Saturday, March 31, 2012

Oh, Deer!


I was walking through a field and noticed movement on an open hillside some distance away. I couldn't tell what it was because of the trees and brush blocking my view. A few moments later, a small herd of deer appeared in the field and they were running towards me. At first, I thought maybe they had spotted me in the distance and spooked, but that didn't make sense because deer don't run toward humans if they've seen or smelled us.

I was upwind of the deer and as they approached, they picked up my scent and stopped seeming a bit confused. I stood still behind some small trees as they looked for the source of the human scent. Some of them kept looking back and, finally, they turned around and ran the other way. There was a wooded hillside to my right and I could see them through the trees as they ran up the hill. They joined some more deer and I counted a dozen or more as they disappeared into another field on top of the hill.

Shortly afterwards, I discovered the source of all the excitement...they were being chased by a dog. Apparently, the dog had spooked them initially and then they ran into me as they were escaping. That created the confusion until they decided to split the difference and escape up the hill between me and the dog. I saw the dog a couple of minutes later and the deer had easily left him behind.









Linking to Camera Critters


30 comments:

Linda said...

Amazing shots, Brian! You managed to capture the confusion as well as the comings and goings! The last time I lucky enough to run into escaping deer, I couldn't get my camera to focus on the deer because there were too many trees in the way...so I just had to stand there, sad to miss the shots!

Carole M. said...

I'm glad to read as far as you knew all was well in the end. Lovely photos

Anonymous said...

Great series Brian! I love watching deer run, they have the fluffiest little tails that remind me of feather dusters!

Nancy said...

Great shots of those whitetails, Brian. You made the most of that moment. :)

DWQ said...

You continue to amaze me with your photo's Brian...you're really a talented photographer

TexWisGirl said...

gosh, they're gorgeous! love those alert tails!

Kathy said...

I always feel jubilant on a day when I get a chance to see (often) and photograph (rarely) these beautiful creatures.

Leenie said...

Stampede attack of angry deer! Oh, maybe not. Way to be in the right place and camera ready. You caught some amazing reactions and I really like those tails.

annalarssonphotography said...

Amazing photography!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! They really are pretty animals. You really captured their fear in that first shot.

Anonymous said...

They're beautiful. You've caught them in a state of high alert, with heads held high and tails sticking straight up.

Tezzie said...

Wow, Brian! What a cool experience...you got some great shots; they really DO look confused!

And, that's too funny with the blog post titles. Great minds, right..? ;)

Gillian Olson said...

You got some beautiful shots of the deer, good captures. Their tails are like little flags.

FAB said...

Magical encounter Brian .. superlby captured.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Deer are such beautiful animals. You got some great captures.

barbara l. hale said...

Fantastic shots! I don't imagine it is easy to be a deer these days.
BTW, good luck to UK this weekend. I hope they beat Louisville but I am rooting for OSU ultimately. Can't help it. I grew up in Ohio.

Ruta said...

Well that's something you don't see every day! Great shots...really special.

mick said...

Great photos. You were definitely in the right place to see the action and get photos too.

Amy Burzese said...

Wonderful! Don't you just love their tails.

Amila Kanchana said...

Beautiful animals! Those tails are crazy!

eileeninmd said...

Beautiful shots of the deer, I am so happy that hunting season is over for the year. Have a happy Sunday!

CameraCruise said...

Great series of beautiful shots!
Thanks for sharing.

Kerri Farley said...

Adorable! LOVE those fluffy tails!

Anonymous said...

Nice photos of beautiful deers.

Linda said...

Fantastic shots...beautiful deer! Thank you for sharing. I also love the white horse and the barn photos.

Love 2Bs said...

I'm so glad you stopped by my blog and brought me over to yours... your photographs are stunning. The barn with the cart in front of it is just gorgeous, and the horse behind the fence takes my breath away.

Great job on catching those deer! I look forward to stopping by often.

Deb said...

Cool shots Brian

Ida said...

These are just fantastic photos of the deer. I really enjoyed seeing them.

Ida said...

These are just fantastic photos of the deer. I really enjoyed seeing them.

mansuetude said...

great shots, energy. the woods blurred make the deer seem even more part of their own natural world. Love the white throat collar on the older.