Here, the Queen of our White-Tailed Deer neighbors emerges into yesterday’s late sun from one of her favorite woods trails. She freezes when she notices a strange shape hunkered down behind a rock.
Her yearling fawn, which follows her everywhere, also freezes.
We get off another "shot" of the Queen as she steps forward for a better look. Then, they wheel about, flash danger with their white flags, and disappear into the woods.
The number of deer that visit us during the day varies from two to about 10 animals at a time, all of which usually are does and fawns. (This month, we’ve seen only one buck, travelling alone.) When the Queen is visiting, the other deer appear to rely on her to give the get-the-hell-out-of-here bleat. White-Tails don’t range much: they usually stay in a territory of less than one square mile and have repetitive patterns. We’ve gotten to recognize individuals and anticipate some of their movements. (Brooklin, Maine)