YEAR 2
Happy birthday, little guy! He made it! Our little boy's a yearling now! He celebrated with about 9 of his closest friends - a little herd that he's been hanging out with. All had protien pellets, corn, carrots, nuts... and Jet had lots of hugs, brushing, fruit, and we got deer-kisses!!
He still hangs around with Uncle Buck (who's lost his rack and is rapidly growing a new one), a doe that we call "Patch" because she'd lost her hair in patches over the winter - it's all grown in now. Two little does, tiny little things, hang around with him as well - Bunny and Mouse. Bunny doesn't run - she hops. Mouse is about as large as one. Then there are the random deer that come & go in the herd, but those are his main buds. They get pretty close to us, but still think that we're pretty wierd.
When we're inside the house Jet let's us know that he's ready for food by standing at the front door with his nose pressed against the window like a little waif. He's figured out about what time of day we get home from work, and he and his herd will be either grazing nearby, or lying in the grass in front... Mama, we're hungry! We're tired of the salad bar!
5-18-09
Jet's been growing into a fine young buck. He shows up usually around 1800 for rubs, brushing, hugs, doling out deer-kisses, and accepting nibbles... usually with friends in tow. Mike & I have been pleased with his interaction with the other deer, and it's been amusing watching all of them together. His friends get more comfortable with us as time goes by...
5-24-2009
Jet still comes home regularly for love and attention, frequently bringing his "family" with him. Usually by the time that I get home from work various deer are strewn around the front - standing, lying down, grazing... all waiting for a little extra food that seems to come from Jet's strange two-legged parents.
Most of the time everyone behaves well - the bucks eat first, then the does - and as long as those rules are obeyed the boys seem pretty gentle. The girls are a whole different matter. They hit each other, kick, nip, even though there's plenty of food to go around... maybe it's the gossip....
Then usually Uncle Buck comes in to break up the spat, and it's business as usual until the food's all gone.
Uncle Buck and Jet seem to get along well enough, though.
Uncle Buck's hornes are still growing back in, and Jet's seem to get a bit bigger each day. I wonder how it would feel to have horns? Real ones, I mean.
But even though our little buck is growing - rapidly - and making friends of his own, he's still our little fawn!!!
6-2-09:
Jet's horns are growing faster than he is, now! He still wants his head and ears scratched, but the horns seem a bit sensitive and he ducks his head away - so we avoid those. It hasn't stopped the deer kisses, though! His friends still come visiting with him, as well as a new baby fawn that we're pretty sure belongs to Uncle. She hops back and forth and follows her mama with her little tail up and flagged, emitting these tiny little "Ooohk" sounds.
6-3-09:
Even by today Jet's horns seem longer! He runs right up on the porch to eat from his own special bowl, and chases the does away when they try to join him before he's done.
Even little bucks can be undignified....
6-9-09:
Jet's hanging out with Uncle and the rest of his herd today - it amazes me that so far the males get along - at least those that are under Uncle's wing, or antlers... which, by the way, are growing back nicely.
The rest of the herd seems pretty content... for the moment, but you know how it is with teenage BFFs!
And Jet's horns are STILL growing visibly, and it looks now as if they are getting ready to get a branch-off place on them!
But he's not too old to still want to come for a visit if the door's left open...
6-15-09:
Today Pico, the tabby kitten, was stareing intently at Patch, one of the does, who started to long her neck out towards the kitten. Slowly stretching towards each other the pair sniffed and longed and stretched and sniffed until suddenly... Pico jumped! right onto Patch's back! The doe jumped back, dumped the kitten, and ran back around the tree. Then she slowly STOMPED back towards the porch and the tabby and kept stomping by, as if to say "I meant to do that..."
This same little troublesome tabby will try to get as close to Jet's food as possible without actually getting inside of the bowl of corn... Jet get's a little bit testy then.
And Jet's horns are GROWING!!!!
1-22-10:
Well, around the end of November our little boy did tw things. He got into his first real fight, and he went off to become a buck.
He wound up with a six-point rack, very symmetrical, and had quite a following of does - a good second year!!!
He's such a sweet looking little guy, and so aware of where his horns are - whenever I'd bend down to give his furry (hairy) little head a kiss, he'd seem to tilt his head just so so his antlers would be out of the way of my face.
Then he had his first real fight. He's had tiffs before, no big deal, but this was bad. He disappeared for a week and we were going crazy with worry. Then Mike & I came home to find wounded deer. One of his antlers had broken down at the skull base and was hanging down in front of his face.
The poor little guy looked miserable! Sooo.... I begged a dear friend who has a hunting lease and knows a bit about deer meds and sick deer to help us. That weekend he came over and we were going to cut Jet's antler, reset the nub, and he'd be fine!!!!
Unfortunately the rut came.
My little guy's been gone now for two months. Texas rut season should be over soon - we're starting to see some new bucks, but haven't seen either Jet or Uncle Buck yet, and those bucks that we've seen still have their thick "fighting" necks. I miss my boy, worry about him, and hope that he's ok!
Mouse and his little family still come daily for corn and whatever else they can convince us to give them. Gremlin (Gremmy) Mouse & Midget's fawn is quite friendly and will run right up to within 3-4 feet of me before he realizes that I only have two lega and smell sort of funny.
We still have our family of anywhere between 3 (Mouse and his family) to 15 deer out front at any given time, but I can't wait to see my Jet, or even Uncle Buck!
