New Mexico / Colorado

[Sigarms]

Thankfully they seem to be far smarter than deer when it comes to avoiding being hit.

Many times I see elk looking up from eating along the shoulder, look my way, and probably think "What's this dummy doing here at 3 AM?". Then resume eating.

A deer is far more likely to run up on the road in front of me, then zig zag for a 100 feet or so while I'm hard on the brakes.

Two weeks out there, saw a bear, a bunch of wild turkey to my surprise, various species of deer and even a porcupine to my added surprise (don't ask me why, never thought to see those two out west).

Saw elk in California last year, but nothing in Colorado and NM on this visit though. Go figure....

 

[Too many Kubotas]

It's nice to wake up and see anywhere from two to eighty (depending on season) elk through the bedroom windows. It's not an every day occurrence, but more often than not.

The deer largely hangs around 24/7, but in smaller numbers. Some just look up from their eating when I walk by 20 feet from them, others move away.

 

[jyoutz]

Two weeks out there, saw a bear, a bunch of wild turkey to my surprise, various species of deer and even a porcupine to my added surprise (don't ask me why, never thought to see those two out west).

Saw elk in California last year, but nothing in Colorado and NM on this visit though. Go figure....

Turkeys are very abundant in AZ and NM mountains. So are porkys, bears, and deer. Mule deer are most common, but whitetails also occur. Elk are so common as to be a pest in some locations.

 

[Sigarms]

Turkeys are very abundant in AZ and NM mountains. So are porkys, bears, and deer. Mule deer are most common, but whitetails also occur. Elk are so common as to be a pest in some locations.

When we headed back to NM from the train ride and we headed back to 522, over in the distance there was a what we thought were smaller deer with large white spots on them. Saw them before somewhere, thought perhaps goats at first, but on this drive, we both thought they were deer because they weren't hiding in the brush. Not certain what they were.

Will admit that it took us a while to figure out were weren't seeing squirrels on the road, but prairie dogs LOL

In Pagosa Springs, I do know the deer were way to tame and very use to people where we stayed. Reminded me of Angels Camp in northern California where we stayed. Heck, even in Red River NM I had one come up to me when I was at the car.