Deer oh Deer

The weather has been so Hot--> Humid---> and miserable that I've had to put off all that riding on my pretty little mules that I had planned.

I put off my hiking at KVR too.  I've decided to just go with my favorite trails and explore the off trails the rest of this year. I've done all the trails and know which ones are my favorite spots to visit with cool things to find.

So, I have been walking the gravel road just an hour before sunset and enjoying some different scenery.

Last night I was rewarded with some deer play. Two young bucks were playing in the alfalfa and oats. I was slightly below them on an incline so they didn't see me for quite a while. 

The video is 30 seconds long.

Eventually they noticed me. 

and....

they took off. 

On my way home I noticed what I think it High Bush Cranberry. Not sure, so I didn't taste it. But I did grab some wild grapes and chew on them while walking home.

Looking up the driveway after I got back, I saw someone else is enjoying the new road.

Time to get my butt moving in the mornings again as we are getting some nice views on the ridge for sunrises.

August through October usually has some stunning skies and fog.

Deer Stories

There was Homer, Jethro, and Zelda.

Oh but there were so many more, but those were the three out of about a dozen Sunday morning that caught my eye and the focus of my camera.

While sitting in a tiny blind in the dark and waiting for the deer to may---beee show up and maybe NOT show up can be boring.

However I listened to the birdsong and peeked out as the day went slowly from dark to dim, to sunrise. I heard and saw both Robins and Bluebirds along with the constant cry from the pack of Crows that live nearby. 

A rabbit slowly came out of the brush and nibbled on some plants not far from me. 

Slowly some young deer came out of the woods and entered the meadow. It was a surprise as I'd just looked and they were not there and...then they were.

Pretty quickly there were about 6 deer in the meadow. Some obviously still not yearlings and some does. A couple of young ones played chase and then settled in to nibble in the meadow.

They all turned when a spike buck walked out of the woods. He ignored them and walked over to the neighbor's fence line and jumped it to graze I suppose on the fallen apples.

Soon the another spike buck appeared. I've been seeing them with regularity so I named one Homer and one Jethro.

Homer thinks he is a real stud.

When he started chasing the girls around he did this....

So some gals watched and others just ran off.

Zelda said, NO Way!

Eventually Homer decided to follow.

All in the pursuit of love, right?

Monday morning was a bit of a dud, but I did get to watch a squirrel do some interesting things. We all know they bury nuts right? They do, but this guy did something different.

I know squirrels bury their nuts, but I didn't know that they hid them too!

Here he is burying his nut

and then covering it up with oak leaves.

Isn't nature just amazing?