As the sun’s last
rays cast long shadows along the ground, a graceful deer emerges from the
forest to graze on tender grass. Moving cautiously away from the shelter of the
trees, the white-tailed deer is alert, constantly testing the air for any
sounds or smells that signify danger. Shy and skittish, the slightest
disturbance in the evening’s calm atmosphere will send her bounding back to the
safety of the forest.
Deer
prefer wooded areas, which provide concealment from predators, located near
grasslands with reliable water sources. Maryland offers them an ideal habitat, and
an estimated 200,000 deer live within our state, their numbers constantly
growing. Often born as twins or triplets, baby deer, called “fawns,” can stand
just 10 minutes after birth! (I can barely get up 10 minutes after my alarm
clock goes off.) Fawns are usually hidden in tall grassy beds for the first few
weeks of life while their mothers forage for food nearby.
White-tailed
deer are herbivores, eating five to seven pounds of plants per day. Their diet
is varied, and they will consume almost anything that grows in the wild – together
with anything available on your front lawn. An ornamental fence around your
property will do little to turn them away from sampling your “buffet,” as they
can leap eight feet straight up into the air! There are a few plants you can
include in your landscaping that might dissuade them from approaching, such as
garlic, lavender, and mint. There are no guarantees, however, because deer will
eat even those if they are hungry enough. Netting over plants that you don’t
want appearing on their menu may be the most effective simple solution.
The
male deer, called a “buck,” grows an impressive set of antlers in the late
spring. (The buck with the largest set of antlers is often referred to as a “stag.”)
Bucks use their antlers to fight with other males and then shed them in the
winter. Each year, the antlers grow back larger than the year before, up to an
inch every four days! Unlike the horns of a cow or a ram, the antlers are not
hollow. They cannot be made into shofars because they are solid bone, through
and through, which branch out to many points called “tines.” The female, called
a “doe,” does not grow antlers.
White-tailed
deer got their name from the color of the underside of their tails. When
alarmed, these deer will hold their tails up, revealing the bright white patch
of fur underneath as a clear signal to other deer that danger may be nearby.
During
the summer, the white-tailed deer’s fur is reddish-brown or tan. Their winter
coat consists of grayish-brown fur, of which each individual hair is hollow.
This is important because the hairs act as insulation, trapping the deer’s body
heat, enabling them to survive the frigid grip of winter. The white-tailed deer
do not migrate or hibernate during the winter. Rather, they remain in their
territory and continue to forage for whatever food they can find.
* * *
In Pirkei
Avos, Yehuda ben Teima said that one should run like a deer to do the will
of Hashem. The alacrity one should have in performing a mitzva is aptly
attributed to the swiftness of a deer. But how fast is that exactly? White-tailed
deer can average 30 mph! This is exactly what we should strive for in our
desire to do mitzvos. We should push ourselves past our own limitations to
achieve our true potential.
Although deer do
stroll through backyards on their usual routes, accustomed to the homeowners
they encounter, we often see them standing perfectly still or bounding away.
Constantly alert for danger, they are ready to leap away at the slightest
disturbance. Our cars apparently no longer qualify as a “disturbance” as they
have grown so used to humans that they just watch us pass by. You can imagine a
“conversation” between two deer, who sometimes seem as though they are
tolerating our presence, rather than the other way round:
“Look, Sue, more
humans. They always just stop and stare at us and then dash away.”
“I know what you
mean, Nancy. There are getting to be so many of them lately. They are such a
nuisance.”
* * *
A deer population whose numbers are in
balance with its surroundings helps maintain the health of the ecosystem. By
consuming dominant, fast growing plants, deer give a variety of plants a chance
to grow. Unfortunately, too many deer devour too many plants, preventing
diverse plant growth. They also eat leaves that would have otherwise enriched
the soil for the following year had they fallen to the forest floor. The deer
overpopulation results from the lack of natural predators keeping their numbers
in check. Short of reintroducing wolves, mountain lions, and bears to Park
Heights and Greenspring, there is little we can do – besides eating them,
perhaps. Deer are kosher animals as they have split hooves and chew their cud. Deer
meat, called venison, is expensive and hard to get. Since deer are not
domesticated animals like cows and sheep, they have to be trapped in the wild
before shechting them. This is both
time-consuming and arduous, resulting in high prices and low availability. The
truth is, there are so many deer that we wouldn’t be able to eat them fast
enough to keep them off our lawns anyway.
Maryland’s large
deer population makes their presence a very real danger. Their tendency to cause
car accidents is high – around one in 104 drivers will encounter a deer on
Maryland roads – whether the damage results from directly hitting a deer or
swerving to avoid a deer and then hitting another vehicle. Being extra vigilant
during times when deer are most active, from October to December during the
early morning and late afternoon into nightfall, will help reduce the number of
possible collisions. It also helps to keep in mind that deer tend to travel in
groups. If you see one deer crossing the road ahead of your car, slow down as
there are likely a few more to follow.
White-tailed deer
also carry ticks which can transmit Lyme disease to people through their bite. Lyme
disease, identified by its characteristic bulls-eye rash and joint pain, is easily
treatable with antibiotics if identified early. Untreated, it could damage one’s
nervous system and cardiac system. It should be taken seriously. The fear of
getting Lyme disease should not prevent people from enjoying a hike along a
nature trail, though, as over half of reported cases of this illness are from
tick bites in people’s own backyards. The best way to avoid ticks is to stay
out of tall grass and wear insect repellent on your socks and lower legs so the
ticks can’t climb up onto your body. Checking for ticks after spending time
outdoors should become a habit. If a tick is found, it should only be removed
by someone with experience.
Deer
are shy and usually run away when approached by people, but if they feel truly
threatened, they may attack. As with all wild creatures, it is advisable to
keep your distance and marvel at their majesty from afar. The tracks of the
white-tailed deer are easy to identify. They can be found in soft soil or snow,
are about two to three inches long, and are shaped like broken hearts. With
practice, you can follow the path of the white-tailed deer as it stepped into
your backyard, satisfied its hunger, and then returned to its forest home.
* * *
The deer has its own song that appears in Perek Shira: “And I will sing of your
might, and I will praise your kindness in the morning, for you have been a
stronghold to me, and a refuge in the day of distress.”
The deer remind us
of the immense value of being aware of Hashem’s kindness and praising it. We
are living in truly difficult times, uncertain times, tragic times, yet Hashem’s
kindness is still woven into the very fiber of our day. The secret to staying
focused on the positive is to start our entire day considering the kindnesses
that have been gifted to us. Human nature’s tendency is to travel along a train
of thought, and sometimes the only way to ensure that it will journey on a
positive track is to start on that path first thing in the morning. This is
what the deer sing in their song: a reminder to focus on the positive. They
implore us to remember that Hashem is taking care of us, even during our days
of distress. The next time you see a deer, whether calmly watching your car
pass by or suddenly bounding away, let the fact that it is best described as
graceful remind us to be grateful for the gift of another day.
Debbie
Glazer lives in Pikesville with her husband and seven children and teaches
Language Arts in Bnos Yisroel High School. She can often be found either
writing or reading and loves to share her passion for the written word with
others.
