Three Cs Loc: Allen Texas

Strange deer behavior that I once witnessed. I was horseback and rode up on a point of hill overlooking a small clearing below me. There were two deer in the clearing. They would circle around and then leap into the air and land with all four feet close together. I found this behavior to be the strangest that I had ever witnessed deer doing. I sat there until the deer left the clearing and I went down to the area they were jumping onto. There I found a pulverized rattlesnake. I don't know if that was a common thing with deer but I found it very interesting.

While residing in Nolan County, Texas in 1946, I was 14 at this time, there was a Texas Park and Wildlife program that were attempting to re-establish deer into the area. They captured the deer and then hauled them by the truckloads to that area. In order to transport the deer they sawed the antlers off so there were just snubs remaining. They had to have someone witness the release of the deer so the truckers would come by the house and ask my Dad, Mother, or myself to witness the release. They were several truckloads released that summer. That fall after we had shocked the feed, (for those of you who are not familiar with the shocking of feed I will explain it. Stalks of feed are tied with twine are placed with the butt end down and arranged in the shape of a tepee. This prevented major damage to the feed from the rain) we began to notice destruction of our shocks. We could not figure out what was causing the problem. Some bundles were scattered several hundred yards from where the feed was shocked. We did know it was happening at night. Dad made a blind and spent a moonlit night in the field. He found the answer, it was the deer using the shocks to rub their antler on and when the stub of an antler became hooked on a bundle twine, they would bolt and carry the bundle with them. Some time it came of easily and other time they carried it some distance before if came off. Solution was to haul all the feed to the house and stack in large stacks instead of shocks. Just a lot of extra work on our part because we normally just loaded the daily feed from the shocks in the field. Just another day on the Ranch/Farm life. Could be that is why after my military life I went to work for Texas Instruments instead of going back to ranching/farming. At least my pay check was regular. I do miss some of the things from my childhood.

Gordon Loc: Charleston South Carolina

Like I said in the last post by Plumbob. I learn something new every day on this site. Thanks for the education CCC

OJdidit Loc: Oak Creek Wisconsin

I have witnessed antelope pummeling a rattlesnake on a game trail, but haven’t seen a deer dot that yet. They do a thorough job, for sure.