Evening walk

This young buck was with a small group of does

Late yesterday afternoon we drove to Coyote Ridge, about 5 miles from where we live.  Brett said he'd seen tons of deer there so we hiked about a mile to a small draw.  We saw about 15-20 deer but there were other animals there, too.  The fall flowers are blooming, seeding and drying out.  It was warm but cooled quickly as the sun dropped behind the mountains.  These foothills precede the Rocky Mountains to the east.  Typically dry and wind swept, it is home to prairie dogs, rabbits, deer, mice and snakes.  Numerous hawks and coyotes keep the prey in manageable numbers.

I like the veins in his ears.  He wasn't afraid at all.

Can you see the ears?  Now you know why the call them Mule Deer.




A cute (to me) prairie dog.  Most in the West don't like them.  Environmentally,
they are a keystone species.  One on which many others depend for shelter
in their burrows and food.

 

Brett looking for deer.  In the background is what the area hillside looks like.