DEER: A salty tale of death

I met a man that claimed he killed 100 deer. I thought that must be impossible. Then he told me a story about how he decided to hang up his hunting rifle many years before and take photographs. He decided that he could get some real nice pictures of deer right in his yard if he set out a salt block. Many years went by and he took hundreds of shots of beautiful big bucks and does in his yard. The salt worked perfectly, and he was very proud of the pictures he took.

Then he hit a deer on his way home, very close to his house. His car was wrecked, and when the tow truck came he got the shock of his life. [not the bill] The tow truck driver told him that they get deer collision calls in the area constantly, due to a nearby creek. The man asked, “What does a creek have to do with my bent car?” The driver told him it was foolish people who put out salt blocks. Deer eat salt; they need water. If water is across a busy highway deer die and cars get bent.

Moral of the man’s story: Don’t put out salt blocks. Animals don’t need your help getting salt. Your good intentions may be killing deer and causing thousands of dollars in property damage.

While driving watch where the deer came from, not where it went. The next deer is coming — watch out.

WILLIAM HANKS

Athol