Nature Notes: White-tailed Doe (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Garden

White-tailed Deer (12/29/10 - Searcy County, AR)

As posted earlier, our fall garden was a failure.  It was just too hot, dry and buggy when all the tender, young plants needed to get their start in the garden.  However, we did have a few lettuce and spinach plants under row covers until late December when we decided the fall garden was a lost cause and pulled off the row covers.  It didn't take long for the deer to discover the various weeds that thrived under the row covers' protection.  This does is enjoying a winter treat.  (Sorry about all the clutter in this photo.  We obviously haven't gotten around to our fall garden clean up yet.)

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Nature Notes: White-tailed Doe (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Garden

Doe Comes Visiting

A doe came down for a visit early Wednesday afternoon. Deer often cross an open area just up the hill from our house as they pass from one section of woods to another. We can watch them cross – and sometimes stop and graze – from our kitchen table.

For some reason this doe decided to come down the hill towards our house. Rusty and Bucket noticed the doe and barked until Jo quieted them down. The doe remained alert because of their barking from inside the house, but since she neither saw nor smelled any imminent threat remained just on the other side of the fence for several minutes

She eventually retreated up the hill to join a couple of her less bold companions that had remained standing at the edge of the clearing.

Doe Comes Visiting