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Show Volume II, Issue XVII THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 17 1 September 2000 DEER cont. from page 16 me the first day he came. I kneeled down and looked at his foot. Half of one toe was gone, either it had been shot off or he caught it in something and tore it off. It was pretty sore. He didn’t like me to touch it. The winter went by and nothing unusual happened to him. He stayed close to the house and followed me around the yard. He really loved bananas and apples. I could put an apple in my mouth and, like Patty, he would bite it off right next to my teeth. Like Patty he was the favorite of all the kids and people that came, and he would let them feed him out of their hands. When spring came he left with the came down again. I’m sure someone shot him. I looked and watched but he never came. It was kind of sad and lonely after being here for five years. Tamara Tamara was one of the eight fawns. She was the largest of the does and quite light in color. She was very friendly like the others and followed me a lot. She didn’t like you to put your arms around her. She would eat out of your hand and you could pet her face and ears. She was on the front lawn one day and a car came up the lane and she jumped the fence and ran up the hill. I called her and she turned walked over to him and looked at his head, and all there was, was a little pink where the horns had been. The pressure from the new horns pushed up and the old ones released and fell off. The next year he didn’t come in either. I watched and waited but he never came. Tonya Tonya was another one of the eight fawns. She was a very pretty deer. She always came in with two fawns. One winter she got hit by a car or something. She had a large cut down her shoulder and legs. She limped pretty badly. She let me doctor it with the spray gun, but kind of jumped when the spray hit her. She wouldn’t eat out of anyone’s hands either, only mine. After six years Patty is the only one left of the eight fawns. Prince Mr. Bohman with his family of deer. others to the mountains. He came back in early winter still limping. He was a pretty 3 pointer. He came right up to me and stayed close by. He would come every day and stand on the step by the sliding glass doors. Sometimes he would stand there looking into the house for three or four hours at a stretch. I always fed him something special—bananas, apples, oranges and such. Sometimes he would rake his horns on the glass if you ignored him. When spring came he left again for the hills. This next winter was very mild and there weren’t any deer that came down. I watched for them all winter and wondered if maybe someone shot him. When next winter came there was more snow and a lot of deer came. Limpy came a few days after Patty and the others. One afternoon I went out back and there stood this beautiful 4 point Buck. He looked like he was ready to run. I came a little closer to him and he didn’t move. I called, “Limpy is that you?” He looked a little different with the big horns, and I hadn’t seem him for nearly two years. I called to him again and he relaxed and came limping to me and I put my arms around him, and he seemed glad or content to be here. Even after two years he knew me and his name, and he showed no fear of any kind. I’m convinced after you win their love and trust they never forget. It was a pleasant winter having them all around. They were kind of hard on the plants and trees, but they were a lot of company. Limpy still came to the sliding glass doors every day and sometimes after dark he would rake the glass with his horns to let you know he was there. When spring came he left with the others. This was the last time I saw him and the other three bucks and two of the does. One of the neighbors said they saw a large Buck that limped when he ran, but he never around and came right back and stood at my side. One year I had about 30 sheep here by the house. The bucks got out and they were lambing in January. The snow was deep and very cold. I checked them every two or three hours. One night about 1:00 a.m., I took the flashlight and walked down the lane to where you turn to the dry farm. Part way down the lane I heard this thumping noise behind me. I stopped and half expected to have something jump on my back. I turned around and there was Tamara. She came up by my side and followed me as I walked through the sheep and checked them. She followed me back to the house and I got an apple for her. The year she was six years old she never came back that winter. I guess someone must have shot her. It was sad to see them all go. Little Buck He was one of the eight fawns and, like all the rest, he was very friendly to me but wouldn’t eat out of any one else’s hand. He used to come to the sliding glass doors a lot to be fed. Sometimes at night he would rack his horns on the glass till you would feed him. When he was four years old he had a nice set of horns—four points on each side. They used to tell me when they shed their horns it left a hole in their head and the cold was hard on them, but this isn’t the case. I went out one morning and fed the deer. I had a bucket of rolled barley and Little Buck was eating out of the bucket. I took a hold of both his horns and they were very solid. I couldn’t feel any looseness. He ate what he wanted and walked a few steps away. Just like toast popping up in a toaster, one horn fell off. He jumped up on the rock wall and the other popped up and fell off. I I think Prince was one of Tonya’s fawns. He was kind of shy and reminded me of Tammy some. He would circle around you and finally come up to you till he was three years old. He had high wide horns. He, like the others, knew his name, and like the others he became very friendly. No matter where he was when I called he would come. The winter of ‘83 and ‘84 was very tough on the deer. Lots of deer died. The news people from television came out to take pictures. Most were up on the side of the hill so they could get pictures. I called Prince. He had about a 30 inch spread. He came off the hill on the run right up to us. The man with the camera held the camera over his one shoulder and fed Prince an apple eating out of his other hand. They showed him on TV several times that year and some later. People tried to help. They meant well, but a lot of the stuff they brought to feed the deer, gave them the scours, and in their weakened condition many of them died and Prince was one of them. Deer have come every year and been very friendly, but I haven’t taken the time to fool with them as much. I quit hunting in 1983. That fall I shot a nice four point buck. I knocked him down and when I got down to him he was standing on his feet. I walked right up to him within about 20 feet and he never made any attempt to move or get away like most of them do. He had a different look in his eyes and face like he had been hurt and betrayed by someone he knew and trusted. It was then that I knew he recognized me and I had that strong feeling too. It was like he was saying I was your friend I loved and trusted you. He was hurt bad and I had to finish him off. Tears filled my eyes and I could hardly see to shoot. I did cry for him and really felt hurt. I haven’t shot one since and I probably never will. I really enjoyed working with all of them. From them I learned that everything responds to love, caring and trust. You can win love and trust with kindness and helping, and once you win their trust they never forget, and all the real wildness goes. It’s that way with all of God’s creatures. God created the world and all that is in it out of love, and everyone and everything needs love and caring to survive and to be happy. The world is in a sad condition now because of greed, hate and selfishness, but I’m sure someday love will win, and all the world will be at peace with each other and everything. It will be a most wonderful day when it comes and it surely will some day. The only other choice is complete destruction. * * * NOTICE TO ALL LIBERTY WATER USERS * * * Due to the warm weather so early in the season it has become necessary to implement a watering program as follows: Please start immediately watering every other day, odd numbered houses on the odd numbered days and the even numbered houses on the even numbered days. Water only in the evenings or early morning hours to get the most benefit from this program. Until Utah Power & Light gets the power to the new well, we will have to continue this program to conserve water. Your cooperation is deeply appreciated by your water operator. |