"They look like a gang of toughs," Noel said as we say a crowd of deer approaching feloniously down the street.
It was a bit of a Mexican stand off, us in the car unwilling to squash key deer before lunch, them lining the street and not letting us pass. Not that we were in a hurry. 
"Ooh, a baby deer," Noel squealed adjusting his angle in the driver's seat and pointing his telephoto at the fearless fawn.
If this wasn't curiosity it was begging or damn close to it. Key Deer were nearly wiped out by the 1950s thanks to development and hunting but a group of wealthy snowbirds from Up North hired a ranger to preserve the deer in the back woods of Big Pine Key. Jack Watson did such a good job the deer are back and thriving.
And, let's be honest not everyone is thrilled about it. Key deer are protected and in their search for nourishment they will eat any plant am improvident homeowner will leave out for them to graze. As a result there are some hard feelings about the free range deer.
Naturalists say the deer emigrated to the keys eons ago and developed into the pint sized animals we see today. Critics dismiss them as small white tailed deer and think of them as little more than pests.
When I have guests who want to see Key deer i take them out to the end of Watson Boulevard, named for Ranger Watson, and in the outer darkness of No Name Key there they are. 
Drought is an inconvenience for us humans but it can be quite deadly for the deer.
It was a bit of a Mexican stand off, us in the car unwilling to squash key deer before lunch, them lining the street and not letting us pass. Not that we were in a hurry. "Ooh, a baby deer," Noel squealed adjusting his angle in the driver's seat and pointing his telephoto at the fearless fawn.If this wasn't curiosity it was begging or damn close to it. Key Deer were nearly wiped out by the 1950s thanks to development and hunting but a group of wealthy snowbirds from Up North hired a ranger to preserve the deer in the back woods of Big Pine Key. Jack Watson did such a good job the deer are back and thriving.
And, let's be honest not everyone is thrilled about it. Key deer are protected and in their search for nourishment they will eat any plant am improvident homeowner will leave out for them to graze. As a result there are some hard feelings about the free range deer.
Naturalists say the deer emigrated to the keys eons ago and developed into the pint sized animals we see today. Critics dismiss them as small white tailed deer and think of them as little more than pests.When I have guests who want to see Key deer i take them out to the end of Watson Boulevard, named for Ranger Watson, and in the outer darkness of No Name Key there they are. Drought is an inconvenience for us humans but it can be quite deadly for the deer.
One has to wonder if this photo opportunity came not out of curiosity but simply hunger and hope for the deer. Feeding the deer is illegal and no doubt their critics are happy with that this year, the year of no rain, ever.
1 comment:
Dear Conchscooter:
Pictures of people taking pictures? Hitting rock bottom. I'd say. The Key Deer are nothing more than rats on shorter than average stilts. The Federal Government should buy up every house on the island, knock them all down, and make the whole place a deer reserve. Then sell hunting licenses through a lottery for $4500 apiece, bucks only.
The place would pay for itself in ten hunting seasons.
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep •Toad
Twisted Roads
Post a Comment