There are still around thirty loads of corn out, which the boss is still chopping, since we have had enough rain to float the ark. Thank God for the loan/rental of his friends' tractor.
Hunting season is less than a week old and the boss has already had a close encounter of the make-a-bad-name-for-all-hunters kind. He was chopping on one of our fields that bounds neighbors who bought their land for a hunting preserve. Someone, a complete stranger, who didn't walk like a country type of guy, waved to him from their side of the fence. He waved back and continued on down the rows of corn. The guy strode right over to the fence and climbed over right next to a big, fat, yellow posted sign. He motioned him to go back. The guy began a screaming match about how unfriendly and nasty my man is including some references to various parts of anatomy that will not be detailed here. The guy could not imagine why we would not want him trotting around the field where the boss was working, brandishing a loaded fire arm, or why we might want to keep the place for Alan to hunt. He was pretty graphic about his point of view. I guess the nearly ten thousand bucks in property taxes we pay each year is so he can have a nice place to play. Glad the boss has mellowed out a little in recent years because he is the wrong guy to pick on about trespassing and can make his feelings known.
Can you tell these animals apart? Me too.
We rarely turn the Jerseys out this time of year though, because a lot of other people, who are armed and dangerous can't. Check this story out if you want to be sickened about carelessness in the woods. I like hunting, and am even going to go out with Alan with the camera one day soon. I hate being forced to keep brown cows in the barn all during hunting season and worrying about my men as they go about their work.
Alan went out "deer lockering" for his fisheries and wildlife studies Sunday. He had quite a time shadowing a Department of Environmental Conservation technician as they aged deer and took samples to check for chronic wasting disease at various processing plants around the state. They also radio-tracked coyotes, which are being studied for their impact on deer populations. College sure does seem to be a lot more fun than it was when I went. Or maybe it is just that fisheries and wildlife has it all over liberal arts hands down (can you imagine me doing liberal anything?) Back in my day girls were nurses, secretaries or teachers...they sure didn't deer locker.
So that is the story here at the farm. Can't wait for the corn to be done. Hope the kid gets a deer. Hope the boss can find a new engine for the 4490 that we can afford to buy and put in. Hope things are going well at your place.
Me, I am ready to stop tearing my hair out any time now.
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21 comments:
Grrrr, why did you bring up property taxes and rude hunters in the same post?
Sorry about the tractor, poor boss. And people wonder why farmers can be crabby once in awhile.
Great post, I want Alan to be our Fish and Wildlife guy when he graduates. Ours has spent too much time in the classroom and not enough outside. :)
Yup, there is always a few who try their darndest to ruin it for the many!
I haven't even had any hunters ask to hunt for quite a few years now.
That's okay, it's easier putting up with the deer than most hunters.
Can you paint the cows with bright orange reflective paint? Seriously?
I HATE HUNTERS! Not the local, farmer kind, but the city type that think they can HUNT WHERE EVER THEY DARN WELL FEEL LIKE IT!!!!!
We sure have had our share! The other part of 'bad' hunters come from the transplanted city/town folks who 'want to live in the country in a clump of a subdivison'. Because they live in a subdivison where thier land connects with your farm, why then your farm is thier playground!!!!!
We post our ground too, we have had cows shot, children playing (right at the house, mind you) just missed being shot, fences broken down, gates left open, and us cussed upon.
They still come. But we post anyway BECAUSE IF someone is trespassing on your property and they get hurt AND you did NOT post it they can SUE you. Go figure.
Geez!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
I have always said that to get a hunting license, you should be able to identify the deer from among a few pictures - cows, horses, great danes, people - things like that.
My favorite stupid hunter story comes from my brother, before he retired from the NYS troopers.
It's dinner time near Peekskill, and he and his partner are just coming out of a diner to get back on patrol. They see a car coming down the road, with something tied on. It was deer season, so they didn't think much about it ... until it got a little closer. My brother, the avid hunter, could not believe his eyes.
The great white hunters, back from conquering the northern woods, had their trophy tied across the hood for all the world to see - that they had managed to shoot some farmer's jackass.
Needless to say, they got as many tickets as my brother could think of.
One year hunters got our black Shetland ram. Who had lots of wool and huge curly horns.
I'm always sorry to hear stories, and there are many, about stupid hunters. It makes it so hard for those who are intelligent about their activities.
I have tagged you for a MEME on my blog.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
that truck was a hybrid p.o.s. the guy hated it.
I've got quite a bit of walk in hunting ground close to my place, sooooo, that means when the hunters are done with the stuff they don't have to ask about, well, hey, there's some stuff right there they can hunt. And so what if they drive over planted wheat?
yeah, i'm staying out of the woods right now, which is irritating, 'cause i could use some time with my "let it be" tree.
make sure your men are careful getting the deer back out too - a coworker told me that a couple of years ago, his cousin shot a deer, and killed the hunter who had the deer over his shoulder carrying it out. *sigh*
Nita, I know, I know. We get so frustrated by folks who actually feel they have ever RIGHT to hunt our property. The tractor is a major disaster. Don't know how we are going to deal with it, thanks.
And we have high hopes for Alan. Not long ago I was teaching him everything I know about the outdoors. Now he is teaching me. I can still surprise him though on Latin names and all. lol
JB, you are lucky not having a mess of hunters. There are good ones for sure, but we seem to meet a bunch of the other kind every day.
LInda, I have been shot at too, and ordered off MY OWN LAND while riding my horse. That business about them suing the land owner makes me plumb mad. A few years ago the state was telling us we couldn't be sued. Now they admit that we can. Thanks for your comment
akagag, you are SO right. Thanks for the story from your brother. Years ago we sold a nice buck goat to some friends who lived in the Adirondacks. They LOVED that silly goat. The lady of the family was looking out the picture window of their living room and the goat was standing outside the window looking up at her. Hunters stopped on the road, jumped out of the car and shot the goat...right in front of her. They then proceeded to try to TAKE the goat and argued with her that it was a deer. NY City guys. Yay! I think the officer that took care of them wrote a few tickets too, but the poor goat was still dead.
Rose, that is simply terrible! I feel so bad for you. And how could they make such a mistake!! Scary!!
Jan, you are so right. The bad ones take away hunting ground from the responsible ones
Linda, thanks, I will try to get to er after milking
Jeffro, figures doesn't it? We live near a development and have a lot of trouble with four wheelers. And of course they have to go right across the fields....or do a few donuts...
Erika, I will warn them about that. Thank you! We even know a guy who had his buck stolen from him at gun point by a hunter who thought he needed it more. Sad.
There was a few years ago we had a van of city hunters driving around just shooting deer out of open fields. Well one morning I went to put out the dog and a few doe were running across the field which is my back yard and these orange idiots started shooting from the road at the doe and guess who was in the line of fire behind the doe, I called my husband whom was milking, he left the barn and chased them down... well we never saw the van again... but I still have not forgotten being shot at.
Hope you locate an engine.
I like it when the kids come home and share what they are learning, I know that they are happy and engaged.
Not having many left myself I would advise against pulling any hair out, especially because of fools - they seem to be multiplying faster than bunny rabbits. Hope the corn gets in, drier isn't happening sooner than icing will be upon you. Take care out there, I know he will get a good one (deer or dear).
A very few hunters-like the jerk in your area-seem to tarnish the title of "hunter" for the rest of the decent law abiding ones! I hope all your wishes come true-the deer, the tractor, and the corn.
All I know is I'm glad when deer season is over.
WW, Wow! That is one of the worst ones I have heard yet!! There would be lot more clean kills of deer made safely I think if hunters calmed down and slowed down and actually thought a little bit....and learned some common sense. Glad you are okay after such a horrible experience!
Thank you so much Earl, we are trying. Had to put the cows in the barn even days yesterday, which makes the prospect of ever getting done that much worse. We will just keep at it I guess. Take care
Tipper, it probably is only a few, but as in everything the bad ones are the ones you see and hear about. They make a bad name for everyone else. Thanks!
Linda, I am too very much!
wich one is the deer?
Wow, can't get away from those bad attitude hunters that spoil it for the good ones wherever you go, kudos to the boss..
We have to keep our goats close too this time of year, especially since the deer will come up and graze right next to them, had a pickup load of "visiting from downstate hunters" stop and point at the sheep on opening day, made me wonder what they were thinking..! I have to think its not necessarily an accident when they shoot a young beefer instead and haul it away. What I can't figure out is why are there still so many deer here AFTER hunting season! ..And don't get me started about ATV folks who get angry and destroy the gates that keep the cows in!
Anon, the brown one is a deer. The other brown one is a cow.
Mari, wow, I would have been really concerned to see them pointing at the sheep!! I like hunting and I am sure that most hunters are decent folks...it's just the other ones that you notice. We once had a guy, we even knew who it was, open our back pasture gates so he could ride his ATV. We found out about it when the horses didn't come down to be put in the barn at night. I will never forget being eight months pregnant, out in a blizzard with snow over my knees calling horses in the blinding, snow swirling dark. At the time we had a saddle horse, two ponies and a pair of Belgians. The light horses were tame and came right up and the smallest pony even helped me get down to the house, the Belgians thought that we were the Bogey man and friends and covered a lot of ground. It was awful and I can't say as I have ever forgiven the guy.
I hated hunting season when we had the farm. We had brown horses! Once, about 2 miles from me, a from-the-city hunter actually shot and killed a girl who was riding her all WHITE horse down the side of the road.
Islagringo, I can well believe it. I was riding with a friend, me on my black horse, she on a pinto. We were both wearing red. We had red on the horses. We had bells on the girth. We were singing. Loudly. And bullets came whistling over our heads! sorry to hear about such a tragedy.
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