At first glance white tail deer look much the same as the guy, or gal standing next to him or her. As the weeks go on and I have the pleasure of watching them every morning, I've begun to notice subtle differences. The does are much harder to distinguish from each other, except for their size obviously. A few observations regarding the does: they really do hang together and are quite tolerant of each other and of the fawns. Occasionally one larger doe will stick her front leg out to shoo the others from the corn but in general they are content to stick together. And usually the one who is bossing the rest of the girls is the biggest doe. Another thing I've noticed is that the yearlings, both bucks and does, hang with the adult does. ( The adult bucks have very little tolerance of the yearlings, but more on the bucks in a later post.) Another thing I noticed that I find quite humorous is watching the does eat, particularly swallow. Their necks are quite skinny compared to the boys. They gather corn from the feeder, and as they chew they raise their heads and look around to see if the cats (don't laugh, they are spooked by my little Tabby terror known as Ebby) or Grams ( age 80+) are going to go on a rampage toward them. When they swallow their mouthful, you can see a noticeable "lump" travel down the front of their necks as said lump heads downward. I find it quite entertaining, I don't know why?? I am not sure how many fawns we have in our immediate vicinity. I've seen 3 at one time, including the twins. I'm wondering if the set is a buck and doe. One is much larger than his sibling. Mom is SO vigilant. She really keeps an eye on them. The single fawn that visits is getting really tall and big. The white tails are such beautiful creatures, and I have certainly enjoyed this brief glimpse into their existence. Once fall arrives and we head towards the rut, I'm guessing they will be spread out across this small expanse of beautiful Oklahoma, and we may not get to see them as often. I'll continue to supply them with corn, antler max and minerals, in the form of "blocks", and I'll keep posting on their visits for as long as I can.
