I hate spring!

No, not really, I like to see mother nature do her thing except make my grass grow. I was mowing a one acre field last weekend with the tractor and bushog, the grass was about three foot high, and never saw it. As I made my third pass I saw something in the cut grass. You probably guessed it, a fawn. I had run over it with the tires of the tractor. I have heard of farmers running fawns through hay equipment so I guess it should not surprize me, but it kind of upsets me cause I am a hunter. Like a old timer used to say " that could have been a good buck in a year or two ". I guess it goes to show that wildlife "kids" listen when mom "says you stay here until I get back" better than human kids.

Stuff happens. Life will go on.

Egon

The state wildlife folks here try to educate folks to not cut hay too early in the season for just that reason. Just a few weeks makes a big difference in the fawns situation. Young ones only defence is lack of scent and total immobility to avoid detection.

On the other hand, I have heard that the state wildlife folk are quietly releasing puma in Oklahoma to help control the deer plaque. Quietly to avoid a huge backlash from uninformed cattlemen and not have the countryside filled to overflow with good ole boys out to bag a big cat.

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

There are rumors the State DEC in NY are releasing cats here as well. I very much doubt it is true but then what else would people talk about.

I was cutting hay last week and was watching a mommy doe looking behind her in the field I was cutting and sure enough there was a fawn about 7-10 days old behind her. I took off and chased them to make sure the fawn went into the woods and didn't lay back down in the field I was cutting. If I am just brush chopping I will not cut till after June 15th. By then, most all the deer have had their fawns and the fawns are old enough to run for their lives if need be. Don't always help though with side mounted mowers like a disc-bine.

I personally think there is a Government project that breeds and releases Sasquatch (big foot).
Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]