I think the deer around here like us.....they keep leaving their newborns in our front yard.
After giving birth, the Mama deer stashes the baby somewhere and in essence says, "don't move" Then Mama goes off to eat so she can make milk for baby.
Here is fawn less than 24 hours old, in front yard.
This is rest of yard..............
Sweet baby. But I hope Momma isn't eating your yard !!
How precious and cute.
We don't plant too much in the front yard that the deer eat. All the good stuff is in the fenced in back yard.
We do however make friends with the deer.
That is adorable.
Sadly.............. Austin has grown by leaps and bounds since I lived there back in the very early 80's. These deer are simply returning to what USED to be a very wonderful wilderness. It's not a matter of "liking" where they are.
I went to visit my sister a few weeks ago and she lives up in the North Austin area that is growing by leaps and bounds STILL! Even more than in the 80's. The deer were running all over the highway looking scared as hell. I seriously got lumps in my throat over the sadness I felt about the world we live in. BE VERY CAREFUL about "befriending" these deer. I know you mean well.. but you are putting them in harms way.
They are meant for the wilderness, not our "entertainment" If they get used to coming into your neighborhood for free easy food, so will their offspring etc. That means dodging cars, dogs. kids, teen-angers and off season poachers in the area, etc. for a lifetime of generations.
Sorry, I don't mean to come off as a Snotty mean person, I am just speaking my mind.
I suggest you stop feeding and touching them. If You want to continue to enjoy their beauty.. Do as you are. WITH your camera. But I would avoid personal contact.
Well, we live in SW Austin up in Hill Country WITH the deer and every other critter they have in Texas. We make friends with all of them.
We don't touch the deer......they are wild......but they have very good instincts of who are their friends. There is also no hunting around here within miles and miles.....all private property.
ALL MY HOSTA FRIENDS HATE THE DEER BECAUSE THEY GOUGE ON HOSTAS. HAS ANYONE COME UP WITH SOME YOU CAN GROW THAT WOULD LIKE TO EAT , SO THEY WILL STAY AWAY FROM YOUR FAVORITE PLANTS?
Sylvia I am afraid there is no such thing. I have an Armadillo in my yard and it is digging holes around 6 inches deep and just a few inches apart. That is alot deeper than I have ever seen and it got into a window box on my porch and uprooted several Amaryllis. I try to kick the dirt back in the holes but they may not be as deep but still there. I will be falling all over the place when I step in them. Oh well I like critters so I guess I will try not to complain much. Maybe I should name it. lol
Never plant anything to attract the deer on purpose. They will stick around and eat everything except your astro turf. They are pretty, and the fawns are precious, but they are four-legged rats to me. With lily buds on their breath!
LOL @ Pat!
Beautiful pictures!
... but Sandy, those Armadillos are fierce looking! :)
Yep fierce and they eat ants. Wonder if they eat fire ants?
Well, we live in SW Austin up in Hill Country WITH the deer and every other critter they have in Texas. We make friends with all of them.
We don't touch the deer......they are wild......but they have very good instincts of who are their friends. There is also no hunting around here within miles and miles.....all private property.
Well.....I didn't touch the deer......I only touched the carrot, which the deer took. The deer are really quite careful and leary of humans.....but what can I say.....my husband and I are animal lovers and I think the deer know this.....which probably makes us hard to resist when we are also offering them a tasty treat. Ha ha.
I see no reason we cannot co-exist with our friends the deer. We feed the birds in the winter too.
I agree with you morganc. I would not be able to resist feeding them treats. What I totally disagree with here in Texas they feed the deer all year so when it is deer season they go out and kill them. What is the sport in that?? It make me upset when I hear of it.
Someone here needs a wittle nappy poo....:)
I wonder if I could learn to detest the Deer the way I detest the Squirrels? The Squirrels are cute ... but not friendly.
I'm with you 100%, Sylvia. A squirrel is a bushy tailed RAT and does even more damage than a rat. Also carries fleas from yard to yard. Neighbors has two beautiful pear trees. The squirrels take one bite out of each and discard them to rot. In our two yards we also have multiple pecan trees. Haven't harvested any in years because the squirrels get to them first. Drives our dogs crazy. They come half way down the trunk of a tree and taunt the dogs by barking at them. Won't even run from me. Got into our attic and made a HUGE mess.
Daughter-in-law is raising a baby raccoon. I have warned her and warned her that she is playing with fire.
Wild animals will always be just that.....wild.
To me the deer are to be avoided as well. The previous owners of our house used to have a corn feeder in the backyard. We HAD to fence in the yard just to grow anything! There is a large greenbelt area right behind our home so the deer don't need to wander onto the highways...I know some of our neighbors leave treats out for the deer. We don't threaten them as there are coyotes in the greenbelt as well, but we don't encourage them either.
We have a private and protected deer herd in our front yard. Actually, front yard is a misnomer as we have eleven acres of lawn, plus other wild property. Right now we have three does bringing their fawns up for dinner every evening at 7:00 PM. I know I could tame them to eat out of my hand, but I want them to have fear of man in their minds, and just not get get too close. Plus, I don't want them eating my corn.
