I can’t be sure if it is an adult or not. I can’t even be 100% positive that it is the neighbor I suspect. I am going by where I heard the sound come from and where the deer came over the fence. I know a wounded deer can run pretty far, but I doubt it jumped across one fence, ran across the suspects five acres, then jumped over my fence and died. Maybe, it’s possible.
The neighbors on that side of me have most of their trees cut down and all the scrub cleared off except the rear thirty feet or so before my fence. I am grateful for that because it makes it seem like I don’t have any close neighbors since I can’t easily see them. However, this means that I can’t see very well into the suspected persons property, so even if I had a camera pointed his way, I wouldn’t see anything. I have never met this neighbor and have no idea who lives there, as I have never seen them come to the fence line. I don’t think any kids live there because I haven’t heard any, but you never know.
The back two acres of my lot are uncleared and grown up enough that it would be hard to walk through. I have a shop back there where I work and keep some of my old car projects. The only people who know it exists are three neighbors who can see it through the trees, especially this time of year. A couple of years ago, somebody spray painted on one of my cars and two of the outside walls of the shop. I figure it was a teenager since they painted WHITE GIRLS SUCK BLACK DICK on one of the walls. There are some young kids living behind me, so it might be them. But that isn’t where the deer travel and I don’t think it’s them that are shooting. All I know, is that for the first time in twenty five years, I have to lock my shop up when I’m not back there.
I’m not going to go and say anything to the neighbor. I don’t want my shop to mysteriously burn down or anything. If the cops don’t want to make an inquiry, then that’s that. That the sheriff didn’t want to do anything about it didn’t surprise me. With all the building going on out here, they have more important things to do. I was advised by another county sheriff to call the game warden, if it happened again, so I did. He said that they can’t do anything unless they catch them at it, so I guess poachers are safe out here. I have made two reports now, so if somebody else reports a similar problem, or a shot ends up hitting sombodys house or something, they can’t say they weren’t warned. Maybe in another year or so when we are finally incorporated into the city, somebody may be willing to take notice.
I really like living out here. It is unfortunate that the city has moved out to me and the place is becoming like every other suburb. I get along with everything but the scorpions. People ask me, “What do you do about the deer and rabbits and skunks and racoons and squirrels and fox and possums and such?”, and I tell them, “Well, I leave them alone and watch them eat and play and run around in my yard.” They always look sort of horrified when I tell them that.
