Gotcha! You thought this post was going to be about something else, didn't you? These three stags wandered into my backyard this afternoon when inspiration was singularly lacking.In all my years observing backyard wildlife I've never seen three stags roaming together before. In fact, it's rare to see even one feeding with a group of does (groups of up to ten does browse through here frequently).
The young stag on the right had one antler broken off close to the base, and the other points were broken off at the tips. Herb told me he had seen a stag with a missing antler lying down in our yard one afternoon this fall during the mating season. The stag remained in that position for almost an hour and was in obvious distress. I believe it might have been this individual recovering from losing a battle. I'm glad to find he managed to survive to fight another year.
After the stags left, a small group of does came from the other direction. The poor creatures are so hungry I've had to fence off my rhododendrons to protect them from their depredations.
