Almost that time of the year boys!

[Old Time Hunter]

Deer Hunting!

[madman4570]

Looks like my back yard??

[mikld]

Please excuse this city boy's ignorance, but where/what is this? A feeding area? An animal park?

[madman4570]

It kinda looks like maybe its a deer ranch(raise venison)??? or maybe some kind of animal preserve??Check out at the top of the hill on the power line clear cut.isnt that 2 people walking down to the deer?

[Old Time Hunter]

Not a "Deer" ranch, nor a animal park....just February Deer "yarding" in the northern part of Wisconsin.

Once the snows get deep and the cold settles in the deer come together in increasing smaller areas to feed, hence the grouping (and why there isn't a February, March, and so on hunting). Coupled to the fact the nights generally fall below 0, the deer change their normally nocturnal feeding habits and feed primarily during the warmer parts of the day. Their instinct to feed becomes stronger and their sense of danger becomes less allowing people to get quite close to them (the two people on the ridge and the person taking the picture). The use of the fire lane (the power lines probably go back to a mid-wood cabin) is probably more due to the accessibility of humans to place feed for the deer (notice the piles in various spots), but then again even a deer would rather walk in easier transversed country than walk in deeper snow up to their belly. I can pretty much guaranty that these are wild deer, I've seen and had over a hundred walk up to my deck on my hunting camp in mid winter to get at the hay for my horses. They walk right past the dogs, who just watch them.

[COSteve]

Yep, and it doesn't have to be back up in the woods either. We live up in a small valley s/w of Denver that has a large number of 'greenbelts' in the gullies and other wide areas of open land left natural for the wildlife. In fact, our valley is designated as a private game preserve.

If the winter is hard, we get herds of 10-15 deer or elk wandering around our neighborhood munching on our bushes. I've seen a group that was so hungry they ate one of my juniper bushes that was poking out from under a few feet of snow while I was standing on the porch not 7 ft from them.

My wife felt sorry for them about 10 yrs ago and left a few pie tins of corn out in the back yard for a few months. We had deer and elk camping out in the back yard waiting for the feed. When the snow melted we had 1/2 a garbage can full of droppings to clean up! Needless to say, I don't let her do that anymore.

[Travis Morgan]

Steve,

Let her have her fun! Just buy her a rake... and a slicer and jerky maker for yourself.

[mikld]

Steve, maybe you could package those droppings and sell it as an "Exotic Wildlife Fertilizer"

[iceman]

We have the same thing up here in the winter. Near my Mom's place a couple people feed them all winter. In the fall they are hard to find ,but once the snow falls and the food come out there are plenty. One fellow went through 5 tons of carrots and parsnips not to mention the bales of good quality horse hay.

[COSteve]

We have the same thing up here in the winter. . . . One fellow went through 5 tons of carrots and parsnips not to mention the bales of good quality horse hay.

Oh my