Deer In The Back Yard

It has snowed SO much recently.

More snow than we have ever seen in our four winters in this small town in the desert of SE Idaho.

But much earlier in the month - before we had day after day of heavy snowfall - I had a quiet and wonderful interaction with some residents of this town.

The numbers vary from year to year.

Sometimes they are gone for many months at a time.

But invariably a small herd of deer, at some point in the year, decides to make Atomic City their temporary home.

Usually there are 13 or 14 or so - a small herd that wander alone or in pairs throughout the summer but who (as the weather gets colder, the days grow shorter, and the cries of the desert coyotes grow louder) begin to band together.

They wander through town together throughout the winter, enjoying the relative safety that comes with numbers and becoming tamer to humans by the day.

This year there are about 14, and for the first time there are two young bucks that are traveling with the does and last springs' fawns.

Two little bucks with sweet little racks and cute little faces.................

One day early in December I looked out the front window and the young and healthy herd were wandering together on the opposite side of the street from the house.

Quickly pulling on boots and sliding on coat I grabbed my camera and headed for the front door.

Pushing my dog back from the front door I quietly opened the storm door and slowly walked outside.

By the time I reached the front of the house I looked towards the kitchen window and saw my pup standing on the kitchen table watching me.

Patting the window where her nose was located on the other side, I smiled at my dog.

A PIA sometimes, but she has her Kory-Ways that make my dog who she is.

Turning my attention back to the deer I realized that they had wandered into the middle of the road.

The Love-Hate relationship I have (actually EVERYONE who lives in town has) was in full force as I watched these quiet and gentle creatures.

All spring and summer we curse at them because they decimate trees, bushes, flowers, vegetables, everything and anything that residents try to grow in their gardens.

We put protective fences around some things last summer once we realized that the deer (that had been MIA for over four months) had returned to town.

Mostly perennials and young bushes that we had recently planted and that needed time to become established.

But all our annuals, all our other bushes, all our trees were trashed not long after their reappearance.

And so we need to put up more fencing next spring.

Come fall (when everything has stopped growing) I watch as summer fur begins to turn into winter fur.  As girls go into heat.  As huge bucks mysteriously appear from the desert, stay in town for a couple of weeks, and then just as mysteriously disappear back into the desert once their job is done.

And then winter.

When they easily wander from yard to yard (often bedding down under a huge pine tree we have in the back yard), when the other human residents of Atomic City go into hibernation, and when Kory and I more-often-than-not have the entire area to ourselves.

Just me.  My dog.  The deer..................

I stood in the front yard for a while, bundled against the cold, snapping pictures, watching the deer mingle on the road and then one by one make their way over to the fence leading to our side yard.................

Heading back into the house my dog jumped off the kitchen table and excitedly greeted me.

Leaning down to rub the top of her head and stroke her ears I quickly headed towards the center of the house.

Kory eagerly followed me, but for the second time in the past thirty minutes I had to tell her to "stay here"

She looked up at me with the disappointment and sad eyes that could break your heart.

She wanted to go outside with me, but she couldn't.

I was heading into the back yard to see if all the deer were there, or if they had simply wandered to the back fence, jumped the fence and continued on their way.

Kory couldn't be out there.  She chased them.  One of the does had already turned on Kory a couple of times, intent on protecting her young.

No pup.  Stay here.

Cutting through the laundry room I walked to the back door and then headed into the back yard.

The deer were all wandering around.

Beautiful.  Graceful.  Seemingly in no hurry to move on through town.

I stood still, 10 feet away from them, watching them, watching them watching me, occasionally snapping pictures................

One of the little boys............

By the time the last deer had jumped the back fence, walked down the grassy and snow covered alley and headed to other parts of town, I had turned, walked to the back door and called Kory.

Eagerly she ran up to me and I smiled at her as I moved out of the way. so she could head into the back yard  to play...................

I don't have to take a trip around the world or be on a yacht in the Mediterranean to have happiness.  I can find it in the little things like looking out into my backyard and seeing deer in the fields...........Queen Latifah 

The more I see of deer, the more I admire them as mountaineers. They make their way into the heart of the roughest solitudes with smooth reserve of strength, through dense belts of brush and forest encumbered with fallen trees and boulder piles, across canons, roaring streams, and snow-fields, ever showing forth beauty and courage.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnmuir752674.html?src=t_deer

The more I see of deer, the more I admire them as mountaineers. They make their way into the heart of the roughest solitudes with smooth reserve of strength, through dense belts of brush and forest encumbered with fallen trees and boulder piles, across canons, roaring streams, and snow-fields, ever showing forth beauty and courage.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/deer.html