Our Forest Friends

Visiting Trio

Even though we live in a rather isolated area and our cabin is surrounded not by other dwellings, but by trees, we are not alone. The woods are full of white tailed deer. The forested land around the cabin supports a whole herd. We live amongst more than a dozen deer. Today, as the deer were milling around the cabin I was able to take some photographs from inside. They moved about undisturbed by my presence, as I snapped away.

The herd on the steep slopes

After many successive years of browsing, there is very little forest understory left, and, until springtime, very little greenery for the deer to feed on. Last year's bumper crop of acorns have tided them over. They forage through the leaf cover for the nuts and made it through the lean winter months still looking healthy and well fed.

Sipping at the pond

Now that the days have warmed enough to melt the ice cover over the pond, the deer appear regularly before the sun goes down to quench their thirst. The young doe above took a long, leisurely drink of the cool pond water before rejoining the herd to forage for supper.

"Little Buddy"

We see the deer herd so often that we have come to recognize individuals among the bunch. We named the tiniest member "Little Buddy," a very cute little guy who must have been a fawn from a second litter last year.

"Limpy"

This final photograph pictures a most inspirational member of the herd. Due to some sort of mishap, this deer moves about with a limp, hopping about on three legs, holding the injured leg up as she goes. We've been amazed at how well she gets by. She's usually quite a distance behind the herd and is always making an effort to catch up. We first spotted her last summer and worried she might not make it through the harsh winter. Not only did she make it through; she's thriving! She's such a pretty deer, and, as you can see from Limpy's photograph she's very healthy despite her handicap.

As the sun lowers in the western sky, the deer retreat to their forest "fort" behind downed logs and branches to bed down for a peaceful slumber.