Musings on deer

Yesterday morning on the way to work I spotted a deer sitting in the barrow pit to the east of highway 89. It was looking around watching birds flitting and cars driving. I thought it was sort of odd to just be sitting there and I did wonder if it had been injured or had the wind knocked out it.

This morning as I drove near the same spot, there was the deer. Unfortunately it had died. Unlike the majority of dead deer on the side of the road that stare at you accusingly, this one had put its head down as though to take a nap. Only one ear stuck up. At first glance I did think that it was asleep, but something in the way the body looked suggested that it was dead. I was certainly not going to stop and check on it.

For some reason this deer's death made me sad. I mean I'm sort of sad when they get hit by cars or trucks, but for the most part I realize that fast moving objects that weigh a lot are going to win when it comes to a car/truck and deer show-down. This deer's death reminded me of two deer from several years ago. In about the same place, there were two deer curled up in the barrow pit. One was clearly guarding the other one. Neither one was small, so it probably wasn't a mother/fawn situation. The next day though they were both gone. I assumed that one had been hit but not badly injured or just had the air knocked out it.

I think that looking at deer is quite nice. I'm not fond of all the hunting that takes place around here in the fall, but have grown used to the idea. I hate the deer though that decide to run in front of my car when driving. I can't remember exactly where yesterday on I-15 (up north in Utah Valley, I think) there was a dead deer on the road between the highway and an on ramp. It was in a fairly populated area, so I am sure that both the deer and the driver were quite surprised when they encountered each other.

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