Angered as I saw a deer 'HANGING' off a hitch cargo carrier on the highway today...

[Ohio farms]

I agree with Ranwin on this one. I am certainly not squeamish about the sight of a dead animal, but I am sensitive enough to realize that it will bother some people. I imagine that all of us grew up around those sort of things, but in reality, most people have not.   You will rarely change the minds of anti-hunters, but surely a field dressed deer with his legs flailing about will affect, in a negative way,those who are unsure about our sport. Why do that?  What other people think is not my main concern, how it affects their opinions of my sport does...they vote on issues so why alienate them.
Back in 1975 I shot a beautiful 10 pointer in southern Ohio. I drove a sedan at the time and had no room in the trunk so I tied it to the back of my car for the ride home.  Lots of people honked their horns and waved with their thumbs up. The horns kept honking as I got nearer to Cleveland, but the thumbs were replaced by a single finger.  Country folks are a lot more accepting of dead deer on cars than city folks.  I try to keep that general rule in mind for the reasons I stated above.

[Proline]

I am with Drhunter.  I get sick of trying to please everyone else.  If I want to leave my gate down I will.  I worked hard, put in my time and succeeded in one the biggest and most rewarding challenges I have ever known. I would rather see a deer in or on someones vehicle than splattered all over the highway. Good grief.  The next thing we will out of these nut jobs is that they want to build walls around the meat dept at the supermarket! 

[DeanoZ]

ORIGINAL: Woods Walker

ORIGINAL: DeanoZ

I had similar experiences as a child. I grew up in a town on the edge of the suburbs (at that time) in New Jersey. In the center of town, there was a 200 year old building that began it's life as a stage stop, and was now a restaurant.

Ok Woodsie, I gotta ask...where in Jersey were you from and where is 200 year old Meatpole staging stop...I'm guessing it was somewhere in Sussex or Hunterdon County?

[size="3"]Nope. It was UNION county....Scotch Plains. At that time, there were still farms in Union county. In fact, the land where the high school I attended was, I used to play Daniel Boone on and fish for sunfish in the ponds when I was a young kid. This is an old town, and the Presbyterian chuch that's in the original downtown area has headstones in it from the early 1700's. The meat pole and the hunters who filled it are long gone, but the building still stands, and is one of the better eating establishments in the area. [/size]
[size="3"][/size] 
[size="3"]It's located at Park Avenue and Front Street in Scotch Plains.[/size]
[size="3"][/size] 
http://www.stagehouserestaurant.com/
[size="3"][/size] 

HOLY CRAP!!  Thats where I live WW...how about that for a coincidence eh?  I live about a half mile East from the Church and Stage House off Evergreen and Lyde.  Stage House is still there..one of the best restaurants not only in Scotch Plains but around.  Not sure when was the last time you've been back but they've added on to the StageHouse and now have a really nice Pub called "The Tavern"...its now the new local hang out.  Next time your this way let me know and we'll meet for a beer or two!

I'll say this much, no way you'd get away with hanging a deer let alone your laundry in this town anymore.  Has become wayyyyy too suburban and "soccer mommish".  Matter of fact, do you know the water tower from the water company off of Jerusalem Rd., near the Scotchwood Golf course?  Well right behind that is Brightwood park, has a small bass pond and its loaded with deer that come down off the Watchung Mtns...that's the area I'm trying to get permission to hunt, but doubt it will happen...just waaaayyyy too many uppitty types that would crap their pants if they saw someone in those woods with camo on and a bow.

[Woods Walker]

Deano: I know right where you mean. I lived on Roberts Lane, and I used to to cut through the woods right through there and then across Scotchwood Golf Course (it wasn't called that back in those days) to get to the high school. We even had permission to trap the ponds on that gold course back then to control the muskrats. The greenskeepers loved us!
 
Way back then, there was an old hermit woman who lived in a shack in those woods, but it's probably long gone. Is the area you're refering to called Turkey Swamp? We used to hunt squirrels there with slingshots that we made!

[wordbird]

I frequently carry deer on a hitch haul but I take care to not present the gory side for public view. Also, when I carry one to the processor and have to go through town, I wrap a tarp around it to completely hide it. As stated, there are a lot of folks offended by careless presentations of dead animals and we do not need the negative press that can come from something like this.

[hookset6969]

Alright negative this negative that if you don't like what your listening to turn the radio station [:D] I'm not buying extra tarp's and strap's to make someone else feel better about a situation that can be handled by the turn of a head [:@] beside's I love stopping every few mile's to fix tarp's that are coming undone or ripping [:@] Beside's I don't like seeing rainbow's on car's either but it doesn't stop them.. All's I'm saying is pretty soon we will be going 100 mile's out of our way to not offend these people [:@]

[scotman]

I see hoksets point we pay for our deer tags which goes to help conservation across the state..alot more than what most people do. Think we have the right to take it to as many big buck contests without fear of retribution from the public.

[fasteddie]

In 2001 , I bought a Pickup Truck . Prior to that I had a Hyundai . I hunted alone about 50 miles from home . The only means I had to transport a deer with the Hyundai was to tie it on the back , up high near the window . Even when I shot a deer in the am , I would wait until almost dark before leaving for home to stay low key so it would be less noticable to other folks on the highway and the school busses would be off the highway . I would get the "thumbs up" from truck drivers and dirty looks from some other drivers .
The truck eliminated the situation of carrying a deer in the open . January 2009 , I got rid of the truck and bought a Subaru Forester . I thougt about buying one of those Hitch Haulers but figured it would put a deer right behind the 2 exhaust tail pipes plus any road debreis would be all over the deer and make a big mess . Covering the deer would defeat cooling the deer cavity . I bought a trailer ......... problem solved .

[hookset6969]

FASTEDDIE, You did something I wouldn't do by waiting but each to their own, However this is my point about what's next driving 100 mile's out of the way to not offend somebody? Look I'm not saying to haul a gut pile around in plain view or to try and gross someone out on purpose, But my day's of inconviencing myself to try and make someone else happy are over [:@] because you will never make them happy no matter what you do. I've learned that one the hard way to many time's, The nice guy alway's seem's to finish at the back of the line [:@]

[ranwin33]

ORIGINAL: hookset6969

FASTEDDIE, You did something I wouldn't do by waiting but each to their own, However this is my point about what's next driving 100 mile's out of the way to not offend somebody? Look I'm not saying to haul a gut pile around in plain view or to try and gross someone out on purpose, But my day's of inconviencing myself to try and make someone else happy are over [:@] because you will never make them happy no matter what you do. I've learned that one the hard way to many time's, The nice guy alway's seem's to finish at the back of the line [:@]

Surefire road to divorce court and the unemployment line. [:)]