On Oct. 31, 81-year-old Henry Ladd Sr. hung a doe in the front yard of his Bow, N.H., home in preparation for butchering, just as he and his son have always done. But this year that tradition didn’t sit well with one of Ladds’ neighbors, who anonymously called the police to complain.
Nov. 12 in the Concord Monitor:
"We've lived on this hill forever," said his son, Henry Ladd Jr. "Always have, always will."
When an officer pulled up to his father's home about 5:45 p.m., Henry Ladd Jr. was in the process of gutting the deer, a 110-pound doe his father described as "just right for eating."
"Did you tell them to go back to Massachusetts? That's what we do up here," Henry Ladd Jr., 43, recalled saying to the officer. …
None of the Ladds faults the police for coming to question them…Their concern is about the changing social landscape in the town where they were born.
"I can understand a lot of people don't like it, but a lot of people do," Henry Ladd Jr. said.
Thankfully, no charges were filed against the Ladds. What’s your reaction to this story? Is there anything wrong with hanging your deer where others can see it? Do you feel like your hunting traditions are being threatened by people trying to force their values on you?
