Weird deer behavior?
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 2:29 pm
So I have been planning my first solo trip to the sierra for some time now and had to delay a month. Finally got out there on Monday and still trying to process what happened.
My ambitious trip plan had me starting from Hetch Hetchy and heading up to Bearup lake then up to Ardeth, and down to Vernon. Four days three nights, that was the plan.
Just as I am getting ready to start heading towards Bearup along Frog Creek, the threatening clouds start inching closer and drops start falling from the sky. I start to get nervous and fall back on Laurel lake, only I lose the trail and even though I could see the lake had to bushwack for sometime until finally finding the trail again. I get lonely and start missing my wife and daughter. I let them know via the Inreach that I will be cutting the trip short and making this an overnighter only. They are happy and so am I.
I start making camp in an area with an existing fire ring right next to the outlet stream and Laurel lake elevation sign. I notice deer in the area and especially a male, maybe 3 years of age drinking water in the lake, try to snap a pic but it walks away calmly after studying me for a bit. I make dinner, build a fire, and have a couple swigs of vodka. Everything was going great when I notice some rustling of leaves near my tarp. The male deer has returned and is hanging around my tarp. I first thought, ok, maybe its just eating some leaves and will leave soon. As it would wonder off a little, it would come right back and got quite close to me, perhaps 6 to 8 ft. I yelled, banged sticks together and even turned on some music on my phone to see if the loud noise of the guitar would shoo it off, yet nothing. I felt almost as if it was stalking me. It was not leaving. So I did. As I was leaving I did run into some other deer in the area though I did not get a good look at them.
I have been to the sierra before for car camping and have chased black bears away. It was just something about this deer that really frightened me and before I set out on this trip would have never thought in a million years that a deer would scare me, yet here we are.
I know packing up and heading back to the dam at 10 o'clock at night is crazy and dangerous, but my gut was telling me to just head home. It was not all bad though, hiking in low 70's compared to mid 90's was great. And I had never night hiked before which I thought was also kind of cool.
Now I am back home and though somewhat disappointed I did not get to see what I set out to, I am happy to be back with my family safe and sound.
Though I am still trying to figure out that deer situation. Was he just trying to say hi and keep my company and instead of feeling threatened I should have welcomed him? The way I saw it was that this is his home and he has antlers that can pierce my flesh and enough muscle strength to take me to my knees so I am losing that fight, and I am not going to stick around for it. I feel embarrassed and somewhat disappointed in myself, this is not my first backpacking trip. I have encountered much wildlife on my trips, but never this kind of behavior from a deer before, normally they are gone before I can even try to snap a pic.
Anyway, that is my lengthy story, definitely not posting looking for attention as I am so embarrassed I did not even want to post this, but I am really looking for some insight into this deer behavior. At this point I think solo trips are unfortunately off the table for me.
My ambitious trip plan had me starting from Hetch Hetchy and heading up to Bearup lake then up to Ardeth, and down to Vernon. Four days three nights, that was the plan.
Just as I am getting ready to start heading towards Bearup along Frog Creek, the threatening clouds start inching closer and drops start falling from the sky. I start to get nervous and fall back on Laurel lake, only I lose the trail and even though I could see the lake had to bushwack for sometime until finally finding the trail again. I get lonely and start missing my wife and daughter. I let them know via the Inreach that I will be cutting the trip short and making this an overnighter only. They are happy and so am I.
I start making camp in an area with an existing fire ring right next to the outlet stream and Laurel lake elevation sign. I notice deer in the area and especially a male, maybe 3 years of age drinking water in the lake, try to snap a pic but it walks away calmly after studying me for a bit. I make dinner, build a fire, and have a couple swigs of vodka. Everything was going great when I notice some rustling of leaves near my tarp. The male deer has returned and is hanging around my tarp. I first thought, ok, maybe its just eating some leaves and will leave soon. As it would wonder off a little, it would come right back and got quite close to me, perhaps 6 to 8 ft. I yelled, banged sticks together and even turned on some music on my phone to see if the loud noise of the guitar would shoo it off, yet nothing. I felt almost as if it was stalking me. It was not leaving. So I did. As I was leaving I did run into some other deer in the area though I did not get a good look at them.
I have been to the sierra before for car camping and have chased black bears away. It was just something about this deer that really frightened me and before I set out on this trip would have never thought in a million years that a deer would scare me, yet here we are.
I know packing up and heading back to the dam at 10 o'clock at night is crazy and dangerous, but my gut was telling me to just head home. It was not all bad though, hiking in low 70's compared to mid 90's was great. And I had never night hiked before which I thought was also kind of cool.
Now I am back home and though somewhat disappointed I did not get to see what I set out to, I am happy to be back with my family safe and sound.
Though I am still trying to figure out that deer situation. Was he just trying to say hi and keep my company and instead of feeling threatened I should have welcomed him? The way I saw it was that this is his home and he has antlers that can pierce my flesh and enough muscle strength to take me to my knees so I am losing that fight, and I am not going to stick around for it. I feel embarrassed and somewhat disappointed in myself, this is not my first backpacking trip. I have encountered much wildlife on my trips, but never this kind of behavior from a deer before, normally they are gone before I can even try to snap a pic.
Anyway, that is my lengthy story, definitely not posting looking for attention as I am so embarrassed I did not even want to post this, but I am really looking for some insight into this deer behavior. At this point I think solo trips are unfortunately off the table for me.