LA BOTA RANCH WHITE-TAILED DEER UPDATE (09-19-13): Arrived in the West Meadow, western sector of La Bota Ranch near Laredo, Texas at 5:51 p.m. The temperature was very nice and there were scattered cumulus clouds in the sky. There was a light wind blowing. The West Meadow Herd was mostly bedded at the south end of the pasture. The Axis doe was on the east slope above the pasture. “Curly” was also present when I arrived. There are currently 6 WT bucks that have rubbed off their velvet. They include “Axel,” “Charlie,” “Max,” as well as three other bucks (one 6 pt., one 8 pt., and one 9-pt.). One of the Army’s UH-72 helicopters flew over the pasture headed up the Rio Grande at 6:00 p.m. sharp. I watched WT doe “Blanca” nurse one of her fawns (she has twins). At 6:17 p.m. I saw WT buck “Max” and the other smaller 8-point buck (velvet-free) sparring briefly at the SE edge of the pasture. “Max” is considerably larger and older than his sparring buddy. By 6:15 p.m. the light wind had died down to a dead calm. I observed WT bucks “Spikey” and “Orion” flehmening. I saw the same small 8-point buck that had been sparring with “Max” walk up to large WT buck “Spikey” (still in velvet) as though he wanted to challenge him. “Spikey” gave the small buck the classic Antler Threat and thrust his rack toward the smaller challenger, causing him to immediately relent. At 6:25 p.m. I gave the Herd its first mass feeding at the troughs. As I filled the troughs I again saw the same small 8-point buck and much larger WT buck “Axel” (velvet-free) sparring at the waterhole. At 6:31 p.m. a few light raindrops began to fall. I saw a WT fawn feeding at trough 1 with the big boys. At 6:38 p.m. I counted 46 WT deer in the West Meadow. By 6:38 p.m. the light rain had stopped. However at 6:40 p.m. more light raindrops began to fall again as I watched a doe nurse her twin fawns, while another doe nursed her single fawn simultaneously. At 6:44 p.m. I saw large WT bucks “Stumpy” and “Thor” simultaneously flehmening, with their heads only about 3’ apart in the central part of the southern half of the pasture. I had a late afternoon photo session, but I was feeling drained and exhausted after a long week. At 7:07 p.m. WT buck “Abel” approached me for the first time today, and it was the first time I had actually seen him – I had been wondering where he was, being he’s such a beggar. I fed WT doe “Libby” by hand from the small pail for a while, but “Abel” attempted to interfere. I managed to hold him at bay for a while by extending my left arm with all five fingers also extended (like antler tines) above the level of my head. I have found this tactic to work with WT bucks. However, after a while “Libby” tired of “Abel”s flanking her so she eventually walked away. I fed the remaining corn in the pail to “Abel,” handling and grasping his velvet-covered antlers. This caused no panic in him; he just twisted his head slightly when I grasped the rack. After I set the pail down on the ground and walked away, “Spikey” moved in and took over. I saw WT buck “Regulus” working a licking branch at the east edge of the pasture. I had observed “Thor” working the same branch a little earlier. At 7:18 p.m. I positively identified the 6-point buck that had rubbed its velvet off as “Little Buck.” Very late in the afternoon I switched my photo session to B&W due to poor lighting and color saturation. At 7:20 p.m. “Axel” and much smaller “Little Buck” began to gently spar with one another. It was an amusing sight, but it was simply nature at work and good practice for “Little Buck.” During the second part of today’s session in the West Meadow the Axis doe was not present. At 7:28 p.m. I saw WT buck “Abel” flehmening. At the same time I saw “Orion” working a licking branch at one of the large Afghanistan pines (non-native species) at the NNE edge of the pasture, but he only half-heartedly scraped the ground underneath the branch after the licking activity. By 7:30 p.m. the sky was mostly clear and it was breezy again and very comfortable in the failing light of late afternoon. At 7:33 p.m. as I was packing away my camera gear I saw the Axis doe on the slope above the north edge of the pasture where she was grazing. As I updated my field notes at 7:37 p.m. “Axel” stood a few feet away, begging for corn. “Annie” was also nearby, the first I have seen of her today. I fed “Annie” some corn by hand but “Abel” and “Axel” interfered, so I poured the remaining amount in the troughs. I filled the pail again and fed “Annie” some more. A few feet from me “Axel” engaged “Little Buck” and drove him away. I poured the remaining corn on the ground and was able to get within about 4’ of “Orion” while I was standing. He is losing his fear of me slowly but surely. I left the West Meadow at 7:50 p.m. in deep dusk.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 04:32:08 +0000
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