Thursday, March 26, 2009

Idaho Gem Part 3

 

(How bored are you?  You can check out Idaho Gems 1 and part 2 )

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The other night, I was outside in my yard, minding my own business, and picking up toys.

Suddenly, I heard the pop of a BB gun. 

Our property backs up to a trailer park, with an irrigation canal in between.  The sound was coming from one of the trailers directly behind us.

I heard it again.

I climbed up on our ladder (for some reason- Brian? Can you help us out?- we have  a ladder set up on our back patio) and peeked over the fence to see that a man was standing in the back yard of his trailer, firing his BB gun.

At what?  I wondered.

Oh, at the innocent, defenseless squirrel who was running around in his tree.

Let’s pause for just a minute.

-

First of all, this was a MAN who was doing this, not a teenage boy.

Second of all, I understand (barely) that sometimes squirrels need to be killed because they are, say, eating all of your filbert crop.

*cough* My in-laws! *cough*

This man was shooting at a squirrel that was just sitting in a tree that happened to be in the backyard.

No crop eating or anything.

Just killing things.

-

I wanted to yell, “What are you doing?  Stop that!!” 

but I had to physically restrain myself,

because, if there is one thing I have learned in life, it is to not yell at big, burly men holding guns.

Especially if you value the life of your pet cat.

So, I hurried down off the ladder, grabbed my things, and started to run inside, but not before I saw him kill the squirrel.

I’m sorry, dear readers, it’s true.

-

Don’t you think a gal should be able to be in her backyard without having to witness the deaths of defenseless creatures?

Don’t you think that I should somehow make that man my new best friend so that he doesn’t come and attack us one night when he is bored with squirrels?

-

I burst into tears, and rushed inside to tell Brian.

Who, “sympathetically,” pointed out that:

a) He used to kill squirrels all the time. (If I had known this I may not have married him.)  Granted, he was a teenager, and they were eating his parent’s crop of Filberts.

b) My dad is a hunter.  (For food, people, for FOOD!)

-

Very unsatisfactory in the comfort-department.

So, I did what any hormonal, teary, animal-loving girl would do.

I called my Mommy.

Who was equally horrified and upset.

I guess that answers the question about whether or not I should get a squirrel feeder…

I don’t want to lure them to their deaths!

I’m sorry, dear squirrel, that you picked the tree of such a sick, white-trash, Idahoan to sit in. 

 

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(original image found here)

8 comments:

Ter said...

That is so sad!! I think you should call the animal control services and ask about reporting animal cruelty.

And it IS animal Cruelty. It is probably illegal in your state to kill squirrels.

And you know, if a squirrel is eating your crop, there are traps that can be set that are not going to hurt the squirrel, but just remove him from your crop.

I would have yelled at that guy for certain. How horrible!

I'm sorry you had to witness this.

T Rex Mom said...

That is horrible - seriously, I would have called the police - "shots fired". I say a prayer for the "small animals" every time I see a small animal on the side of the road. But to have this happen in one's back yard - I would be so horrified!

Unknown said...

I would've cried too...I cried once when I hit a frog crossing the road with my car. What can I say I love animals.

Jen said...

This just seems senseless. I really don't get the 'sport' of hunting.

Maureen said...

OK, well, even tho I feel a bit like the "out-law" vs. the in-law" right now, I still will respond in complete agreement with you for being mortified at someone shooting a little neighborhood squirrel. I would have been very sad, too. I really do wonder what the laws are regarding in town shooting of any guns. Maybe you can report him and let the authorities give him an earfull!`

Anonymous said...

I thought there were some kind of regulations against that type of thing.

Natalie said...

OK you did say he lives in a trailer right, maybe he lost his job and needed food for his family...squirrel stew...most of us do eat meat and there is a process. Maybe the squirrel was getting into his bird feeders or dog food bins...c'mon you don't know both sides of the story.

grandma said...

It's bad enough when you have to see "Road Kill"--- I have to close my eyes when we drive past, even if I am the driver! But to see someone shoot a squirrel for no good reason?...SICK! I don't blame you for being upset. I was crying to Dad just the other day because the neighbor's cat jumped up and caught a goldfinch at one of my bird feeders and I just happened to see it. ARGHHHH!