Dear Editor,
Re: Diamond Valley applauded for resisting deer cull, March 6
Another outsider weighs in. Funny how outsiders like Norene Procter of Cochrane are applauding Diamond Valley resisting to cull deer.
The other day when opening my garage door to leave, I found a large buck blocking my driveway. Yes, it was standing right in the middle of my driveway and gave no indication that it intended to move until I ran at it waving my arms.
Driving down my street, I next encountered two does walking along the road like they were royalty, expecting me to give them the right of way. I didn't.
Yesterday, my wife had to chase two deer off our front lawn that were eyeing our bushes.
The deer haunting our streets and greenspaces aren't cute. They are a menace.
Procter suggests planting marigolds to keep deer away. Firstly, I also, like the deer, have an aversion to the smell of marigolds. I don't want them in our landscaping. Secondly, marigolds aren't particularly winter hardy so would be a useless deterrent for many months of the year in Alberta.
I'm betting that Procter is a vegetarian as she recommends "kindness to all God's creatures." Deer are a food source, just like cows, pigs and sheep. Would she like to see these creatures wandering freely on our lawns and roadways as well?
The Disney movie "Bambi" was not a documentary. Deer in the wild will run away from humans as fast as they can. It is unnatural for deer to feel comfortable, never mind entitled, to be in such proximity to humans.
Until not so long ago, I felt that unless you or your family were in urgent need of food, deer hunting was for those trying to compensate for some personal inadequacy. Today, I would happily kill one with my bare hands.
Jim Nelson
Diamond Valley
