Deer Season

I have to admit that Deer Season is not one of my favorite times to be on the Farm.   We do not hunt or allow hunting on the Farm.  Blaze orange appears and moves about the landscape of the neighboring properties.  From a distance those blaze orange vests, jackets, sweatshirts make the wearer look like a tiny bright bug on the landscape. Trucks and Hunters routinely travel sometimes at great speeds down our off the beaten track road, as if to say "Don't get in my way."

This weekend is Youth Season.  Next weekend the full season begins.  This will feature the most intense activity.  A break for Thanksgiving is in the works and some limited season follows after that. The quiet country side will be broken with punctuations of shots. 

We 3 C's are not opposed to hunting.  Richard hunts.  We do eat game, deer and turkey especially.  Deer is a staple in our diet, surpassed on by Beef, or should I say "Cow".

During Deer Season, we 3 C's are careful not to walk around our property, which we absolutely love to do, especially during the late Fall.  If we are out and about, we wear blaze orange or bright colors. We feel relatively safe, although it is important to be smart about it.  It is not as tranquil to walk in Deer Season, I might add.  A major reason why we do not walk is that we do not want to scare up any Deer who might then wander into sight of Hunters.  They have few places of sanctuary at this time.

I think how awful it must be for the Deer to have gone from a peaceful period to one where they seem to have become a target.  What sense must they make of all of this?  I cannot make sense of it myself.  The prevailing view in our culture is that non-Human Nature has no feeling.  I beg to differ.  Besides, all Creatures are gifts of the Divine.

I just hope that Hunting, as in all Human Actions, is done in a good way.  I suppose you could call that a prayer.