I think deer are one of the most graceful and beautiful animals.
My daughter, Tammy, lived on a ranch near here and deer would often come into their yard to feed. We would stand at the window and watch their gracefulness and beauty and just be awed by the wonderful talent of ‘Mother Nature’.
An article in the 1985 papers proves that old saying about good things being best in small doses.

February 20, 1985
“Deer cause feed damage
“Close to 100 deer have been eating and damaging cattle feed at Toot Suntjens’ farm for the past four months and he’s getting a little tired of it.
“Besides that, there’s virtually nothing he can do about it. “I must be Santa Claus,” said Mr. Suntjens, who farms about 20 miles south of Coronation.
“The only help I am getting is from the coyotes, there’s no reimbursement from the government.”
“The deer are eating and damaging by urination, close to 1000 pounds of feed each day - at a cost of about $50 per day to Mr. Suntjens.
“The only compensation presently set-up by the Province is the Wildlife Damage Fund Regulations. However, this applies only to crops damaged in the fields by wildlife.”
A farmer has to work his butt off all summer to get enough feed for his own cattle in the hopes that he will get a bit of a profit when he sells the beef. Very few farmers would be able to afford the loss that many deer would cause.”

I was surprised to read that there was so little help for a farmer in that position. I hope that has changed since then.
This was a real eye-opener for me. Being a city gal I had always thought the farmer could help out ‘Mother Nature’ in the cold months. That article showed me just how expensive that help could be.

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