We were invited to dinner at my sister's house up on Saddle Mountain on Saturday. You can truly stretch your eyes and see for miles on that mountain, and after dinner we were enjoying the beauty of the evening as we gazed out of the south facing windows. There below us on a grassy slope was a doe and her three young offspring. The three little deer, triplets, must have been born last year but they were still small and a little bit frisky!
In all my observations of deer I've never seen them play or act frisky in any way before this. I usually just watch them grazing in the distance or catch them eating my flowers and bushes and then run away startled as I clap my hands and shout at them. I've seen seen them dash across the highway in front of me, nearly causing an accident, and sadly, I've seen many of them laying dead along the highways. Mostly deer have been a nuisance and a danger to me. But last Saturday I saw deer in a new light, in a way that I never imagined.
As we watched the little deer and their mother they began to run around in circles, chasing each other. Around and around they bounded like little ballerinas spreading their legs apart with each leap...and each one leaping over the same imaginary obstacles. At one point when one little deer caught up with another one I witnessed some play fighting! They reared up on their hind legs and pawed at each other with their front hoofs. It was an incredible scene! I had no idea that deer actually play.
Far too soon, play-time was over and the business of grazing was resumed as the four-some moved off into the shadows of the evening. I'm hoping to spend more evenings like that up on Saddle Mountain...up where the deer and the antelope play.
In all my observations of deer I've never seen them play or act frisky in any way before this. I usually just watch them grazing in the distance or catch them eating my flowers and bushes and then run away startled as I clap my hands and shout at them. I've seen seen them dash across the highway in front of me, nearly causing an accident, and sadly, I've seen many of them laying dead along the highways. Mostly deer have been a nuisance and a danger to me. But last Saturday I saw deer in a new light, in a way that I never imagined.
As we watched the little deer and their mother they began to run around in circles, chasing each other. Around and around they bounded like little ballerinas spreading their legs apart with each leap...and each one leaping over the same imaginary obstacles. At one point when one little deer caught up with another one I witnessed some play fighting! They reared up on their hind legs and pawed at each other with their front hoofs. It was an incredible scene! I had no idea that deer actually play.
Far too soon, play-time was over and the business of grazing was resumed as the four-some moved off into the shadows of the evening. I'm hoping to spend more evenings like that up on Saddle Mountain...up where the deer and the antelope play.
