

Imagine that on your nice shirt.  Ewww!  I'll stick to the modern convenience.



Perseverance

If all American children has the perseverance of these deer, they would all be vying to be CEOs.

No sooner did I finish my post then I looked in back and the deer were right back in the yard.

I told them to 'go' and they left.  Then I got the 'evil eye'.

Notice the broken fence supports.

Bambi and Mama, Please Go Away

Today was my day to volunteer at the hospital.  I was running late, so I did not make my bed before I left the house.  I decided to go in and make it a few minutes ago.  Imagine my surprise when I saw Bambi lolling behind my bedroom window. 

There she is lying in the walkway under the spruce tree.  I took a few more pictures and then went to open the blind on the other window.  And there was mama lying on the side under the sweet gum tree.

When I opened the door wall to go out, she jumped up.  Bambi followed suit. 

Bambi on the left behind the tree.

They have managed to knock over the arbor in front.  So, I put that back in the ground when I got home today.  They also jumped right through the deer fencing in back.  I am not sure going out there and replacing it at this point is worthwhile.  They will just come in another way.

Do I really want a six-foot fence all around my yard?  Was Robert Frost correct?  Stay tuned.

Deer Season in West Bloomfield

If you read any books or articles about deer, they always talk about them eating at dusk and dawn.  What a bunch of hooey.  They eat 24/7.

It is just after 2:30 in the afternoon and me and my camera have just come in from a romp with two deer.  I walked out to the kitchen to get something to drink and there were two deer standing in a flower bed eating the geum which has beautiful green leaves.  Or rather had leaves.

I shooed them out and went and grabbed the camera.  There they were standing in the yard looking at me.

 And then they were looking at the neighbor's car.

Or was it the campaign sign?

Ah.  It was food.

I must admit I prefer looking at their hind ends which means they are leaving.  As for when they eat, it's all the time.

Rodents on Hooves Strike Again

Early yesterday morning I found myself standing on my decking yelling at the deer.  Seems that Mama and her twins were busy eating all of the berries on my Viburnum at the lot line.  I shooed them away.  Fifteen minutes later they were right back in the same place and we had an 'instant replay' of my yelling.

Later in the afternoon, I went outside and wrapped the shrub with a large 'shrubguard' bag.  Actually, I had to tie two large bags together to cover the bush.  Two years ago they ate all of the new flower buds on the bottom half of the bush, so last year I wrapped it in burlap.

Yesterday there was an article on deer crashes in the Detroit Free Press.  In my opinion not enough of these deer were killed in West Bloomfield.  They must be more safety conscious and do not play in traffic as much as they do in other communities.

Today Brian O'Connor wrote about deer in his Detroit News column.  His wife and I seem to agree on these nasty rodents with hooves.

Not thirty minutes ago I was walking through the living room and saw those same three deer staring at my shrub - all covered in burlap.  HA!  Take that!  They moseyed off down to the river and waded across to find other pickins'.  Works for me.  Good riddance.

The Evidence

Fortunately, my son did not send me a picture of the skunk he found.  Or I should say, half of a skunk. He did, however, send a picture of a feather left at the 'scene of the crime'.

I have found my share of dead birds and mammals in my yard.  Nothing like finding a half-skinned groundhog next to the deck.  Yuck.  But at least it doesn't smell as bad.

I have not seen a lot of owls around here, though I have seen a few and they are always a treat.  More likely to be seen are hawks  and if you look up there is a good chance they will be circling in the sky.  I always figure there will be at least one less rodent when they are through.  And that is a good thing in my opinion.

One Dangerous Owl

This guy's twin is living at my son's house.

I've always assumed that the dead mammals I've found in my yard were the result of the coyotes.  Now I am not so sure.



Not so Stupid Dog Tricks

I will try just about anything to keep the deer out of my yard.  Tall shrubbery, wooden fences, deer netting, urine sprays, dried-blood sprays, human hair, scented containers and even Irish Spring soap.  If they allowed shooting, I might even try that.

This spring I bought twelve bars of soap and spread them around the yard.  I am not sure how much help they have been since I have so many other deterrents around.  I noticed a few weeks ago that some of the soap was chewed on.  I was thinking that it was a raccoon, chipmunk, or squirrel.  That may be, but my neighbor has informed me that his chocolate lab puppy is the culprit.

He told me that every time his dog would walk past him in the house he would get this faint perfumery odor.  He couldn't figure out what it was until he saw a bar of soap in his yard.  Seems that 'Coco', who likes to come over here and sit in the shade, picked up a bar of soap and carried it home.  So, my neighbor found the bar and brought it back, depositing it in the flower bed.

A few days later, the dog was in his back yard standing on the steps leading into his swimming pool.  He saw her shaking her head back and forth in the water and went out to inspect what she was doing.  Ah.  She was making bubbles with another bar of my soap.  Once she had a sufficient amount of bubbles, she set the bar down and then went back to break the bubbles with her paw.  I think this is a version of a dog giving herself a bath and told him it would save him the effort of doing so.  And no 'doggy breath'.

The next thing we need to teach her is how to scare away the deer.  And maybe the geese.  Forget that silly sit and roll over stuff.  We need something useful. 

Walking the Dog

Now that I am at home all day, or at least most days, I can see what goes on in my neighborhood.  Most noticeable are the speeding cars who cut through to avoid the light at Farmington and Walnut Lake Roads.  Some mornings it is like the Indy 500.

The other thing I notice is the number of folks walking their dogs, or rather, the number of dogs out walking their owners.  With the exception of just a couple folks, most of these people allow their dogs to roam where ever they like on one of those long leads that pulls out. 

One guy walks while texting.  He has no idea where his dog is going.  Or for that matter, he is not even paying attention to where he is going.  I expect to see him lying on the pavement one day after tripping over something in the road.

Another woman walks what looks like three over-sized rats.  I am sure they are some special breed.  All three wander in different directions.  One in front, one to the side, one lagging back.  I am amazed that she doesn't end up tangled in the leads.

The worst offenders are the ones who let their dogs wander into the yards to do their business and then don't bother to clean up after them.  There is nothing like walking through your yard and finding a pile of dog poop.  Since I have yet to catch those culprits, I have to think they are out very early or very late.

Then there is the person who walks the dog and allows him to stop at every mailbox and plant in the entire neighborhood.  I have no patience with these folks.  Looking out my front window one morning, I saw a woman at the mailbox allowing her dog to go on my flowers.  I opened the window and asked her to remove her dog.  She asked me where was she supposed to take him to go to the bathroom.  DUH!  I asked her if she had a yard of her own!

Mind you, I have owned three dogs while I have been living here.  When out for a walk I never allowed them to go on someone else's property.  Two of them were male dogs who I am sure would love to have sprayed every yard to mark their territory.  Not a chance.

So, the other day I am at a neighbor's home when this dog is out walking the owner.  Same dog as the one I told the woman to remove from my yard.  Now it is the husband walking the dog.  The dog is stopping at every mailbox and street planting and spraying same.

I say to the neighbors that I do not know why some people think anyone wants their dog 'pee' all over their yard.  The guy hears me and stops and asks where he is supposed to take his dog.  Again I ask if he has a yard.  He calls me a 'bitch'.  He then calls me a 'fat bitch'.

Now, I have been called a 'bitch' by many folks including a former mayor of the City of Detroit.  I prefer to think of myself as 'The Bitch', thank you.  (Another neighbor told me that his mother has claimed the title 'Ms Bitch'.) 

The guy continues to walk the dog down the street, stopping at every mailbox and tree.  Last night, the wife is out with the dog.  I watch her come down the street with dog at every, well you know what I mean.  So, I stood out there waiting for her to approach my property.  She crossed to the other side of the road.  My neighbor told me what house she lives in and I drove by yesterday.  Another unkempt yard.  Perfect place for doggie doo.

I found a website with information about how to walk the dog.  Actually, it has some great info about dogs.  I am guessing that none of these folks I talked about have ever looked at it.  Ever watch the Westminster Dog Show on TV?  Ever see a dog spraying the trophies?  I think not. 

This is not a Bed and Breakfast

While walking through my yard on Thursday morning, I noticed that my tall columbine plants, in full bloom, had been chewed off and were lying on the ground.  They were not eaten, just chewed off and left to rot.  Looking at the marks and the level they were cut at, I figured that the deer had come through and chewed them off to clear a path.  Well, they were almost done blooming anyway.

Yesterday, with all the rain, I sat in the house and read a book (after I spent three hours on a conference call meeting).  We got a lot of rain as evidenced by the now full bird baths in the yard.

This morning I looked in the back and noticed that the stream under my bridge was almost dry.  How could that be?  Did my sump pump stop working?  I went outside to check the discharge line and felt my blood pressure soar.

The line dumping onto the rocks was moved.  A further check showed that the supports were knocked over.  Moving back toward the house I saw that the line was completely disconnected and the window well and all areas around the house were full of water.  Wonderful.

I had just re-attached the connection earlier in the week.  I figured I had not tightened it enough in the spring.  Obviously, this was not my fault.  Something had walked through here and knocked the line off and moved it. 

Then I saw the lilies and chives growing behind the house.  They were flat.  Flat as a pancake.  A lawn area nearby was also flat.  Only one explanation for the damage.  Night time visitors.

I think the deer need to find out that I am not running a B&B.  I am really thinking of putting a fence all around my back yard area.  Just as if I had a pool.  I already have the fence on one side because my neighbor has a pool.  Actually, as I've mentioned before, I'd like a fence around my entire yard.  I also have neighbors who would like the same thing. 

I purchased two four-foot tall cranes to place in the back by the water.  I think I need to go online and see if I can find statues of coyotes, or wolves, and place those in the yard.  Maybe then the critters will find another place to hang out.  They certainly are not welcome here.

Out for a stroll

Last Wednesday I left my home to head over to the library to pick up a book.  As I started down the road, what do I see but a coyote out for a brisk walk at two in the afternoon. 

I should mention that one of my big gripes when I was on the board of trustees was the levy of the safety path millage.  The ballot issue only passed by two voters and I felt then, and still do now, that it should not have been levied without a very good majority.  Furthermore, there is very little traffic on any of these paths considering the number of residents we have.  And they are darned expensive to construct.

So, back to the coyote who obviously was using the path for its intended purpose.  Hey, no risk of a motorist hitting him.

I have seen them before in the Township.  One was standing and howling on my deck one night, apparently letting others know that this was his territory.  No argument from me as he has killed several small annoying rodents and the like.

So, Mr. Coyote is hiking down the road.  I thought I would grab a pic with my cell phone so I turned around and went back to where he was walking.  I pulled into a subdivision and he and I made eye contact through the window.   He just stood there glaring at me rather curiously.  He was unbelievably mangy and looked like he had not eaten in awhile.

Unfortunately, I had run out of the house and left the phone on the counter, so no pic.  But I found this on the web and it is very similar to what I saw, though this guy looks much healthier. 

"Bambi has to go" and she can take Mother Goose with her!

I just received the latest issue of National Wildlife Magazine.  There on page 31 is a story titled 'Oh Deer!'.  Oh, dear, indeed!

The National Park Service in Washington, D.C. is busy counting deer in Rock Creek Park.  The November 2009 census showed 67 whitetails per square mile.  Fort Washington National Park counted 200 deer per square mile.  And at Gettysburg, they are shooting the deer, not reenacting battles.  (Ahem, Rochester Hills).

Deer eat everything under four feet tall.  They'd eat taller stuff, but they can't reach it.  Shrubs and seedlings are rapidly disappearing in Rock Creek, with shrub cover down by 40%.  This results in less habitat for smaller mammals and birds.  Tree regeneration is being affected.  But for the deer, it is a bonanza, and thanks to the food, they are now having twins, making the population increase even faster.

Rock Creek has a deer management plan to reduce the population to 15 to 20 deer per square mile using sharpshooters and euthanasia.  Not everyone in the area is happy about the plan, but it was one local resident who said at a meeting, "Bambi, has to go".

So, I agree with the woman.  And while we are at, let's get rid of Mother Goose too.  Plant damage aside, I personally am tired of cleaning deer scat and goose droppings out of my yard.  Yuck!

P.S.  For those who say the deer were here first, I've lived in my home since 1972 and have only seen deer in the last ten years.  I wonder if Mr. Big will be back this fall?