Deer in my yard!

[Samurai_Writer]

Came home just at twilight and found a group of five deer in the field that serves as our yard. They have not been up this high all winter, but I had noticed them coming higher and higher up the canyon for the past two weeks or so. We finally got a little green sprouting up here at 8500 feet.

I took these snapshot without a tripod. I wanted to be able to run in case they charged at me. Every time the camera made that little squigee whiny noise, they looked at me, with this "what the hell do you want?" expression.

[Blue_In_AK]

1. I love the big ears on the mule deer...

They look like they could take off like Dumbo. :)

[Samurai_Writer]

2. I thought they might be mule deer

They were definitely a LOT bigger than the scrawny little whitetail deer I was used to in Texas and Florida. I would guess these were females, because they seem to be staying in the same group. I've seen them several times this week.

[Blue_In_AK]

3. That's what they are, all right...

I grew up in Colorado, and we used to see lots of these in the foothills above Colorado Springs when I was a kid. They are much, much bigger than the eastern deer. I thought ALL deer were this big for a long time -- I couldn't believe it when I first saw those little things they call deer back east.

It reminds me of the first time I took my middle daughter down to the Lower 48 when she was about two. The first time she saw cows in a field, she pointed and exclaimed, "Moose, moose!" :rofl:

[intheflow]

6. That reminds me of a story when my son was small.

I knew he'd been raised a city boy when, one day, as we were walking at twilight in a woody area of the Boston suburb where we lived, we saw an opossum. "Ew!" he exclaimed. "What an ugly cat!" :rofl:

[CC]

9. Your story and the comments on

the little eastern deer remind me of Beau and the family reunion out there when he was about 8. My shortest male relative out there is probably about 6'2". Then of course you have the bigger deer, elk etc. After about a week Beau who was used to being the tallest kid in his group pulls me aside and whispers in my ear,"Boy Mom, God sure does grow them all big out here."

[F.Gordon]

4. Those are great

I really love that last one. Seems more "natural" even with the power? telephone? wires. But they are all good.

If you ever travel the road from around Chapel on the Rock toward Estes Park keep your camera at hand during the summer. Large herds of Elk are seen quite often along the road in the various meadows.

Now I'm just waiting for your Bear and Mountain Lion photos.
:hi:

[intheflow]

5. How'd you get them to look at your camera?

Seems evry time I take a photo of deer, even if they're looking at me whenI shoot the photo, what I get back is photo after photo of deer butt. x(

F.Gordon's right about the elk in Estes Park. You'll have to check them out for sure. They hang out on the town green because they know Estes Park is a safe place where no one is allowed to hunt them.

[Samurai_Writer]

7. I think it was the same one that was always looking up

She looked up every time she heard my camera beeping. So I would take another quick shot while she was looking up.

[CC]

8. These are great and

almost jealous of you and where you live, until I remember how poorly I handle winter. Looks like they found something yummy to eat there. Have they been back over the weekend?

[Samurai_Writer]

10. Saturday's weather was bad and Sunday I was gone

So I don't know. I'm sure I will see them again soon, though. They seem to have staked out the area for the time being. I usually see them every day either on my way to work or on my way home.