If you haven't seen a picture of the poor deer, here it is...
Was I overly excited that Zach killed an animal - no, but he does like to hunt, just like his dad. And yes I know that the deer population needs to be kept under control & if not the farmers like us will loose more & more crops to the deer.
I asked "Zach don't you feel bad about killing that poor guy?" "Nope". What kind of kid am I raising? Will he kill animals for the sport of it? Will he actually aquire a taste for the meat? Well....Kiersten & I went on about our day, Zach wanted to stay at his Dad's with his deer to show it off. A few hours later I get a call from Zach. Mom can I go hunting with dad this afternoon. I can be such a pushover at times & I said OK. However, I did what any good mother would do "Zach you know you already got a buck today & you know if you shoot a doe that their could be a baby out there waiting for its mommy to return & it will have to live all by itself for the winter & it won't have her to teach it how to stay warm." He said "yeah mom". Well I thought that my BIG guilt trip fell on def ears until I went to pick him up & I asked him if he saw any mommy deer (nope I didn't stop the guilt trip). Zach said "I left my gun at the house mom"...ahh I saved a mommy deer :), but Zach did go on to tell me that at this time of the year they are mateing & that there wouldn't be any baby deer out there without a mommy. Hmm, what could I possibly say to that? "Well what about if there was a mommy & daddy that were really really in love & had a baby deer when they weren't suppose too?" "What if the mommy deer was already pregnant with the baby deer". I know I'm a mean mom & I shouldn't guilt my children, but I just couldn't help myself - I have a soft heart, well parts of it is soft. Anyway, my whole point of putting my kid through this is to help ensure that he doesn't just hunt for the sport of it. If he chooses to hunt & doesn't want the meat to make sure the meat can be processed & given to someone that would want or need the meat.
And yes Zach is going to have the head mounted & thank goodness it will hang at his dad's house. I don't think I could handle that poor deer looking at me with his glass eyes.
Kaileigh is quite disturbed that her sweet Zach has decided to off a deer. Her first question when seeing the pictures was "how did Zach get a deer to lay with him?" I expect there will be questions at the Thanksgiving table that Zach will get bombarded with. I hope for his sake that he will atleast eat the deer meat. If not, she has it out for him.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do not like hunting, it needs to be done. Areas that over populate with deer suffer just as much as the starving deer. So for that reason, I am able to ignore it. So long as the hunter is good and nails the poor deer quickly.
I have to say that deer live much happier lives out in the forest than our friend the feed lot cow.
Good job Zach. Thank you for doing your part in keeping the population in check.