oh deer

Oh deary-deer Dear dear Dear Deer!

That's an amazing photo Roy. Also I like your quotation marks around expert! :D

I must say that I really never quite trust the "Experts" on the Internet.

Most likely mule deer.

You find blacktail up north, but I'm not sure how far south the range goes.

Not sure how much of an "expert" I can be considered, but we had hundreds of California deer come through the taxidermy shop, and about 2/3 of them were mule deer.

-Badger-

I believe you're correct. When this little doe looks at me, she focuses in with those big "Radar Dish" ears of hers. From what I understand, deer have poor vision and tend to see motion, but can only see in shades of gray and sepia.

Looks like a mule deer to me as well.

a very common sight when i was growing up. but its been years now since the last time i lived any place it wouldn't be an extremely rare one.

I would like to understand why the deer around here don't bolt for cover whenever I step outside the house. They tend to "Saunter" away, or "Pronk." I guess they're used to people. Still, I respect them as I would any other wild creature.

human habitat encroaching on theirs, less place else to go.
also i think, you know, because of that, nature is telling everything to 'cozy up' to humans,
for their own survival, counter intuitive as that might be, and it certainly doesn't mean they're ready to become pets,
not quite yet, but remember cats and foxes aren't physiologically domesticated either.

mainly its just the shrinking of their habitat from human habitat encroaching on it.
while that's mostly a guess, i do believe there's plenty of evidence to support it.

with deer that's not too much of a problem, because they're usually not overly aggressive,
except for males during mating season, but pray bring the preditors that pray on them too.

and i've seen plenty of reports and pictures of felis concolor, puma, cougar, mountain lion, whatever you want to call them,
well within the urban boundries of that huge developed area down there.

and cats, as i'm sure you know from little cats, are kind of unpredictable and their playfulness can be very hard on the furnature,
and anything else living like ourselves, that might happen to be in the way.

also there are times of the year, when everything migrates down hill from the higher elevations
simply following where there is something to eat.

everything is getting used to being around humans from having to be because there are so unnaturally unsustainably many of us.

it might also be, i'm only guessing, that they're simply less lively because of being less well because of something in the environment around there is making them ill. could be what they eat or drink, affected by conditions in the air and water.

That makes sense. I figure a lot of these "Diseases" and afflictions that are wiping out established species around the planet might have their roots in the unchecked industrial pollution and destruction of the ecosystems we all live in. Couple that with a unquenchable thirst for money and power inherent in "Big Business" I can see how, eventually we're all gonna drive ourselves into extinction. However, I'm hoping there might still be some of us out there who'd take measures to preserve and protect their natural surroundings and the creatures living inside it.

That kind of reminds me of an incident from the early 1990s. Do you remember those "Eco-Spheres" desk gadgets? A glass sphere filled with water, a bit of sand, a few rocks, some algie, and a few brine shrimp, then sealed? They had these things stacked up in the "Natural Wonders" store, and everywhere there were signs describing what these gadgets were, how they were supposed to work, and in bold letters stating "DO NOT HANDLE ROUGHLY OR SHAKE." Time and time again I'd watch as some customer would walk in, pick up the gadget, and shake it like a snow globe.

We might not realize it, but we might be doing the same thing to this poor old world.

Nice. There are deer around my place, but I haven't seen them in the last month. I heard coyotes, I think, two nights ago. Something was making a lot of noise.

The deer over here tend to wander over a broad range. I have seen them mainly in areas where there's the shelter of trees or thick brush.

Nice shot.

Ah...? I can take that two ways. Still, I feel my brother and I were very fortunate to get this image. It was as if the deer was "Posing" for us.

It is a great shot.

I saw a stag as I was leaving your place at my second to last visit. Those deer certainly aren't very shy.

I'd say that they're used to people. I try to convey that I have no intent of harming them, and I like to think they pick up on that "Vibe". Still, it makes me feel happy to believe that here in the neighborhood, some wild critters have a place where they can feel relaxed and secure.

she could be a "coastal Whitetail" they are smaller she seems in prime health which is a good thing as the deer population has a very serious epidemic spreading through their population called "Zombie Deer Virus"
https://www.iflscience.com/plants-a.....-24-us-states/
--Rick

I get the impression she must be a "Mule" deer, owing to her large ears and mostly black tail. I kinda feel bad in knowing about this "Zombie Deer Virus" as it's bad enough wild creatures have to put up with Bot Flies, screw worms, hoof and mouth disease, and even getting hit by cars while crossing the roads. My big problem when I see a sick or injured animal is that I want to help them, but I know I can't. Yes. One mature Doe in the herd here in the hills above Pasadena appeared to have a crossbow bolt or short arrow in her Right flank. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a close enough look to do anything about it.

quite probably... couldn'r see the tail from the pic so Yeah most likely a "Muley" in my hunting days i would use a bow, i would always stalk them under 10 yards before taking my shots, or use a 54cal black powder rifle, I never lost a kill. stalking is becoming a lost art i never hunted for "sport" it was always to feed my family and friends.
here is something "deer related" that may give you a smile...

Beer nuts for sale. $1.25 a bag. Deer nuts are under a buck

--Rick

Very neat!

Thanks. My brother and I were very lucky indeed.

Great photo of that Mule Deer Doe. Looks like that iPhone camera does good work. I see a fair amount of Mule Deer in my area - creek at the base of the hill, golf course with tasty grass and some water hazards/watering holes and then the brushy area leading up to the north end of the Bradshaw mountains. Critterville in a way. Deer do get used to humans if you don't spook them and food seems to make them drop their guard at times. I've shared Blackberry patches with both Deer and Coyotes - I stay on one side and eat the berries, they stay on the other side and enjoy their tasty treat.

I have a sort of fondness for this particular doe as I watched her grow from a gangly little fawn into her present size. She seemed rather curious and not as flighty as the other deer, and there were a few instances where she approached me quite closely. I drove up in the old "Toy-Otter" one afternoon, and she was standing in the middle of the driveway. I beeped the car's horn, but that made her "Freeze" in place. It was only until I got out of the car when she finally walked by in a stiff legged gait, and once she got to brush cover she "Pronked" away.

She inspired my Unicornasabalope character "Wendy" in a way.

Pretty little thing; she looks healthy!

I know. With others describing things like this "Zombie Deer Disease" and all, I do worry about her health, but there is really nothing I can do for her. Bronchitis, screwworms, Bots, mountain lions, careless people with weapons and getting hit by cars take their toll on the local deer populations as well. For now, I'm happy in the knowing the estate here provides a safe place that the critters can find food, water and a safe place to rest.

Cute critter! Always nice to see the wild things about! ^^

The critters tend to wander through a broad range here in the "Wilds" of the hills above Pasadena. Every once in awhile we'll see a Bobcat, ans almost every night we get "Serenaded" by coyotes. A Hoot Owl preys on the roof rats on the estate, but no sign of Raccoons or Skunks in these past ten years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPrI8db74kA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEJRgHzz9nA

8-P

Well played, sir

Yeah. And here I am a big fan of the Simpsons too, so I appreciated the jest.

You, sir, have earned a follow from me

Upon closer inspection, it appears that I am already following you. Suffice to say, your comment would have earned a follow from me had I not been following you beforehand as was previously stated. In other words, you shall continue to receive a follow from me

It occurs to me that my previous comment wherein I stated that you would continue to receive a follow from me may be misconstrued that I had at some point considered UNfollowing you. I would like to take this opportunity to state, categorically, that this is decidedly NOT the case. You shall continue to receive a follow from me until such time as you don't, which should not occur at any point in the immediate. Thank you for your understanding to this matter.

It has been brought to my attention that my previous comment stated that I would not unfollow you in the immediate future, thereby implying that I may unfollow you in the distant future. For the record, I have no plans to unfollow you in the distant future, either. Incidentally, I hope you do not have any plans to unfollow me, either. That is, assuming you are following me to begin with. Although, it isn't as though I could stop you, certainly. I mean, if you wanted to unfollow me, it is your prerogative and I would respect that. It's just that I thought we had a thing, man.

We would like to apologize for the previous four comments. These were due to a recently hired intern who has since been sacked. We also apologize for posting comments on a journal you posted six weeks ago and also for clearly ripping off Monty Python

I assure you that I laughed once I figured it out.