Today is the official start of firearm deer hunting season in the State of Michigan. Having lived in big cities most of my life, I wasn’t aware of this propitious event until we moved to St. Joseph. However, we learned quickly that life as we know it on a day-to-day basis stops temporarily on November 15.
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), “nearly 600,000 deer hunters will take to the field for the opening day of the 2007 firearm deer hunting season.” I don’t know what the exact population for the state is; but if 600,000 of its inhabitants are out shooting deer, what does that do to the factories and offices they normally inhabit?
When we first moved here, Earl and I were involved in a rehab project where tradesmen were its lifeblood. We didn’t know that none of them showed up for work on November 15. Nobody deigned to tell us either, as it is just assumed around here that you’ll schedule your plumbing and electrical contractors accordingly around this date. It’s more sacred that Christmas.
The Michigan DNR also predicts that the “number of deer expected to be harvested during the 2007 hunting season is anticipated to be similar to last year’s estimated harvest of 450,000.”
All I can think of is that there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of towns and cities in the United States whose population doesn’t approximate 600,000 or even 450,000. The whole thing is pretty daunting to a city girl.
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