Naturally, I had left my camera inside. As I was bringing some groceries inside today, I heard a bleating noise on my first trip. Figured it was some kind of bird. My second - I'd ditched my glasses, billfold and phone before heading out for more bags when I saw the source of the bleating.
There was a pretty fresh whitetail fawn circling around my yard and pickup. It had heard the commotion when I drove in and decided to inspect the situation in hopes Mama might be there. The little snot tripped right along, stopping to call for it's mother, then moving those impossibly long legs with surprising grace. The poor little thing headed out into the CRP across the road, but the open country with heavy cover must have seemed very intimidating, because it turned back, circled around and headed into my back yard. It hasn't learned to fear man - yet.
If it and Mama don't hook up pretty quick, the little snot is toast. Coyote chow.
I know that deer border on being major pests around here, but I hate to see a baby anything suffer. Maybe the toddler can survive hanging close to the cattle here and the shelter of the farm. There is plenty of food and water here, too, even if my neighbor really isn't putting it out for lost fawns. That forlorn hope is why I didn't rush right out with a camera, because I didn't want to run the little devil off by scaring it. I figure it's frightened enough the way it is.
Like it or not - this is the way life is. "Mother Nature" or Gaea or whatever isn't real but rather a human construct - anthropomorphizing a concept. The Great Wheel of Life doesn't give a rat's ass about this little fawn - coyotes gotta eat, too. And I guess I'm a hypocrite, because given half a chance, I'd shoot this little sucker right in the brisket if it were grown and I had the appropriate tag.
But I still hate to see something like this happen.
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3 comments:
You're not a hypocrite, just a realist. I grew up around farms, and I know exactly how life in the wild plays out. It's eat or be eaten, and run like the wind.
Is there any update? Have you seen it? Don't tell me if it's bad news. I know how nature is, but I intervene as much as possible when it comes to baby animals. I loves me some baby animals.
Laura: I saw it Sunday and left at o dark thirty Monday for an overnight trip to Colorado. One of our trucks headed to Idaho broke down, so I had to unload my load and pick up his trailer to take to the Boise area, which is where I'm at tonight. I've given some thought to calling my neighbor to check if he or his family have seen the little turd.
It's just a bad deal all around, because domesticating deer generally ends up badly for the deer for various reasons.
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