Despite what the groundhog said, it’s trying hard to be spring. The other day, the porch temperature was 65, and this morning’s low was 58. We’ve had some beautiful sunny days, but we seem to be due for a rainy spell. The rain we’ve had so far has felt like spring rain, and it’s been gusty recently. At times, it’s felt more like March than February. I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t bounce back cold, but for now, spring is here, in principle and power, as Tillich used to say.
I’ve seen some deer behavior recently that I’ve never seen before. The deer are up in the yard, looking for acorns, and getting closer and closer to the house. A few mornings ago, I looked out the bathroom window to see two deer head to head, fighting. The big buck might have had as many as 20 points, although it was hard to tell as it was just light enough to see. The big deer was backing a smaller buck down the hill right outside the window. At first I thought they were hooked together, which is a disaster. If they can’t free themselves, they either starve to death, or someone risks serious injury trying to hacksaw the antlers apart. Luckily, when I rapped on the window, they separated. That was a relief. I can’t explain this behavior, because in theory, the rut has been over for at least a month, and usually, they’re fighting over a doe. I did note that the smaller deer had one misshapen, thick, and stubby antler on one side. I suppose this indicates that he had broken one off already by fighting, so it may be that this is just a very aggressive young buck. I was afraid he might have been injured in the hindquarters, but I saw him the next morning, and he seemed fine.
I also learned that there are a lot more bucks in our area than I ever realized. I think I’ve seen at least eight this winter, when I would have guessed that we had two or three, based on what I’ve seen in previous years. The other day, there were six, foraging together. On one previous occasion, I have seen two bucks together, but to see six was extraordinary. It’s well known that the turkey forage in same sex flocks during the winter, but I’ve never heard of this being reported for deer. Take a look at this video that someone sent me, of all six feeding in their driveway. This was taken during the recent snow, January 11th.