Wisdom of the Deer

Wisdom and gentleness radiate from the soft, gentle eyes of deer. I am so privileged to be able to observe these beautiful creatures at such close range.

In my blog, The Deer Will Teach, I said the deer would teach me about the game trails that are on my property, and they are. If I weren’t such a dumb newbie, I might learn more quickly.

Even before I knew what a game trail was, I was aware of the animals that were moving around our house daily, and I wanted to photograph them. That resulted in my purchasing numerous field cameras. But I didn’t just randomly place the cameras I tried to think through each placement. I took photos of each location for a better idea of the range of the camera. Then sadly, I completely forgot about these photos. I found them accidentally while searching for pictures for my next blog. 

These forgotten images clearly show the game trail that flows behind and around my house. Everything that I have read about game trails is evident here. Primarily game trails blend in with their surroundings.

You can see the game trail in the center of this photograph.
In this photo, the game trail turns and continues down the hill.
This photo shows another angle of the game trail.
In this photo, you can see the game trail originates in the distance.

The series of photos below show my deer traveling the trail.

Note: Open the first photo and use the arrows, you will be able to see the deer walking on the trail.

So what have learned in my first lesson with the deer?  

  1. My deer are following a well traveled and familiar game trail that flows behind and around my house.
  2. Game trails blend with their surroundings, while human trails do not. This game trail blended in so well that it was almost invisible.
  3. Game trails can be challenging to spot even though they are created by the sharp hooves of deer and/or the softer paws of large and small animals. 
  4. Game trails are not devoid of grasses like human paths. The grasses on game trails are just pressed down or knocked over.
  5. Game trails are more than just a path from one place to another. 
  6. Game trails can and frequently do pass through lush areas of vegetation and a good food source.
  7. Predators follow the prey animals on the game trails.
  8. Game trails can lead to sources of water for both predator and prey.
  9. Game trails can allow the animals to wander through areas where there are humans and observe them from a safe distance. 

If you have game trails in your area or are familiar with them, please share. I would love to learn about them.

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