Tag Archives: mule deer

Je Suis le Leap

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Well the rut is over for this year for the Mule deer with the month the Lakota call Waníyetu Wi — Moon of the Rutting Deer, ending and the Wanícokan Wi — Moon When the Deer Sheds Their Antlers, just around the corner. With their duties over the mule deer bucks begin to gather together again, hanging out, forming small groups we call the Bachelor boys.

Deadly enemies a few weeks ago, now they’re best buds again, but because they still have their antlers they remain a little twitchy. There is still a lingering energy left over and although they no longer want to fight they feel the need to do something. That something is fence jumping. And jump they do, effortlessly, endlessly, leaping back and forth to dissipate that energy that permeates their muscles, until they wear down a little and can go back to grazing.

Coming home last night after shooting a pair of Golden Eagles until it was nearly too dark to see, I came across this mulie working off some of that excess energy in a pasture outside of town. It was actually too dark to shoot, I had the headlights on in my jeep, but through the magic of digital photography even images shot in near darkness can be made presentable enough to view. The graininess and softness is a by-product of this process. Think of it as a beauty mark. They’re certainly not Pulitzer material, but they do show the beauty and form of these magnificent creatures. Enjoy.

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I’ve Got Sunshine

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MyGirl5316 Mule Deer Colorado Mountains                                  click to enlarge

I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day

When it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May

I guess you’d say What can make me feel this way?

My doe, my doe, my doe

Talkin’ ’bout my doe My doe

I’ve got so much honey, the bees envy me

Well, I guess you’d say What can make me feel this way?

My doe, my doe, my doe

Talkin’ ’bout my doe My doe Ooh

Hey, hey, hey

Hey, hey, hey

Yeah

OK I couldn’t help it, they were so much in love.

So…Ladies

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SoLadies9065

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Hey there. I’m new in town and haven’t had a chance to meet many deer yet. You are two good-looking ladies but then you know that. Where’s everybody go for a good time, I was down by the cottonwoods but it was full of old bucks and they were listening to, I don’t what the hell it was, sounded like Lawrence Welk or something. Isn’t there any good mountain mahogany patches where everybody hangs out. You girls like to dance? I was on Deer Party on channel 6, it was kinda lame but did we party after the show, whoa, we even had a salt block in the meadow and I don’t know if it’s true or not, because I’m not into that stuff, but I heard they even had a mineral block back in the brush. Yeah it was apple flavored. I know where it  is, you want to see it? I’m not sure but they say if you lick it, you just want to go nuts and dance until your hooves fall off. If you want to we can go and check it out. Yeah I know, but you don’t have to tell them where you’re going. We’ll be back before dark. Yeah, let’s do it then. Man am I glad I ran into two fine ladies like you two. Well yeah, actually I did try that mineral block it was so cool, I don’t know maybe you guys aren’t with it enough to try it, well, we’ll see. It’s over here not far from the creek.

Mr. and Mrs. Mule Deer, what you’ve just witnessed is how easy it is for a stranger to come into your community and lead your young people astray. Every day dozens of young deer are led down the path of temptation and heartbreak by smooth talking young bucks out to take advantage of those innocent unwary young deer among your herd. Soon they’ll be out all night, coming home with apple on their breath, dancing until they’re exhausted rather than learning all they must know before they’re out on their own, and who knows what else. All we do know however is it won’t be good. What can you do? Be vigilant, run off those young bucks as soon as you see them, talk to your young does and bucks and explain the dangers of mineral block licking, set a good example and remind them to just say no when someone wants them to “do a block”, as they say. Remember the catch phrase “It’s not trippy to be a hippie”. Good luck out there.

Traffic On The Runway

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TrafficOnRunway0823click to enlarge

Everyone knows about the hassles of flying today. The crowds, the lines, TSA, extra charges for baggage, ugly people being allowed to be in the same line as you, having only one of your shoes come out on the conveyor, being told that the missing shoe isn’t on the conveyor and could you step over here please, the list goes on and on. But what isn’t widely known is that the congestion, and dangers of flying has entered the wildlife world.

The risks of flying seem greater lately with the increase in air traffic and reports of collisions and near misses a normal occurrence and nearly a daily event. An example of this phenomenon is just the other day a JAL flight out of Narita took off in a westerly direction the exact same time a British Airways flight left Heathrow in a northerly direction, the aircraft were barely 4800 miles apart. How there wasn’t a collision has been the main topic of conversation around the local air controllers’ water cooler ever since. It is estimated that by using this logic, and why wouldn’t you, there are nearly 800,209 potential accidents a day. That’s scary enough to put you off your eggnog without even trying to do the math.

If the possibilities of the comingling of two aircraft in mid-air aren’t enough there are threats of air traffic controllers striking, baggage handlers striking, food concessionaires striking, people writing about aviation employees striking, striking, it’s a wonder that you can get from point A to point B anymore.

This is just as true in the natural world as it is in the unnatural one. A case in point is the mystery that occurred in Bosque del Apache, a heavily used flyway in New Mexico, in December of 2009 when Flight 19, a squadron of Sandhill cranes stationed out of the wetlands near Socorro, New Mexico attempted a daylight landing on runway 00-Bravo during the morning of December 5th. With clear skies, an unlimited ceiling and no reported obstacles they were on their final approach to land when there was brief squawk of “Mayday! Mayday! Abort!… ” and the transmission ended.

The five Sandhill cranes that comprised that flight were never heard from again and to this day their whereabouts are unknown and the disappearance has never been explained. For weeks an area wide search was conducted without any results. “It is as if they have simply flown away” said one government searcher who wished to remain anonymous as he was not authorized to speak about this matter.

It has become one of the legendary mysteries of our times and one that has become the daily fodder of conspirator theorists everywhere. After all Bosque del Apache is only 143.79 air miles due West from Roswell, New Mexico and you’d have to have been abducted by aliens and probed to near exhaustion not to know the importance of what is located there.

Fortunately, as far as this mystery is concerned, runway 00-Bravo is one that the Institute has had “funny feelings” about for years and we had placed a hidden camera there without the knowledge and permission of the Powers-That-Be just in case something Very Weird might happen there someday. Well, as you can see it was really lucky we did because in going over a piece of long-lost digital film we came across this extraordinary image of Flight 19 actually attempting to make that fateful landing. How’s that for having your crap together?

Of course our image of Flight 19 and what really happened to it has been plastered all over the government billboards and forums and derided as being fake and made up and a visual lie, but we know the truth and now so do you. We will not be silenced, and black helicopters on silent running, hovering night after night over the headquarters building here at the Institute don’t scare us either. In fact nothing human will make us stop writing and unless we are actually abducted ourselves by some kind of ungodly alien kidnappers, the truth will out. Stay tuned for further bulletins about this secret Gov…..

Note from the ISP Blog relayers: Unfortunately the above post was truncated and ceased publishing suddenly. We have been unable to reach the Institute headquarters to find out what the problem is. In fact there is some kind of electronic blackout over that entire area that we are attempting to identify but as of right now there appears to be a government sanctioned news suspension in effect. We will report any changes in this situation as they occur. At this time we are not accepting calls regarding this startling development. Thank you for your patience.

Velevet On Velvet Off

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VelvetOnVelvetOff0084click to enlarge

Well it’s that time of year again. The trees are just showing the first inclination to put on their party colors and then denude themselves, the air is taking on that brisk tang in the morning that startles you into realizing fall is coming and change is in the cold morning wind. The guys are still staying together in the small groups they formed when the antlers fell in the middle of the winter, but they are beginning to eye each other warily now, friends are becoming deadly competitors, all truces are off and its time to get serious, boyos.

All summer long they’ve been growing their antlers, always being careful not to damage them, and now they itch and they’re turning hard and this damn velvet has to come off and right now. That best friend he’s been hanging with could very well be his next deadly adversary because these boys don’t fight for fun. The points on those antlers are sharp for a reason and they’re eager to put them to use. The stakes are pretty high in their world and its no holds barred when it comes down to who is going to come out of this in one piece.

This is the critical moment in their yearly cycle, its velvet on, velvet off and the bell is about to ring. There is no best man wins in this scenario, its more a matter of survival and that makes it serious in a way that these guys know only too well. Right now the blood has to dry and then the antlers need to be polished. Then its good luck to the one left standing.