Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Old Habits Die Hard

The truck pulled off the road at the turnout just down the road from me. I can partially see down there now because I am higher up and the forest is bare. After another car went by the turnout, I saw two figures fling something dark over the side of the hill. They got back in the truck, turned back in the direction from which they had come and drove away, me watching them, to let them know I saw what they did.

How rude, driving into the next county to throw your trash over the side of the road. At least you could toss your rubbish in your own county.

I don't know what made me do it, but I went to look at what they had tossed over the side of the hill before I headed back to a warm house and called it a day.

The broken toilet, the plastic sacks of garbage, the front seat from a van and miscellaneous debris did not look like the big black thing I saw go over the hill.

Then I saw the fresh blood.














It's a good damn thing I saw the rest of the parts rather quickly. No wonder I have been hearing the coyotes howling almost directly below me for the last few days. It's dinner time.















I mentioned a couple of weeks ago when I was Down By The River there were some scary things. It wasn't the smashed computer and other electronic equipment. It wasn't the various other remnants of crap from a place being used as a dump, right beside the river mind you.

Yes Lisa it was "Deliverance-type" things. It was a head. There was a head down by the river.














I really do not have a problem with hunting. I am of the informed opinion, I think, that hunting and the protein gained from eating meat was a major factor in the evolution of Homo sapien. I don't hunt myself and wouldn't unless forced to, but the fact that others do does not bother me.

I do however have a big problem with people who litter! Litter is just plain rude. And I think a deer carcass would have to be considered bloody litter.

There was something else down by the river, something nice that I may go back and get despite the head. There were thin clumps of Equisetum, probably Equisetum hyemale growing among the grass. This plant is enjoying a renaissance of sorts because of its sculptural qualities and "durable" nature. I may be able to find a spot for it in my garden.


















It might look nice against the stones of the wall and in this area where a placement of the big boulders is needed to transition into a path out onto the slope.














You can't miss me from the road right now. I hope the regular commuters are enjoying watching the progress of the wall. It will all disappear back into the forest come spring.
















To bad my current visibility did not encourage the deer flingers to drive just a bit further down the road. Hopefully the creatures will eat it up before it begins to ripen and the normal wind pattern has a chance to blow it back my way.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pam @ Digging says:

Eww, that does give a whole new meaning to littering. What a creepy picture. At least you didn't find the deer head in your bed, Godfather style.

chuck b. said...

Interesting...In a people-are-really-pathetic kind of way. I'm trying to figure out Debbie M's comment in the article you linked. Steven Vanderhoof, call your office!

firefly said...

I don't know what the regulations are for disposing of the remains of dressed carcasses even here in Maine, but just throwing stuff like that into the woods (especially near enough to a dwelling for you to find it) seems like a not-so-good practice.

I don't mind hunting/fishing either, but in the interest of keeping scavengers and predators from haunting your immediate surroundings, I might contact Fish & Wildlife and see what the game wardens have to say. You might be able to post your property, or get someone to patrol around once in a while.

I wouldn't worry about coyotes, but if there are any bears in the woods, they can be unpredictable.

Annie in Austin said...

"Dueling Banjos" started playing in my mind as soon as the two dark figures flung something dark. So finding out it was deer parts was almost a relief!

Picking up my neighbors' cat dung doesn't seem so bad by comparison.

Your wall looks great so far, Christopher - are you going to put the horsetail in a big container? I'd hate to think of it getting loose in your rocks...it's pretty invasive and the rocks would act as a mulch for the roots.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

EAL said...

What a view you're going to have, Chris C! Seriously. I would be spending a lot of time on that porch or whatever it's going to be.

Well, we all have our trash, I guess. With us, it's urban trash. Once I found a full bag of syringes in a corner planter I was maintaining. And then all the little crack bags and stuff.

Gross, but easier to clean up.

Anonymous said...

Yikes, of such tales murder mysteries are made! I didn't think about bears, either. But isn't it ironic that in traveling down there you found the equisetum (or had you known about it already).
I found an interesting link from the Kyoto journal, about building stone walls and the associated inner wisdom to be attained. I don't know if you are that abstract, but here it is for what it's worth:

http://www.kyotojournal.org/kjrambles/wisdom.html

Christopher C. NC said...

I have been perusing the NC Wildlife Resources Commission website for the past week (very heavy on the PDF files) since I am surrounded by hunters and it is good to have some idea of what is going on.

I do know that there is no hunting allowed on Sundays during the season. Odd but true. There is a whole mess of critters folks can hunt and it is mostly during the fall and early winter. October to about Janruary 31st for the most part.

There are indeed Baar up here. Our postal carrier thought it was the Baar that dug up some wasp or bees nest when she came to get some Iris from the resident gardener.

I couldn't find any rules on dressed carcass disposal at the NCWRC site, but the news article said it was classified as littering. In a way it may be less gross than the toilet down there or the needles that Elizabeth finds in the city.

I'll have to check out that link Bev and see if I got any wisdom yet. Ohmmm.

And I do think it is really snowing right now.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Oh Christopher, heed Annies advise. I have watched as this horsetail has taken over a large area in a park I frequent here. It ain't pretty when it does this. I have often wondered what might stop it. In this park setting it is as bad as Fragmite or loosestrife in the wrong place.

Christopher C. NC said...

I saw the Equisetum down by the river just kind of peeking up through the grass. I could have missed it. I wondered why it was so seemingly demure in this spot. I have seen it totally out of control at a botanical garden in Florida. Annie's advice is good.

lisa said...

Geez, what a deal! Makes me wonder if you should be wearing blaze orange in your own yard, lest you be mistaken for game! Them baars sure are unpredictable...be careful and maybe think about some pepper spray!