PRAIRIE NOTEBOOK - Nov. 18, 2014: The annual Charge of the Bright (Orange) Brigade has swept through the Prairie Waters for another season. It’s now safe to go back into the woods and enjoy one of the area’s best wintertime activities - deer viewing. I’m sure for those living in the country, watching deer is about as novel as watching corn stalks dry in the field. However, for many of us - rural “city folks” - a chance to enjoy deer in a more natural setting is an ever-pleasing pastime. And with the woods striped naked of its summer foliage, spotting them is now much easier. I am convinced that deer react to the first report from a hunter’s rifle like a starter pistol and sprint in leaps and bounds into the safe haven of the nearest state park. And long after the woods, fields and bottomlands lose their orange glow, many of the whitetails that took refuge within LQP’s borders remain throughout the winter. It may be, too, that some years the DNR has maintained a feeding station over by the horse camp area which can attract scores of deer during the harshest parts of winter. Of course, the habitat of forest with dense understory, open areas of lush grasses and expansive bottomlands along the river and other drainages all create a diverse “deerland” for whitetail to call home. A recent walk along the longest loop in LQP’s trail system brought me into viewing range of seven deer: two that bounded across the roadway forewarned by my approach, and as it was this special day, a up-close and seemingly personal encounter with a young buck and doe and - a set of triplets. Yup, a three-fawn family! I had spotted what was probably the “Dad” earlier as we faced each other in a prolonged stare-down further back on this particular trail. Several members of the park staff had told me about the triplets so I was particularly pleased when I encountered them in front of me frolicking along the same trail. It wasn’t until mom stepped into view and scooted then away into the protective cover of nearby brush that I was aware she was even nearby. Quietly; cautiously moves the whitetail. That’s the key to seeing deer in this and other parks (my friend and fellow photographer/outdoors enthusiast, John White says the Meadowbrook unit of Big Stone State Park has a set of triplets of its own, too). Besides walking slowly, camera at the ready as I scan the trail in front and to the sides of my path, I also stop and do a slow ‘360’, letting my eyes penetrate into the shadows, through the thickets and along the edges of vegetation breaks. Even so, I usually see more white flagging tails than I do antlers or ears. If we continue to get accumulations of snow, trekking along these deer viewing trails will have to be ventured upon with snow shoes or cross-country skis. Which ever the mode, bundling up and setting out along one of our state park’s maintained hiking trails (much quieter than tromping through the twig-snapping, leave-crunching woods) is yet another rewarding way of spending a day out here on the wintry prairie. # # #
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 00:33:43 +0000
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