December 9th, 2009
- Woody age 9
Hello, I have been getting many requests for photos of our deer in hard antler. So in the next few weeks I will be adding some to our site. There are some on our facebook page. But I promise to get more photos on here soon. Woody has had his antlers removed because he is the breeder buck. He is being quite aggressive and not being nice at all to the ladies he is with. (5 of them)…He doesn’t realize how lucky he is.
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- Adam age 13
Adam is our oldest buck and looking good for his age. Here he is appreciating the scent of the ladies.
Bert age 11
This year we lost Oscar and Bert really misses him. He was 12 this June.
Chester age 5
Chester is such a handsom buck. He is Adam’s son and they look so much alike.
Cupid age 1
Cupid has his first set of antlers and is looking so good. He now comes over to fence to see us.
Henry age 4
Henry has really grown this past year. He is currently customer’s favorite deer.
Marty age 8
Marty is the largest deer we have ever raised. This means body and antlers. He is the dominant buck.
Rudy age 12
Rudolph is one of our senior citizen deer. He doesn’t grow much antler, very non typical but we love him anyway.
Snoopy age 9
This Fall all the girls would hang behind Snoopy’s pen. He was their “rock star”. But Woody got to be breeder buck. Not fair…
Sundance age 7
Sundance is pretty chubby this year. He also likes to stand in his sink so we notice him..As if we could miss him…
Vixen age 1
Vixen is our piebald with attitude. He gives Cupid a run for his money.
Posted in Ask the Deer Lady, Hard Antler | 1 Comment »
September 11th, 2009
I am asked all most daily about bucks shedding their velvet. Why does this occur? Is it painful? And how long does it take? All very good questions.
This is happening in our pens right now. We have our bucks all separated so that they won’t hurt each other.
A deer’s antlers begin to grow each year in May. They are covered with a soft furry covering called velvet. This is protection for their antlers because there is blood running through them as they grow. They are a living thing with nerve endings. In August the antler stops growing and the blood supply shuts off. Then they harden from the inside out. No they are not itchy, nor do they hurt at this time. They are hard bone. The velvet is removed to show their crowning acheivement, a beautiful set of hard antlers.
To remove the velvet a deer picks a low lying bush, a branch, or something plyable to help get that old dead skin off. Some deer are lazy and let it fall off on its own. Others can’t wait to remove it and it is all over in 20 to 30 minutes. At any rate once it is removed their antlers become weapons that they use to prove their man hood to the other bucks. That is our reason for separating our deer. They love to spar and would injure each other. Some bucks have been known to fight to the death. It is not always over “Doe” as we are led to believe. But many times just over territory and wanting to be “the big man on campus”. By giving our buck’s their own pens, they mark their territory and seem to settle down knowing they have claimed their domain.
Please feel free to leave any questions or comments.
Rusty
Posted in Ask the Deer Lady | No Comments »
August 31st, 2009
As “the deer lady” I do seminars at schools, churches, sports shows and sportsman’s clubs. This season my first seminar will be held at The DuBois Mall, in DuBois, PA. Saturday, September 19, 2009.
This will be the first annual sports show for WCED and WDSN Sunny 106 radio. I will be speaking at 1 p.m. My subject will be “Wive’s tales about white tails.” and I will have a open forum for questions and answers at the end.
I will also have a booth with free hand out materials and of course lots of pictures and antlers. So come visit me at the mall. I just learned there will be a preview night of the show Friday evening September 18. So our booth will be set up then and you can come “Ask the deer lady” any questions you may have.
Posted in Ask the Deer Lady | No Comments »
July 20th, 2009
Attention: It is illegal to take a fawn out of the wild.
No, the mother did not abandon it. Mothers never lay with their fawns. They put them in good hiding places and check on them many times of the day. They are good at hiding so predators do not find them.
Mothers may be watching as you pick up their baby. It is not true that the doe won’t take the fawn back after you have touched it. The mother will stay in the area up to 3 days looking for her lost fawn.
So take it back to the exact spot you got it so she may find it.
If you see the mother has been hit on the road do nothing with the fawn. Because of new laws even rehabilitators are not allowed to care for the fawn . If you bring it in, you are guaranteeing a dead deer.
Please understand that private deer raisers have rules to follow from 3 places: The USDA, The PA Game Commission, and the PA Department of Agriculture. None of them allow us to have deer from the wild. Our deer are either bought from other licensed deer raisers or they are born at our ranch. So please do not try to bring us deer, as we cannot take them.
And please do not try to raise one yourself. There is a $200.00 fine for this – and the fawn will then be destroyed anyways.
Thank you for your cooperation. Rusty (the deer lady)
Tags: Fawns, fines, illegal, legal, public, wild
Posted in Fawns, Legal Notices | No Comments »