By By Mike Giles / The Meridian Star
Oct. 18, 2002
Some local deer seem oblivious to the fact that deer season is already open for bow hunting and that gun season is only about a month away. It seems deer are going about their daily off-season routine while a lot of outdoorsmen are in the woods hunting, planting or sprucing up stands.
I spent a great deal of last week at the deer club planting food plots and green fields. By the looks of it, many other hunters were doing the same. Although I spent more than a few hours in the woods over the weekend and I was miles from Meridian when we were doing our planting, I didn't see a deer. We did see quite a few deer and turkey tracks however, but not even a glimpse of a deer.
Monday afternoon I talked to local outdoors lady Diane Slay about deer hunting. Much to my surprise she had just observed three deer in north Meridian. Now, I'm not talking about the outskirts of the city limits mind you, but right smack dab in the middle of north Meridian.
Urban deer
On her way back to work after lunch, Slay spotted a buck, doe and fawn standing alongside 29th Avenue, just north of Poplar Springs Elementary School. To say that she was astonished might be putting it mildly! Seeing those deer really got her deer hunting fever going. Although I have heard of deer residing in some sections of town, and coming out after dark, I hadn't actually seen any myself.
Tuesday morning I awoke to the steady beat of raindrops on the roof. It was to be another work day for me. However, as I felt the chill of the morning, I started thinking about deer hunting for the first time this year. Although I don't do much bow hunting anymore, I still get excited about deer hunting once the fall days begin to cool down.
Repeat sighting
After a rainy, fun-filled morning at work, I joined a couple of friends and had lunch in downtown Meridian. Following a satisfying lunch, we were on our way to North Hills Street, when suddenly a deer darted out across the road in front of us. My companions were almost as surprised as I was. The time was 12:39 p.m. and the deer had crossed the road in almost the exact spot that Slay had spotted them the previous day, and at just about the same time.
It was obvious that these deer weren't lost and simply making a one time appearance. By all indications, they were just on their regular daily routine. It didn't matter whether they were in the country, or downtown Meridian. They had found a safe hiding place with plenty of food, cover, and no fear of hunters and guns.
How ironic it was to be in the outdoors most of last week and not see a deer. Then we come back to work in Meridian and deer seem to come out of the woodwork. A word of caution when traveling 29th Avenue or Great River Drive; watch out for the deer.