White-Tailed Deer
At the edge of the road at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, a group of young turkeys browses for insects. We stop to watch as they make their way towards the edge of the trees. There, a white-tailed deer, peeks out at us.
She’s nervous, but not enough to run away.
She stares at us, and then takes a few steps staring intently at something in the grass. We wonder if she has a fawn hidden nearby.
The turkeys follow her, possibly to eat the insects she stirs up.
From the safety of the brush, she and her turkey companions stare at us again.
She finally walks slowly away into the trees. We drive away. She’ll come back for her fawn after we’re gone.
Further down the road, we see another doe, this time in the cooler shade of the woods.
She too is curious about us and stares intently trying to decide if she needs to flee.
She relaxes after a bit and delicately browses on the lush grasses.
Much of the refuge is marshland, so there is plenty to eat for the wildlife there.
As the sun begins to set, we see another doe.
The waning sun highlights her reddish-brown summer coat. She too is nervous about us, and acts like she has a fawn hidden nearby. She finally turns away and steps into the trees. Within a few steps, she is completely hidden.
Squaw Creek is a great place to view wildlife, from geese,ducks, swans and eagles, to deer and turkeys. A network of roads winds through the marshes and along wooded areas, so we can take pics without leaving our vehicle. I took all the pics above with my 100-400 lens resting on our half open truck window edge for stability.
Here’s a little video I put together for you:
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You can learn more about the refuge by clicking HERE.
Have a great day all!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
I’ve a few deer I’d like to send to the refuge!! My garden is the only well watered place for miles and they have eaten everything but the tomatoes and eggplant! They are so beautiful to watch when they are munching someplace else!
We have deer in our yard, but the only thing they eat is the tomatoes. I covered them with a net. Seems to be working so far.
Oh Suzanne, how beautiful, just lovely! I feel like I am there with you, watching the deer and enjoying the birds singing. We have woods and a stream behind our property, so the deer hang out in our yard. I love looking at them, but my dog has lyme disease from the deer tick.
So glad you enjoyed this Carol. Have a great day!
Nice shots I cannot believe they didn’t run away. I love the one of the doe with the turkeys and everyone staring.
Because it’s a refuge, they aren’t hunted except once a year, and then it’s very controlled, so the deer aren’t as afraid of people as off the refuge.
Great shots Suzanne! Those deer are usually so skittish, I’m amazed they stood still for so long. I especially like the one eating grass.
Thanks Alica. The one eating grass was my favorite too. She was younger and probably didn’t have a fawn, so she was much calmer than the other two we saw.
Great shots of the deer. I esp liked the photo with turkeys and deer in one shot. I remember years ago when I was visiting a friend in Iowa, there were alot of turkeys in the area….close to river. It was a refuge area as well. Can’t remember the name. Do have photos of it…film days! Thanks for sharing, Suzanne!
Both turkeys and deer like to be close to water. Hard to believe with all the turkeys and deer there are around today, that they had to be reintroduced in the 20th century as they had been hunted out.