[Size=12]We still need to hunt. Winter, in a limited woodshed, has got to be one of the cruellest forms of nature. Starvation is ugly. Proper management is good for the herd.
Wildlife officials, with appropriate credentials, are the deciding factor in management of the herd. Many college students contribute annually to deer study and deer herd management.
Like Mike Row's dirty jobs, these eventual state employees, in many cases, discover vital information about the herd. CWD is a big data base, which we need to understand, but don't yet. The natural world can be a very ugly place for wildlife.
I was on stand opening morning, after a nifty fall when climbing aboard. The fourth rung was full of termites and gave way as my son entered the stand first and I followed. Not to be deterred, I told him when I got there to seize me by the collar, drag me past the fifth rung, then into the stand.
That did not work out to plan. He tried to grab me around my left arm instead. Boys don't listen to their fathers. He had promised to rebuild the ladder before opening day.
I slipped out of his hand, full weight, onto the number one rung, which gave way. I hit the ground backward on a roll Into the SOFT tall johnson grass, like a hay loft.
I did not get hurt. I did crunch my neck a little bit and it'll probably become arthritic over time. There have been 3 chairs that have given way beneath me following all of my surgeries that caused me to fall backwords onto my neck and shoulders, so it was not the first time.
Fortunately, there was a metal ladder with complete rungs. I was able to sit on stand 4 hours. My other hunting partner has since rebuilt the entire ladder.
