Herb came inside this morning with a sad announcement as he went to get his rifle.
A deer had tried to leap the fence below Kara's house coming uphill and had caught its leg on the fence. Herb figured it was dead, but took his gun in case he needed to put it out of its misery.
There was no need. The deer was very dead, and the coyotes had already been at it. (I'll spare you that angle.) We're hoping it broke its neck and died quickly. It makes us sick that such a beautiful creature died in such a way.
The deer must not have jumped high enough to clear the fence, and one hind leg caught in the barbed wire. Its foot hooked back through the fence wire, and Herb had a hard time getting it off.
He didn't want our dogs eating the rotting meat, so he drove it deep into the hunting preserve to leave it for God's natural garbage crew, the coyotes and vultures.
This is one reason I hate barbed wire. This is the second time we've found a deer dead and hanging from barbed wire.
The main reason I hate it is that it's deadly for horses, too. But Herb is the fence builder and he says without it, the horses lean over the fences to graze and stretch them. That's true, and I sympathize with having to repair good fence. But I've called a vet for a horse that got tangled in barbed wire, and it's a terrible sight--and I was lucky no permanent damage was done.
Personally, I'd vote for hot wires along the insides of the fences, but that would necessitate a dozen solar chargers since we don't have electric out by the pastures. I guess for now we'll just have to hope the deer jump higher and the horses behave themselves.
There was no need. The deer was very dead, and the coyotes had already been at it. (I'll spare you that angle.) We're hoping it broke its neck and died quickly. It makes us sick that such a beautiful creature died in such a way.
He didn't want our dogs eating the rotting meat, so he drove it deep into the hunting preserve to leave it for God's natural garbage crew, the coyotes and vultures.
This is one reason I hate barbed wire. This is the second time we've found a deer dead and hanging from barbed wire.
The main reason I hate it is that it's deadly for horses, too. But Herb is the fence builder and he says without it, the horses lean over the fences to graze and stretch them. That's true, and I sympathize with having to repair good fence. But I've called a vet for a horse that got tangled in barbed wire, and it's a terrible sight--and I was lucky no permanent damage was done.
Personally, I'd vote for hot wires along the insides of the fences, but that would necessitate a dozen solar chargers since we don't have electric out by the pastures. I guess for now we'll just have to hope the deer jump higher and the horses behave themselves.
I agree horses and barbed wire don't mix, but I am a fan of barbed wire for my cows and our terrain.
ReplyDeleteThe offset electric is a good idea, you might want to try a 12 volt battery set-up like we use. A charge lasts at least 5 weeks with our low impedance controller, and we're running a lot of fence.
I agree horses and barbed wire don't mix, but I am a fan of barbed wire for my cows and our terrain.
ReplyDeleteThe offset electric is a good idea, you might want to try a 12 volt battery set-up like we use. A charge lasts at least 5 weeks with our low impedance controller, and we're running a lot of fence.
Thank you, Matron of Husbandry. We'll have to look into that.
ReplyDeleteToo bad for the deer, glad to hear she didn't suffer.
ReplyDeleteJust to let you know I have got my blogroll going on my own site and I have added yours blog to it. I really appreciate the support you have given my blog here. Your blog is truly one of my favorites.
Thanks, so much for your encouraging comment, Gordon! I'm looking forward to seeing you guys realize your dream, and I'll be following your story with interest (cheering you on!)
ReplyDelete