Beware of Deer!

The Ruidoso News ran a story today warning dog owners to beware of does protecting their young -- see Dog owners advised to beware of angry deer for full story. My coworker tells me that deer charge her dogs all the time. Well, I've never seen it; but then again, I don't let my dogs run after deer (or anything else). Still, I have once or twice found myself face to face with a deer of questionable intentions. It makes me nervous when they don't run away.

When I lived in Country Club Estates, near Village Hall, there was a buck who liked to take late afternoon naps in a neighboring front yard. More than once we would come upon him as we took our walk, often with dogs in tow and on leash. He never ran from us. He seemed entirely nonplussed by the dogs and by us. Sometimes he would stand and just watch us. I always wondered what he was thinking. Had he decided to charge us, we would surely be dead, or at least seriously injured.

It's funny to think of "Bambi" as an aggressive animal, but the testimony says it all. From California to the New Mexico mountains, encounters with attack deer are commonly reported. So next time you're strolling around The Links and you come near a placidly grazing doe -- she may not be as gentle and harmless as she looks!