"I just did you a solid, homie"
November 12, 2014 11:35 AM Subscribe
This begs the question, "why would somebody put a donut on this deer's antler?"
posted by scalefree at 11:40 AM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 11:40 AM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Yeah. People suck. Nice that this guy took it off but some other asshole put it on. Probably the same guy who drew the super-pissed-off eyebrows on that poor deer's face, too.
In other news, dude's pretty lucky that deer didn't get feisty.
posted by nevercalm at 11:42 AM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
In other news, dude's pretty lucky that deer didn't get feisty.
posted by nevercalm at 11:42 AM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Those are some ears!
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:43 AM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:43 AM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Wait, they took the donut off, then put it back on again after the deer didn't want to eat it, and then took it off again?
posted by thecjm at 11:46 AM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by thecjm at 11:46 AM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
We should not assume:
1. that a human put the donut in place
2. that the mulie wants the donut removed
Also, nice unibrow, deer!
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 11:51 AM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
1. that a human put the donut in place
2. that the mulie wants the donut removed
Also, nice unibrow, deer!
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 11:51 AM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
I may have spent too much time in CS classes. I wanted to get an assortment of donuts and teach the deer to play Towers of Hanoi.
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:51 AM on November 12, 2014 [19 favorites]
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:51 AM on November 12, 2014 [19 favorites]
"... and every winter, we go down to the river in the woods to join in the great Antler Donut Harvest."
posted by hippybear at 11:54 AM on November 12, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 11:54 AM on November 12, 2014 [7 favorites]
Wait, they took the donut off, then put it back on again after the deer didn't want to eat it, and then took it off again?
Yup.
posted by maryr at 11:56 AM on November 12, 2014
Yup.
posted by maryr at 11:56 AM on November 12, 2014
My guess was that the deer had just attacked a cop.
posted by benito.strauss at 11:56 AM on November 12, 2014 [47 favorites]
posted by benito.strauss at 11:56 AM on November 12, 2014 [47 favorites]
Bro, that tiny hat looks ridiculous, plus it's giving you terrible dandruff.
posted by palomar at 11:59 AM on November 12, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by palomar at 11:59 AM on November 12, 2014 [4 favorites]
In other news, dude's pretty lucky that deer didn't get feisty.
Totally. I personally would have gored the guy. "Turn [stab] the fucking [stab] phone [stab] sideways [stab] for video . . . Fucking humans. How hard is it?"
posted by The Bellman at 12:01 PM on November 12, 2014 [69 favorites]
Totally. I personally would have gored the guy. "Turn [stab] the fucking [stab] phone [stab] sideways [stab] for video . . . Fucking humans. How hard is it?"
posted by The Bellman at 12:01 PM on November 12, 2014 [69 favorites]
I can only imagine the poor thing walking around in the woods for days saying "what is that wonderful smell behind me? Wait, NOW it's behind me. Whoops, no, it's behind me now!"
posted by nevercalm at 12:05 PM on November 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by nevercalm at 12:05 PM on November 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
What an asshole. The deer waded across a stream to bring him a donut and he didn't even say thank you.
posted by George_Spiggott at 12:08 PM on November 12, 2014 [24 favorites]
posted by George_Spiggott at 12:08 PM on November 12, 2014 [24 favorites]
I'm turning off my inner respect-for-wildlife pedant just to enjoy this.
posted by klanawa at 12:14 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by klanawa at 12:14 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
HEY BRO I HEARD YOU WANT LYME DISEASE AND A PUNCTURED AORTA
Seriously, though, that deer could easily get the donut off if he wanted to. Those antlers have been sharpened to a point by rubbing them on tree trunks. That the donut's still on there to begin with sort of leads me to suspect that Mr. Vertical Video placed it there himself.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:19 PM on November 12, 2014 [14 favorites]
Seriously, though, that deer could easily get the donut off if he wanted to. Those antlers have been sharpened to a point by rubbing them on tree trunks. That the donut's still on there to begin with sort of leads me to suspect that Mr. Vertical Video placed it there himself.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:19 PM on November 12, 2014 [14 favorites]
Looking forward to the AskMe checking if it's cool to eat this doughnut.
posted by Happy Dave at 12:22 PM on November 12, 2014 [20 favorites]
posted by Happy Dave at 12:22 PM on November 12, 2014 [20 favorites]
For much of my life, and back before there were freaking deer everywhere -- you know, when it actually was kind of a big deal to see one -- my extended family would vacation at a mountain fishing lodge (my grandfather first started going there in the 30s, before he married). The lodge owned a huge chunk of land, the whole face of the mountain and a good stretch of the river downstream from the box canyon. He'd inherited it from his father, who first built the lodge, and from his father's time even through today, they've never allowed any hunting of the deer on that land. Given that they also owned the face of the mountain, the deer have always had a safe refuge to retreat to in hunting season, I think.
The result is that the deer became (relatively) unafraid of humans -- generally more skittish than this remarkably calm deer, but not much more so. And because we'd feed them small bits of bread (not the best thing, I now know). Here's a photo of me taken around 1968 feeding a deer at the lodge. As you can see in the photo, the deer tended to get only as close as necessary to reach the bread, but they'd take it from your head. They would jump and retreat or run if alarmed, even if you just moved too quickly, so this deer is noticeably more acclimated to humans. Which is probably not good.
Although, again, in so many urban areas these days deer are commonplace and basically pests, like raccoons. It's still fun for me to see one crossing the road when I'm driving around, though.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 12:23 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
The result is that the deer became (relatively) unafraid of humans -- generally more skittish than this remarkably calm deer, but not much more so. And because we'd feed them small bits of bread (not the best thing, I now know). Here's a photo of me taken around 1968 feeding a deer at the lodge. As you can see in the photo, the deer tended to get only as close as necessary to reach the bread, but they'd take it from your head. They would jump and retreat or run if alarmed, even if you just moved too quickly, so this deer is noticeably more acclimated to humans. Which is probably not good.
Although, again, in so many urban areas these days deer are commonplace and basically pests, like raccoons. It's still fun for me to see one crossing the road when I'm driving around, though.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 12:23 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I've been camping for a couple-few months now and deer are a lot cuter from farther away.
They're a lot less endearing (hah!) when they're in rut and stampeding around your fragile litle hammock campsite in the dark and scaring you silly.
posted by loquacious at 12:23 PM on November 12, 2014
They're a lot less endearing (hah!) when they're in rut and stampeding around your fragile litle hammock campsite in the dark and scaring you silly.
posted by loquacious at 12:23 PM on November 12, 2014
maybe the deer was saving it til after his hike, yeesh.
posted by The Whelk at 12:32 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 12:32 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
Maybe it was a cop deer. A cop deer that had already met its quota, so it let the guy off with a warning after he tried to steal its donut.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:33 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:33 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
Donut, A deer, a female deer
posted by BinaryApe at 12:42 PM on November 12, 2014 [14 favorites]
posted by BinaryApe at 12:42 PM on November 12, 2014 [14 favorites]
The female was obviously a second deer, not that one.
(Ahem)
posted by BinaryApe at 12:44 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
(Ahem)
posted by BinaryApe at 12:44 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Yes, why are there so many deer now? I still have that instinct "wow, I saw a deer, amazing" but to be honest, they live in the garden. They don't even care the dog is barking his head off. If I trained them to carry donuts on their antlers, they would be happy to comply.
And they carry Limes disease.
The times are a changing.
posted by mumimor at 12:49 PM on November 12, 2014
And they carry Limes disease.
The times are a changing.
posted by mumimor at 12:49 PM on November 12, 2014
Reason there are so many deer:
Less natural predators
Less hunters
posted by Ferreous at 12:52 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Less natural predators
Less hunters
posted by Ferreous at 12:52 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Werner Herzog is going to be put out when his courier deer shows up with no powdered donut. He has no love for the little chocolate ones the bears bring him.
posted by gargoyle93 at 12:55 PM on November 12, 2014 [13 favorites]
posted by gargoyle93 at 12:55 PM on November 12, 2014 [13 favorites]
Reason there is only one donut:
No donut stores nearby.
posted by grumpybear69 at 12:57 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
No donut stores nearby.
posted by grumpybear69 at 12:57 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
And they carry Limes disease.
Limes disease
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:58 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
Limes disease
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:58 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
Deer: You guys like these things, right? Here. Now you can't shoot me.
Human: Toss me that rifle, Bill.
posted by jamjam at 1:04 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Human: Toss me that rifle, Bill.
posted by jamjam at 1:04 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
How Wolves Change Rivers on what happens when you put the predators back in an environment and the unexpected (positive!) side effects.
posted by The Whelk at 1:05 PM on November 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 1:05 PM on November 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
I try to do my part by shouting at the local deer to make them stay away from humans: "Nice antlers, Moccasins! Hey Wallet, get away from my garden!!"
posted by tuesdayschild at 1:15 PM on November 12, 2014
posted by tuesdayschild at 1:15 PM on November 12, 2014
and oh hey this popped up on my tumblr dash today - Overpopulation of Whitetail deer
posted by The Whelk at 1:19 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 1:19 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
This feels allegorical in the most frustratingly general way possible. "The donut represents... the deer's... assimilation into the wider world? But the deer represents mankind in its natural state, soooo...."
(Instead of complaining that the camera is sideways, perhaps we could... instead complain that youtube just does a shitty job of displaying vertical videos? And then maybe google could fix that and we could live in harmony and joy once more?)
posted by phooky at 1:19 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
(Instead of complaining that the camera is sideways, perhaps we could... instead complain that youtube just does a shitty job of displaying vertical videos? And then maybe google could fix that and we could live in harmony and joy once more?)
posted by phooky at 1:19 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Yeah honestly deer are kind of dicks. Voracious dicks who will carry diseases, eat every bit of growing plant that they don't trample, and generally mess up the joint.
Also much like opossums, waaaaaaaaaaaay less cute when viewed up close.
posted by Ferreous at 1:19 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also much like opossums, waaaaaaaaaaaay less cute when viewed up close.
posted by Ferreous at 1:19 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
But would the donut have helped or impaired his mating display? We need randomized trials.
posted by Soliloquy at 1:21 PM on November 12, 2014
posted by Soliloquy at 1:21 PM on November 12, 2014
But would the donut have helped or impaired his mating display? We need randomized trials.
Every Doe's crazy for a donut buck
posted by The Whelk at 1:28 PM on November 12, 2014 [4 favorites]
Yeah honestly deer are kind of dicks. Voracious dicks who will carry diseases, eat every bit of growing plant that they don't trample, and generally mess up the joint.
Which is why we need wolves. They not only keep the population under control but discourage them from browsing in the valleys, which allows saplings to become trees instead of snacks, which in turn controls erosion and provides habitat and, oh, hell, it's all in video The Whelk linked.
posted by George_Spiggott at 1:43 PM on November 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
Which is why we need wolves. They not only keep the population under control but discourage them from browsing in the valleys, which allows saplings to become trees instead of snacks, which in turn controls erosion and provides habitat and, oh, hell, it's all in video The Whelk linked.
posted by George_Spiggott at 1:43 PM on November 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
The person who scored that miracle shot playing donut ring toss is super pissed at that dude, who took it off while he went to get his buddies for corroboration.
posted by Chuffy at 1:48 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Chuffy at 1:48 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
And, of course, the obligatory, "The buck was looking for a mate using his doe-nut."
posted by Chuffy at 1:50 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Chuffy at 1:50 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
When he gets home his doe is all like where have you been I send you out for a donut and you come back without it smelling like human
posted by George_Spiggott at 1:54 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by George_Spiggott at 1:54 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
I would love to build a combination deer feeder/guillotine to reduce the overabundance of nuisance deer around here. There's almost always a roadkill deer on the side of the 3 mile stretch of road to get out of my neighborhood.
posted by Daddy-O at 1:59 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Daddy-O at 1:59 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
I just wish it were legal to sell hunted venison in the US. Most of the venison sold here comes from New Zealand.
posted by Ferreous at 2:04 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Ferreous at 2:04 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
also more wolves means a greater chance your child will be chosen to live among them and become the Wolf Queen.
posted by The Whelk at 2:17 PM on November 12, 2014 [8 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 2:17 PM on November 12, 2014 [8 favorites]
So many penned up deers in New Zealand. I have no idea why they don't just jump over their fenced in quarters. I was under the assumption that they were mostly for the asian markets, and mostly for their antlers.
posted by alex_skazat at 2:18 PM on November 12, 2014
posted by alex_skazat at 2:18 PM on November 12, 2014
Yes, why are there so many deer now?
We took the populations down very low from heavy hunting and habitat loss, but then chose to manage deer very differently in order to preserve hunting opportunities. Later, as noted, fewer hunters plus prime exurban/suburban/ranchette deer habitat meant exploding populations.
Which is why we need wolves. They not only keep the population under control but discourage them from browsing in the valleys, which allows saplings to become trees instead of snacks, which in turn controls erosion and provides habitat and, oh, hell, it's all in video The Whelk linked.
I routinely see elk causing serious browse problems on riparian vegetation (as do cattle), but I associate deer more with putting browse pressure on suburban gardens. But that must be simply a question of local population levels, because in some areas it appears to be deer that are limiting riparian regrowth. Interesting.
Regardless, the chances of succeeding in a wolf reintroduction strategy in much of the US is somewhere between "fuck no" and "are you fucking kidding me?", so my money is on hunting and other active management strategies being the go-to solutions for deer in most places.
posted by Dip Flash at 2:23 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
We took the populations down very low from heavy hunting and habitat loss, but then chose to manage deer very differently in order to preserve hunting opportunities. Later, as noted, fewer hunters plus prime exurban/suburban/ranchette deer habitat meant exploding populations.
Which is why we need wolves. They not only keep the population under control but discourage them from browsing in the valleys, which allows saplings to become trees instead of snacks, which in turn controls erosion and provides habitat and, oh, hell, it's all in video The Whelk linked.
I routinely see elk causing serious browse problems on riparian vegetation (as do cattle), but I associate deer more with putting browse pressure on suburban gardens. But that must be simply a question of local population levels, because in some areas it appears to be deer that are limiting riparian regrowth. Interesting.
Regardless, the chances of succeeding in a wolf reintroduction strategy in much of the US is somewhere between "fuck no" and "are you fucking kidding me?", so my money is on hunting and other active management strategies being the go-to solutions for deer in most places.
posted by Dip Flash at 2:23 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
There are apparently some coyote packs in the eastern US who have learned the art of killing deer, per my father who is generally pretty up to date on this stuff.
posted by tavella at 2:31 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by tavella at 2:31 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Somewhere near the Columbia Gordege, I suppose?
(I'll show myself out.)
posted by humboldt32 at 2:41 PM on November 12, 2014
(I'll show myself out.)
posted by humboldt32 at 2:41 PM on November 12, 2014
How is it that the US can have such a crazy gun culture and also a deer overpopulation problem? Is it because factory-farmed meat is too cheap? Are hunting regulations based on outdated population models?
posted by [expletive deleted] at 2:44 PM on November 12, 2014
posted by [expletive deleted] at 2:44 PM on November 12, 2014
Because we also have a crazy PC culture and some folks consider deer like cute little pets. My town is overrun with deer, but if you mention it the wrong way amongst the wrong folks they look at you like you're suggesting eating babies.
posted by humboldt32 at 2:49 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by humboldt32 at 2:49 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
Hunters often aren't gun nuts. They tend to have real understanding about guns, their uses, and how dangerous they are. They tend to treat guns as a specific tool with a specific job to do as opposed to "fantasy (usually black) bad guy killer"
Hell, most hunters I know are pro-gun control. Usually with the logic of "why would I need a semi-automatic rifle with a 20+ round clip to hunt, ideally I need one shot to do my job"
posted by Ferreous at 2:53 PM on November 12, 2014 [9 favorites]
Hell, most hunters I know are pro-gun control. Usually with the logic of "why would I need a semi-automatic rifle with a 20+ round clip to hunt, ideally I need one shot to do my job"
posted by Ferreous at 2:53 PM on November 12, 2014 [9 favorites]
Basically what happens is they build suburbs out in wooded areas where deer used to hang out and not bother anybody. Then the suburbanites move out there and freak out if they see someone in camouflage with a gun walking around and god forbid they hear gunfire and OMG YOU JUST SHOT BAMBI so they move to restrict or forbid hunting. Then there are herds of deer roaming around the neighborhood and the suburbanites huff SOMEONE SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BUT OMG DON'T HURT BAMBI OMG DEER ARE SO CUTE BUT ALSO THEY EAT MY GARDEN BUT DON'T KILL THEM ALSO DON'T RAISE MY TAXES TO FUND WILDLIFE CONTROL. And so it goes.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 2:55 PM on November 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 2:55 PM on November 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
I don't really blame people not wanting long arm hunting in populated areas. Bullets keep going a long ways.
posted by Ferreous at 2:58 PM on November 12, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by Ferreous at 2:58 PM on November 12, 2014 [6 favorites]
Yes, coyotes can take down deer, especially the smaller regular non-mule deer type deer. I've seen the end results of it at least twice out where I'm at at the moment out here on the Olympic Peninsula. (Confirmed by local rangers, not that I actually witness coyotes taking down deer.)
There's been an ongoing debate among the locals about the quantity (and quality) of the deer and whether or not they should be eaten/culled. Many are vocally for them being eaten/culled because they're both a nuisance and delicious.
The other side of the debate generally involves the local hippie contingent (of which I'm usually part of) in the terms of "Well, they were here first! What right do I have to safe roads or an un-eaten garden!?" but, no, there also used to be cougars and wolves and bears and coyotes and for fuck's sake they're everywhere like rabbits on some kind of rabbit preserve and frankly they look fucking delicious and I wish I could hunt them with my bare hands and a big old bush knife or maybe a deadfall trap or something.
Confirmed rumor has it that locals have been known to poach them in their own yards with something quiet like a compound bow or a crossbow, which just makes a certain kind of sense in these parts.
posted by loquacious at 3:09 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
There's been an ongoing debate among the locals about the quantity (and quality) of the deer and whether or not they should be eaten/culled. Many are vocally for them being eaten/culled because they're both a nuisance and delicious.
The other side of the debate generally involves the local hippie contingent (of which I'm usually part of) in the terms of "Well, they were here first! What right do I have to safe roads or an un-eaten garden!?" but, no, there also used to be cougars and wolves and bears and coyotes and for fuck's sake they're everywhere like rabbits on some kind of rabbit preserve and frankly they look fucking delicious and I wish I could hunt them with my bare hands and a big old bush knife or maybe a deadfall trap or something.
Confirmed rumor has it that locals have been known to poach them in their own yards with something quiet like a compound bow or a crossbow, which just makes a certain kind of sense in these parts.
posted by loquacious at 3:09 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Hey loquacious you live on the Peninsula too? I hadn't ever noticed that. I'm in PT.
posted by humboldt32 at 3:36 PM on November 12, 2014
posted by humboldt32 at 3:36 PM on November 12, 2014
This is just to say
I have eaten
the donuts
that were on
the mule deer
except one
which I left on to
confuse
the tourists
Forgive me
the deer was docile
so nice
so super-chill
posted by A dead Quaker at 4:00 PM on November 12, 2014 [13 favorites]
I have eaten
the donuts
that were on
the mule deer
except one
which I left on to
confuse
the tourists
Forgive me
the deer was docile
so nice
so super-chill
posted by A dead Quaker at 4:00 PM on November 12, 2014 [13 favorites]
. . . they're everywhere like rabbits on some kind of rabbit preserve and frankly they look fucking delicious and I wish I could hunt them with my bare hands and a big old bush knife or maybe a deadfall trap or something.
Wait, you're still talking about the hippies right?
posted by The Bellman at 4:01 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
Wait, you're still talking about the hippies right?
posted by The Bellman at 4:01 PM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
I am showing this video to my cats. They have never brought me donuts. I choose to believe it just never occurred to them.
Now they have no excuse.
posted by misha at 4:39 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Now they have no excuse.
posted by misha at 4:39 PM on November 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
I don't really blame people not wanting long arm hunting in populated areas. Bullets keep going a long ways.
In Virginia, populated areas (e.g. Fairfax county) only allow bowhunting and only from elevated stands. That seems like a good solution.
Even though it would be legal for me to use a rifle where I live, I got a crossbow for shooting the garden-destroying deer in my backyard because I have neighbors within 2 miles of the direction I'd be shooting and a bullet can travel a lot farther than a crossbow bolt.
posted by Jacqueline at 4:43 PM on November 12, 2014
In Virginia, populated areas (e.g. Fairfax county) only allow bowhunting and only from elevated stands. That seems like a good solution.
Even though it would be legal for me to use a rifle where I live, I got a crossbow for shooting the garden-destroying deer in my backyard because I have neighbors within 2 miles of the direction I'd be shooting and a bullet can travel a lot farther than a crossbow bolt.
posted by Jacqueline at 4:43 PM on November 12, 2014
Now they have no excuse.
Do they. . . Do they have antlers? Because I'm not sure those are cats.
posted by The Bellman at 4:43 PM on November 12, 2014 [8 favorites]
Do they. . . Do they have antlers? Because I'm not sure those are cats.
posted by The Bellman at 4:43 PM on November 12, 2014 [8 favorites]
I am showing this video to my cats. They have never brought me donuts. I choose to believe it just never occurred to them.
Cat the Cat would bring me loose cigarettes the little enabler.
posted by The Whelk at 4:47 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Cat the Cat would bring me loose cigarettes the little enabler.
posted by The Whelk at 4:47 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Do they. . . Do they have antlers? Because I'm not sure those are cats.
Some breeds of cat grow antlers during the Christmas season.
posted by Jacqueline at 4:47 PM on November 12, 2014 [4 favorites]
Some breeds of cat grow antlers during the Christmas season.
posted by Jacqueline at 4:47 PM on November 12, 2014 [4 favorites]
Also, hunting near houses tends to lead to shit like the moron who shot a woman in her own backyard, and then he got off on charges because obviously it was her fault because she was wearing white gloves. There are indeed ethical and careful hunters who shoot only at things they can identify and where there is a safe path of travel for a bullet, but there's a fuckton of hunters who like to get drunk and fire guns at noises. Thus the number of people who get shot on hunting trips every year, not to mention cows and whooping cranes.
posted by tavella at 5:24 PM on November 12, 2014
posted by tavella at 5:24 PM on November 12, 2014
How is it that the US can have such a crazy gun culture and also a deer overpopulation problem? Is it because factory-farmed meat is too cheap? Are hunting regulations based on outdated population models?
posted by [expletive deleted]
Because we also have a crazy PC culture and some folks consider deer like cute little pets. My town is overrun with deer, but if you mention it the wrong way amongst the wrong folks they look at you like you're suggesting eating babies.
posted by humboldt
I don't think I'm going to be eating a lot of American venison until we have a better grip on Chronic Wasting Disease:
posted by [expletive deleted]
Because we also have a crazy PC culture and some folks consider deer like cute little pets. My town is overrun with deer, but if you mention it the wrong way amongst the wrong folks they look at you like you're suggesting eating babies.
posted by humboldt
I don't think I'm going to be eating a lot of American venison until we have a better grip on Chronic Wasting Disease:
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of mule deer, whitetailed deer, elk (or "wapiti"), and moose ("elk" in Europe). TSEs are caused by unusual infectious agents known as prions. To date, CWD has been found mainly in cervids (members of the deer family). First recognized as a clinical "wasting" syndrome in 1967 in mule deer in a wildlife research facility in northern Colorado, USA, it was identified as a TSE in 1978 and has spread to a dozen states and two Canadian provinces.[1] CWD is typified by chronic weight loss leading to death. There is no known relationship between CWD and any other TSE of animals or people.And it has been identified in quite a few areas, and has been increasing in those areas:
Although there have been reports in the popular press of humans being affected by CWD, a study by the CDC suggests that "[m]ore epidemiologic and laboratory studies are needed to monitor the possibility of such transmissions."[2] The epidemiological study further concludes that, "[a]s a precaution, hunters should avoid eating deer and elk tissues known to harbor the CWD agent (e.g., brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils, lymph nodes) from areas where CWD has been identified."[2]
CWD has been found in captive and wild cervid herds in at least 18 states and two Canadian provinces. Each has a response plan in place with varying protocols for surveillance and monitoring. The widespread view held by most agencies is that eradication of CWD is at present not possible.posted by jamjam at 5:50 PM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
...
Examination of wild deer data from Wisconsin, Colorado and Wyoming (states with known widespread distribution of CWD) show that without control efforts, CWD prevalence can reach high levels and become geographically widespread. Additionally, results from predictive models and monitoring data from Colorado and Wyoming suggest CWD can reduce deer populations—in some cases, drastically. Prevalence in adult male mule deer on some local winter ranges in Colorado more than doubled during a six-year period (1997–2002), reaching levels of 25–40%. A study in Boulder, Colorado showed that prevalence among 46 adult male mule deer sampled was 41% and prevalence among 69 adult female mule deer was 20%. The study concluded that high prevalence and shortened lifespan of infected deer is sufficient to have produced the observed 45% population decline. Preliminary findings from research in Wyoming have estimated a prevalence of 28% among white-tailed deer and have documented shorter lifespans among CWD positive animals.
This video made me so nervous. I was at Yosemite this summer and they are all about 2 things there:
1. Enjoying the beauty of nature
2. Staying the fuck away from wildlife
One day my family was on a tram tour of the valley floor with Ranger Sue. She was all chatty and jokey up there in the cockpit until we came to an intersection and she spied a mule deer stepping out on to the path.
"Stay away from the deer, ma'am." She intoned over the microphone, as a woman on the path approached the deer.
"That is a wild animal. That deer can seriously hurt you. Ma'am, stay away from the deer..." At this point the woman was herding her children toward the deer so she could take a picture.
"Ma'am, do you love your children? Then get them away from that deer!" The woman shot us an annoyed look, the light changed and we lost sight of them.
Of course, I had already seen this sign, so I knew those deer were trouble, donuts or no.
posted by Biblio at 6:18 PM on November 12, 2014 [4 favorites]
1. Enjoying the beauty of nature
2. Staying the fuck away from wildlife
One day my family was on a tram tour of the valley floor with Ranger Sue. She was all chatty and jokey up there in the cockpit until we came to an intersection and she spied a mule deer stepping out on to the path.
"Stay away from the deer, ma'am." She intoned over the microphone, as a woman on the path approached the deer.
"That is a wild animal. That deer can seriously hurt you. Ma'am, stay away from the deer..." At this point the woman was herding her children toward the deer so she could take a picture.
"Ma'am, do you love your children? Then get them away from that deer!" The woman shot us an annoyed look, the light changed and we lost sight of them.
Of course, I had already seen this sign, so I knew those deer were trouble, donuts or no.
posted by Biblio at 6:18 PM on November 12, 2014 [4 favorites]
I was at universal studios on the tour of the movie sets a while ago, and a random deer just wandered in front of the tour group and stood around looking confused.
All the tourists went totally nuts taking pictures and video of the deer, and the tour guide was getting more and more frustrated. "Over here we have the set for JAWS, people. JAWS! And it's been used in a bunch more movies that I'm about to tell you about and you should be paying attention. And now the animatronic shark is about to attack your tour group and WTF? It's just a deer! You paid like $80 to be here today. Stop acting like the deer is the main attraction!"
posted by lollusc at 6:23 PM on November 12, 2014
All the tourists went totally nuts taking pictures and video of the deer, and the tour guide was getting more and more frustrated. "Over here we have the set for JAWS, people. JAWS! And it's been used in a bunch more movies that I'm about to tell you about and you should be paying attention. And now the animatronic shark is about to attack your tour group and WTF? It's just a deer! You paid like $80 to be here today. Stop acting like the deer is the main attraction!"
posted by lollusc at 6:23 PM on November 12, 2014
I don't think I'm going to be eating a lot of American venison until we have a better grip on Chronic Wasting Disease
Well, I guess that's your prerogative, but: there's no evidence of humans being infected; State Fish and Wildlife departments are VERY on top of tracking this and preventing it's spread to new areas; you can easily avoid eating the bits that would transmit the prions; and if you're really nervous about it you can always send a sample to be tested.
posted by Gygesringtone at 6:50 PM on November 12, 2014
Well, I guess that's your prerogative, but: there's no evidence of humans being infected; State Fish and Wildlife departments are VERY on top of tracking this and preventing it's spread to new areas; you can easily avoid eating the bits that would transmit the prions; and if you're really nervous about it you can always send a sample to be tested.
posted by Gygesringtone at 6:50 PM on November 12, 2014
I think the biggest problem with CWD for a potential American venison industry is not that humans might catch it but that it makes it very difficult to farm deer. It's illegal in Virginia now to put out feed or salt licks for wild deer because CWD transmits from deer-to-deer via saliva. So I imagine that keeping/feeding deer in close quarters as would happen in a deer farm would result in a lot of diseased herds.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:45 PM on November 12, 2014
posted by Jacqueline at 7:45 PM on November 12, 2014
Coyotes do kill deer. Not only the bigger eastern coyotes, either. I had an internet contact in California, a generally reliable source on wildlife, who encountered a carcass of a deer killed by those scrawny little southwestern coyotes.
A few years ago I found the spine and skull of a dead deer on the territory of a local eastern coyote/coywolf pack. (They're nocturnal. I've heard them howl. It sounds like a deep-chested, haunting timber wolf howl at first, until it ends in a series of coyotelike barking and yipping.)
The deer population is a problem here. You can't even think about lethal management, though. The deer are too cute to kill. Anyone who suggests hunting the deer is deemed a sadistic, sociopathic animal-murderer who hates wildlife. Take a guess at which side I'm on.
Because the other solutions, which are always promoted as somehow more humane than a quick shot to the lungs or heart, are plainly ridiculous. Somebody suggested relocating our deer. Somebody with an enterprising spirit tried to start their own business of sterilizing our male deer. I'm not making that up. If I recall correctly, that person's business failed right from the very start. Who would have guessed?
This is the kind of attitude I'm up against. City Council voted unanimously not to proceed with the killing of all but 8 deer who frequent the Sifton Bog. THANK YOU all who spoke out to protect the deer!
I have an ex-friend who is vehemently against the killing of any urban wildlife in any situation whatsoever. He will get in your face and inform you, aggressively, that the wildlife biologists who study deer population dynamics are wrong, wrong, wrong, because they're "government scientists", which means they're corrupt and evil animal-murderers. Even with my two years of background in biology I couldn't argue against his simplistic but concretely immutable points. Who needs mathematical models of population density, predator-prey dynamics, and so forth, when it's a simple fact that urban wildlife will always control their own populations perfectly because they're cute and shouldn't be shot?
But no, argues this self-proclaimed lover of wildlife and self-educated expert, any scientist who thinks population management by hunting is sometimes reasonable is obviously corrupt and full of shit, as is all of their university education, as is the field of biology itself. (This person I'm referring to has no formal education past high school.)
Sorry about the rant, but the anti-scientific, emotionally driven don't kill Bambi "logic" that prevails in my city irritates the hell out of me.
Overpopulated, overly tame deer are very cute, I can admit that much. Also very tasty.
I need to buy another crossbow.
posted by quiet earth at 9:41 PM on November 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
A few years ago I found the spine and skull of a dead deer on the territory of a local eastern coyote/coywolf pack. (They're nocturnal. I've heard them howl. It sounds like a deep-chested, haunting timber wolf howl at first, until it ends in a series of coyotelike barking and yipping.)
The deer population is a problem here. You can't even think about lethal management, though. The deer are too cute to kill. Anyone who suggests hunting the deer is deemed a sadistic, sociopathic animal-murderer who hates wildlife. Take a guess at which side I'm on.
Because the other solutions, which are always promoted as somehow more humane than a quick shot to the lungs or heart, are plainly ridiculous. Somebody suggested relocating our deer. Somebody with an enterprising spirit tried to start their own business of sterilizing our male deer. I'm not making that up. If I recall correctly, that person's business failed right from the very start. Who would have guessed?
This is the kind of attitude I'm up against. City Council voted unanimously not to proceed with the killing of all but 8 deer who frequent the Sifton Bog. THANK YOU all who spoke out to protect the deer!
I have an ex-friend who is vehemently against the killing of any urban wildlife in any situation whatsoever. He will get in your face and inform you, aggressively, that the wildlife biologists who study deer population dynamics are wrong, wrong, wrong, because they're "government scientists", which means they're corrupt and evil animal-murderers. Even with my two years of background in biology I couldn't argue against his simplistic but concretely immutable points. Who needs mathematical models of population density, predator-prey dynamics, and so forth, when it's a simple fact that urban wildlife will always control their own populations perfectly because they're cute and shouldn't be shot?
But no, argues this self-proclaimed lover of wildlife and self-educated expert, any scientist who thinks population management by hunting is sometimes reasonable is obviously corrupt and full of shit, as is all of their university education, as is the field of biology itself. (This person I'm referring to has no formal education past high school.)
Sorry about the rant, but the anti-scientific, emotionally driven don't kill Bambi "logic" that prevails in my city irritates the hell out of me.
Overpopulated, overly tame deer are very cute, I can admit that much. Also very tasty.
I need to buy another crossbow.
posted by quiet earth at 9:41 PM on November 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
But would the donut have helped or impaired his mating display? We need randomized trials.
Bucks that young don't have a lot of mating opportunity anyway.
posted by clarknova at 8:16 AM on November 13, 2014
Bucks that young don't have a lot of mating opportunity anyway.
posted by clarknova at 8:16 AM on November 13, 2014
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posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 11:40 AM on November 12, 2014 [32 favorites]