This is a picture of Limping Doe (on the left) and her two yearlings. She is a fixture here at our Promise City home, a half mile South of the South Fork of the Chariton River and the 16,000 acres of Lake Rathburn Wildlife Area. We have been watching her, starting our third year. The neighborhood knows her and has not hunted her. They tell me she is around 12 years old. She has a frozen left front knee and a broken fetlock on that same foot which causes her hoof to knuckle under when she walks. Hence the limp, in Limping Doe.
She watches things very carefully and does not scare easily, however she can run like a deer, even on three good legs, when she needs.
Three years ago she had one fawn, a doe. That deer is still around and quite high spirited. We see her off and on with Limping Doe(LD). Two years ago LD had twins, a buck and a doe. When they were quite small I was blessed to watch them nursing one morning. That doe had twin fawns last year and LD would often be the nurse for the whole group. The buck from two years ago was beautiful proud. There are two state record bucks who move around the area and I have no doubt he is an offspring of one of these amazing powerful animals. Alas, as he was coming into his own this year, with a very nice small rack of horns, he was hit and killed on the highway within sight of our house. It was the beginng of rut and as we know deer and hiways make for dangerous driving. However, I am bothered by the fact that someone stopped and cut the antlers off the young buck, to sell or take simply as a empty trophy. Bugs me, that people do that stuff.
Last year LD also had twins, in the picture to the right, a buck and a doe. The buck has little button antlers and is pretty pretty much along for the ride. Just feed me and let me know when there is danger. The doe is inquisitive, and smart. She watches everything and is usually the one to call the alarm.
We usually see Limping Doe on a daily basis when we are here. And that is just the thing. When we title the picture "morning visitors," it is we who are the visitors to Limping Doe.
"Who are these people and what are they doing here at my place?"
