Attacked by a Deer

It was December 27Th and a balmy 42 degrees outside, so I decided to walk down the hill about 1/4 of a mile and get the mail. Just as I reached the mailboxes I heard a noise behind me. It sort of sounded like a baby calf. To my surprise it was an almost full-grown deer! And it was standing about 10 feet away, looking at me. I remembered the deer Jack was telling us about, the one that followed him home a couple of weeks ago, so I figured it was the same one and that it was tame. I removed the mail from the box (a late Christmas card and the January Ensign) then walked over to the deer. It stood there while I petted it on the head, the ears and the back. I noticed, and felt, the stubby little beginnings of antlers on it's head.

Well, that's nice, I thought as I headed back up the hill toward home. I glanced back occasionally to see what the deer was doing and it was following me slowly. Each time I looked back it was a little bit closer and pretty soon it's head was right behind mine! Luckily I had the Ensign magazine and I used it to whack the deer on the nose. It backed off a little bit so I continued on. The next thing I knew something was touching my shoulders. I whirled around to see the deer reared up on it's hind legs, it's head now towering over me and it's hooves at eye level.

This scenario happened several times before I reached the house where I finally dared to turn my back on my attacker one last time and make a final dash for the front door.

Once inside, I grabbed the camera and some grapes from a bowl that was on the kitchen counter. Somehow I had to get a picture, so back outside I went. The deer had gone around to the back of the house by then. I walked up close and put the grapes on the snow covered ground. I felt a little safer when it's attention was turned to eating the grapes and was able to snap a few photos.