‘buck up!’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
Fairfax County’s deer population is so out of control that they’re actually permitting hunting in Colvin Run and Laurel Mill parks. Experienced hunters who are members of Suburban Whitetail Deer Management of Northern Virginia will be able to enter the parks in early morning hours to hunt deer using compound bows (not firearms), and meat will be donated to local homeless shelters.
I don’t have the same problem with this that Chris Needham of NBCWashington seems to have. While deer are indeed beautiful, majestic animals, and Bambi was an adorable fawn, they are also basically pests. Big, pretty, pests that can defoliate acres and acres of land. And as someone trying to constantly examine the ethics of meat production and her own consumption, I can’t help pointing out a clean shot from an experienced hunter (after a few years of frolicking in natural habitat, I might add) is a relatively humane way for a mammal to meet its end, certainly no worse than getting ambushed by a mountain lion, and rather a lot better than dying of starvation because of overpopulation. And finally, venison is a cheap, readily-available source of lean protein, making it a perfect thing to donate to food-related charities that are already feeling the pinch of reduced donations and increased demand for services.
So bring on the deer hunt, y’all.
Tiffany Baxendell Bridge is an Internet enthusiast and an incurable smartass. When not heckling the neighborhood political scene on Twitter, she can be found goofing off with her ukulele, Bollywood dancing, or obsessing about cult TV. She is That Woman With the Baby In the Bar.
Tiffany lives in Brookland with her husband Tom, son Charlie, and two high-maintenance cats. Read why Tiffany loves DC.
I love the taste of venison!
To me, deer are NOT cute. Not Bambi. They’re wild animals. They’re bigger and stronger than you. That will eat your plants. They will defend their young by charging you if you’re not careful. Stay back!!!
Oh, and I LOVE venison!
I am so hiring those guys for the WeLoveDC dirt lab. MMMM Venison Jerky.
For those of you interested in learning hunting for localvores, Jackson Landers is starting up a new class in Charlottesville on Sundays: http://rule-303.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-deer-hunting-for-locavores-class.html
Anyone with affection for deer has never hit one with their car or owned a garden in the country. As you say, Tiff, they are simply large, graceful pests. Oh, and they’re delicious.
I know a lot of people hate hunting, but trust me- we had the same problem out in Colorado for a while when I was a kid, and it’s hard to think of something more sad than watching those things starve because of overpopulation. Here’s hoping this helps- and if it feeds the homeless while we’re at it, so much the better.
A similar action is being proposed for Rock Creek. I hope they do it
“Big, pretty, pests that can defoliate acres and acres of land.”
You could say the same about a hell of a lot more animals than just deer in Northern Virginia, especially the two-legged ones. Deer are actually pretty benign in comparison…
Are they the “pests” or are we?
It seems to me we’re the ones that are overpopulating!
But yeah…venison is good!