By Eilene Lyon
The other day I dropped by the local college campus to review a book in their research library. As I headed back to my car, I encountered a mule deer buck in velvet, blithely using a rear hoof to scratch his ear, like a dog, as he idly chewed some leaves he’d snatched from the small tree he stood under. The campus – and the town – is rife with resident deer.
We just returned from a camping trip in the San Juan Mountains where our site had an infestation of dozens, if not hundreds, of cattle. Not to mention the attendant cowpies and flies. Their near-constant “Moo”s echoed belligerently off the surrounding hills and the bulls bellowed in rut. (They sound nothing like bugling elk.)
Cows in the forest, deer on our front lawns. Something seems very wrong with this picture.
Feature image: Sterling in camp with a few of the many cows that surrounded us the entire stay.
Myricopia 
My daughter said there were often deer sightings at her urban campus, so yeah.
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I find them in my driveway all the time (yesterday). The state complains that populations are down, but I think they’ve just relocated. Moved to the ‘burbs!
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They were tired of the long commute
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😆
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Sterling looks very comfortable with the cows. We have deer in our town. I saw a spotted fawn in the cemetery and there’s a house across from one of the elementary schools where the deer look like statues. They are often laying on the lawn.
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He was really good about ignoring the cows until we walked by a calf that started running away and he thought it wanted to play “chase”. Heck, maybe it did!
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A game of chase is what they live for!
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Oh yes!
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Great photo of your new friend. Long may you two live in harmony! 😉
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I think you mean my unofficial “pets”. Oh, no, I mean “pests”.
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The competition for food with range cattle has many spots barren of deer finding home amongst nice folks like you.
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I’d rather have deer poop in my yard than cow dung, frankly. But the damage to public land is significant. And for what? To subsidize a vanishing way of life.
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You live in an interesting place!
Last fall someone told us a bear was spotted on the golf course (about a block from our house), but we never saw him. That’s a visitor I’d rather not deal with!
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We had a pair of young bears hanging around here for a while earlier this summer, but I think they skedaddled. A doe has been hanging around the house lately. Or maybe a series of them. I should make them start wearing name tags!
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Good plan! If you manage to get the name tags on them, ask the Putterer to film it so we can watch! 😄
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I think it will take reaaaally long pole…
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We are seeing much more wildlife in our area also, traveling into residential areas.
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They’re looking for the cushy life just like everyone else.🙂
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Well isn’t that interesting! Excellent photos though.
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Thanks, M.B.!
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Is it unusual to have them there? I’m glad to say we haven’t any deer here. They’re lovely animals but seem to eat every flower in sight… so not great to have near a garden (yard). Cows – plenty as our garden backs onto open fields and pastures and the farmer alternates cows with sheep, sometimes both together. We had the misfortune one day of several cows wandering down our front driveway and into our garden where they proceeded to knock over plants and munch whatever they fancied. One of our then-neighbours came over and helped her – I think son – herd them out for us. That was surprising as she was a tiny woman in her 90s who’d been a headmaster’s wife. I often wonder what she used to herd before!
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I guess she must have herded some unruly school kids! I’ve been here 35 years, but I think wildlife in town has substantially increased over the years. I would really not want a cow in my yard. The deer can eat a lot of flowers, though. One year they ate all my columbines overnight.
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Oh no!
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Camping in a de facto cow pasture does not sound like my idea of a good time. Here in my neighborhood, we have DWA (Deer With Attitude). Yeah, I’m eating your hostas. You wanna make sumpin’ of it?
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Exactly! Just like they own the place. Humph. Camping with the cows was really not ideal. I’ve seen hikers going along a trail, notice something big and black skulking in the shrubbery and scare themselves silly thinking it’s a bear! Ha!
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😀
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Now why are cows in the wild?!
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The ranchers have grazing leases from the government (for a pittance). They graze in the warm months on our national forests and BLM lands.
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I sometimes see deer along the canal banks near us, always on the other side to the tow path. However, that area is now being turned into parkland and will have paths and bridges, so maybe they will stop coming so far into town.
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Somehow I doubt it. I expect they are content there and will get used to additional activity.
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Wonderful photo and bizarre turn of events. Love it!!
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It’s a topsy turvy world out there!
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I guess so!!
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What a fun post! I was so surprised to see goats scratching their ears like dogs at a farm once, just like the deer in this story; it is a strange sight, isn’t it?
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Seems like a lot of critters do that. I’ve seen birds doing it, too.
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