This was Jasper. He was adorable but
unfortunately was killed during hunting season by the neighbours when he was two years old. So heartbreaking.

November is the worst month of the year and my least favourite.  There are a number of reasons why I dislike November.  For starters, all of the flowers that have graced my flowerbeds all summer long get frozen and die.  The grass turns brown, leaves fall from the trees, the daylight hours get shorter and there is a nip to the air reminding us that winter is just around the corner.

November means deer hunting season is here.  In my area it begins the first Monday in November and lasts from 2 to 3 weeks depending on how plentiful the deer are.  This year it will last for two weeks.

Today is Saturday; hunting season will begin on Monday.  I have done all that I can to help save the deer that live on our property and surrounding area.  Every year the hunters release their hunting dogs several properties away in the hopes that the dogs will flush the deer out of the “safe” properties where they kill them once they leave our property.  This breaks my heart.  I despise hunting but I think I would feel a little better about it if dogs were banned.

A decade ago I built a picket fence around a portion of our property (we live on 12 ½ acres of wooded land).  The fence is four feet high allowing the deer to easily jump over it but is designed to keep the dogs out.  Every year I fill a hopper (a wooden feeder that is designed to allow the feed to spill out as the deer consume it) full of deer feed that I purchase at the local feed store.  It gives me comfort knowing that these beautiful creatures can find refuge here and if they just stay quiet can survive.

You are probably thinking that I am sounding pretty depressed.  I am not.  At the end of the day on November 16^th I will be my usual self.  I will have a heavy heart until that day.  By then all of the things that make me sad will be over.  By then there will probably have been one or two snowfalls covering up all of that old dead grass and leaves and turning my little piece of paradise in the forest into a sparkling and white wonderland.  All of the sadness will be gone and I can again enjoy watching my beautiful deer wander up to the house looking for a snack of feed.

I do hope they manage to escape the hunters bullets.

– Nora Shorkey

It’s only fair to share…