Too many deer!
I couldn’t agree more with Icel Dobell regarding the deer situation (“I come not to praise hunters; nor to bury Bambi”, Citizen, Oct. 1).
I live near the hospital on a typical residential street and I have deer in my garden every day. Right now, it’s three fairly large bucks and a doe, all of which eat/trample/kill both native and introduced species. A couple of years ago there were seven of them hanging out in the little strip of forest behind my house. Barking dogs don’t deter them, nor does running after them in my pyjamas. I can’t afford a high enough fence to keep them out.
Like Ms. Dobell, I am trying to create a sanctuary for native species as well as grow food for myself, family and friends but I’m starting to lose both patience and hope. In addition, my sister has Lyme disease so I know just how debilitating a bite from an infected tick that’s been carried in by a deer can be.
Enough, I say! Shoot the vast majority of them, have them properly butchered, and then donate the meat to the food bank and whoever else can put it to good use. Then start a sterilization program for those that remain. Feel free to start the cull in my garden.
T.E. Taylor
Duncan