Whitetail buck, Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts
Taken back in the fall of 1978 while on a ten day surf fishing trip with friends from work. We were staying at a rented cottage at the "Allen House" and were going to go out to the beach after midnight when the tide was right. I was reading in a lounge chair in front of the cottage while snacking on some soft mints and this buck walked out of the thick Bayberry Bushes at the far end of the field, about a hundred yards away. My camera bag was inside and I was really bummed out that I didn't have it right beside me. As quietly and slowly as possible I got up, went and fetched the camera, came out and sat down again... totally surprised that the buck was still around. I waited and watched a few minutes, sucking on a few more mints while he seemed to be getting a bit closer. This was good because I was bummed out again when I realized that the lens on the camera (a Nikkormat FTn) was a 50mm, not the best choice for getting close photos of very shy deer. However, this guy wasn't shy. He slowly approached to nearly "touching distance", and stood where he is in the photo, leaning left and right a few times as if he was looking for something behind me. Then he stretched out a bit and I could see his nose working as he was sniffing something. Then I realized he must have caught the scent of the mints that I had. I carefully offered him one (spooked him a bit opening the bag), and he gently took it. What happened next was completely unexpected. His eyes opened wide (whites showing), lowered his head and spit it out on the grass, all drooly. Look closely at the tiny drool drop on a whisker just below his nose. After licking his nose a few times he picked it up again and chewed it. He had one more before a few does appeared by the Bayberry Bushes, which caused him to trot off to meet them and probably surprise them with his "minty breath".
That evening we were having dinner on a large enclosed porch of the "main house" where we had meals with other guests that were staying there. Halfway into our dinner, what looked like the same buck appeared and stood right in front of the windows, looking in at everyone eating. One of the girls serving shouted into the kitchen "Hey, Frisky's here!". A minute later the cook (no chef's hat, but a white apron), came out with a long carrot sticking out of his back pocket. He opened the double doors and stood just inside. "Frisky" walked up, put his front feet on the top step (there were 2 steps), carefully reached around with his head, being mindful of exactly where his antlers were, and almost delicately took the carrot. He backed out and made it disappear pretty quick. But... it was "one carrot and done", as the cook had other matters to attend to. So this explained exactly why this deer didn't spook when it found me earlier in the day. I was supremely bummed out that I didn't have my camera at the dinner table, or at least close by. Today, my cell phone is always with me, instantly ready for action.
Frisky-Cuttyhunk-L
Whitetail buck, Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts
Taken back in the fall of 1978 while on a ten day surf fishing trip with friends from work. We were staying at a rented cottage at the "Allen House" and were going to go out to the beach after midnight when the tide was right. I was reading in a lounge chair in front of the cottage while snacking on some soft mints and this buck walked out of the thick Bayberry Bushes at the far end of the field, about a hundred yards away. My camera bag was inside and I was really bummed out that I didn't have it right beside me. As quietly and slowly as possible I got up, went and fetched the camera, came out and sat down again... totally surprised that the buck was still around. I waited and watched a few minutes, sucking on a few more mints while he seemed to be getting a bit closer. This was good because I was bummed out again when I realized that the lens on the camera (a Nikkormat FTn) was a 50mm, not the best choice for getting close photos of very shy deer. However, this guy wasn't shy. He slowly approached to nearly "touching distance", and stood where he is in the photo, leaning left and right a few times as if he was looking for something behind me. Then he stretched out a bit and I could see his nose working as he was sniffing something. Then I realized he must have caught the scent of the mints that I had. I carefully offered him one (spooked him a bit opening the bag), and he gently took it. What happened next was completely unexpected. His eyes opened wide (whites showing), lowered his head and spit it out on the grass, all drooly. Look closely at the tiny drool drop on a whisker just below his nose. After licking his nose a few times he picked it up again and chewed it. He had one more before a few does appeared by the Bayberry Bushes, which caused him to trot off to meet them and probably surprise them with his "minty breath".
That evening we were having dinner on a large enclosed porch of the "main house" where we had meals with other guests that were staying there. Halfway into our dinner, what looked like the same buck appeared and stood right in front of the windows, looking in at everyone eating. One of the girls serving shouted into the kitchen "Hey, Frisky's here!". A minute later the cook (no chef's hat, but a white apron), came out with a long carrot sticking out of his back pocket. He opened the double doors and stood just inside. "Frisky" walked up, put his front feet on the top step (there were 2 steps), carefully reached around with his head, being mindful of exactly where his antlers were, and almost delicately took the carrot. He backed out and made it disappear pretty quick. But... it was "one carrot and done", as the cook had other matters to attend to. So this explained exactly why this deer didn't spook when it found me earlier in the day. I was supremely bummed out that I didn't have my camera at the dinner table, or at least close by. Today, my cell phone is always with me, instantly ready for action.
Frisky-Cuttyhunk-L