Posted on 07/02/2020 1:52:09 PM PDT by SJackson
I can add deer to the list of mammals I eye warily in the backcountry
On a recent hike with friends near Whitefish, a deer emerged from the brush and blankly stared at us like deer often do. But instead of scampering off, like deer often do, it charged. Our group was slow to react. After all, deer are considered passive creatures. They apparently are not.
The two dogs accompanying us didn’t help matters. The deer eyed both of them before deciding which one to attack first. Then the animal gave chase, pounding its hooves just feet from the canines as they barked and ran in circles. The pet owners screamed, but no one listened.
When it appeared the ordeal had ended and the dogs were about to be re-leashed, round two was upon us. The deer again bounced. More barking. More hoof pounding. More screaming. Finally, a member of the group threw a plastic water bottle at the doe, which momentarily stopped the fight. But if animals could talk, I imagine this one would have said, “Is that all you got?”
The dogs were now leashed. But as we slowly continued up the trail, the deer maintained its pursuit at the same pace, daring us to turn around. My pumping adrenaline was mixed with confusion as we continued our out-and-back. The key word here is “back;” we would be returning to this portion of the trail in about an hour’s time.
“There’s no way the deer will still be there!” I shouted, although I had no idea what I was talking about. I hadn’t been that spooked in the woods since running into a moose in Glacier National Park, ironically with the same hiking partners (minus the dogs).
Speaking of the dogs, we kept them leashed as we descended the trail. It didn’t matter. The deer was still there — in the same spot we left it, staring at us. Waiting for us? I again imagined it speaking, saying something like, “Are you really going to do this? Are you really going to come back for more?”
“No” and “no” were our respective answers. We opted for an alternative route and theorized the rest of the way about what had just happened. The doe must be protecting a fawn. The deer hates dogs. The deer is having a really bad day.
Our encounter was by no means unusual. Browse YouTube and you can find a plethora of videos showing deer mauling people. And there are even more news reports of hikers and hunters being injured by the animal. Still, seeing one on a trail or the side of the road rarely strikes fear in anyone. After all, they’re everywhere.
Deer may be the deadliest animal in the United States, but those fatalities almost always involve car accidents, not random attacks. If you encounter one, chances are it will prance away. However, if it doesn’t, perhaps heed this warning.
After our two run-ins, we hiked the rest of the way with rocks in our hands — just in case. My aim isn’t great, so I wondered what good it would do if I really had to throw the thing. Fortunately, we didn’t confront any more animals along the way. Unfortunately, along with bears and moose, I can add deer to the list of mammals I eye warily in the backcountry.
Happy hiking.
Not all of them do.
You’s missing being on a fire ant hill, and murder hornets, but other than that you’ve got it pretty well covered, although you must be back east, you missed bubonic plague...
Meth alligators and caffeinated deer.
I don’t believe I’ve ever owned any two dogs that wouldn’t have made that doe sorry she was ever born. Jus’ sayin’...
I just heard on a local radio program that there have been 15 reported attacks on people and dogs reported in the Rogue Valley(OR) recently. Saw a couple of little spotty babes a while back.
I thought dogs are supposed to be kept on leashes in all National and state forests parks etc.
I guess birds don’t land on deer to eat the ticks. they do it with larger animals.
Not enough of them...the actual mechanism of transport to humans is that the dear brushes against some shrub growth in the forest and some of the ticks depart and hang out on the leaves...then a human comes by and it’s yum-yum time for them.
I had a co-worker who had a pheasant fly across the road directly in front of her truck. It took out one of her headlights.
This is in rural West Texas. She ended up talking to an insurance adjuster who apparently didn’t know a pheasant from a robin. She had a heck of a time getting the adjuster to understand what had happened and why she needed her headlight replaced.
She had almost as hard a time as they guy who had to explain to an insurance adjuster how a dust devil had destroyed a shed on his farm.
Ok, that does sound worse. I’ll stick to petting deer.
Well, go get some “special” group like gays or muslims infected with Lyme disease, and then you’ll get your funding!
Absolutely! We just suck it up because we LET them shame us into not fighting back.
Back country, HA!! Where I live in the Knoxville, TN exurbs, about 22 miles from downtown Knoxville, they’re almost as common as rabbits. Indeed, my favorite deer story is from my long gone childhood when my mother and I, both south suburban Chicago are residents, went 300 miles north to visit her sister Helen who had a summer home in Nicollet National Forest in Wisconsin. One fine early morning we went out to see if we could spot a deer. We didn’t see one but did near something snorting in the woods, which mom hopefully concluded was a “buck blowing.” It’s such a joke because of how easy it is to encounter the things all the time where I now live. Why go 300 miles to the wilds of northern WI to find them when you can run into them in your driveway all the time.
My dog of choice is a German Shepherd........
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A Great Dane can e a bit of a problem. My 120 lb. guy is a total lover, no much of a watch dog at all. But, then there’s my 78 lb. American Bull Dog, American Staffordshire Terrier, GSD, etc. cross who is a watch dog.
That is well worth reading if you have not read it before!
Deer are great animals. Have them napping in my yard nearly every day.
The only good deer is one that just had a one ounce expanding sabot slug go through it’s chest.
Once that’s happened, you can do whatever you want with them.
Macaques aren’t baboons. Different genus.
I thought they were the same. These were baboons
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