My back yard borders on 2,600 acres of state game lands. I live in a pretty strange part of Appalachia. The major university here has forever transformed the landscape, but just a 20 minute drive and life is pretty much as it was 50 to 100 years ago. When I am home I do have a sense of wilderness in my back yard. Hunting season can get interesting from time to time though. 90+% of the hunters that use these lands are very respectful of the land as well as the wildlife, but there are always those idiots that hunt in safety zones, litter the landscape with their plastic bottles, and cut the horns off of a deer head and leave the carcass for the coyotes and buzzards. This time of year my S&W 629 is on my hip most of the time in case I have to chase hunters out of a safety zone. But the benefits of living here far outweigh the minor inconvenience that we realize a couple of weeks out of the year. Just yesterday I was sharpening some straight razors at the kitchen sink, and I looked out to see a huge doe and three smaller ones in my back yard. It was 2:30 PM, so they were probably spooked by either hikers or hunters (currently flintlock muzzle loader season), but it was good to see them. This area has been over hunted in years past, but this is gradually changing for the better in my opinion.
