You're My Little Buck

Autumn Does

A Handsome Pose

Sometimes when I am out taking photos, I know the moment I have a great shot. It usually only happens once per session, if that often. That's the photo I look for out of the 100 or so I may have taken during that few minutes in the backyard. That one perfect shot.

This photo was that great shot that I took October 18 - Friday a week ago. Of course, no one ever sees the other 30 that I took of this deer as I tried to get one good shot.

But this one is straight out of the camera, just the way I shot it:

I don't even know how I managed it. The sun was slowly sinking and I was losing the light. I kept waiting on this little buck to raise his head and finally - he did and I clicked.

There's  a little butterfly inside of me that does a small dance when I know I've taken a good shot. It's a nice little tickle.

Photo taken with Nikon P500.

The Trio

I took these with my iPhone, which, I must say, seems to be taking worse photos than ever since an update. I wish these companies would leave well enough alone. I probably have some setting on the camera incorrect now and haven't had time to fiddle with it. So these are not the best.

We ran across these three fawns in my father's driveway the other night. There were two does nearby, though they ran and hid as we drove up the driveway.

Four Points

Friends in the Rain

It was pouring rain when I shot these photos Saturday. I cleared them up a bit with software because it was raining so hard the camera had trouble focusing.

I always like to see the deer and turkey together. Too bad the bear didn't make an appearance!

Twins!

Saturday morning my husband came home and saw a doe resting beneath the spruce tree. This is not unusual.

When he came in, he saw she'd had a fawn. He called me into the room (I was sitting like 20 feet from her in my office but couldn't see her) and I told him I thought she was having twins.

Sure enough, a little later I saw two feet sticking out of her and plop! Out came another.

I shot 438 photos and took some video of the event. Some of the photos are just too darned cute.

Here is the video. It is completely unedited because I don't have editing software anymore. It's a little over 2 minutes long.




And here are some photos:

Mom with first born.

Poor little thing looked like a wet dog.

Mom does a lot with her tongue.

Yep, this is the second one on it's way out while the first one is getting a drink. Poor mom!

Now there are two to lick clean.

Lick, lick.

A little motherly kiss.

And another.

Trying to get them on their feet.

Didn't quite make it. Needed a rest.

Bottoms up!

Second born took a while to gather strength.

The first born became a little rambunctious after a while.

Lots of kisses from mom.

I'm . . . I'm . .. In-dep-endent!

Resting. Being born is hard work.

Off to hide the babies.

This is the second time I've had fawns born in the front yard, but the first time I actually witnessed a birth. It was TOTALLY AWESOME.

Spirit Guide Deer

Can you find "the majestic horned deer" in this photo? I've been seeing it for several months. It's not a real deer, it's a bunch of branches that are shaped like one. The image is slowly going away as vines and other greenery take over, but I have enjoyed looking for my spirit deer during these crazy spring days.

The "deer" is located in the cedar tree just right of center. Can you see it?

The Wounded Deer

This deer showed up in the front yard the other day, limping badly. She (assuming it's a doe and not an antlerless buck) cannot put any weight on that front right leg and it appears her shoulder is broken or dislocated.

My guess is she was hit by a car. However, she ran when my husband came up the driveway and she heard his vehicle.

Poor deer.

Deer dragging front leg.

I drew a little red mark around the shoulder area. I've been watching deer for 35 years and this one's shoulder
doesn't look right.

An Unusual Kiss

Butting Heads

I caught these two young bucks going head to head outside my window the other day. I think they were more playing than fighting, and it didn't last long.

Baby Deer

Fawn

Haven't seen very many fawns out and about this year. This one turned up in the yard the other evening.

Thursday Thirteen

Here are 13 of my daily visitors:

They stand in the little hidden glen in front of my house all the time. As you can see, they frequently lie down. Sometimes all of them lie down at once, especially on dreary, foggy days.

They are curious animals and will come all the way to the house. I have pictures of them looking in the window; last spring one gave birth right outside my bedroom, beneath the spruce tree. They stand and watch as we drive by the car. They won't eat out of my hand but they do not run far when I go outside. As you can see, when I stepped out to take a picture many of them looked at me, but a few simply ignored me.

1. These are whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

2. When a whitetail deer is startled, it will raise its tail to expose the white underside. This signal serves as a warning for other deer, and this instinct gives the whitetail deer its name.

3. Whitetail deer are the smallest members of the North American deer family.

4. Male whitetails, or "bucks," range from 100 to 300 pounds, while females, or "does," range from 75 to 200 pounds.

5. Whitetail deer tend to be most active during dawn and at dusk. (Mine appear to be the exception to this rule - I see them at all hours of the day.)

6. They have relatively small home ranges, usually only a square mile or less.

7. Whitetails gather into same-sex groups, or herds, to graze throughout the summer.

8. The rut, when these animals mate, begins in early September. During this time bucks will fight each other to claim the right to mate with does in the area.

9. Whitetail deer can run at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, and swim at speeds of up to 13 miles per hour.

10. Whitetail deer have a very long stride when running, up to 25 feet.

11. Whitetail deer have a diverse diet, and have been known to eat over 600 different plants. They love to eat acorns, grasses, leaves, crops like soybeans and corn, berries, twigs, fungi, fruit, and nuts. They also eat roses, including the part with the thorns, as I have seen for myself.

12. Whitetail deer have a four chambered stomach, which allows them to digest extremely tough vegetation. They will eat quickly without chewing while feeding, and later they will cough their food up and chew it. (That is kind of gross.)

13. The whitetail's coat will change with the seasons, from reddish brown in the spring and summer when vegetation is growing to grayish brown in the winter. This helps the deer to stay camouflaged all year round. The change in color happens quickly, usually in 1 or 2 weeks.

Facts from this website.
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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 492nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Resting

Where Santa's Reindeer Take a Rest

The Eight-Point Buck

This lovely and magnificent-looking creature had the misfortune of passing in sight of my husband's muzzleloader on Saturday. He is now hanging in the butcher's freezer.

Fortunately I was able to grab a few shots of him through the window before my husband saw him.

I would much rather shoot deer with a camera than with a gun, though I know hunting is necessary to keep the population down. We are overrun with deer here on the farm and they do a number on the crop fields every year.

But still, the vision of him bounding along the woodland path is more dear to me than his antlers on the garage wall.

Having a Drink

I hope those are flies and not ticks on that poor doe.

All done and ready to rumble.