Yesterday, I was on one creaky knee admiring Lady’s Slippers blooms in the darker woods. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a movement of a large thing about 25 feet to my side. This is not what an old man with a bad leg wants to see in these woods, where the possibilities are 50-50 for something of that size: either a deer (no problem) or a black bear (a potential significant problem if it or I panic).
It turned out to be this big-eyed doe who went into her “frozen” mode, in which she thinks I can’t see her if she doesn’t move. I “shot” her and she melted away. By the way, note that she’s wearing her summer coat, which is lighter in color and weight than her winter coat. She looks a little scrawny to me, but there seems to be plenty for her to eat around here. (Brooklin, Maine)