They are grazing the grass because the corn in the feeder is all gone. The reason it was gone is not because the deer ate it, but because of this.....
This is the first time we've had escaped cattle come to the feeder. We aren't even sure who they belong to, but I think whoever it was must have found them because we have not seen them today. I'm sure they were not happy to be out rounding up their cows on Christmas morning!
Deer are most active at night, but many days they show up in the early evening, like this group. They are beautiful animals!
They appear to live in small groups that consist primarily of does and yearlings. One group lives in the cedar trees in the background. Another group lives in the woods on our neighbor's property. When the groups meet, it is not always friendly. Notice how the doe on the left below is striking out with her hoof at the one on the right, a sure sign of aggression.
The bucks normally separate from the does when they reach a year of age. Young ones sometimes pair up, like the two below. The guy on the right is called a "spike" buck because his antlers are not branched. He is likely to develop branched antlers when he is older, just not this first year.
We caught this pair on camera having a friendly shoving match, practicing for when they are older.
We have one or more older bucks that we see occasionally. Whereas the groups of does come to the feeder almost every night, we don't see these guys every night.
Whenever a buck comes to the feeder while a doe group is there, it causes quite a stir, even if it is one of the young bucks. The doe group scatters and lets him have the feeder to himself.
We never know what we are going to find on the wildlife camera. It is like opening a Christmas gift to see what is inside. Merry Christmas!
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