Suburban Deer

[Stephen Cherry]

Here's what I found in my back yard today:

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One thing I have noticed, this time of year the deer with the horns are not as quick to run away- they are more likely to stand sideways and give you a dirty look.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nice looking young buck and doe.....

[Jim Koepke]

I think they are hip to deer season.

All those guys with trucks in camo carrying rifles likely clues them in.

jtk

[Steve Schlumpf]

It's all fun and games until they eat Mama's flowers!! Then.. look out!!

[Lee Schierer]

Here's what I found in my back yard today:

245417

One thing I have noticed, this time of year the deer with the horns are not as quick to run away- they are more likely to stand sideways and give you a dirty look.

Male deer this time of year have only one thing on their mind. They will chase doe scent through neighborhoods, across roads, in your yard, etc......

[Roger Bell]

They're in the rut.

[Peter Kelly]

Be careful on the roads...

[Myk Rian]

Our Daughter, in Co. gets these, as well as Deer.
Darned things believe they own the neighborhood, which they do.

245461

[Stephen Cherry]

Our Daughter, in Co. gets these, as well as Deer.
Darned things believe they own the neighborhood, which they do.



That's quite a rack!

[ray hampton]

That's quite a rack!

maybe for a white-tail but not for a Elk or Moose

[Kevin Bourque]

bang-bang-bang!!!!

[Jim O'Dell]

Yes, we have a young buck that comes to the front yard. Glenna did some research and found that deer will eat the oak acorns we have, so as we sweep them off the driveway at the back of the house, I wheel barrow them to the front out by the street. In seven years, I have only seen this and one other buck, about a 7 point IIRC. See doe quite often, one that is huge. Anyway, this picture was taken about 45 minutes ago. Sorry for the grainy look, it was shot through the screen and window from inside. 245501 He's not much bigger that my Irish setters. Jim.

[David Weaver]

I just had a face to face this morning with a spike buck, walking down the road to get to the bus stop. I didn't notice the guy until I was about 10 feet from him (no typo - his backdrop was brown woods leaves, and it was marginal light), I was on the road, he was as at the edge of the road standing on the grass. He and made a snort, stomped his feet, and then walked along beside me for about 20 feet trying to guess which way I was going, I think, so he could go a different route.

Not a big fan of the deer in the rut, if they turn on you give you the front feet, you have no chance. You can't tell what they're thinking when they're waking around near you and not running away, either, but he didn't exactly run off when he figured out which way I was going.

I've never had them get remotely that close here other than when they're in the rut.

[John Coloccia]

Yah, exactly. I don't exactly live in the suburbs...more like rural New England farm country. We have lots of critters running around, including dear. Holy cow, don't tick one of them off when they're looking for a little love. If you've never seen a cute, little, harmless deer trample something, you'll be in for the shock of your life.

[Jim Rimmer]

I live in a suburban area but relatively close to a nature preserve and not far from NASA which has a lot of forested land. We get lots of deer in the neighborhood. There are lots of Live Oaks and they eat the acorns.

The funniest news story lately though came from Katy, Texas, a suburb west of Houston. It has grown very quickly and has moved into the former homes of wild hogs. There was a home video on the news showing a herd of about 15 wild hogs running through the upscale, previously well-landscaped subdivision. Not really funny because they can be very dangerous but it was kinda funny to see what they had done to the yards and flowerbeds. Funny only because they weren't my flower beds.

[Kevin Bourque]

Will deer attack a person? I recall hearing a story of a hunter covered with scent/lure being attacked once, but it was never verified.

[David Weaver]

Where I grew up a woman got gored by a buck during the rut. She was out either walking or jogging in a national park.

A doe will attack animals or people sometimes if they get between her and a fawn. We had one leaving her fawns next to a bush at our house a couple of years ago and she blocked me out of the house. I didn't test her patience, but when I came out of the front door she was on one side of the house, and the fawns were on the other corner leaving me in her line of sight to the fawns. I hiked out out to the street pronto, because she stomped twice and then started walking right toward me. Instead of picking up her fawns (as in, nudging them up and walking away with them), she blocked my front door for about 15 minutes before she decided to move on.

You can find videos on youtube of deer attacking pets, probably people, too. When they attack dogs, the dogs don't have a chance.

It's not common, though, that they attack people. Just occurs enough to make you think twice about playing games hooting and running after them if they get close.

[Myk Rian]

Will deer attack a person? I recall hearing a story of a hunter covered with scent/lure being attacked once, but it was never verified.
They sure will. Many videos on YouTube with deer attacking people.

[Bill Cunningham]

Wow..a potential freezer full of meat standing in the yard would be dropped with an arrow PDQ

[Stephen Cherry]

Wow..a potential freezer full of meat standing in the yard would be dropped with an arrow PDQ

That sounds like a good idea, until the deer runs off and you need to run through the neibors yard to track it down. Of course, they would be screaming because you shot Bamby. I've been designing a harpoon system, where you could shoot the deer, and winch it in before anybody could raise a stink.

[Curt Harms]

Yah, exactly. I don't exactly live in the suburbs...more like rural New England farm country. We have lots of critters running around, including dear. Holy cow, don't tick one of them off when they're looking for a little love. If you've never seen a cute, little, harmless deer trample something, you'll be in for the shock of your life.

A few years ago a guy had a small petting zoo-type thing a few miles away. Had a couple deer, some geese etc. He was killed by a buck.