Oh, A Bambi

Wednesday, August 04, 2021 —(In 18 days, August’s full “Sturgeon” moon will rise nearest to earth.)

I tossed into the bed of my ranch vehicle a muck fork and empty bucket, fired up the vehicle’s motor and rolled off. My destination was across the road at John’s place. He’s a kind neighbor who lets my horses graze on his pasture. These days, the horses go there daily for one hour on fresh grass. Any longer and that sweet summer grass will add on each animal too much weight.

As the horses and I were walking home, they had mucked-up John’s gravel driveway. John doesn’t care, but I do and intended to clean up. I maneuvered the ranch vehicle into position and while looking backward noticed the buck, quickly moving. Immediately, I switched off the motor.

That jaw-dropping magnificent buck was a gorgeous seven-or-eight-pointer.

I stepped from the vehicle, picked up a camera and slowly walked in his direction, talking softly constantly and keeping a distance. The buck stood still, intently watching. He didn’t flinch when I raised the camera.

We stayed like that for quite awhile. He gave me lots of chances for pictures.

Besides wanting pictures, my other single thought was the Disney Movie, “Bambi”. I saw it during my childhood eons ago. I felt as of the buck and I were reliving a scene from that movie–the one in which Bambi suddenly reappears after a time lapse. He has matured, is grown up and fabulous.

This buck hasn’t been tagged. He’s a perfect match for wild doe, Tag #55, a browser in our neighborhood. If next spring #55 shows up followed by a beautiful fawn, a guess as to its daddy would be this guy.

Dear Friends: It’s a wonder that some wild bucks survive long enough to generate many points. Diana