Scenes from my back yard

[clarionite]

Here's a few shots from the past couple of days in my back yard.

There's been quite a few visitors out.
Scenes from my back yard

Here's one of my favorites

[soupman]

This is a great shot. I would prefer to crop the tree out though.

Thanks

[clarionite]

Thanks Soupman

[Electricseashell]

Nice.. I wish the deer wasn't so sickly.. but it's nice to see your back yard

[clarionite]

Thanks ElectricSeaShell.

She's looking better now, 200 lbs of feed later.
We're pleased with the new back yard. there are 4 large
live oaks that we sit under every evening.

[Arbib]

Is that your Wild Pet now?....I'm quessing you leave feed out for it.
I like the way the sunlight backlights the ears.

[clarionite]

Arbib,

There is a large herd that roams around in my area. It's a mixed herd of Whitetail and Axis. I've not been able to get a good count on it, but it's somewhere between 25 and 40+ deer. There are two Whitetail doe who are getting used to us being outside, and will come up and eat while we're outside. The rest, we have to be very still with the backyard lights off at night for them to come up (It's hard to count them in the moonlight sometimes).

I've been putting about 30 pounds of sweet feed out a night, along with things like watermellon rinds, orange peels, etc... (things I know they'll eat and that would go to the trash anyways). I've got a salt block and a water bucket out for them too.

Last night there was an 8 point Whitetail buck, 5 Whitetail does, and a couple of Axis does eating while we sat out back.

[Hdvannjr]

Clarionite,
I have enjoyed your photograph. My home borders a nature preserve in Hillsborough County, Florida. I put out 50 lbs of Cracked Corn every couple of days to feed White Tails Deer in the area. Largest number I've seen has been eight. Some nights if I let the feed run out, they'll stand in my driveway and stare at the house giving me the "guilt trip." So out I go in my boxers and a sack of cracked corn over my shoulders. They have become regular visitors. Also, have a family of Raccoons that stop by and Wild Turkey as well.

[Electricseashell]

Thats wonderful you guys are trying to care for the wild animals around you, I think its illegal here in Michigan to feed the deer.
somthing about TB or some shared saliva passed disease...

[clarionite]

ElectricSeaShell,

It's a mixture of trying to care for them and enjoying seeing them around.
My kids get a kick out of it, as does my wife. She put a new Hammock in the yard
this weekend, and that seems to have made them a little more leary.

I'm not worried about TB with these, but I do worry about Black Tongue if the
heard gets too weak. There are massive amounts of deer in this area, and there really
isn't enough food since it's been so dry. I'm a hunter also, but these deer are really too
scragly to hunt. If the population keeps increasing and it's this dry next year I'm afraid
we'll have an ourbreak of Black Tongue and loose quite a bit of the population.