The wooden plaque fastened to the tree reads “For ‘Deer’ George Who Loved This Forest”. This forest is home to one of the largest and most concentrated deer populations in the region according to a survey I read a long time ago. The abundance of deer likely has much to do with the fact that the forest is a designated a conservation area and free from predators except for the occasional coyote. A bear was spotted in an adjacent area a number of years ago and more recently there was a wolf sighting in another adjacent area. But there is no permanent predator population in this forest as far as I know. The deer are also much loved and well fed by locals. I was once told by someone more familiar with this forest than I am that an older local couple feeds the deer daily and has been doing so for 30 years. They have named most of the deer and can recognize each and every one and tell you about their family relations. They are not the only ones that have been regularly feeding the deer for that length of time either. ‘Deer’ George must have been one of those locals who loved these deer too.