This time last year I was a vegetarian and had been for about four years. Andy was a mostly vegetarian who only ate meat at restaurants. After we moved here we both slowly started eating meat again. Part of the reason was because fresh, happy meat is easier to come by here. But, a bigger part, I think, is that the culture here doesn’t really support vegetarianism. I’m not saying they don’t have vegetarian type stuff here like, um, vegetables, but it just doesn’t seem to fit here as much. Of course, it could be that we see so many cows everyday it just makes us hungry. (Though, we really don’t eat beef much at all.)
Today we got about 15 pounds of frozen venison off of freecycle. The lady got the venison from a friend, but her family refused to eat it. Deer hunting is a big deal around here. Deer are everywhere. Especially on the side of the road squished. One morning on the way into work we saw a deer carcass being devoured by two dogs. Once we saw a deer tossed over the spare tire on someone’s jeep.
While we were waiting this morning to see if we would be the lucky recipients of the free meat, we started pondering hunting. Wouldn’t it be neat to go out and hunt a deer and have our own meat? When I was a vegetarian I never had a problem with people hunting deer. There are so many of them; they need some predators besides cars. They aren’t as hard on the land as cows. They get to run and frolick and be free. They have a good life, and then hunters kill them and eat them. Sounds good to me.
I don’t know if I could hunt (mentally), or if I would be decent enough at it actually catch anything, but it is something I’m pondering. Maybe we can find some hunting mentors who would take us out and teach us the ropes. Or, maybe we’ll just mooch off of freecycle.
Speaking of meat, here are some photos of critters that will not become it.
Pumpernickel hides behind the feeder ’cause she knows it’s medicine time.
The ducks run around going WHEE.
Great pictures. I really enjoy them.
Cabol, Contact your cousin Rob. He is an avid hunter of deer, elk, turkey, and other game. He would most likely be happy to help you understand the process and what you would need to get started, if you have the desire to hunt. He keeps their freezer full.
Love you both.
Damn my computer….I had a nice comment typed up, but my stupid computer ate it. SO instead, I’ll just say, lovely picture of Pumpernickel…so adorable, peeking out like that.
“There are so many of them; they need some predators”
“They have a good life, and then hunters kill them and eat them.”
Bollocks, I bet you wouldn’t like some other species saying that about you!
“You’re having your lungs tugged out by a lion! Need
any help?”
“No thanks, I need some predators!”
or
“Well, you’re 40, fit and healthy. Just step into
this little room…”
Still, the ducka are happy! Yay for ducks!
We don’t have lions, we have war. Serves a similar purpose, but the meat is wasted.
Nah that doesn’t make sense; this isn’t war or even survival, it’s just shooting & eating someone for laffs & being “one with nature”, when you could have just gone to the shops instead, and the deer could still be happy (& bowling/watching TV etc).
Perhaps in England there isn’t as large a population of deer as in the US – maybe there are enough that the local predators keep things in check (er, are there predators in England anymore?). In this country, the deer evolved in part to satisfy the next tier up in the food chain. Unfortunately, we have managed to knock off most of those predators, because they traditionally had a nasty habit of also eating our domesticated animals (what you get when you have “gone to the shops”) or us. The end result is an overpopulation of deer, since they breed like, well, deer. As it is, not enough people hunt anymore to compensate for the lack of predators, which is why we end up with many deer-automobile accidents, and starvation when populations get out of contol. And this country is no longer designed to support a large predator population, nor is it feasible to start spaying entire deer herds. The humane solution is to try and cull the herds as best we can, since we are left at the top of the food chain.
I grew up in a community where many people hunt. I live in such a community now. And while I’m not saying hunters don’t enjoy it, everyone I know uses the meat to feed their families. Or their friends. Or donate it to organizations that redistribute it to the poor. And I like to think that every little bit of game that is consumed means the factory farms that provide our store-bought food are supported just a tiny bit less
Perhaps things are different in England, where going hunting is thought of more as a holiday event (‘Pip pip, let’s do us a bit of stalking, then get out the hounds for a run after the fox, then maybe a nip down to the dark continent for a bit of a safari!’). Perhaps there, hunting is done just for laughs.
And, let’s be honest, if I’m given the choice of starving slowly to death because my city is too full, or having someone come by, shoot me in the head, and having a bbq party with my remains, I think I’d choose the latter.
Blimey, by your argument we should turn the starving millions of Africa into pies. If I was starving, I’d rather stay alive as long as possible in the hope of finding some food thanks, not fall victim to some well-fed nutcases with guns.
It’s not as if you’re gonna die of starvation…. it’s not a survival kill-or-be-killed situation. There’s shops down the road selling food (I didn’t say anything about buying -meat- previously). Heck, you got a farm now, it’s a perfect opportunity to grow your own. You got eggs, there’s protein in eggs. Goat milk!
If it was free potatoes growing etc, no problem, u die if you don’t eat veg, but deer are thingies with minds and emotions, they get scared, and u don’t have to kill em… it’s a bit different, very sad, and more than a bit weird. Over here, hunting is seen by most as spooky weird stuff nutcases do; in part cos it’s not done for survival. And neither is it over there by the sound of it.
Like I said, put yourself in the deer’s place. No matter if you were hungry or not, I’m sure you wouldn’t wanna be shot… especially if the shooter could just go to the shops and buy a nice yam instead.
PS: “pip pip”?!