THE NORTH WOODS...NO LONGER HOME TO MANY DEER

TWO DEER...A RARE SIGHT IN THE NORTH WOODS THESE DAYS

Saturday, 9:00 AM.  12 degrees F at the ferry dock, 10 on the back porch.  Wind SW, gusty.  It is overcast, the humidity is 84% and the barometer is holding steady at 30.24".  It looks like we are in a wintry holding pattern.

   It was cold and gray yesterday, but I took Buddy to the beach for a run anyway, before it got really dark ( by 5:00 PM now) and on the way back saw two deer just south of Bayfield.  They were trying to cross the highway; one did, the other thought better of it and turned back into the woods.  They were probably both does, but the bucks are or will soon be shedding their antlers.  They are the first deer I have seen in at least a month.  Wolves, coyotes, bear and too many different hunting seasons have taken their toll.

   I am afraid the North Woods is no longer home to many deer.

P.S. I will undoubtedly be misunderstood, and probably castigated for the following comments, but I am really upset by what I am constantly seeing on TV during this Christmas season in ads from the ASPCA.
   I love animals as much as anyone, as can be deduced from my comments about Buddy, our dog.  But Christmas is about human beings and their relation to God, not about dogs and cats and other animals, and I resent "Silent Night, Holy Night" being played as background music for a plea for "Just $18 a month" for animal welfare.
   If only more of us truly cared about their fellow human beings, particularly children, the way some of us care about stray dogs and cats, we might have a somewhat better world for humans and animals alike.