I photographed this Mule Deer doe while camping in North Willow Canyon in the Stansbury Mountain Range of Tooele County, Utah.
Mule Deer doe in the Stansbury Mountains
This doe and several others were grazing on the grasses of my campsite when I came back from photographing birds. This doe sort of danced her way towards me, that is about the closest I can come to describing how she was moving.
She definitely kept her eyes on me while the rest of the deer nibbled the fresh spring grasses. She definitely looked like she was still carrying a fawn.
The Mulies are losing their heavy winter coats and will soon appear in their sleeker summer coats and giving birth to the fawns.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Mule Deer photos plus facts and information about this species.
Thanks everyone.
biobabbler, I haven’t really noticed if animals were dying more in the spring than any other time of the year but early spring does offer less opportunity for nutritious food so I guess it is possible.
She is a shaggy little cutie.
The Elk are doing the same over here. It’s strange to witness in person.
=) You def. captured this stage of deer season. Awkward hair days.
BTW, when reading a book on sustainable gardening, the author pointed out that tho’ so many people think spring is a time of plenty (birds breeding, flowers and bugs everywhere), for the animal that eats plants, there’s actually very little nutrient rich food available in early spring (and little in a gardener’s plot). There’s grass, for gardeners there’s asparagus, lettuces, etc., but much of what one grows for winter crops is spent, and the big calorie or volume foods (berries, other fruits & veggies, ripe grain) aren’t available until summer & fall. So he said lots of animals can actually die of starvation in the spring, having used their fat reserves to weather winter.
Anyhow, it is something that never occurred to me, so in spring I keep an eye out for that. Have you (w/your super keen eye) noticed anything along those lines?
Beautiful image, it looks like a Deer but not anyway a Mule.
The deer are definitely looking pretty scraggly this time of year. Won’t be probably another month and we’ll start seeing babies at my house.
What a beautiful Deer, wonderful photo:)