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Project Noah Nature School
Odocoileus virginianus
A White-tailed doe dubbed Clip (missing chunk of ear on her left side) and her fraternal twin fawns: Frankie and Vickie born this past spring/early summer.
Prairie grasses surrounded by woods and farm fields
Clip is a loving, doting doe to her fraternal twins: Frankie and Vickie. She appears to be a little of an outsider to the main herd but as the year progresses the matriarch or lead doe appears to be more accepting of her and her fawns presence in or near the herd. Typically however, I find them foraging or waiting on the herd's fringes...close but still separate. I often find the twins near or next to their mother however, the male (Frankie) seems to be slightly more adventurous or confident than his twin Vickie occasionally staying for a few minutes after his mother and sister have wondered off. I have not noticed the bucks treating Clip or her fawns differently, only the does and fawns that are already an accepted part of the main herd.
Spotted on Jan 16, 2013
Submitted on Jan 19, 2013
8 Comments
Carol Milne-Thank you, again. They're amazing animals. :-)
What a wonderful story Janelle. Thanks for sharing. That is so great that they know you so well. Amazing!
Gerardo Aizpuru-Thank you! :-)
Carol Milne-Thank you! I've been working with these deer for going on four years now. Four years ago I started being able to get fairly close to a handful of them. They in turn showed the other does I could be trusted. The does showed their fawns and, the trust displayed by the does and fawns, in turn showed the bucks I could be trusted as well. They've come to know my voice and scent as well as that of my grandson who lives with me. This summer when I wore a bee-keeper's costume out hiking in the woods (due to biting flies) and Deep Woods Off, I confused them and they initially ran from me. Once I started talking to them they calmed down a little but it wasn't until I removed the head-covering and exposed my face while talking to them that they finally calmed down, stopped stomping the ground and went back to foraging. It was an accidental but interesting reaction and got me to wondering how they recognize me from any other human out hiking in the area. When other people do happen by (within 100 yards or less) ears and heads turn, tails go up, someone gives a loud snort and off they run for cover so they are able to identify individual people which should have been obvious to me as horses, cows, dogs and cats can do that so why not deer? Duh, right? "-)
RiekoS-Thank you! :-)
Wonderful series :)
I see a female deer yesterday, but too late for a photo. This is such a precious series. Love it.
Very beautiful.