Last summer, while we were building our house, we noticed a beautiful young buck who would occasionally lay behind the garage in the shade. Once, while going through the house he even met me at the downstairs window. I honestly didn’t think much of it at the time other than he was curious and we were building a house right in the middle of his home. I surely didn’t even consider that it was the same deer in both instances.
We officially moved into our home in October last year and all winter we had deer frolicking in the snow and making themselves at home under the trees and scrub oak. I never tire of seeing them and love when they are around daily.
In June, though, a deer started regularly visiting and just like before, he started laying behind the garage. Soon, I found him at my window curiously looking inside. If I approached he would slowly walk to the glass slider as if I were going to let him in for a little snack.
This has become a regular affair and after daily visits this summer, I have named him. What mom isn’t going to name a sweet baby who shows up on their porch and obviously wants to be adopted? His name is Herman and before you ask, no, I have not been feeding him. I want to. Shoot, I want to invite him in and give him his own bedroom. The other question I get when I tell people about my sweet baby buck is how do I know it’s Herman. Well, Herman has a few unique characteristics that set him apart from his friends. He has a notch out of his left ear, he has unusual black streaks across his face and he also has a significant limp.
Herman typically stays around the back. He has his favorite resting spots and loves looking in the downstairs windows. I’m pretty sure he is looking for his human mama. If he hasn’t seen us in a few days he ventures around to the front door. If he’s lucky, the dogs don’t see him and he can snack on my flowers, but it’s rare for them not to bark and then he eventually wanders off, mostly unbothered by them.
Sweet Herman was a loner for most of the summer and we worried that perhaps he had been cast out of his herd due to his limp or something. I don’t even know if that is a thing. I now believe he was just keeping this place to himself. We all need a little quiet time now and then, right? Lately, Herman has been bringing his friends, though. He has three other enormous bucks that love to lay in the cool, wet, mulch right outside our windows. Occasionally, you will see several of them on the patio, but usually it’s just him.
Herman also has become quite the ladies man and he has more than one doe that he brings by for a leisurely morning hang in the backyard. They tend to be a little more skittish than Herman, but they can still chill for hours at a time.
Speaking of being skittish. Herman is absolutely unafraid of us. He’s very curious about what is happening inside the house and I can get quite close to him through the glass. He’s even quite brave if I open the door and he is several feet away. In fact, this week I opened the door after knocking on the window several times in an effort to get him to stop eating my plants. Nothing. He just stared at me with this incredulous look. I walked outside and finally told him to stop eating my plants and he acted like a toddler testing his limits. After firmly telling him to stop several more times, he finally sauntered away.
Herman and I have bonded over these summer months and I’m not sure who is more attached, Herman or me. I would say it’s a mutual love affair with the exception of the plants and you know what? I don’t really care that much about the plants and apparently this whole bonding thing is really not that unusual.
In fact, I recently watched a PBS special about mule deer and their ability to bond with humans. It’s FASCINATING! They can actually learn their names and they respond to human touch. What? You guys, this is my next goal; to pet Herman. This excerpt is only a few minutes long and it’s so worth the watch if you are interested at all in mule deer and honestly, who isn’t?
You can call me the crazy deer lady. I don’t mind at all and I likely won’t notice because I will be outside trying to name all of my new friends, give them some love and decide who gets what room.
Lowi & G 