Deer-ly beloved we have gathered here on this blog to view some deer photos. And not just one or two, but a grand total of 66 photos of deer. Imagine our surprise when we put that camera card into the computer and up popped 66 shots of deer-ly beloved deer.
And all it took was some frozen squash and pumpkins collected from the garden, and dumped in front of the camera. If you feel like viewing all 66 deer shots, feel free to visit this MBD Picassa album.
In the process we learned a few important lessons.
One: Deer like to pee on the pumpkins that they can’t break open, either they do it, or the dogs did it. Or maybe it was the coyotes….all I know is don’t you go and eat that yellow snow.
Two: Our first impulse was to go to the feed mill and buy a bag of corn. It was a generous impulse, but apparently we would have ended up killing them by mistake. Deer cannot digest bellies full of corn, and develop acidosis, which eventually kills them. Well fed deer are no longer nomadic like they should be, and are exposed to parasites, and disease when they are grouped together feeding at one site.
Three: The things you learn, when you think you are doing something right. Check out this site from Farm and Dairy, it’s full of interesting facts on deer, stuff I had no idea about.
Four: Don’t feed the deer!
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
When we first moved here, we left food for the deer in a couple of places in our woods. Then we learned the same information about it being ultimately harmful to the deer. New York State has a policy (law?) concerning feeding deer.
ReplyDeleteWe were sad because we thought we were doing the right thing.
We love our deer.
xo
Claudia
We have deer at our house every day. If we don't see them we see their tracks. I was gone for a couple of hours yesterday and found one of the old Halloween pumpkins (I had hidden behind a post) on our porch. Not sure how it got their. I always roll our pumpkins into the woods for the to eat.......pumpins are okay, right.
ReplyDeleteDo they really eat pumpkin? I never knew that...threw our old pumpkin into the woods but it´s still there...under the snow...maybe they will find it in the spring? The cold will keep it until then maybe- hehehehe...
ReplyDeleteDid you have an automatic camera that filmed at night? Very neat photos Jen...
You finally got some great deer photos. I agree about not feeding them as it hinders more than helps especialy when they are living near sub-divisions and urban areas. There is a huge 'deer yard' in our area and there are at least 2 people I know of that feed them on a regular basis. As a result the herd has grown to about 25 deer and they stay right in the area and get hit by cars all the time. They can't be shot during deer hunting season as they are too close to homes so they are basically 'protected' and therefore mulitplying. We've hit and killed 2 within a mile of our house. They are a hazard and we are always watching carefully for them in the dark while driving. They are beautiful animals to see in the wild but are becoming tame and a danger. They also eat plants and cedar trees and veggie gardens! Not nice. :(
ReplyDeleteJust when we thought we knew enough, we learn more. I love deer!!
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty exciting. I love it when they come to visit just not when they eat all the plants up in our garden:)
ReplyDeleteYea for your 'deer-cam'! That is awesome you managed to accomplish these. And you are learning new things as you become more country-fied! ;) It's always fun to learn more about the earth, the critters and their cohesion of existence.
ReplyDeleteWill you have deer at your own home?
Hello neighbor, well sort of, I live in southern Alberta not far from the BC/AB border. Found your blog through Brenda's Cozy Little House.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on buying your new home. Very exciting!
We live in a small rural town and see many deer along the highways. But we have had them venture into town on occasion.
Have a great day!
I wonder if horses would like pumpkin? I may have test that out with my mares. Your pics remind me of that wolf photographer, Joel Sartore. Ever heard of him? He sets up feeding stations and cameras in the MN wilderness and gets amazing shots of the wolf packs. (I used to live near him..)
ReplyDeleteIf the winter is really bad, you can drop them some grass hay far away from where your garden will be, otherwise not good to do it..they will come to expect it, and if they don't get it, they will come closer and closer to the house looking. If you feed them any where near the garden area forget having anything left for yourself! LOL...
ReplyDeleteAs cute as they are they will eat everything down to the stalk..start finding out about deer resistant plants...don't forget, ticks go on all other animals, and each animal, they find, carries a different bacterium for the tick borne disease list, the deer appear to be the end host for Lyme disease (although some of the other tick diseases are just as bad) I would be wary of encouraging them to be close to the living areas..although other animals can bring infected ticks also.
I know..I have had several different tick borne illnesses that took 10 years to diagnose because they have such BAD tests for it...
I look forward to hearing about your progress!
OH, here another thought. In the 20+ years we have raised chickens, I notice that lately they pick all the grain out of the scratch grain, and leave the corn. The squirrels eat it. I have been adding whole oats to their feed and what I do (its hard to find here) they lay better. I am going to check whole barley next.
ReplyDeleteI read someplace, but I forget where, that chickens won't eat genetically engineered corn (should be a message to us!)..I am wondering if that it why they always eave it behind now..
Great shots! You have some nice bucks. Don't forget to hunt for their sheds this spring. They are great for decorating.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see the stats on how many people actually did click through to see the 66 deer photos. That made me laugh out loud.
ReplyDeleteMy inlaws feed the deer at their vacation home and it sort of scares me. They love the apples from the apple trees but are aggressive and come up the driveway sometimes when we are out there. Scary when it is a buck.
ReplyDeleteThe bucks should be shedding their antlers soon. Great Trail Cam photos..we do not feed the deer..they are close enough anyway..and harbor those darn ticks..so the further they stay out of our woods the better I like it:)
ReplyDeleteIt so tempting to feed the wild animals, good to know there are sites with the proper info, beautiful photos,
ReplyDeletegreat series of photos Jen, good idea to leave some food for them, I bet they come back frequently looking for more
ReplyDeleteWow I love that you could catch them on camera...nice racks...we rarely see bucks. I never feed them and I try not to feed them with my garden but most of it is what they eat normally....so far we have healthy nomadic deer here.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! I'm so glad they decided to show up on a night your camera was out finally! You could try a salt lick too...
ReplyDelete