Whew .. what a busy summer!

After a crazy few months that involved moving, not once but twice (that's the military for you!) we're finally getting settled down and into a normal life instead of one of transition. Our new home is wonderful, set in nature where we don't have to worry about traffic going past our house (3 cars in one day is the record so far!)

One of the main reasons for choosing the home we did is the abundance of nature around us, I like my kids being able to explore different habitats .. a big plus for my husband is the 10 acres that surround us and the fact there are numerous deer that like to drink from our pond every night. Hunting can be a touchy subject for some environmentally respectful people who think its wrong to kill animals for human gain or for sport. Of course there are negatives to hunting, after all another living being is losing a life .. but the benefits are far greater in my opinion. The deer population is closely monitored each year by the Department of Natural Resources and there are only so many licenses that are issued. This protects the deer population from becoming too thin, or more importantly too populous so they starve over the winter or venture more into the "human world" and are killed by cars. It's also a protection for the hunters and their families that consume the animals .. The animals are tested for diseases such as TB and those areas where TB is found in the deer are part of the annual hunt.

We strongly believe that it is wrong to hunt purely for sport .. My husband gets a "combo" license that allows him to take 2 deer each year. He's already shot a small buck with a bow & arrow and we've spent the weekend processing the meat into our freezer (I'll break down the pricing in a bit as this is truly frugal) .. this animal has given it's life to feed our family for the next year, this is something we respect and honor. The next deer he shoots will be processed for his sisters or his parents to give their church's food bank. You can also donate meat through the Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger. You just drop off your deer at a participating processor and it's processed and donated to food banks in Michigan. He gets to hunt (a very primal instinct), get a bit of exercise (tracking and dragging the animal), provide meat for his family and others and help keep the deer population under control (to prevent starvation, ect) .. I know not everyone agrees that hunting is a positive activity but I would rather see an animal lose it's life in a quick manner that provides food for humans than to see it starve or hit by a car .. just my 2 cents!