Wednesday was one of the best days for a walk this week. It had been several days since I could get out so I braved the mist on Wednesday morning. Then it cleared off and the evening was so nice Maggie and I took a rare second walk. You have to grab them when you can. Heavy fog, rain, and high winds have all been part of the climate this week. Although the road is a rural, gravel road I keep Maggie on a leash. Gravel roads connect to main roads, and cars, pickups and semis travel at 40+ mph. When the wind is blowing, I often don't hear them approaching until they are pretty close.
The sun was setting as we started out. The sky was clear and the sunset was producing a true tangerine sky in the west. Someone had ridden a horse earlier in the day and for a ways we followed the hoof prints. Then I started noticing fresh deer tracks. The road Jan lives on is a 2-lane gravel road bordered by corn fields waiting for harvest. There are plenty of hiding places for deer at this time of year.As soon as we got back to the road, something caught my eye in the field on the other side. A white 'flag' was waving up and down. In the declining light it was hard to make out anything else, but I could follow the white tail as the deer ran down the road. Maggie was right. The deer had been there, but it had already crossed the road.
Nice work Maggie. You scented it out!
(And thanks to our two walks, I logged 10,000 steps that day!)
There are so many deer around these days here, and I see that there are many where you are visiting Janice and family. The food and climate must be extra plentiful this year - - or something. I've seen as many as 6 in our yard at one time, and that is unusual.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how dogs know -- and can smell things we can't.
Ray and I hit a deer coming home from Montauk on an unpopulated stretch of the highway. We were darn lucky and were unhurt and our t-bird wasn't damaged, but I don't think the deer survived. We reported it, though. I'd be watchful while driving that stretch of highway you walked -- especially around dusk and right after it gets dark, as that's when deer seem to come out.
Absolutely. There is always a risk of hitting them, and I worry about it when I'm on the main road at night. I've never hit one...knock on wood...!
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