Doe and Triplets

The Whitetail Deer triplets have been regular visitors to the yard. Yesterday, I saw their mother join them for a bit of cracked corn.

The doe has suffered an injury and is not using her left foreleg. I usually see one or two deer each year in this condition.

There seems to be quite a bit of swelling just above the hoof and there’s a jagged cut on the inside of her right hind leg. A lot of deer leg injuries are the result of an entanglement with a fence. Fences topped with a strand of barb wire are particularly hazardous. She seems a little thin, but that could just be from the stress of raising three fawns.

The doe took off as soon as she caught sight of me. The fawns are watching her head into the field. They’re lucky she wasn’t running from approaching danger because none of them are looking in the direction from which danger would approach.

The triplets are becoming more independent, but as mom fades from sight across the field, they begin to follow.

This one didn’t seem much concerned. It stayed behind and ate a little more corn before heading off to find the rest of the family.