A Question About DEER.

[MarkV]

We live on 32 acres of mostly wooded land in NW Georgia. Seeing deer, not the tractor type, is common around our place and something we enjoy. Normally they will take off when the wife is walking the trails with the dogs but not today. There was a small doe, from what the wife says, that our "big dumb hound dog" came up on and it stood its ground. This is not an aggressive dog, I am sure it saw what she thought was a potential new friend. The wife was within 10 feet of the deer as it head butt the dog a couple of times. The dog yelped and the deer casually wander off into the woods.

Thought some of you that knew deer behavior might have a reason this deer acted so much differently than what we normally see. There were no indications that a fawn was near and the wife didn't think the deer look of the age to have one. Anyone have any thoughts?

MarkV

 

[mustangsallysdad]

We live on 32 acres of mostly wooded land in NW Georgia. Seeing deer, not the tractor type, is common around our place and something we enjoy. Normally they will take off when the wife is walking the trails with the dogs but not today. There was a small doe, from what the wife says, that our "big dumb hound dog" came up on and it stood its ground. This is not an aggressive dog, I am sure it saw what she thought was a potential new friend. The wife was within 10 feet of the deer as it head butt the dog a couple of times. The dog yelped and the deer casually wander off into the woods.

Thought some of you that knew deer behavior might have a reason this deer acted so much differently than what we normally see. There were no indications that a fawn was near and the wife didn't think the deer look of the age to have one. Anyone have any thoughts?

MarkV

Yearling buck (typical behavior...territorial)...most likely a young doe with a fawn nearby. Tis' the birthing season...we have 4 new youngin's (set of twins) on our 25 acres. Last week of May 'til mid June around a full moon seems to be the spark that starts the process.

 

[dmccarty]

We have a young buck that has velvet on six points already. Pretty sure this is his first year. I saw one of the Does stamp her feet and chase him out of the Doe herd a few weeks ago.

So if you did not see antlers my guess would be a doe with a nearby fawn. It is that time. We have seen one fawn already. The Does have started to disappear from the herd to go have fawns.

Later,
Dan

 

[beenthere]

Yes, to fawn nearby. And you likely wouldn't see the fawn, as they lay very still per instructions or "born with" and natural behavior.

Saw my first fawn of the season 3-4 weeks ago. Antler growth about a month earlier this year too.

 

[LMTC]

Do some searches and find out about people killed by deer. Doe with fawn(s) and buck in rut (the MOST dangerous) will fight. The buck in rut will aggressively pursue and attack....I can give personal testimony to this. When I see videos of people hand feeding deer off their deck and just "oooing and awwing" over the deer I shake my head. Those hooves can rip you up.

 

[Baldyonthehill]

Many years ago I read a book titled "Man Killers of America" or something similar. In it numerous stories of attacks by whitetails were listed. Some were by bucks, some does, some during the rut and fawning season, others not. The author concluded that whitetail of either sex can attack and kill at any time of the year.

Our whitetail have just attacked the oat crop we palnted for them so far but I do not dispute what I read in that book. Maybe the southern whitetail are more aggressive than our northern ones.

 

[CurlyDave]

Certainly deer are not the friendly creatures depicted in "Bambi".

We have a natural spring on our property which in many ways looks more like a sinkhole into he11, than a spring.

The deer are faster than our dogs, and always try to lure them into chasing the deer right up to the edge of the sinkhole. The dogs have never run into the sinkhole, but I am convinced they would be injured, if not killed, by doing this. The deer have this timed out pretty well, and primarily do it at dusk, where it is not easy to see what is in the woods ahead.

There are numerous cases of humans being killed by deer, but it is not common.

Some hunters will approach a downed deer and try to cut its throat. I have never understood why they would want to do this and I always make certain they are dead before I get too close.

 

[MarkV]

Thanks guys, I'll bet this doe has a fawn laid up in the woods somewhere close to our trail and it is older than my wife figured. It sounds like she has seen the deer in the same area for a week or so which would be unusual in itself. We will just by pass that part of the trail for awhile. I don't need "big dumb hound dog" tangling with a mama.

MarkV

 

[JDGreenGrass]

That's quite a story.

How about this....Several years ago my dog went nose to butt-hole of a skunk. THE SKUNK NEVER SPRAYED.!!!!!

Could not believe my eyes. I stood about 5 feet back trying to call my dog off the skunk which was on a woods trail bridge. IIRC it was in the spring of the year.

Any knowledgeable comments on this.??

(sorry to hijack)

 

[gauthier]

Yeah,little buck probably,they will do some unexpected things sometimes