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Thursday, November 19, 2009

My First Buck!


I finally got to see him! I saw my first male white-tailed deer, also known as a buck. This has been a long time coming for me. After seeing and taking so many pictures of female deer and their little ones I literally stumbled right into the meeting with this one.

I was at the same park where I've seen so many deer in the meadow at the back. I was actually looking for them back there, and I was disappointed that there were none there. For some odd reason I expected to see them that day, which I've never done before.

I had forgotten all about it when I was all the way back to the front of the park, getting ready to leave. I had one more turn before I could see the parking lot when I sensed something off to my right. There it was laying in the grass! He was looking in my direction, but he seemed completely unconcerned.


At first I didn't see his antlers, but I quickly focused my eyes, and there they were! I began furiously taking pictures for all I was worth! The funny thing is that he didn't move even an inch. I didn't even see a twitch of an ear! This was even after I moved from side to side trying to get a better view over the tall grass.

I actually began to suspect that maybe he wasn't real. I thought maybe he was only a stuffed deer that was put there for some strange reason. Why would somebody do that? After awhile I thought I saw him blink his eyes. It was a huge relief!

Since he wasn't going to move, I decided that I should just go away and not disturb him any longer. The pictures were close to identical, and I was guessing that he must just need to rest. Not wanting to interrupt that, I headed off towards the parking lot. But then I got an idea.


I came back around from another direction, doing my best to sneak up on him. I didn't want to get too close because even though he would most likely run, those antlers are there for a reason. I actually got pretty close to him before he made his move.

He got up quickly, so I thought he must have seen me coming at him. Then he did something unexpected. Instead of looking at me, he looked off to the right. I followed his head to what he was looking at. There was a guy standing in the exact same spot where I previously took my pictures from.

It was that guy that the deer didn't like. Why didn't he care when I was over there? Maybe I have developed a certain body language that says I'm not a threat. That could become dangerous for me in the wrong situation. The deer never once looked at me now.


He soon ran off into the woods and was gone. I got this picture of him leaving. It's a little blurry, but it illustrates exactly why they call them white-tailed deer. They lift their tails like this when they sense danger. It acts as an instinctive flag to warn any other deer.

So ends my exciting encounter with the first male deer I've ever seen. The first set of antlers I have ever seen up close. Nature is such a wonderful thing!

24 comments:

  1. Wow! Congratulations in encountering your first buck! Very nice shots you have. It is also very seasonal, lol.

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  2. lucky you! i can feel your excitement. great find! the superb shots were a generous bonus.

    ps.
    when i first saw your blog title and haven't open this post, i thought you had your first cheque from Google Adsense. lol! silly me!

    http://chersanz.blogspot.com/

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  3. Oh, you are cute Cher...

    Seeing your deer is similar to looking at my monkey at Cerok Tokun.

    They are all our bucks.

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  4. People usually frame their first dollar. Should you frame the picture of ur first buck. For luck?

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  5. It must be a thrill to see such a magnificent buck! Great shots, Ratty!

    I echoed Cher's thought about the buck thingy!

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  6. wow, that is amazing that he wasn't frightened by your presence but he was of the other dude. great photos of a nice buck. have a great day...hugz!

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  7. Be very careful out there Ratty! It is deer season in Michigan now...that guy may have been hunting him..and you sure don't want to be in the way of a bullet. They are allowed to hunt in some parks, too!
    This time of year we don't even go our driving in the woods because I am afraid of a stray bullet coming our way.
    My husband's uncle was killed accidentally years ago by being out in the woods during hunting season and being hit by a bullet shot by another hunter across a field at a deer.

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  8. How exciting!They are beautiful, aren't they? Last week I was looking out my back window and saw a buck walking along my fence line. He was looking for a way in to snack on my remaining roses I believe.

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  9. What a series of photos! You must have been ecstatic!! That is one handsome buck.

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  10. Oh, Ratty, that must have been such a wonderful day and the photos are truly spectacular. But, The Retired One's comments do scare me. Please, please be careful. No picture is worth risking your life. We need years more of your wonderful photos!

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  11. Congrats Ratty, seeing on of these magnificent creatures is a thrill. Great shot he is a very handsome young fellow. But like others have said be careful during hunting season. Even if the park does not allow hunting there are some that don't always obey the rules.

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  12. How exciting. I probably would have been so thrilled to see him I would have forgotten to take the pictures

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  13. He's a beauty! And that tail!! So white!

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  14. These photos are absolutely awesome Ratty!! I am so happy you saw him!! He's beautiful and he has the most perfect tail too!!

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  15. How nifty! I think this is proof that your locations are protected from hunting. But I do think you have learned how to approach animals in a non-threatening manner.

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  16. Wow, a white tailed deer - what a gorgeous animal. Your photos are wonderful Ratty, great capture.

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  17. It is a wonderful moment when you firt see those horns.

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  18. He's beautiful. I have never seen one up close, so thanks for the pictures.

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  19. You are so lucky to see wildlife in their natural habitat. I had to go to the Zoo to see them Deers!

    I've never seen one with such fluffy tail... I find it very cute! :D

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  20. Thats a great find Ratty! Another photos collection to your daily adventure! :)

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  21. These are beautiful pics of an awesome creature. I hate deer season. Many people around these parts love deer hunting. I hate the idea. Most will argue that we'd be over run with too many deer if they weren't allowed to be hunted...I say TELL THAT TO THE PEOPLE IN CHINA!

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  22. Ratty so you made your first buck-from AdSense?

    Only joking but the title made me laugh in my reader.

    Nice to get near such beautiful wild animals.

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  23. He's beautiful lucky you, we use to love going out looking for deer and I'm always happy to see them running around. I just hope we don't encounter one jumping in front of us while riding the bike.

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  24. First, I want to let everyone know that even though it's deer season, I am in no danger from hunters while I'm hiking. There is no deer hunting for many miles here. But thanks for being concerned.
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    @Sugar Daddy Dating
    I'm glad I was able to get pictures to share with this first one.
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    @Cher
    That title was an intentionally deceptive joke. I thought it would be fun. :)
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    @Rainfield
    Yes, both can be dangerous if provoked. Male deer can get mean right now because it's mating season for them.
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    @Kruel
    That's exactly what I have done. There is a small frame around the picture. And this picture will get to remain on display for as long as Google allows all of our blogs. :)
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    @Icy BC
    It really was great to see him up close. And see my reply to Cher. :)
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    @PJ
    I found it quite strange, but it wasn't unexpected. Things like that have been happening to me quite a bit.
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    @The Retired One
    There is no hunting allowed here for many many miles. I'm too close to the city for there to be any hunting, so I'm completely safe.
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    @Buggys
    I have heard that deer love to eat roses. One woman told me a deer chased her back into her house when she tried to stop it from eating her flowers.
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    @Julia
    Yes, I was extremely ecstatic. I've been waiting for this for a long time now.
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    @RNSane
    Don't worry, there is no danger to me because I live too close to the city for deer hunting. These deer are protected mostly because firing off guns in the area is against the law.
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    @SquirrelQueen
    These parks here are all animal sanctuaries. Anyone hunting in them would go to jail for a long time.
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    @Ann
    I have to say it did take me a few seconds to remember to get the pictures myself.
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    @Lin
    I almost didn't add that picture of his tail because it was blurry, but his tail is so big compared to any others.
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    @Ginnymo
    That tail was absolutely magnificent. I wonder if all male wonder have them like that.
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    @Sharkbytes
    The animals do oddly seem relaxed around me right now. I must have learned something. I hope I never meet any predators that see me the same way.
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    @Poetic Shutterbug
    The strange thing is that I was there searching for deer that day.
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    @Scienceguy
    That's exactly how it was. I've never seen the horns before that one.
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    @The Ancient Digger
    Now I can say that I have seen one up close. I'm so happy!
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    @Nessa
    Try searching for a website for your town or local area. You might find parks with nature trails like this. I do all of this only 20 miles from downtown Detroit.
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    @VanillaSeven
    I hope I keep finding new things like this. There have been some good moments.
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    @Roschelle
    I hate deer season too. I hate it because I know a lot of the hunters. The ones I know are irresponsible jerks. Hunting also costs more than simply buying meat at a store.
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    @Mike
    I'm glad you had fun with the title. That was exactly my intention with it.
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    @Jude
    We have similar problems with them jumping in front of cars around here. Everybody has to be very careful while driving this time of year.

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