• theangryseal@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Here in Appalachia they light the trees up.

      Good god I’m lucky to live here. Wildlife everywhere (fuck deer though), beautiful rolling mountains all around, very few people. It’s a fucking paradise.

      Well, mostly. Very backwards, super religious people. I just pay them no mind.

        • KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          6 months ago

          they’re often aggressively over populated (due to lack of predator animals, wolves i believe) as a result they tend to be culled by hunters who do it for sport/meat, and it keeps their population in check.

          They often eat a lot of plants and other vegetation. So can destroy and damage gardens, be a general nuisance, and as a result of over population, can cause significant damage to an eco system. (as well as get in the way of road vehicles, which tends to be a bigger problem in rural areas) it’s dangerous

          I’m no hunter or avid outdoorsman though, so if someone has some additional insight, nows your time to speak.

        • theangryseal@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          There are too many of them. They’re dumb. I’ve encountered a few of them smart enough to avoid eating the front of a car, but not many. I have had 5 cars smashed by them bolting out in front of me.

          My favorite one was when I drove to the top of a mountain road, one bolted out in front of me. I wasn’t going fast enough to do any real damage to the car, but because I was at the top of the mountain it launched the fucker like it was tossed off a cliff. While I was sitting there in shock that it happened, not moving at all, BAM! One ran into my fucking door as hard as it could. While I was baffled by that and in total disbelief, BAM! Another runs right into my parked car at full speed.

          The one I hit survived, one of the two that slammed into my parked car must have broken its neck. It died right there on the side of the road.

          My car was covered in dust from the coal mines, and a perfect image of a deer that looked like a painting was there on my dented door. Tongue hanging out, stupid look on its face. I wish we had cameras in our pockets back then.

          I know they can’t help it, but damn I stay anxious when driving. They’re everywhere. I hit one a few weeks ago, turn around and popped one on the nose over the weekend.

          People used to hunt here and it wasn’t this bad. Not many people hunt here anymore and the farmers massacre the coyotes so nothing is eating them.

          • MoonMelon@lemmy.ml
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            6 months ago

            Between deer pressure and Lymantria dispar I’m worried my woods will never see a mature oak again after the current over story dies out.

          • Railing5132@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            They are as dumb as a bag of buckles and can be hunted with a hammer. I don’t get the appeal of “big game” hunters making a deal out of deer - they’re fucking speed bumps! And I’ve hunted!

            Edit: want to impress me with hunting prowess? Hunt human - the most dangerous prey… :P

      • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        I don’t see them where I am in Appalachia. I’m also in the woods though, an fireflies tend to congregate more in meadows and pastures. A lot of those are sprayed heavily with pesticides around here, which means not many fireflies.

        I’m honestly not even sure how many different baptist churches there are around me…