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<blockquote data-quote="RockMcL" data-source="post: 5452922" data-attributes="member: 23050"><p>The September Fawn and the "expert" hunter:</p><p>A wonderful friend and neighbor passed quite a few years back. We shared a long section of private road (private means the county refuses to maintain it...). My wife and I were driving by his place the first of September and stopped, still feeling the loss, looking over his always well groomed front yard which now was almost waist high grass.</p><p></p><p>As we sat talking about our friend, a doe stood up directly in front of his deck in a small circle of beat down grass. She was unaware of us but concerned us because she looked injured. We watched her birth a fawn. We sat mesmerized and honestly it was almost a spiritual, healing moment. </p><p></p><p>The doe became aware of us and agitated so we slowly drove away. This is the latest I have ever seen a new fawn and the only deer I have seen birthed. </p><p></p><p>The next week I was brush hogging what I'll call the top of my extended yard and got a funny feeling and stopped. Not sure what caught my attention but stopped the tractor got down and found the fawn, a male, laying right in my path. He was not about to move but appeared healthy. I backed out and cut a circle around him. Quess I earned some creds with the doe because she basically left her fawn in our care almost daily after that. Not treated like a pet but the guy was so small and winter was coming so we set out some corn and apple slices for him occasionally. </p><p></p><p>Fast forward to late December and I the "expert" hunter carefully and quietly made my way into the top of a steep ravine. I was quite sure I had successfully gotten in undetected. It had been a brutal winter and I remember having on ALL my layers, sitting with my back against a persimmon tree, with a cammo blanket over me feet to chest, and still shivering. Waiting for that big buck to come sneaking through the ravine, a trail the big guys used often.</p><p></p><p>I soon heard chasing that seemed to go around me in a circle always just out of sight. After a couple circles the September Fawn peaks over the ravine edge directly down wind of me and then rushes directly to me and literally drops at my feet. He is panting like crazy and pretty ragged looking. His winter coat did not seem to have had time to grow in fully and the little runt just looked terrible.</p><p></p><p>About that time a spike came rushing over the ridge and ran right down to us. The September Fawn all but crawled into my lap as the spike came in, now apparently chasing and bullying the only male small enough for him to bully. I thought I was going to have to shoot that crazy spike but it finally pulled up less than ten feet away realizing I was there. He literally stomped and bluffed, even with me there, causing the September Fawn to tremble even more. </p><p></p><p>The spike suddenly realized that his rage was about to get him killed and must have fell down three times before he got over the edge of the ravine, running flat out till I could no longer hear him. Not sure what County he stopped in.</p><p></p><p>The September Fawn moved a little further away from me but lay below my feet while both of us worked on getting control of our breathing. When "I" had recovered enough I got up, gathered my gear, slung my rifle and walked down to the house, now fully aware that every deer in the woods probably knew where I had been and was since I entered the woods. The September Fawn followed me for maybe 50 yards, probably making sure the spike wasn't still waiting for him, then he just turned and went on his way.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RockMcL, post: 5452922, member: 23050"] The September Fawn and the "expert" hunter: A wonderful friend and neighbor passed quite a few years back. We shared a long section of private road (private means the county refuses to maintain it...). My wife and I were driving by his place the first of September and stopped, still feeling the loss, looking over his always well groomed front yard which now was almost waist high grass. As we sat talking about our friend, a doe stood up directly in front of his deck in a small circle of beat down grass. She was unaware of us but concerned us because she looked injured. We watched her birth a fawn. We sat mesmerized and honestly it was almost a spiritual, healing moment. The doe became aware of us and agitated so we slowly drove away. This is the latest I have ever seen a new fawn and the only deer I have seen birthed. The next week I was brush hogging what I'll call the top of my extended yard and got a funny feeling and stopped. Not sure what caught my attention but stopped the tractor got down and found the fawn, a male, laying right in my path. He was not about to move but appeared healthy. I backed out and cut a circle around him. Quess I earned some creds with the doe because she basically left her fawn in our care almost daily after that. Not treated like a pet but the guy was so small and winter was coming so we set out some corn and apple slices for him occasionally. Fast forward to late December and I the "expert" hunter carefully and quietly made my way into the top of a steep ravine. I was quite sure I had successfully gotten in undetected. It had been a brutal winter and I remember having on ALL my layers, sitting with my back against a persimmon tree, with a cammo blanket over me feet to chest, and still shivering. Waiting for that big buck to come sneaking through the ravine, a trail the big guys used often. I soon heard chasing that seemed to go around me in a circle always just out of sight. After a couple circles the September Fawn peaks over the ravine edge directly down wind of me and then rushes directly to me and literally drops at my feet. He is panting like crazy and pretty ragged looking. His winter coat did not seem to have had time to grow in fully and the little runt just looked terrible. About that time a spike came rushing over the ridge and ran right down to us. The September Fawn all but crawled into my lap as the spike came in, now apparently chasing and bullying the only male small enough for him to bully. I thought I was going to have to shoot that crazy spike but it finally pulled up less than ten feet away realizing I was there. He literally stomped and bluffed, even with me there, causing the September Fawn to tremble even more. The spike suddenly realized that his rage was about to get him killed and must have fell down three times before he got over the edge of the ravine, running flat out till I could no longer hear him. Not sure what County he stopped in. The September Fawn moved a little further away from me but lay below my feet while both of us worked on getting control of our breathing. When "I" had recovered enough I got up, gathered my gear, slung my rifle and walked down to the house, now fully aware that every deer in the woods probably knew where I had been and was since I entered the woods. The September Fawn followed me for maybe 50 yards, probably making sure the spike wasn't still waiting for him, then he just turned and went on his way. [/QUOTE]
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