Our Winter Friends

Below are pictures of the deer that visit our yard. They started out as one or two and have grown to a herd of five. They begin showing up in the fall and graze on the grass in the back yard. Once the weather starts to deteriorate, we put cracked corn out for them to eat.

In the winter they usually show up either in the late evening or after the sun has gone down. Occasionally they may show up on an afternoon outing. They have gotten fairly used to seeing us peeking out the windows at them, although they are still jumpy. They come close to the house to feed so they have become more comfortable with their surroundings. Their soft eyes melt your heart and it is a pleasure to see them show up. The unfortunate thing is, once there is plenty of grass, leaves, and such they don't come around. We hope they will be back in the fall.

As the years have passed, we see more and more coming to be fed. We go through plenty of corn during the winter to keep these beautiful creatures from starving. We've noticed, too, that we seem to be getting more and more deer with injuries or that are crippled. One young buck has a metal ring around his back hoof that he stepped in and can't get off. Others come with missing antlers or hobbling on their three good legs. We seem to be getting more bucks as time goes by,too. It's a great thrill to see them come to the feeding spot with their beautiful racks. In the summer, we see some of them wander through with their velvet on their newly growing antlers. We even get the occasional visit from does who bring their babies to graze in the yard, as is evidenced in the pictures below.

We love our friends and don't take kindly to poachers, so beware. I understand the need for hunters to thin the herds to keep animals from starving, but if you must hunt, don't do it near our property and do it legally. Poaching is one thing that will not be tolerated by this family.