Deer Update – Christmastide 2017

The other day we had 9 deer in the yard. They were actually running around. Normally they just mosey around slowly. As they passed I counted them and when they were done it came to 9. That is an all time high for us.

A deer staring in the window.

But on a sad note, about a week ago we found a doe dead in the front yard. Most of the deer lay around just outside our kitchen window. Sometimes they gather down by my workshop, but they don’t often stay in the front yard. I thought I saw one out our bedroom window. It is hard to tell because they are almost the exact same color as the fallen logs that are out there. A few days later I noticed some “red” on the log and I began to suspect it was a dead deer. I got the binoculars so I could see it clearer and sure enough it was one of our girls.

I called the animal control office and asked if they could pick it up. They said they couldn’t but if I were to call street maintenance they could handle it. They alerted me that it couldn’t be in the yard and that I should drag it out to the curb. When I got back from running an errand I got out of the car and started dragging the carcass. I suppose my lack of physical fitness was my major problem. Anyway, I was not that excited to touch the body because I suspected it had been dead long enough that the body could have begun to deteriorate. Such was not the case however and while there was a little rigor mortis, it held together completely. I could get a good grip with my right hand but I thought I should pull with my left hand too. It kept slipping down the leg and I had to readjust my grasp all the time. The fur was nice and dry and was very soft to the touch which I did not expect. I kept running into sticks and undergrowth that blocked my way. I kept at it but ended up pulling a muscle in my chest. It turned out to be much harder than I imagined.

I got it into the street and came in the house to call the Streets Department. They thanked me for calling and said they would have it out of there in less than an hour. Which they did.

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