Meet Lily the Black Bear

[Larry Lyons]

Wow!! That was an frightening and amazing experience Sybil. I have had a number of "tame" deer that visit my yard, This year there have been a small group of bucks, but they give me space, and I don't try to approach them, but sometimes I have walked past one of them within maybe 10 or 15 feet. I have not seen much of them since deer season started.

The bigger danger are the Elk who destroyed my garden and stripped the leaves and twigs off of the grape vines, the apple trees and the fig tree as far as they could reach, They even stripped the leaves and the fruit from the Quince tree, eating all of the fruit if you can imagine that. They are like pigs. They will eat just about anything. They even ate the thick woody stalks of the Kale plants. They will easily kill a person if that person is perceived as a threat. They are huge creatures. The big bull is truly ominous and majestic as he stares at me from a distance as he guards his harem as they withdraw from my area. There has been a herd in this area of at least 30, but they usually are seen near the neighbor's large apple orchard and grape vinyard.

[Mimi]

Oh yes! The elk. They are magnificent creatures, lofty and solid muscle! Wow! You must be in high country to have elk so close to your home. Gotta love them all the while respecting every inch of their territory!

[Larry Lyons]

Oh yes! The elk. They are magnificent creatures, lofty and solid muscle! Wow! You must be in high country to have elk so close to your home. Gotta love them all the while respecting every inch of their territory!

I am only at 2000 feet. The elk are protected. No hunting season for elk around here to my knowledge. I heard the story that someone from over on the coast shot one and took it home in his truck. Later the fish and game officers came knocking on his door and arrested him. It seems that they may have electronic implants that signal their location at all times.

[ltvvaughn]

I guess the elk get the mark of the beast (microchip) first.

LtV

[Mimi]

You are a comedian, Elder Vaughn.    It is like the first time Immanuel spouted off a dry wit that threw me into gales of laughter! 

[JimB]

Mimi, now that doesn't sound like any fun and I can understand the reoccurring dreams.   Although as time passes and wounds both physical and psychological heal I'm guessing you can repeat the story with a little humor in it.

My personal experience with a tame deer was much different. I was about 10 visiting my grandparents and their neighbors had fawn that they raised (guessing the mother was killed) and it wander the neighborhood and I was able to feed it out of my hand and pet it. As a kid it was truly incredible. However, two years later I learned that it was shot during hunting season even though it had a bright pink collar on. 

[Mimi]

Ugh! I am so sorry! 

[colporteur]

 My Ripley's believe or not story was as I was driving down the road ( in my hunting days) I saw a nice buck deer standing in the ditch. I stopped the vehicle to admire him and thought it odd that he just stood there even when I stopped. I opened the door and closed it expecting him to run. He did not move. I walked toward the buck and as he stood there I walked right up to him. He looked ok accept one antler was hanging down. Either he had a brain disease or else he was clipped by a car. Thinking he might walk out on the road I took hold of his good antler I pulled on it and he was very accommodating and began to walk. I led him out into the field.  I called a hunting buddy who wanted to go see and take a video. He tapped the deer on the sore antler  and the deer jumped straight into the air. Not such a bright idea, I thought. I  called the DNR and they came and shot him. I don't think he would have lived.

Regarding bear hunting, what makes it even more disgusting is that in some states they use dogs. What a man it takes to have your dogs run a bear for miles, tree him and then the great white hunter shoots the treed bear. Great Courage, and what skill it takes to shoot a 500 lb. bear in a tree !

It kind of reminds me of a Mexican bull fight I went to see in my youth. You do not want to hear about it. I rooted for the bulls but of course they had no chance against so  many people and so many weapons.  It was hard to watch and that was back in my callused days when I was a great white hunter and used to seeing animals inhumanely treated. I plead the Lord's forgiveness !

[Richard Myers]

Is it not amazing that we who are so strong in defending the life of animals are also equally strong in condemning their threat to humans? We cry over the death of Hope, but will pull the trigger when an animal threatens the life of a human.  It appears amazing because generally you have the devil working on both sides of the street. He has those who will kill the animal for sport and of course they will defend the one who shoots a bear invading a home. Then we have the group that cries for Hope and would jail a man who defends his home. And, there are two species of animals that as their population grows because they are protected, become a very real danger to humans and their pets. Grisly bears and mountain lions.

There is today a spiritual battle where nature is worshiped rather than the God of nature. There is a direct connection between this and the immorality we find in society today. "The exaltation of nature above the God of nature, the worship of the creature instead of the Creator, has always resulted in the grossest of evils. Thus when the people of Israel, in their worship of Baal and Ashtoreth, paid supreme homage to the forces of nature, they severed their connection with all that is uplifting and ennobling, and fell an easy prey to temptation. With the defenses of the soul broken down, the misguided worshipers had no barrier against sin and yielded themselves to the evil passions of the human heart.  Against the marked oppression, the flagrant injustice, the unwonted luxury and extravagance, the shameless feasting and drunkenness, the gross licentiousness and debauchery, of their age, the prophets lifted their voices; but in vain were their protests, in vain their denunciation of sin. "Him that rebuketh in the gate," declared Amos, "they hate, . . . and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly." "They afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right." Amos 5:10, 12. PK 282.