Mule deer

Behind the local Ranger Station there is a half-section of land that rises for a mile up a fairly open south-facing slope that is used as a summer pasture for the Forest Service pack horses and mules and also as a protected winter range for a sizable herd of mule deer. Yesterday A friend called to tell me that she had recently hiked through the area and found that the deer spending the winter there were fairly mellow and could be approached to within camera range, and so today we went back to get a few photos. Here are some that I brought back, all taken with a 70-300mm lens.

Mule deer doe feeding

Inquisitive

There’s a sound in the wind

Ears above the grass

Sounds coming from two places

Let’s talk this over

Don’t bother to get up

Aware but not concerned

Should I jump, or…

Synchronized

Protective

Curious

Part of the herd