BUSTED!

On yesterday’s patrol out to the backwoods, just past the upper bog, we saw a deer eating about 100 yards down a logging trail. The scene at left gives you an idea of how difficult it is to spot a brownish tan deer in the early spring. The white fur on the rear end helps.

Two days ago we saw three deer in this same spot; with that in mind, I had my camera ready as we approached. The area they are in is a small clear-cut about two years old; you can see a pile of branches on the right which are remnants of the logging operation. I think the deer are feeding on greens just starting to come up among the brush.

As I stood taking pictures and surveying the scene, the blogdog finally realized there was something over there and he is not a good hunter: when a target is located and he is restrained, he starts barking. When he started barking, one other deer appeared and they looked back at us with concern. It is pure luck that they moved just enough to be caught by the setting sun as I snapped the shutter.

Within a few seconds, they bailed out, including a least one more animal; here you can get classic presentation of the rear view of the white-tailed deer; we watched white tails flashing through the trees, eventually receding into the deeper woods.