Area deer sighting

This A.M. while on the way to the office we saw 2 young deer grazing along the road. In any situation it would have been fun to watch them going about their business. We live in a small town of about 60,000.
Did I mention that these 2 deer were inside the city limits?

We have a lot of ‘wild’ game living in town here, as do most folks. Most of us are familiar with squirrels, rabbits and pigeons, Right? All of those taste good baked, stewed, fried or as BBQ. I have heard of people who have domesticated such animals for use later. Pigeons lay eggs just like chickens do – only smaller of course- of the 3 animals listed already pigeons are the only ones that I would consider semi-domesticating. This is because of the work and logistics involved of keeping animals captive, it is a lot of work. – Disclaimer, always check your local game laws and other ordinances before doing any of this. – With pigeons once they have been caged for a while will tend to return to their cages at night as long as you provide a ‘safe’ place to roost and a source of water. A little bit of food that they can count on will help too. For the most part they will take care of themselves and all you really have to do day to day is harvest what you need from them without scaring them. For the others listed already and many more all you have to do is make your yard or area attractive to the various animals and then harvest the needed animals from time to time without scaring them.

There are many birds from doves to geese who live in our area inside the city limits. Even small birds can be harvested and eaten. Other animals that I and others in our group have seen in town that could be added to the larder include prairie dogs, antelope, turtles, raccoons, moose, elk, bear and mountain lions. The easiest way to harvest most animals is by trapping them. Skunks are available in town too, BUT they are not very desirable and if seen outside during the broad daylight they should be killed and buried as they are most likely sick.

In a major SHTF situation which extends for any real length of time I would expect the available game to be knocked down by over 75% after regular food supplies run low or out. In the best of times most hunters do not harvest enough food to live on. This is the case during a time when ‘things are normal’ and there is gas to be able to drive to ‘good’ hunting areas. I am often amused by the people who fancy themselves as the ‘great white hunter’ and plans on living off the land. This is not to say that the available ‘game’ cannot augment your current and future food supplies while times are kinda OK still.

Several years ago, I was driving very early in the day to a pre-church meeting at about 0600. It was a good thing that there was little to no traffic on that foggy morning. We came upon a herd of deer, 5 or 6 deer, the buck had a huge rack of horns on him. I slowed to a stop and had my 4 way flashers on to worn other – if any- drivers while we waited for the herd of deer to clear off the bridge over the tracks in the center of town.

What are the stranger or unexpected animals you have seen in your town?

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