That was harsh!
Well, I won't kill a creatures (except cockroaches, hornets etc), not especially gophers and squirrels. We have just learned to appreciate the arrival of spring every year and compare which of the fruit trees is blooming first/best, then try to find fruit buds, and then count our fruit in all of them trees. It's been a 10+ year old failure. This year--- I have eaten some half ripe apples; there's one fine, nice apple coming up. But it's very low hanging one, and I am hoping I will beat the deer to that. This has been the worst year for fruits here.
PS. I have been with my wife for 18 years.