Big Boy February 25th 2006

Is this not the most beautiful old man you have ever seen? He came to visit this morning. He had three younger bucks in tow with about 14 does and several yearlings. Mule Deer normally birth one fawn the first year and twins thereafter, so there are always a bunch of one and two year olds. I love to watch the yearling bucks in their first three to eight months or so. They have thes little fuzzy bumps that have not as year pierced the skin to become antlers. They prance around and harrass the bigger does, and play fight with their male cousins. Sometimes a does will have enough of it and put them down, but for the most part, they puff out their little chests and do make believe motions when the does are in season. Big Boy and I have this thing, we stare at each other. He will be downwind maybe fifteen to twenty feet away, so he gets a snootful of my scent. He looks at me intently, right in the eys, and I return the look. It seems like a long time, but we probably do it for three minutes or so, until he ambles away, unfrightened. The herd here is large and stays right in the local area. We border 400,000 acres of the Pike National Forestm and a very large designated Wilderness Area. I guess this is their spot in all of that acreage. He makes my day, when I look into his eyes I have a deep fantasy that the transfer of thought is possible. I do know that I can calm him if he is agitated, by humming or singing softly. I feel privileged to be able to share him with you.

On March 11, Big boy showed up with his other little bucks and a few does. HIS ANTLERS WERE GONE!!!! For the most part, Mule deer shed their antlers during the first two weeks of March. The larger the rack, the earlier the shed. In two months he'll have new bumps to grow into a more beautiful crown. The more years, the bigger rack. Some do not know, antlers are grown and shed yearly, producing a bigger rack (number of points) each successive year. Animals with horns are lifetime, they do not shed. We have taken ourselves off the path and have been "bushwhacking" for the past week, that is going into areas that we have not been, where we see no other human track. But you would be surprised where you find beer cans! We are looking for Mule deer and Elk Sheds. Most of the time, coyotes are close by and take the shed immediately for it's protein. Their leavings are also a favorite for the Herbert (pronounced A BEAR). squirrel. A little black dude with inch and a half tufts of black fur off the points of his ears. A beautiful creature, very shy, not at all like a city squirrel. They range from 8000 ft in the sub alpine areas of the rockies. Anyway, Big Boy is BALD!