Vishus Deer Alert

I red this story, and was alarmed. Cuz the lady obviussly duzn't realize that the vishus deer eated the orange tabby when the ladey wuzn't looking, and then let his frends know abowt the yummy cat meel, and brot them bak the next nite to feest.

Kittehs! DO NOT FALL FOR THIS PLOY!!!! If a vishus deer gits close enuf to lik yoo, he is only tasting yoo to see if yoo wood be good to eet. This cannot end well. RUN FUR YER LIFE!!!

Kittehs hoo carry Mao & Rocky's Vishus Deer Repellunt never have much to werry abowt, tho.

A buck, a cat & a mouse
Unlikely wildlife friends share an outdoor encounter.
BY WENDY PAULY FOR THE TELEGRAPH HERALD
Country buck deer are not usually tolerant of people. But every once in a while, they will fool you.

A white-tailed deer, an orange cat and a mouse walk into a bar ...

This could be the beginning of a joke, but it's close to something I saw last week.

Urban deer are known for being less skittish than their rural cousins. City deer seem to get accustomed to the noise and activity.

While in Dubuque this summer, I have seen triplet fawns twice in the same location. Last week, I had to stop my truck and wait for them to cross the road.

The spotted youngsters did not show fear until the truck was parked and the door slammed shut. Then, they ran about 100 feet and started grazing again.

But I expect rural deer to be more alert and afraid of humans. They live in areas that normally are more quiet and they usually have fewer run-ins with humans. And former hunters have taught me that the country deer are usually less tolerant of people. Well, Mother Nature fooled me again.

The other night I headed outside just before dark. To my pleasant surprise, I looked down in a valley and saw a young buck with velvet antlers growing back. I stood still to watch Mr. Buck graze. Eventually, I needed to move so I slowly walked toward the west. I'm still not sure I believe what I saw next.

A barn cat was playing with a mouse or whatever critter it had caught. Other cats cleared out when the buck entered the clearing. But the orange cat was engrossed with its catch and did not seem to notice Mr. Buck walking toward him.

Finally, the cat turned and saw the buck, less than 10 feet away. I don't know if the cat did not want to leave its mouse, or simply did not know what to do next. The buck slowly walked up to the cat and they sniffed noses. The cat stayed put as the buck raised its head and licked and licked its nose.

The buck reached down to the cat and they touched noses again. Then, the cat jumped straight up and so did the buck. After they landed, they looked at each other as if to ask, "What happened?"

The cat finally realized that the deer was much bigger than he, so it backed away.

The deer must have decided that the cat was not a threat and turned toward the apple trees. He cleaned up the apples that had fallen in the heavy winds of late, then reached up and started pulling apples from the tree.

I could not help but laugh out loud, but the deer did not seem to mind. I was probably only about 100 feet from the close encounter, but the country deer did not pay any attention to me.

I stood there wishing I had a camera, though there was too little daylight left to capture an image.

The next night I returned to the same place, hoping for a repeat of the "puss and hooves" show. Soon, Mr. Buck strolled by and started looking for apples.

This night, however, the cats could not be found.

As I watched the buck and tried to determine how many points he might have after the velvet antler stage, I caught a glimpse of movement behind him. Closer scrutiny revealed a much larger buck -- I'll call him Grandpa Buck. The dark velvet antlers stood out against the lighter background. The larger buck's rack is going to be big and, for a moment, he took my breath away. I had not seen a buck that large in many years.

When I looked up and saw a third buck, I nearly fell over. Here were three bucks within 50 feet of each other, grazing away.

I could not believe my good fortune to see bucks on consecutive nights, much less three at a time. I have tried for nearly three years to observe deer in this particular area but had found only a few. I keep looking because the habitat is good and I find trails, so I know they are around.

I watched the deer until it was too dark to see them. I had to ask a hunter friend why the bucks were together. I thought the bucks would not be around other males. I was informed they probably don't much care who they are with at this time of year, but as the rut approaches, the bucks will likely spread out or fight for mates.

So, if you see a buck, an orange cat and a mouse headed for a bar, don't be too surprised. They are just some country critters looking for a little fun.

Vishus Deer Alert

http://skeezixsscratchingpost.blogspot.com/2009/07/vishus-deer-alert.html