Deer have horizontal pupils. When this photo was taken yesterday, the sunlight happened to hit the doe’s eye just right to really make that evident. Click here for an interesting article about deer’s eyes and vision.
March 28, 2019 – Doe in Bent Tree (click photo for larger image)
While crossing the dam yesterday evening, I glanced over at the geese paddling in the area and noticed something else in the middle of the lake. Thinking it might be some ducks, I grabbed my camera and zoomed in. It was a doe and fawn swimming across the lake. About 10 or 15 minutes earlier, while heading to the spillway, I had seen the doe and fawn running into the woods at the edge of the spillway, white tails raised high. I guess they were spooked by something, spooked enough to run on into the lake and swim across. From the time I saw them in the middle of the lake, it took them about 10 minutes to get to the other side, so I’m guessing it took them about 20 minutes total to swim from the spillway to the other side. They crossed a couple of pretty strong currents that I thought were going to sweep the little fawn away or under, but I shouldn’t have worried. Both the doe and fawn made it safe and sound to the other side. A couple of the pictures below are without the zoom and give an idea of the location of the deer in the lake (deer are highlighted in yellow in those pictures). By the way, the geese seemed to be following the action themselves. Click the thumbnails below to scroll through larger images:
June 14, 2015 – Doe and Fawn in Bent Tree
One other thing about the deer from yesterday’s post…she’s definitely pregnant.
May 20, 2015 – pregnant doe in Bent Tree
May 20, 2015 – early morning sunlight illuminating deer’s ears in Bent Tree
October 18, 2012 – two coyotes in Bent Tree
Click here to link to a Georgia Outdoor News article that discusses the result of the publication’s annual cover-ballot survey.
“In North Georgia the situation is quite different. The hunting in this area is typically upland game hunting. Widely separated, mature trees, with little or no underbrush, increases the visibility to 200 yards in these typical southern Appalachian hardwoods.” – Allen, George W. (Georgia State Game and Fish Commission). “The Management of Georgia Deer.” The Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol 12, No. 4. October 1948. Pages 428-432.
Click here to read Friday’s post, which shared a quote from a local hunter. The hunter makes an interesting point. The following is from the January 22, 2013 General Manager’s Report to the Board, summarizing the SWMNGA activity in Bent Tree from September 8, 2012 – January 1, 2013 (last year’s hunting season):
Suburban Whitetail Management of North Georgia (Bow hunter’s) final
report- The SWMNGA has submitted their final report as follows:
- 60 total deer removed (58 doe and 2 buck)
- 2,550 lbs of meat donated to Georgia food banks
- 17% contained shelled corn in the stomach indicating feeding is ongoing
- 3 deer had pellets from a pellet gun indicating shooting is ongoing
It’s possible that corn-fed deer are sitting ducks. It’s food for thought.
“We are barely seeing signs of life on our club, let alone a rut. Since acorns were a bust this year all of our deer moved to Bent Tree where they could get fed.” -November 4, 2013. Quote from hunter on Georgia Outdoor News forum.
May 5, 2013 - sign at front gate