Oh Deer!!

Today was exactly that-- Oh, Deer and Oh, Dear! We spent all morning working on the release of our fawns from this summer (the first one we got in was on 4/29 and the last was 6/14). Luckily we had the cooperation of the Roche Harbor Water shed to be able to release up past the reservoir. We started at about 9:30 this morning with a few extra people to give us a hand. I went in and put their food down towards the chute and came back out to wave everyone up to help finish of herding them in. Shona and I went into the pen, slowly closing doors behind us and moving them forward with herd board. This lot of fawns was a bit more skittish than ones we have had before. So they were showing signs of panic pretty soon, and our little boy decided the the make shift chute we construct from the chute to the trailer couldn't hold him in so he bolted through the side taking another one of the fawns with him. Oops, well now we have learned something for next year, harder sides on the make shift chute.

All loaded up in the trailer and latched on to my truck; we headed out. Getting to the gate for the reservoir and up and in. I was leading and Shona and Chuck were going to follow in the Wolf Hollow truck. I drove a good distance and didn't see the truck behind me and decided to wait at the next Y in the trail. Soon, I see our two people on foot and was very confused. I guess when they left to follow me the crappy little ranger couldn't get traction on wet leaves and it side winded the ass end into the ditch! They continued to walk and we finally got to a good release point where I could back around with the trailer (okay not so much I snapped one of the back up support chains of the hitch by jack-knifing it). So we hand moved it after that, let the remaining three fawns go and headed back down. This time Shona and Chuck road in the trailer down to the bottom. where we drove and dropped the trailer off in the hikers parking lot and back I went to the rescue. Jimmy got all the use out of him today that is possible! We hooked up the tow rope to my tow hooks and I pulled the ranger out of the ditch!! What excitement.

Here is photos of the release (don't forget you can always click on the photos to enlarge them):

Number 1 came out on a mission and took off for the brush, they made their own deer trail. Sounding like elephants in the bush.



Number 2 looks back to the trailer

Alittle unsure of the new surroundings. But they wandered off before #3 could come out.

#3 came out with a start once she came out, but soon was very confused.

Here is number 3, checking things out before the video below shows her wandering off! By little ones, don't come back to me yeah hear!

Everything else for the day went as is and soon we will say goodbye to the rest of the seals, Yippie!