Behind the Scenes - II. A Curious Meeting

 

Wildflowers, sunshine, and one very puzzled male Mule deer who was enjoying some "me time". He seemed perfectly content in his solitude, while I was left wondering why the deer was alone.

I think he might have just found a quiet spot to rest in the flowers away from the herd. Deer like to pick safe, concealed areas to rest.

Young bucks often separate from their mothers and siblings as they mature, spending more time alone while they figure out their own territory. 

Anyway, meeting this male Mule deer was unexpected—at least on my part.

Generally, life is good.

Young Male Mule Deer with His Harem

 

A young buck with his harem appeared out of blue, quickly crossed the road and before they were going to disappear into the desert they stopped and looked at me with curiosity. Just a few seconds decided the fate of this family portrait.

Generally, life is good.

Female Mule Deer and Her Fawns - II.

The fawns were always close to their mother, one might say, never leaving her side and under her watchful eye.

Generally, life is good.

Female Mule Deer with Her Fawns - I.

 

In a deserted salty field near the Bear MBR I came across a group of five Mule deer. As I got closer, I realized it was a doe and her four fawns.

I only had half an hour before the sun would disappear below the horizon to take a few photos of this family. Fortunately, the mother and her babies didn't go anywhere; they needed food for the night.

Sometimes one or two fawns laid down on the grass for a short rest.  They had a long journey ahead of them to their overnight stay and needed rest.

Their mother was young and strong.  Looking at her I thought it must be not easy  to raise four little fawns and protect them.  I didn't see any male Mule deer around.  They do not help in raising the babies, the female does this on her own.

 

At first, the family of deer was a little concerned about my presence but soon they  paid no attention to me. Half an hour spent with this family turned out to be an eternity and joy.

Generally, life is good.

A Few Female Mule Deer

Antelope Island reveals itself differently each time.  The island may surprise or disappoint you.  I noticed that something interesting was waiting for me when I least expected it.

This morning the Antelope Island was kind. Early in my adventure I encountered a small group of female Mule deer.

Mating season for mule deer continues through the end of February. Some of the does I saw this morning were already pregnant.  It's difficult to say whether they will have one faun or twins.

If this is the first pregnancy of a doe, then one fawn will be born, and in the next pregnancy there will be twins.

Generally, life is good.

Young Male Mule Deer in November

 

Two days ago I encountered a small group of Mule deer, male and female, on Antelope Island.  

The first thing that caught my attention was a young buck poking his head out of the tall dry plants and intensely staring at something.

He had long antlers, and when he turned to look at me, his antlers stuck out as far as his nose.   

His legs were short and his necked was muscular.  I believe that the buck was young and about three years old. 

The buck broke away from the group and was quite close, but soon he got bored of being away from everyone and went to catch up with his friends. 

The main thing is for the deer to stay together to protect themselves from coyote attacks.

Generally, life is good.

Mule Deer in September on Antelope Island

 

Seeing and photographing Mule deer is always an adventure that sometimes ends with not so great photos.  But there are times when the deer are not far away,  the background is wonderful and the atmosphere is special.

Generally, life is good!

Mule Deer in January - I. At the Beau Pond

 

On that cold snowy morning, I encountered a herd of mule deer by the Beau pond and had a great time watching and photographing them. 

The most daring deer came close to the Beau pond, the more cautious preferred to stay at the distance for a while and then joined the rest.

The Mule deer don't have antlers during the winter. The deer start to grow their antlers back in late spring. When their antlers come back they are called velvet. 

The youngest deer at some point decided to play.

Mule deer are selective eaters that most opt for more nutritious weeds, twigs and shrubs but in the very cold winters, deer often join ducks to eat their food.

Life goes on.

December Sketches - V. Emotions

It's difficult to say what kind of emotions this young deer shows, its face is very animated as if he wants to say something and doesn't know how.

Life goes on.

Yesterday and Today

I met her yesterday. She found the way from the mountains to our field and then to our yard where she stayed for awhile, drank water from the neighbor's bird bath and left. 

This morning she visited us again and gave me an opportunity to take her pictures.  There was a long silent staring at each other if she tried to understand why I was there and my wondering why she was alone, where were her siblings.