Deer watch

The deer-hunting season has officially opened. For the past several weeks, I have been hearing shots in the distance, which most likely are coming from hunters practicing with targets. I have imposed a "not in my backyard" hunting and slaughter rule, meaning that even if I respect the traditions of hunting for food and am a consumer of meat myself, I don't want the carnage occurring in an area where I'll have to see it.

Hunters or not, the deer have been more and more active as fall approaches. Which means we are testing the strength of the solar fence that surrounds our gardens regularly.

About ten days ago, a fawn and a doe began visiting our neighbor Tom's yard every evening. Fruit growers have been telling us that the weather this year has been especially good for apples, and our neighbor's crab apple tree is prime evidence of that. The deer have been grazing on the fallen fruit in his yard, which doesn't bother Tom in the least since he doesn't care for the fruit. We're also glad to see the deer in his yard but keep worrying that they'll start to meander over to ours.

As a result, a new morning ritual has begun. My husband Jim and I go into the gardens first thing each day, heading first for the shell beans that the deer decimated last year. We then give the brussels sprouts, collards, kale, bok choy, and Swiss chard a quick look before heading to the outer side of the fence to search for hoof prints. So far, so good. Jim swears that he sees deer tracks, and was convinced that a bit of animal scat right up against the fence near the beans belonged to the fawn, though it was so tiny that I thought it might have come from a rabbit. Still, we can't help worrying how long our luck will hold out.

We were a bit late getting the shell beans in the ground this year. The rule of thumb is to plant beans after June 1, but the shell beans -- black turtle beans, white beans, and red beans -- ideally should dry in their pods on the vine, which takes up to 105 days from germination. That long wait wouldn't be an issue if beans also were not sensitive to frost and, of course, if the deer were not present.

We have had three light frosts since September 16, but the weather forecast for the next two weeks shows highs in the 70s, lots of sunshine, and overnight lows in the 40s. Perfect weather for beans to slowly mature and dry in their pods. I have read that you can cut the bean vines if it becomes unusually rainy or if you have a hard frost (which generally occurs when the nighttime temperatures get down into the low twenties and teens) and that the pods will continue to ripen on the cut vines. I have thought about taking this step simply because I also am worrying that our luck will run out with the deer. But this morning I did a little bit of date-counting, and figured that if the vines could last ten more days, the time between October 10 and 12 would be optimal for harvesting. So we're watching and waiting.

The solar fence, by the way, is effective. It is not painful, but it does generate a current that will shock you if you brush up against the wires. I had a nerve test done on my wrists and arms about two and a half months ago, in which an electric current caused me to jump. It didn't hurt, but it is a feeling that I won't forget easily. The solar fence works in a similar fashion.

I am glad that we had a good amount of rain this year because it does mean that not only are the wild apples growing but so are a plethora of wild sources of plant protein. Those fruits and vegetables provide a veritable feast for deer and other herbivores that I can't help believing are more healthful and nourishing for wild animals than domestically raised crops. One of the joys of living in a rural area, after all, is communing with wildlife, and this summer I've seen numerous deer, turkeys, rabbits, and badgers while running and driving. I hear owls hooting at night, and occasionally the howl of coyotes. These sounds relax me and help me feel close to nature. They make me feel hopeful that our human tendencies to settle on land that technically belongs first to the animals and to cultivate soil can find a happy balance with the wildlife around us. For that reason, as deer hunting season gets under way, my "not in my back yard" policy goes into full force.