Fallow Deer Reserve

Blog moving

2011-05-20T08:50:00.000-04:00

We are moving our blog to our new website

www.fallowdeerreserve.org

Check it out!

Antlers, for sale

2011-04-23T11:54:00.000-04:00

We have three sets of antlers that have not been spoken for yet this year. Prices range from $85 to $100 for a matching pair of naturally shed antlers along with a photo of the buck wearing the antlers. It's a great way to support the Reserve. Lengths vary from 24-29 inches and palm average about 5 inches.

For more information, please email us at

jmcd@reztel.net

Thanks.

Antler Sweepstakes 2011

2011-04-22T11:59:00.000-04:00

Antlers started falling on April 8 this year about three days later than last. Here is the order. There is some thinking that the most dominant buck loses his antlers first

2011

1.Moki, April 8
2.Bash, April 8, 9
3.Mike, April 13
4.Buddy, April 14, 15
5.EGee, April 16
6.Spike, April 16
7. Max, April 16
8. Murph, April 21, 22

2010

1. Moki, April 6
2. Bash, April 6
3. Murph, April 8
4. Buddy, April 12
5. Mike, April 15
6. Spike, April 15
7. Max, April 15, April 16
8. EGee, April 18

New feeding stations

2011-04-10T13:23:00.000-04:00

Thanks to design and carpentry skills of Terri Thomson and Sam Bush, the deerkeepers came up with a prototype elevated feeding bowl. As they age, we need to be sure that each one gets enough grains, probiotics or meds in addition to hay.

This winter we developed a system using the large bowls that came with the AP-18 mineral licks rather than just putting the grains on the ground and hoping each one received adequate nutrition or meds. By quickly pouring the grains into the bowls, all the bucks were able to consume equal amounts. Don Murphy designed some simple troughs that allow for quick pouring of the 600g portion. As this feeding has been a daily occurrence, the bucks soon got used to it. Only the same number of bowls as deer to be fed are filled, so they tend to stay put rather than waste time moving from bowl to bowl.

Problems with the bowls on the ground occurred when the bucks knocked the buckets about so that we could not reach the bowls from the outside of the fence or, as does happen, someone pooped in a bowl. Snow, ice and rain also caused some difficulties. Sometimes, antlers got hooked into the fence if the bowl was too close to it. This system with the bowl on a slant keeps the grains as far away from the fence as possible and the bowls are big enough to allow space for brow antlers.

We tried the prototype yesterday using EGee as our test buck. He paced back and forth a few times sniffing the air and trying to figure out this new contraption. After about 30 seconds, he had no trouble digging in as these photos show.

Thanks to our godchild, Miesje Stewart and her cousin Logan Stewart, we have put together six feeding stations and should have all eight at the Reserve by tomorrow.

Update: EGee

2011-04-04T11:27:00.000-04:00

EGee, April 2, 2011

EGee continues to remain skinny but otherwise okay (eating, pooping, pronking, etc). He is still in isolation and receiving daily grains with added probiotics in addition to hay.

We are waiting for the antlers to fall before we release him back with the others in the herd. Last year the first antlers fell on April 5, so soon he will be back with his buddies. We are just too worried that he will lose any fight as he weighs significantly less than the other 7. Or, he may think he is the king of the castle having not had to jostle or fight for position in the herd for the past two months. So that’s the reason for the delay in introducing him back to the herd.

At the very least, we no longer worry that we will find him dead, and we dare to think he is going to make it for awhile longer. Thank goodness for warmer weather.

Insight from the Dalai Lama

2011-03-27T14:48:00.000-04:00

The creatures that inhabit this earth -- be they human beings or animals -- are here to contribute, each in its own particular way, to the beauty and prosperity of the world.

Annual General Meeting Minutes

2011-03-19T11:35:00.000-04:00

Minutes of the fourth Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 in Kingston, Ontario

Present: Don Murphy, President, Jane McDonald, Treasurer, Allan Park, Head Deer Keeper, Wendy Workman, Secretary, Lorraine Alderman, Aida Sulcs, Annie Wilcox, Board Members

The meeting was called to order at 5:30pm. The Agenda for this meeting was approved as well as the minutes of the 2010 Annual General Meeting held in February 2010.

The President welcomed all present and gave a brief summary of the activities of this challenging year in which we lost two deer, Gulliver (August 2010) and George (February 2011). We have learned a great deal from these losses. With help from volunteers, we completed the isolation paddock (approx 3/4 acre) in the Fall and put it to good use with the rehabilitative care of E Gee who continues to require special care due to his underweight status. He especially thanked Allan Park for his dedication and compassionate care of the herd and recognized the contribution of Jane McDonald, too. He made several suggestions for future planning detailed below.

Copies of the financial statements for the period January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010 were distributed to those present by the Treasurer, reviewed and accepted. Generally income and expenses were half of those in 2009 showing that some fundraising efforts need to be made in 2011 in order to meet the increasing costs caused by the aging of the deer (increased nutrition, more shelter from cold, higher vet bills).

The Head Deer Keeper, Allan Park, thanked the board members and noted the contributions of Jane McDonald, Don Murphy, Wendy Workman throughout the year as well as volunteers, Susie Rance, Chris Grooms, Paul Nixon and Drew Sauve in the creation of the isolation paddock and Emerald Murphy for hay and equipment, Bob and Norma for donating hay. He also noted the loss of our oldest volunteer, 93 year old Bruce Burt, who died in May 2010. He was a regular visitor and donated over 130 bales of hay each year. He recounted the circumstances of and lessons learned from the deaths of Gulliver and George. The coldest winter in many years, depth of snow and aging presented the deer and their keepers with extraordinary challenges. He thanked Wendy and Don for their care of Mike in early December when he developed a large abscess on the throat and required anti-biotic meds that successfully treated the problem. Dr. Brian Willows visited the herd at that time and noted the general good health of the herd. We treated E Gee the same anti-biotics when he developed pneumonia in mid-January 2011. Allan also described the winter feeding program established following the death of George and opening the barn to provide additional shelter. The herd hierarchy is shifting with Moki, youngest and strongest, establishing himself as leader trying to replace Max without his gentleness or intelligence. The more mean-spirited Moki is keeping the others from the lean-to shelter and hay. Deer keeping in the upcoming year will involve continuing the daily enriched diet (corn, oats, barley, dairy ration, 600g total) until the pasture is established. Then feeding enriched diet 2 or 3 days per week until post-rut when daily enrichment will resume. The herd will be de-wormed at the end of April and thereafter every six months following advice from our vet, Dr Brian Willows. One positive note has been how well the herd has taken to the daily feeding procedures (using former lick plastic bowls) with minimal fighting or jostling. We are able to administer de-worming meds, probiotics via this feeding and be reasonably assured that each buck receives the recommended dosage.

Board of Directors and Officers, 2011. The group welcomed Annie Wilcox a new board member replacing Monique Cloutier who had informed the Treasurer via email that of her resignation. Everyone expressed gratitude to Monique for her service to the Reserve and Jane agreed to convey these thoughts to her on our behalf. Annie has been a regular visitor, contributor and friend of the Fallow Deer Reserve since the days at Scotland Road. All offices were declared vacant. The following were nominated to serve as officers in 2011:President: Don Murphy, Secretary: Wendy Workman, Treasurer: Jane McDonald
The above nominations were approved by unanimous vote.

Future plans, considerations:

Veterinary care: As above, treating the herd with SafeGuard every six months. The medication has been purchased this year and should last for the next 7 years!

Shelter: Plans will depend on how much money we can raise. It was generally agreed that if funding is low, nutrition should trump any building projects this year. Nonetheless the changing hierarchy and the aging of the deer make improving shelter from extreme cold essential. A system of modular units to house one or two deer (in stalls) approximately 12-16 feet long was envisaged and involving high school students (Ernestown, Bruce Todd, community service) in the design and construction would be ideal. Don agreed to check into this. Offsite manufacture (Don and Wendy’s house?) would be best as there is no electricity at the Reserve and it would be safer for the volunteers to be doing most of this building outside the enclosure. Other plans could involve creating more openings in the barn or stable, filling entrances/exits with rock to make more level and safe.
Snow removal: Explore the possibility of plowing some tracks inside the enclosure to allow deer to use more of the available space in winter. Because the deers’ metabolism does slow down in winter, Allan Park was unsure that the deer would move too far away from their food source (i.e. the barn) in the cold weather by choice but this can certainly happen if they lose a challenge.

Additional feeding station: Explore the possibility of a more permanent feeding station at eastern side of the Reserve with a small building outside the fence to hold hay and grain rations. This safe feeding place away from the barn could be used by an injured buck hiding in the woods when isolation paddock is already occupied.

Water: Warm water system for isolation area needed, possibly solar. Needs to provide about a dog’s dish amount of water for one deer (approx 1 liter per day).

Sponsorship Program: Needs to be revamped. Donors should be encouraged to donate to the well-being of the entire herd rather than one specific deer as we deal with the likelihood of death or disease as the deer age.

Fundraising: It was agreed that we need to increase our efforts in this area as we have less antlers to sell and calendars sales are down, too. Create a wish list (hay, whole corn, oats, barley, salt licks) and write to those who have sponsored or donated in the past talking about the change in needs/circumstances. Jane agreed to do this and see about changing the website to reflect this shift of emphasis. Wendy Workman is considering offering a “day in the country” fundraising event as she did successfully in 2009 involving lunch, Reserve tour, workshops. Annie suggested skill-building workshops such as canning, medicinal herbs, etc.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:45pm.

Deer People 2011

2011-03-17T18:04:00.001-04:00

From left, Allan Park, Lorraine Alderman, Annie Wilcox, Jane McDonald, Aida Sulcs, Wendy Workman, Don Murphy, Fallow Deer Reserve Annual General Meeting, March 16, 2011

How to feed a fallow deer in winter, re-evaluation

2011-02-22T22:59:00.000-05:00

We have revised our thinking about winter feeding especially since the loss of George and the severity of this winter that never seems to end. In addition to fresh hay daily, we sought help from Lloyd Lee of Ontario Whitetail Ranch for his recipe -- each buck gets daily: 1 1/2 part corn, 1/2 part oats/barley mix and 1 part dairy ration. We are using a 16% protein dairy ration because we were unable to get the 18% protein dairy ration that Lloyd uses. We started feeding about 200g on the first day and have worked up to about 600g of this mix per deer per day.

EGee is getting a bit more dairy ration in his 600g as his weight is down. We also de-wormed all the deer with Safe-Guard in the mix for three days (Feb 11, 12, 13). We also added some probiotics (FASTRACK) to his diet and he seems to be holding his own. He is not yet gaining weight, Our vet, Dr. Brian Willows, thinks he will not start gaining weight for at least two weeks.

Sudden death in the snow

2011-02-03T21:06:00.000-05:00

Just as we were celebrating the recovery of EGee from a suspected case of pneumonia, George started to show signs of lethargy on Monday, January 31. On Tuesday, February 1, he showed no signs of improvement, so Allan started him on the antibiotics that morning. When he arrived at the Reserve in the afternoon to give George his second daily dose, there was no sign of him. Allan spent about an hour searching the 10 acre enclosure and found George dead in the snow in an open area -- his legs tucked under his body and no signs of trauma.

George was the most social of all our deer, the first to come to Don and Wendy when they took over the Scotland Road herd, the first Don and Wendy identified and named, "Curious George"...The first to take food or medication from Allan and Jane's hands. The first to let us touch him. The first to knock over both Allan and Don and remind us to always remember the wildness and unpredictability of the fallow deer. He was the deer that travelled the furthest away (as far away as Sydenham) when the fence was cut in November 2008. He taught us so many things about his species. It was an honour to have known him. We will miss his presence and large personality.

Jane and Allan took his body to the Animal Health Lab at the University of Guelph, Kemptville for an post-mortem examination. We are awaiting the results hoping that what killed George will not affect the eight remaining bucks.

EGee in Rehab

2011-01-29T10:04:00.003-05:00

Here's a photo of EGee tucked into the horse trailer in the isolation paddock. He'll be here for 5 days as we have to give him Novo-Trimel twice daily. He is responding well to the meds and the symptoms of lethargy and raspy breathing (pneumonia) are diminishing. He seems to be enjoying his special status!

Osprey Platform

2011-01-13T10:04:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Chris Grooms (past president of the Kingston Field Naturalists, neighbour and bird lover) our Reserve now has an osprey platform close to the marsh at the eastern end of the land.With tractor, ropes, pulleys and brawn, assisted by Don Murphy and Allan Park from the Fallow Deer Reserve and George and Gay from the Field Naturalists, the former hydro pole became a perch (perfect, we hope) and platform for osprey tenants. We will have to wait until April to see if the osprey will take up residence.

Life is good

2011-01-06T09:38:00.001-05:00

Merry Merries

2010-12-21T14:12:00.000-05:00

May joy, peace, health and love

be yours to have & to share!

Exploring the new enclosure

2010-12-07T23:19:00.003-05:00

Here's what happened when we opened the gates on Sunday, December 5, 2010 and let the bucks explore the new space (about an acre)...new grass and, of course, trees and bushes on which to thrash. Moki and Mike made mincemeat of a small cedar bush in the photo above. No one had problems entering into the new "playground" through the sliding gate designed by Don Murphy. Present to watch the show were Don, Allan Park, Jane McDonald and Wendy Workman who took the photos seen above.

Rut 101

2010-11-03T18:11:00.000-04:00

Here's a good look at Max in rut (mating season). The dark colour is caused by secretions of a waxy fluid from the orbital gland located below the eye. He has stimulated this gland by rubbing his head on tree branches and rocks. The fluid smells like rancid butter and is part of the bucks' scenting ceremony that is designed to attract does.The photo also shows the thickness of his neck. The bucks have not been eating much as their throats are swollen. Gradually as the weather gets colder, their appetites return.

Feeding question

2010-10-28T13:09:00.000-04:00

We get asked for our advice and are always happy to try to answer any questions that we can. Please feel free to add your suggestions in the comments and we will be sure to pass them on.

Here is a recent exchange with DM:

My Mom has 2 beloved fallow girls....Angel and Peanut. We live in Oregon and do not know of any deer vets, so our equine/goat/large animal vet trys to help as much as they can. We just moved the girls to a 2 acre area across from the other property about 3 weeks ago. They have a very nice stall area to walk in and out as they please and a Great Pyrenees that has always lived with them. The last few days Angel has refused all food and seems a little fearful...usually, as tame and loving as a dog. My Mom spends and enormous amount of time with them and I just pray she doesnt lose one as we have already lost my Dad (her husband) and my Grandmother (her Mother) already this year. Our vet doesnt want to tranquilize her since she said they are so very sensitive to this. They are fed quality grass hay which they have available at all times, purina deer chow (antler max) which they dont seem to like very much and for treats my Mom feeds them nutrigrain bars, whole wheat bread, strawberries, peanuts, grapes and romaine lettuce. I have told her NOT to feed them bread anymore but, cannot think of anything else it might be. I would so much appreciate if you have any information or ideas at all for me to give her. We are having the vet come tomorrow and we are just going to hold her while they check her vitals. I would love to bring my Mom to your reserve to visit one day....she would be in Heaven seeing all the Fallows.

Our deer are all male so we don’t have a huge expertise with females but we have a few thought/possibilities and more questions:

The doe could be still adjusting to the move and change in her environment. If she started to limp or had poor muscle coordination, we would worry about delayed capture myopathy in an extreme case. However, since the girls are so well socialized, it might be unlikely. How were they moved? Was there any trauma involved in the move? We have heard that Vitamin E helps with stress levels in a deer, so perhaps that might help. Keep in mind body weight. Perhaps the vet could recommend the dosage.

Possibly the nutrigrain bars might be causing some fermentation or bloating in the stomach, too much refined sugars that affect stomach acids. You mention she is not eating, but is she drinking? Sometimes feeding the girls less is the kindest way to go, so maybe she is on a self-imposed fast to clean out her system. We worry about too much sugar and tooth decay as well. We don’t used any pre-mixed deer feed either. Why do does need antler max? This is designed for hunters who want to fatten up a deer before killing it, and the manufacturers are not concerned with the long-term effects on the animal’s digestive system.

Any sign of problems in the mouth? Drooling, swelling around the jaw? We lost one deer this way as the infection caused by a tooth abscess went into his jaw. The vet could prescribe some anti-biotics. Will Angel take a piece of apple from your mum’s hand if offered? This is a good way to get the medication into her system.
It is “rut” season for males (Sept-Oct) and possibly she is experiencing some form of heat. The hormonal changes may be affecting her eating as it does in males. Our guys don’t eat much for a month or more when it’s mating season. Is Angel losing weight? How is she behaving other than not eating?

Is the feeding area very different in the new place? Could one girl be bullying the other for food? Remember they are herd animals and as the girls age they may show more dominant/submissive behaviours.

We hope this is helpful and if you ever come east, please visit.

2011 Calendars coming soon

2010-10-25T18:41:00.000-04:00

Just sent the master of the 2011 desktop calendars to the printer and they should be available in about 20 days. This year's photos are captioned with the name of the deer shown. The cost will be $20 plus postage of $2 per calendar. Ten dollars of the cost can be receipted as a donation to the Fallow Deer Reserve.

This is a limited edition, so if you want to reserve calendar(s), please email your intention to jmcd@reztel.net

New Fencing

2010-10-03T13:10:00.000-04:00

Fencing on the new one acre enclosure took a giant step forward on Saturday, October 2, 2010. Joined by Bernie Sagriff, Don Murphy and Allan Park sunk approximately 35 poles about 2 feet into the earth to add the new space to the southwest corner of the enclosure in about 2 hours! Your blog writer assisted, too.

We will be using the space as an isolation paddock for any deer that becomes ill or needs individual attention from us or the vet.

While he was helping with the new fencing we were able to introduce Bernie to the bucks as well as to the signage that was added to the original fence built in 2007 with his help.

Another loss

2010-08-31T10:03:00.007-04:00

At about 2pm yesterday afternoon we discovered Gulliver lying in a cedar grove away from the others. At first it looked as if he had injured his front leg and Allan went into the enclosure to see if he could get him to stand up. When he did, we saw that he had been gored in the lower abdomen and a grapefruit-sized portion of his bowels was hanging outside his body. In the shadows we did not see much blood and shortly after standing up, he lay down again with the wound hidden by the earth.

During the past week, the deer were losing their velvet and each one's newest set of "hard" antlers emerged. On Sunday we had observed Max and Bash and then Max and Moki fighting and heard the sound of hard antler on hard antler. We knew that Gulliver was not a fighter, but possibly had been caught by the sharp brow antler of others who are. We will never know just how he came to receive such a serious injury.

We called the vet, Dr. Brian Willows, who asked us to describe the colour and size of the material. He told us that any efforts we would make to try to save his life would be heroics for us, but not for him. There was no doubt that infection from such an injury would occur and cause a slow and painful death even if field surgery were attempted.

We called Don Murphy at work and talked it over with him. He also talked to the vet. We all decided that Gulliver deserved a quick and painless death, and that meant asking someone to put him out of his misery with a bullet. I called upon my neighbour, Bob Bird, who did not hesitate to offer his help.

Allan took Bob to the place where Gulliver lay. I stayed under the maple tree where we have spent so many hours with the herd and they with us. Several of the deer were lying on the ground near me in the shade. At 3:30pm I heard one loud retort. The deer jumped and ran into the woods as far away from the gunshot as they could go.

Gulliver was shot in the cedar grove with a single bullet to his head. He was looking at Allan who thinks that he did not see Bob nor his gun.

Don arrived and we shared some moments with Gulliver's beautiful body. One of our largest and oldest deer, he was the one who escaped from the Scotland Road farm during testing and had been on the lam for about 6 weeks. Don and Wendy spent hours trying to lure him back to the farm and finally accomplished the feat with apples, corn and headlights. After the fence at the Reserve was cut in November 2008, Gulliver was one of the deer who followed Don into the enclosure, returning to this home by his own free will, without need of dramatic capture.

With Don's help we took Gulliver's body to the deer burial ground. With the backhoe, Don dug a deep place. By sunset, Gulliver was lying safely in the earth beside Ty and Dandy.

We are grateful to Bob Bird of Wilton for coming to assist Gulliver at a moment's notice and for his skill and kindness.

Prime Time Bucks

2010-07-25T08:20:00.006-04:00

We apologize for the absence of entries in the blog since May. Truth be told, there is an abundance of good news and nothing bad of concern to report.

All the bucks including the youngest ones (Spike and Moki) are in their prime that means large antler growth and maximum body weight. George's antlers are bigger than ever this year as you can see from the photo.

The antlers are still in velvet, still growing and will continue until some time in August when the velvet will fall away.

The hot weather and frequent rain has provided them with ample pasture and we continue to supplement with mineral licks and produce. Small apples have fallen from neighbours' apple trees this year, so we are receiving many buckets of apples that are useless for people and gourmet delights for our deer. Special thanks to the Sparlings for a continuous supply this month.

Small token

2010-05-24T17:22:00.003-04:00

Spike lounges under the names of the bucks who have died since the deer arrived at the Florida Road site on May 26, 2007...almost three years ago.

We lost Ty and Dandy in November 2008 and Koko early this year in January 2010.

Antler dropping season is over.

2010-04-23T15:15:00.004-04:00

The list is now complete. All the antlers 2010 have been cast and found. If you are interesting in purchasing a pair the cost is $100 plus $25 for shipping if needed. So far we have sold the antlers of Bash, Gulliver, Murph and George.

1. Moki, April 6
2. Bash, April 6
3. Murph, April 8
4. Gulliver, April 9 and 10
5. Buddy, April 12
6. George, April 13
7. Mike, April 15
8. Spike, April 15
9. Max, April 15, April 16
10. EGee...April 18

Murph's joins the anterless group

2010-04-09T19:13:00.004-04:00

On Thursday, April 8, Murph joined the group of antler-less bucks. He's hanging out as far away from the herd as possible, shaking his head as he learns how to adjust to his new, more vulnerable status.

Here's the latest list:

1. Moki, April 6
2. Bash, April 6
3. Murph, April 8

Second Place in the Sweepstakes

2010-04-08T11:20:00.005-04:00

Mike and Bash challenging one another, Fall 2009

Bash's antlers, April 2010

Bash dropped his antlers on the same day as Moki, just several hours later. Here's a photo of the antlers on him and off him. John C. of Brampton has expressed an interest in this beautiful pair. Here's a photo of the antlers on the floor and as worn by Bash from the end of growth in August 2009 to this month. The length is approx 26 inches, the beams are about 4 inches in circumference and the palms are about 5 1/2 inches wide.

Who knew? Antler Sweepstake Winner 2010

2010-04-06T15:53:00.006-04:00

Moki, September 2009

You'll never guess who dropped his antlers today, the first this year. None other than Moki who was one of our "babies" when the bucks first came to the Reserve in 2007.

Here's the list from the past two years and you'll find Moki was way down the list in 2008 and in the middle in 2009.

2008
1. Gulliver -- April 10, 2008
2 .Max -- April 14, 2008
3. Mike -- April 16, 2008
4. Bash -- April 18, 2008
5. Murph -- April 19, 2008
6. George -- April 22, 23, 2008
7. Buddy -- April 25, 26, 2008
8. KoKo -- April 29, 2008
9. EGee -- April 29, 2008
10. Moki -- April 29, May 1, 2008
11. Spike -- May 3, 2008

2009
1. Gulliver -- Apr 6 & 7, 2009
2. Murph -- April 7 & 8, 2009
3. Bash -- April 8, 2009
4. Max -- April 10, 2009
5. Moki -- April 14, 2009
6. Buddy -- April 14, 2009
7. George -- April 15, 2009
8. KoKo -- April 15, 2009
9. Mike -- April 19, 2009
10. EGee -- April 21, 2009
11. Spike -- April 21, 2009

Worm free status confirmed

2010-03-30T14:15:00.006-04:00

Allan's photo of the reserve from a flight with Chris Grooms

We were contemplating giving the entire herd anti-worm medication when Lorraine Alderman, a board member and avid horse lover, suggested we test the deer droppings first. The test results are in and the herd is worm-free!

Here is an aerial photo of the Reserve taken by Allan Park, our head deer keeper in early March just before the snow melted.

Buck in a truck

2010-03-23T19:26:00.004-04:00

Your blog host has been trying to get this photo for months! Annie was visiting the Reserve on Monday. Every March 22 for the past three years, Annie and I have walked and talked to celebrate her birthday. Annie brought her camera, and voila! Buddy in the horse trailer out of the rain while we were, of course, getting wet! Great photo Annie and thanks for sending it to us.

A second mini-rut?

2010-03-07T18:26:00.005-05:00

The head deer keeper, Allan, has reported an unusual occurrence in the herd hierarchy. He thinks this may be occurring because Bash has had a surge of testosterone and looks like he did during the Fall rut (golden head colour, thicker neck, flaring orbital glands, thrashing trees and rocks, defending his territory). He is the only one of the bucks in this state and is bullying all the others with particular focus on Max. Max has lost his status as herd leader and seems to have fallen into fourth place, acting as if he has already lost his antlers (an event that usually occurs in early April).

Bash got his name for being bashful or timid when we first took over caring for the bucks. However, now he is "bashing" the others aggressively and giving new meaning to his name. He is certainly intent on taking over Max's spot as leader and is anything but bashful when it comes to his behaviour towards the other deer.

His overall health appears to be good and we see no reason to think this behaviour is caused by ill health. Another positive note, Bash is not displaying any aggressive towards the deer keeper.

We have been unable to find any reference to a spring rut or any other reason for this drastic change in appearance and behaviour.

Annual General Meeting Minutes

2010-02-19T17:04:00.002-05:00

Third Annual General Meeting
FALLOW DEER RESERVE
Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 5:15pm, Kingston, Ontario

Present: Don Murphy, President, Jane McDonald, Treasurer, Allan Park, Head Deer Keeper, Lorraine Alderman, Aida Sulcs, Board Members
Regrets: Wendy Workman, Monique Cloutier

The meeting was called to order at 5:30pm. The Agenda for this meeting was approved as well as the minutes of the 2009 Annual General Meeting held in February 2009.

The President welcomed all present and gave a brief summary of the activities of this year. The 2009 hunting season brought with it no extraordinary incidents. He praised the work of the team this year especially Allan Park, head deerkeeper.

Copies of the financial statements for the period January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009 were distributed to those present by the Treasurer, reviewed and accepted. Sales of antlers (to artists, especially Dandi Maestre) and fundraising activities netted more money than expected. Purchase of horse trailer and additional fencing materials made possible because of this increase in revenue. Increase in bank fees caused by having to purchase cheques. A Budget for 2010 was presented indicating anticipated new revenue of $4185(excluding surplus) and expenses of approx $4715.The financial statements and budget were reviewed. A motion was made by Aida Sulcs, seconded by Don Murphy that these reports be accepted and approved by unanimous vote.

All offices were declared vacant. The following were nominated to serve as officers in 2010:
President: Don Murphy, Secretary: Wendy Workman, Treasurer: Jane McDonald
The above nominations were approved by unanimous vote.

The Head Deer Keeper, Allan Park, thanked the board members (security, sign making, winter water heating) as well as Emerald Murphy and Bruce Burt for their time, hay donations and companionship. He reported the occurrences leading up to KoKo’s death. A post mortem examination done by the Animal Health Lab, University of Guelph (Kemptville) indicated a chronic abscess in his jaw that led to emaciation and his death. The veterinarian who did the exam estimated KoKo’s age to be 10 years, about 2 years older than we had believed. Allan shared some of his observations and memories of KoKo, one of the most recognizable and loved of our bucks. Dr. Brian Willows had inspected the herd on December 29, 2009 and found the remaining 10 bucks to be in excellent “awesome' condition. Communications had been received from people near Lake Simcoe who are caring for a wild escaped fallow deer buck and from a reporter in Waterford concerning 12 fallow deer bucks living on 17 acres, descendants of a herd there since 1949. Female deer had been killed by coyotes and the township wants to bring in new females to continue the herd. However, in the past this herd was regularly “culled”. We had expressed our concern about this and recommended an approach similar to that of the Fallow Deer Reserve, i.e. let the males live until death occurs naturally.

Future plans, considerations:

Veterinary care: Lorraine recommended testing the deer’s scat for the presence of worms/parasites before any chemical treatment is administered. It may not be necessary. All agreed this was the best approach.

Shelter/squeeze: A discussion took place about creating an additional paddock adding approximately ½ acre to the enclosure for the purpose of isolating an injured or unhealthy animal or the introduction of a new animal. The former stable of the barn can be considered for a squeeze in order to examine or test animals and would also provide the bucks with additional shelter.

Rescuing/introducing additional fallow deer bucks: A good discussion took place about the future, purpose of the Fallow Deer Reserve. It was generally agreed that introducing a new animal to the herd could be problematic and that each situation be considered carefully. Three conditions would need to be met before a new animal could be accepted.

1) the buck would need to pass all health tests in order to prevent introducing disease to our herd
2) the buck would need to be in a moveable state, i.e. having recently lost antlers or very small regrowth
3) the buck would need to 3 years of age or less so that his chances of being accepted into the herd would be good

The meeting was adjourned at 7:15pm.

Sad news

2010-01-23T11:04:00.012-05:00

We are very sorry to report that KoKo, our only black fallow buck, died on Friday, January 8, 2010.

In December we noticed that he was drooling after eating and one of his cheeks was swollen. Nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. He was eating hay, treats and we had observed him up on his hind feed reaching for some tender cedar bits. The other deer were not bullying him or altering their behaviour towards him in any way as we had observed when George had an injured leg several years ago.

Our vet, Dr. Brian Willows of Thousand Islands Veterinary Services, examined KoKo on December 29, 2009. An abscessed tooth was suspected or perhaps "lumpy jaw". We could have tranquilized him to examine the mouth, but that procedure is not without danger especially in very cold weather. So, we began to give him antibiotics twice daily by feeding him a paste embedded in an apple and this was to be given for 14 days. If nothing changed, we would then consider tranquilizing. We noticed some weight loss but nothing extreme and thought it was related to the meds.

On Friday morning Allan fed KoKo his meds and watched him eat a bit of hay and then disappear into the woods. He seemed to be steady on his feet but oddly vocalized a bit making some grunts as he left the feeding area. In the afternoon there was no sign of him. Allan searched for over an hour and found him in a cedar grove. There were no signs of trauma. His front legs were still folded. It appears that he had collapsed and died suddenly trying to get up.

Dr. Willows was just as surprised as we were about KoKo's sudden death. We took the body to the Animal Health Lab at the University of Guelph in Kemptville for a post mortem examination.The preliminary report from the Lab indicates he was suffering from chronic mandibular osteomyelitis, tooth abscess and emaciation. The infection of his mouth had moved into the jaw and bones and was a chronic condition. Although we observed him eating and drinking, he was unable to chew his feed and was unable to create fat stores. This resulted in mild mass atrophy. The weight loss was hard to notice because of the thickness of his winter coat.

As someone has suggested, wild animals often keep their weakness hidden to protect them from predators or loss of status, and it appears that KoKo was a master at this. Or else, he was just as unaware of the seriousness of his plight as we were. In any event, we take some comfort that he did not suffer for very long, if at all.

The only good news is there appears to be no infectious disease which would harm the other members of the herd who are doing well. A sample of his brain tissue was sent for testing to ensure there was no rabies or chronic wasting disease.

We asked the Lab to determine KoKo's age and it was 10 years, about 2 years older than we thought. As you know we had no records of any of the deer rescued from the farm where they were born. When Wendy and Don bought the whole herd in 2005, KoKo had a large abscess on his flank. The farmer recommended euthanization, a recommendation that was not followed. Also earlier this year, he caught his antlers on the fence and was rescued once again.

He was a true survivor, well-loved by all who visited him. His dark coat made him easy for kids to identify and he trusted people enough to eat from their hands.

We miss him very much and wish we could have understood how ill he was. The knowledge we have gained from his loss will help us to keep his brothers healthy and strong.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2009-12-23T15:00:00.005-05:00

KoKo's Christmas wish

May your antlers never be entangled in a fence
May your brothers always be there beside you
May your path be one of peace and free of ice
May your blessings be many
May your hay always be sweet

Calendars 2010 are ready!

2009-10-29T16:07:00.003-04:00

Our 2010 desktop calendars are ready. For only $20 you receive calendar and an income tax receipt for $10 as we are a registered Canadian charity.

The handy coiled calendars have 13 different photos of our bucks and indicate important dates in 2010 and for the Reserve. A great gift.

To order, send cheque or money order for $20 Canadian dollars per calendar, payable to Fallow Deer Reserve, c/o 204 Simmons Road RR2, Odessa ON K0H 2H0 Canada.

We appreciate your support!

How to feed a fallow deer

2009-10-22T09:58:00.007-04:00

Dear Karen,

Thanks for your email. You don’t mention where you are but we are guessing in New England somewhere? We were happy to hear that you have more than one animal. As you know fallow deer are herd animals, so we are always sorry to hear about a lone animal.

Our deer have pasture from April till November and are fed hay in the winter months.

We do not recommend bread as it can ferment in the stomach and you have no way of knowing how much yeast, sugar, etc. is contained in one loaf or another.

We feed our deer whole corn (about 2 cups each) once a week as well as carrots and apples. They will also eat barley and oats in the winter. We have heard of their liking pumpkin but we haven’t tried it. After eating corn the bucks become very energized and will push and shove each other, so it is best for the keeper to stay out of their way. They will also push and shove to get to the corn.

Apparently there is a special enzyme that the deer have to develop in order to digest corn completely. So introduce the corn gradually in small amounts once a week working up to the 2 cups. Also spread it out in small separate piles on the ground, so that each buck gets a small amount. They love corn and will eat every kernel

At first we did hand feed some of the bucks. However, now we try very hard not to hand feed and to put all food on the ground. If the deer associate your hands or body only with food, they can become aggressive when wanting food and go for your hands/body with their heads. This not fun when they have a full set of antlers and you do not. This is especially true of fallow deer bucks during mating season (fall/early winter) but it can happen at any time. Generally the bucks will not eat too much during the rut as their throats swell up, but this does not mean they are not hungry or potentially aggressive.

Please do not consider castrating the bucks if they are over 3 months of age as this causes them disfigurement and pain. Some people believe this is a good way to curb aggression. It is better to respect their wildness and learn how to work around it. Even if these animals came from a farm, they are not domesticated, in our opinion, and people have been injured by not understanding this, especially during the rut or when the animals are under stress when being moved.

We also supplement their diets with a block of blue salt and a mineral lick (18 protein). The mineral lick is always available to them but is used most as the antlers are growing from April to August. The licks are always placed near water. Each animal drinks about 1.5 litres of water per day.

Hope this helps. Please let us know if there is any other information you need. Most of initial information came from the book, Fallow Deer, written by Norma Chapman and her husband last updated in the 1990s. You may find a copy online.

Jane McDonald & Allan Park, Deer keepers

All Grown Up

2009-10-18T18:30:00.005-04:00

Here's a photo of Spike taken today -- one of two young bucks who we guessed were about 2 years of age when they became part of the Fallow Deer Reserve herd. He has certainly grown up and is entering his prime. If you check out the photos of Spike from 2006 you will see how fallow deer bucks mature, how antlers and body change and grow. This photo also gives you a good idea of how the rut changes a buck's appearance. Everything bulks up!

Blog Action Day

2009-10-15T09:19:00.003-04:00

We are happy to participate in today's worldwide Blog Action Day for Climate Change by posting this entry and directing you to the website of the organizers.

http://www.blogactionday.org

Rut behaviour

2009-10-01T16:13:00.001-04:00

Dangling dilemma

2009-08-28T10:03:00.003-04:00

Here's a good look at the dilemma that Bash is in these days. Usually we see a buck with velvet one day, then a few strands, then the velvet is gone. Bash must have started thrashing off his velvet too soon as it came off in pieces that have been dangling from his antler beams for several days. Hopefully he will be shred-free by the end of the weekend as he certainly is anything but comfortable.

Perfect resolution

2009-08-25T09:51:00.005-04:00

Broken piece from left antler

KoKo

This photo (taken August 23, 2009) shows KoKo doing quite well, still with shreds of velvet at the base of his antlers. If you look closely, you'll see that his left antler is missing its tip. During the combined efforts of Allan and KoKo to escape from the fence, the "hook" must have been weakened. Yesterday morning, Allan found it in the place where KoKo likes to chill out. Here's a photo of that piece, too.

We had been considering ways to try to cut off the "hook" so that KoKo couldn't hook himself on to anything, but once again, nature takes care.

Close Encounter

2009-08-22T08:13:00.010-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, Allan and I decided to take a walk inside the enclosure for no particular reason (or so we thought).

In the morning, Allan had noticed that Murph had lost most of his velvet and we wondered if there were others in the same state. From observation in the years past, all the bucks seem to lose their velvet within one week towards the end of August.

We came upon KoKo behaving oddly near the fence in the east marsh area and quickly realized that one of his oddly curved spellers (points) of his antler was caught on the fence. He was twisting and bucking in all directions and could not get loose. The curved point had effectively become a hook.

The possibility that he might break his neck occurred to both of us. A buck at the Scotland Road farm had been found dead after having caught his antler in fencing, but we had never seen our bucks engage with the fencing at the Florida site other than to stick their noses through for apples when visitors come.

Allan came to KoKo's rescue by quickly getting outside the fence, waiting for a moment when KoKo stopped fighting/twisting, and then pulling the antler "hook" through the fence, then down, then pushing it away. KoKo ran off and we left him to calm down. The area near the fence where he was caught was beaten down from grass to mud. It was obvious that KoKo had been attached to the fence for some time.

This morning Allan saw the buck being somewhat shy and standoffish, but alive and well.

Lessons for KoKo: Adapt to the shape of this year's antlers and avoid any close encounters with the fence.

Lessons for Deer keepers: During the period when the bucks shed velvet from their antlers, increase number of daily fence-line inspections. Always take gloves and wire cutters. Be aware of and respond to subtle messages, quietly transmitted. They may have a purpose.

Hey hay

2009-07-23T20:10:00.005-04:00

Allan & Murph get ready to unload

Murph & Don in the loft..

The hay (about 300 bales) is safely in the barn and this is quite a feat given the extreme wet and unseasonably cold weather. Emerald "Murph" Murphy, 81, Don's father, is seen above helping out. Most of this year's hay comes from his field, cut and baled with his equipment, pulled by his tractor. We are very grateful for Murph's help again this year.

Also we received 100 bales from Bruce Burt's field in Wilton which was cut, baled and transported to the Reserve by Bernie Vanderzande in a rare moment of non-rain! Thanks to both these gentlemen for their generosity. Bruce, 94, has not had a great year suffering a stroke in January. We were very surprised and delighted that he remembered the bucks and their need for hay amidst other worries.

It's always a good feeling to know that there is enough feed in the barn in July to see the bucks through to next April. At least one warm thought on these cold, wet days of the summer of 09.

New addition

2009-06-27T19:40:00.003-04:00

Don and Allan check out our recent purchase

Here's a picture of the horse trailer that was purchased this month for use at the Reserve. Our board of directors decided to purchase a used horse trailer when funding permitted after the incident last November when our fence was cut and deer escaped or were chased out. Valuable time was lost trying to borrow trailers after telephone tips were received about the whereabouts of the deer.

After repairs and minor modifications, this trailer will stay within the enclosure, doors open, and hopefully absorb the smells of "home" so that if we have to respond to an incident, we will have transportation that is familiar to the animals, and not a cause of added stress.

We also see the trailer providing some shelter and looking further ahead, we will be able to use it to isolate a sick or injured buck so that veterinary care or medication can be administered.

We are grateful to everyone who has purchased antlers, calendars or donated to the Reserve to help make this purchase possible.

Fairmount Homes

2009-06-01T15:24:00.005-04:00

Residents, volunteers and staff from Fairmount Home visited the Reserve on Sunday to present us with a $100 donation officially sponsoring "EGee" a deer that many had met last summer on a visit. In return, Jane and Allan presented the residents with the antlers shed by EGee this April. The weather on Sunday was cold and windy, but there were many smiles and the visit took place in between rain showers. Thanks to Marilyn Kellar who organized the fundraising at Fairmount and brought everyone including her grandchildren to enjoy the deer. We hope to see everyone again on a sunnier day!

Thanks to Barry Rogers, Fairmount volunteer for the photo.

May 24th Fundraiser

2009-05-28T20:29:00.007-04:00

Monique Cloutier, board member, feeds KoKo

May 24, 2009 was the "Day in the Country" created and produced by Wendy Workman to raise funds for the Reserve. Three local practitioners offered their services in tarot card reading, reiki, chakra reading, etc. to participants who also enjoyed great weather, a delicious lunch and a visit with the deer. Over $700 was raised!

Thanks to Wendy, Cheryl, Erin (http://www.self-insights.com)
and Susie and to everyone who attended.

Moki meets Mike again

2009-05-01T20:36:00.011-04:00

The presentation:
Don Murphy, left, Moki in the middle, Mike Ivanic, right

Today, Mike and Linda Ivanic visited the Reserve to receive a very special gift -- Moki's antlers which he cast off on April 14, 2009. You may recall that Mike was the bowhunter who single handedly and with great patience coaxed Moki into the horse trailer following the vandalism that allowed him to escape the Reserve last November. Check out the blog entry, "Moki's love story" for all the details.

An email from Jason, antler lover

2009-04-30T11:48:00.006-04:00

We just received this email from Jason C. in Chatham, Ontario. Jason has purchased Gulliver's antlers every year for three years and also Murph's antlers for the past two years. By purchasing these antlers, he has supported the work of the Reserve and we appreciate his taking the time to let us know how much he enjoys these unique pieces of art created by our bucks.

I received the package last night. All looks great. I am really surprised the tines on the Gulliver antler, how they are long at the ends and kind of a cluster and twisted. I really enjoy the uniqueness of each antler. I wish I could fill my house with them. My wife might have other ideas. I was looking at the park in Quebec with all the Red Deer, moose, bear etc on the internet and it looks awesome, I really want to go. Have you been there? Do the animals come up to the vehicles as it shows in the website photos? I noticed they talk about fallow deer at this park, are some of them from your place? I would want to stop by your place also if I were going to go to this park.

...Well, as usual keep me in mind next year again. If anything else comes up you think I would be interested in, please let me know.

Thanks alot for all the antlers and years of enjoyment I will get from them.

Take care and talk to you soon

Fellow Canadian -- Jason C. and family

Update: Antlers, Mike's condition

2009-04-26T11:15:00.010-04:00

We are happy to report that all the bucks have dropped their antlers. The process began on April 6 with Gulliver and ended on April 21, 2009 with the last set being cast off by Spike who we think is the youngest. It's always a relief when the whole herd is without antlers and on the same "playing field".

Mike, who was suffering from a large abscess on his left side at the beginning of April, is doing well these days. Time and nature took care of the growth and the only side effect seemed to be a delay in his casting off his antlers.

For those of you interested in stats, here's a comparison of dates from 2008 to 2009:

Gulliver -- April 10, 2008/April 6, 7, 2009
Max -- April 14, 2008/April 10, 2009
Mike -- April 16, 2008/April 19, 2009
Bash -- April 18, 2008/April 8, 2009
Murph -- April 19, 2008/April 7, 8, 2009
George -- April 22, 23, 2008/April 15, 2009
Buddy -- April 25, 26, 2008/April 14, 2009
KoKo -- April 29, 2008/April 15, 2009
EGee -- April 29, 2008/April 21, 2009
Moki -- April 29, May 1, 2008/April 14, 2009
Spike -- May 3, 2008/April 21, 2009

Antler sweepstakes winner!

2009-04-06T13:29:00.008-04:00

Gulliver won the lottery again this year dropping his left antler at some time early this morning. When we checked him this afternoon, he was still holding on to his right antler.

Here is the list from 2008. The warmer weather this year has prompted the casting of Gulliver's antler four days earlier than last. We believe that the oldest buck casts off his antlers first, needing more time for the full rack to develop and harden by August in time for rutting season. By this list, Spike is our baby. Status in the herd may also affect the order that the antlers fall, who knows?

Gulliver, April 10
Max, April 14
Mike, April 16
Bash, April 18
Murph, April 19
George, April 22, 23
Buddy, April 25, 26
KoKo, April 29
EGee, April 29
Moki, April 29, May 1
Spike, May 3

Signs of spring

2009-03-16T17:02:00.005-04:00

Our first visitors this year were Ethan and his family, a sure sign of spring ... trying out the well, resting at the picnic table and taking a look at the antlers dropped last season with George in the background. Thanks to Ethan's Aunt Cynthia who donated a large bag of whole corn to the Reserve.

To all those who wish to visit, please be reminded that the Reserve is on private property and trespassers will be prosecuted. Visitors are welcome only if they phone ahead first to arrange. (613) 386-3673 or email jmcd@reztel.net. After the events of November when vandals cut the fence, we have increased security and ask for your understanding and respect for the safety and well-being of the deer.

The Deer Keepers

Breakfast Winter Mornings

2009-01-11T10:12:00.005-05:00

Winter mornings -- cold temperatures and lots of snow... this is the pattern of this month at the Reserve. Fortunately we have a dedicated deer keeper in Allan Park who shows up every morning at daybreak to check on the bucks, make sure their water is ice-free, feed them hay, and make sure no animal is missing or injured. Each animal gets plenty of fresh hay because it is spread out and available to all.

In the lower picture you can see KoKo enjoying the mineral lick that provides the bucks with essential vitamins and minerals and the blue salt lick is in the foreground.

The biggest natural hazard seems to be ice. Gulliver was limping earlier this week probably from a fall but in a day or two he was back to normal.

Season's greeting

2008-12-17T19:40:00.006-05:00

Peace
by
peace.

Goodwill
and wishes
to all.

In memory of Ty

2008-11-29T10:35:00.005-05:00

Ty, April 2007

We are very grateful to T.B. who decided to sponsor Ty's memory. For every person who has wished the Reserve and its mission ill, there are at least 10 others who understand why the Reserve exists and what it means. Thanks so much, T.B., for thinking of such a sweet way to remember him.

Dandy, born 2000 - died November 23, 2008

2008-11-23T19:01:00.008-05:00

Dandy, 2006

Today at about 4pm, Don Murphy and his dog, Jenna, found the remains of Dandy on Empey Road, off McConnell Road. It appears he was shot in the head and his antlers were cut off and left at the site, along with his head and skin. His ear tag was missing. It appears he was shot today as we had received reports of sightings from people on Thorpe Road yesterday.

Not only did these poachers shoot Dandy out of season, they did so on a Sunday and showed they were aware of their lawlessness by not treating his remains with any appropriate respect. A simple phone call to us admitting that Dandy had been shot in error, if that had been the case, would have been the right thing to do.

What a horrible discovery for Don! What a strange coincidence that he should be the one to find Dandy so soon after his death and dismemberment!

Our only consolation is that we know where all our fallow deer bucks are and the search has ended -- albeit sadly -- but ended nonetheless after more than two weeks of worry and concern.

Dandy was a very strong and beautiful buck who was one of the oldest in the herd and, at times, he served as Max's lieutenant in protecting and calming the herd. He often spent time on his own, independent of the others but also enjoyed a friendly rivalry with Mike for that second-in-command status and was tolerant of younger bucks and deerkeepers.

EGee eases back!

2008-11-16T13:42:00.010-05:00

EGee, March 2008

EGee is back thanks to Don and Wendy who received a call late afternoon yesterday, Saturday, November 15, 2008 that he had been spotted on McConnell Road, north of Wilton. They drove the horse trailer there, spotted him, opened up the trailer and got out the corn. Wendy encouraged him towards the trailer and backed in (there is a front exit, fortunately) and wouldn't you know EGee walked in and stood still as the doors closed him in.

EGee (for Easy Going) proved worthy of his name and the Bogert family of Toronto who are his sponsors are very glad that he has come back to the fold. We are also happy to inform the residents of Fairmount Home that one of their favourites, EGee, will still be here when they visit on Sunday afternoons in the summer.

Moki's love story

2008-11-15T13:50:00.011-05:00

Moki is one of our youngest bucks. He escaped the enclosure with the herd sometime on November 5-6. Several days later, Allan, the head deer-keeper saw him near a deer hunter's stand off Florida Road, courting a female white tail deer decoy that had obviously been sprayed with something to attract white tail bucks. We didn't think that fallow deer would be enticed by the scent of a different species of deer, but Moki proved to us that the books don't always know what's what. Allan alerted the team about Moki's whereabouts and Don Murphy contacted the owner of the land he was on for permission to search for him, and this is Mike Ivanik, a local bow hunter.

Mike undertook to watch Moki's comings and goings. Volunteers including Don, Wendy, Allan, Chris Grooms and others helped to watch Moki and build a corral around the deer decoy, bring in a horse trailer and create an elaborate "trap". For at least 4 days, Mike waited patiently from his deer stand and singlehandedly captured Moki on Thursday, November 13, 2008. Moki walked into the horse trailer without any need for tranquilizers and now is safely back at the Reserve. Thank you to all the volunteers especially Mike, the bow hunter, who has been promised Moki's antlers which will be shed in April 2009 and our deepest appreciation forever.

The word "moki" is Hopi for deer.

Our count is 10 in, 2 out and of course 1 lost.

On a personal note, your blogger/photographer, Jane, has been in Kingston General Hospital since surgery on November 11 and unable to keep you all posted on developments.

Thank you to everyone who has called and emailed to find out how I am doing. I am at home recouperating and expect a full recovery in 6 to 8 weeks.

Ty, born 2002? - died Nov. 10, 2008

2008-11-10T14:44:00.007-05:00

Ty died today of capture myopathy after Don, Allan, Murph, Ken Gilpin and his assistant, Leeane from Animal Control made the call to tranquilize him. All went well, and he was placed in the horse trailer lying on a bed of hay and driven back to the Reserve. He was alive when the gates of the Reserve opened, but died moments after arriving home. Spirits were very high, and then very low.

We are, of course, all very shaken and sad to lose such a beautiful, healthy animal in his prime. Ty had been seen in the Thorpe Road/Peters Road area since the Reserve fence was cut on Wednesday night/Thursday morning nervous, fearful and skittish. He was one of the deer seen on Simmons Road moving away from the Reserve being chased by two young women in a car with a video camera. They didn't know how far they were taking the deer away from the Reserve.

He was one of the most shy deer and that's how he got his name...Shy Ty which was shortened to Ty. Maybe for that reason, no one officially sponsored him. He didn't come to the fence to be fed. He was a common fallow deer with uncommon grace.

We will miss him and his quiet presence. He always took care not to come too close to people, not to let his guard down. We must console ourselves that we did our best for him, that to leave him to starve or to be killed by a car was not an option. We know that he did not suffer a long or painful death and we know that he enjoyed three years of life that would not otherwise have been his.

Gulliver is back home!

2008-11-09T10:16:00.003-05:00

Early this morning Gulliver decided he was ready to follow Don in through the gate and join his eight other buck buddies. This is great news for two boys in France who along with their grandmother are his sponsors.

Please do not go to the Reserve if you wish to help us. Volunteers are asked to go to 604 Simmons Road to meet and find out what help is required.

We are doing everything we can to encourage the deer to come back to the Reserve so we can lead them into the enclosure without having to use tranquilizer guns or large numbers of people.

These deer are confused. Max, their leader, did not leave the enclosure. It will take all the patience we can muster to get them home again.

Our present count...9 bucks in, 4 buck out.

George returns home! This one's for Tasha & Kelly

2008-11-08T07:02:00.009-05:00

We have some good news. George who was one of the bucks released early on Thursday morning is now back at the Reserve. He was found by hunters in the Jamieson/Freeman Road area north of Sydenham. That's about 8 or10 miles north of the Reserve so he was moving.

Allan Park, our Head Deer keeper and Don Murphy, Founder and President of the Reserve were able to coax George near the trailer (lent to us by our neighbours, the Burleys), helped by local hunters who had reported him in the area. Thank you to all the good folks helping us!

George is our most social deer. He is sponsored by Marg and her granddaughter Kelly and he is the favourite buck of one of our youngest volunteers, Tashia, who was heartbroken when she heard he was missing. George is also the deer featured on our sign at the entrance to the Reserve.

That means that there are 8 deer inside the fence! We have spotted all the remaining deer at loose and telephone calls keep coming in. Please keep phoning.

From reports and verified sitings, we believe that EGee was last seen on McConnell Road. Moki on Florida Road. Ty on Thorpe Road. Gulliver and Dandy nearby the Reserve. If you see one of our deer, please call us. Try not to chase the deer, but if he starts to move in the "wrong" direction away from the Reserve, perhaps you can try to encourage them to go in the "right" direction. Easier said than done. When you call we will send someone to verify it is our deer and then hopefully the wheels will but put into motion a team prepared to tranquilize the deer. We now have the means to do this and hope to be able to do this starting Saturday, November 8.

The Worst has happened

2008-11-07T04:46:00.007-05:00

If you have ever been to the Reserve, you know the most striking feature of it, besides the deer, is the 8 foot fencing that surrounds the 10 acres that protect the bucks from predators and keep them from the "wild" that holds many dangers for them...electric fences, highways, hunters, certain starvation in winter. As you know the fallow deer is not native to Canada and cannot survive without hay in the winter. These 13 bucks were rescued from a deer farm in 2005 and have been cared for by volunteers since.

In our worst nightmare, someone would come with bolt cutters or wire clippers and cut the fence for what reason we would not know. But since May 2007, we have had no incident and I guess we all started to believe that no one would be so callous or ignorant to do such a thing. Our neighbours were supportive.

Well the worst case scenario played out on November 6 when sometime between 5pm and 6am, the fence was cut and peeled back to allow 15 feet of open gate. At least 10 deer escaped and were spotted by a neighbour early in the morning. At present we have 7 deer in the reserve and there are 6 on the run. We have spotted three of them and are working on as many ways as we can think of to bring them to their home.

If you know anything about the people who did this, or if you are one of the persons who did this, we would like to know why? What purpose have you served? We thank you for not shooting the deer, but why put their lives in peril?

If you see any of the deer, please call (613) 386-1355 to report location, time and direction in which the buck was travelling.

With a great deal of sadness and worry,

The Deer Keepers

Fundraising -- 2009 Desk Calendars

2008-10-23T09:56:00.004-04:00

The latest 2009 desk calendars are in and available at a cost of $20. Of this, $10 pays for the calendar and the postage to send it to you. $10 is a donation to the Reserve and for this Canadians receive an income tax receipt.

The 13 calendar photos are recent ones showing a year in the life of a fallow deer buck. We are always amazed at how much the deer change from one month to another!

The calendars are 210mm by 95mm and Jane McDonald's photos are reprinted on premium paper stock with a glossy finish.

To order, send a cheque payable to the Fallow Deer Reserve c/o 204 Simmons Road, RR2, Odessa ON Canada K0H 2H0. Allow one week for delivery in Canada.

The rut continues

2008-10-21T13:14:00.003-04:00

Here's a photo of Mike which shows how swollen the bucks' throats are in the rut (mating season) which has been experienced by our deer for the past two or three weeks. It is difficult for them to eat too much or to chew their cud. Also, they make a kind of deep "croaking" sound. We think the younger bucks (Spike, Moki and Buddy) are starting to come out of the rut as they are showing interest in grazing and are starting to eat hay when offered.

Everything old is new again

2008-10-14T09:35:00.010-04:00

Jane draws water!

Allan and Don prepare the pump for final placement

Closeup of the McDougall pump

On Monday, October 13, Don Murphy assisted by Allan Park and Jane McDonald installed our "new", winter-ready hand pump. For Jane, this is the fulfillment of a dream held since childhood when she spent many happy hours in Boissevain, Manitoba where every house and garden had a mysterious backyard pump that magically brought cold, clear water from nowhere.

The pump was been lovingly and effectively restored by Don after his boss, Dennis Chadwick, donated the giant cast iron beauty that had been lying in one of his fields for years. The pump was made in Galt, Ontario by R.McDougall Company and there were traces of its orginal colour, forest green. It weighs many, many pounds, but thanks to Don's ingenuity and Allan's strength, it arrived safely at its new home on the Reserve.

This Thanksgiving, the deer and the deer keepers are very thankful for Don Murphy and Dennis Chadwick and for the simple wisdom of "old" technology.

Blog fans in Nebraska!

2008-09-26T18:39:00.004-04:00

We got a phone call from the Vinton family who live in Nebraska. Mr. Vinton and his children like to read this blog had have been enjoying its photos & stories for the past six months. He was calling to see if we would sell antlers and we would be happy to -- except that there are some complicated regulations for shipping antlers across the border. So far, antlers have been purchased only by Canadians, but we think there is a way. Stay tuned.

Many thanks to the Vintons who live too far away to visit us in person. We really appreciated hearing about how you enjoy following our herd.

Velvet gone

2008-09-18T14:53:00.007-04:00

Gulliver "thrashing"

Gulliver, losing velvet

The end of August marked the shedding of the velvet on the bucks' antlers. For a few days only, they were a sight, but not for long. They rub the velvet on low lying branches to help to get rid of the strands of velvet as quickly as possible. Testosterone levels are increasing and the bucks are becoming a bit more aggressive these days now that they all have hard antlers. These hard antlers will remain until next spring.

KoKo gets a visit

2008-08-25T08:31:00.009-04:00

On Sunday, August 24, KoKo got a return visit from one of his biggest fans, MK. She first met KoKo last year when she was 4 years old and hasn't forgotten him, often reminding her Pappy about him and wondering how he might feel if someone laughed at him for being different than the rest of the herd. MK also helped feed the deer apples and corn, pumped water for them and was named "volunteer of the day".

Buddy

2008-08-15T20:15:00.008-04:00

Buddy, photos by Jim Linton

Brenda and Jim Linton from Toronto were visitors recently. Here are two of my favourite photos taken by Jim, featuring the one and only Buddy. Buddy is keen to watch people at work and likes all things mechanical from cameras to backhoes.

Making hay while the sun doesn't shine

2008-08-10T19:34:00.004-04:00

Allan with a barnful

Happy to report our barn is full of hay thanks to the hard work and generosity of Emerald Murphy, Bruce Burt, Don Murphy, Allan Park and Jane McDonald. In between rain storms, we managed to cut, bale and store about 360 square bales which are safely housed in the barn. We left the barn doors open shortly after the second batch of hay arrived, and when we went to close the doors we found George indulging in the fresh, sweet hay. Normal deer are not supposed to like being indoors, but George didn't seem to have a problem...what's new?

Bogert family visit

2008-08-09T10:10:00.007-04:00

Cody feeds EGee, photo by Marion Bogert

On Friday afternoon, August 8, 2008 the Bogert family visited the Reserve to commune with their adopted deer: EGee, Spike and Bash. This family (three generations) continues to support the work of the Reserve and in return, the deer decided to give them the cast 2008 antlers of EGee and Spike. It was the first visit of Tasha to her four-legged adoptee, and she is convinced that her Bash is the most handsome of the herd. All agree that EGee is definitely one of the most friendly and he was happy to accept apples and carrots from Paige, Holly, Georgia and Cody. Spike is still a bit cautious about accepting food from human beings, but Cody had a good throw and made sure Spike got his share.

Many thanks to all the members of this generous family!

This year's wonky antlers

2008-07-18T10:44:00.007-04:00

It looks like EGee is the one with the wonky antlers this year. We are not sure why, but his trey antlers are branched and this is unusual. In our three years working with the bucks, we haven't seen this variation. One theory is that because of the increase in number of flies this year, he has been using his antlers to scratch and somehow altered their shape by doing so. Any other theories out there?

This photo is from a weird angle and makes his palmation look huge, but it also shows his branched-out trey antlers. Trey antlers are halfway between the brow and the palm and are usually a single prong 5 or 6 inches in length.

The bucks are doing very well this summer. The frequent rains have kept them surrounded by growing green grass and they are enjoying every morsel. Thanks to Emerald and Don Murphy we have our barn almost full of hay bales and expect one more wagon full from Bruce Burt next week.

July is a great time to see their beautiful spotted coats and touch velvet antlers. We continue to be open every Sunday at 2pm and hope to see you at the Reserve soon.

Open Gate, Sunday, June 22, 2008

2008-06-23T09:08:00.010-04:00

Bash greets Roland

Gulliver (r) greets Diane

At yesterday's Open Gate, Gulliver had a chance to say hello to his co-sponsor, Diane, who dropped by just before she heads to France to visit her twin grandsons, Alexandre and Edouard, who join her as co-sponsors of Gulliver.

A group from Ongwanada also joined us to help with feeding the deer, as well as a father and his two sons, Gilbert and Roland.

Request from Florida USA

2008-06-14T07:30:00.005-04:00

A telephone call last Thursday came from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (www.myfwc.com) who had been searching for some advice on feeding fallow deer on the Net. Of course, because we are on Florida Road, we came up close to the top! Also our interest in feeding the animals is for the sake of the animal, not the venison. We were happy to share our knowledge.

Bambi Ferree, an officer with the Commission, has been charged with looking after a solo male fallow deer who had been found on Florida's Panhandle "on the loose", tranquilized and brought to the Gainesville lab/area for testing about a week ago. She lives closest to the Lab, so she's become an instant deer keeper! Yes, she does get kidded about her name often, especially as she is researching brain wasting disease in white tail deer. If the buck passes all his health tests, he will be adopted, Bambi hopes. Potential adoptees are the family that found him, as no one in Florida USA has reported a missing buck. Because deer don't tend to roam too far away from the place of birth, we assume that he was from the northern part of Florida and kept without permit.

We shared with her the feeding program we have for our bucks which seems to be working well. From her description, "Panhandle" seems to be about the same age as our deer George and EGee. His antlers are in velvet and are about 15 inches in length already.

We are going to keep in touch and hope that Pan gets a good, safe place to live out his days.

Gates Open Sundays at 2pm

2008-05-30T11:51:00.006-04:00

Starting Sunday June 1, 2008 we will be opening the gates for drop in visitors at 2pm. It's a good time to see the deer and participate in feeding them...up close and personal.

It's not necessary to make an appointment if you come out on Sundays at 2pm. Please leave any dogs at home as they can unsettle the deer. We have rustic washroom facilities. Those with limited mobility can drive up to the feeding area.

From Kingston, travel north on Highway 38 to Yarker Road, turn left and travel a short distance to Henderson Road, turn left and travel a short distance to Florida Road, turn left and travel south about 3km to 4265.

From Napanee, travel east to Wilton Road (exit 599 from 401) and turn north onto County Road 6, travel north and turn right at Simmons Road. Follow Simmons Road through the village of Wilton, up the graveyard hill until it ends at Florida Road, turn right and follow to 4265.

Casting Complete

2008-05-04T14:47:00.007-04:00

All the bucks have casted off their antlers as of yesterday when Allan found the 26th and last one dropped by Spike in the afternoon -- all antlers have been found.

So here's this year's order:

Gulliver, April 10
Max, April 14
Dandy, April 15
Mike, April 16
Bash, April 18
Murph, April 19
George, April 22, 23
Buddy, April 25, 26
Ty, April 25
KoKo, April 29
EGee, April 29
Moki, April 29, May 1
Spike, May 3

As male hormones drop, so do the antlers. The bucks become adolescents again, almost fawn-like. They keep close to one another and seem to get along well now that the playing field is level -- no one deer can play leader because he has antlers and the others don't.

Solo antler

2008-04-23T15:41:00.006-04:00

Here's a great photo of what George looks like with one antler. We can only imagine how lopsided it feels!

The bucks continue to drop their antlers and so far, we have found them all except for one. And that one belongs to George, his left antler missing in the photo, too.

We have searched high and low without success for the antler that fell on April 22. This is frustrating and surprising in that the very same thing happened last year. We only found one of George's antlers.

Here's the dropping order so far:

Gulliver, April 10
Max, April 14
Dandy, April 15
Mike, April 16
Bash, April 18
Murph, April 19
George, April 22, 23

Max, in second place

2008-04-14T08:52:00.009-04:00

Max, Apr 14

Max cast off his antlers this morning, and the set were also easy to find. We were a bit worried about difficulties retrieving the antlers at the new site, but so far so good.

In what has become a tradition, Max's antlers will be presented to Don Murphy (President & Founder of Fallow Deer Reserve) as a belated birthday present. In all the excitement, we missed Don' s birthday on April 3.

Our First Cast Off

2008-04-10T19:45:00.007-04:00

The first to cast off his antlers, oh so 2007, was Gulliver. This was at about 10 or 11am this morning and we are happy to report that we have found both. They are wider and about 2 or 3 inches longer than last year, when Gulliver also won the antler sweepstakes and dropped those first on April 8.

However, being first is not all it's cracked up to be. Without antlers, poor Gulliver is getting bullied by the others who still have theirs, and he had decided to separate from the herd and hang out in the forest near the spring creek. We found him there this afternoon and gave him his own special carrot nosh.

If last year's order is repeated, Max will be joining him in this self-imposed exile within the next 48 hours.

Spring cleaning, antler watch

2008-04-06T18:49:00.008-04:00

Trio

Max at the lick

Spring has finally arrived and the snow has melted enough for us to get into the enclosure and start raking up the winter's hay to make way for grass. After several hours, we looked at the mound of raked hay and found these three making themselves at home.

It's been a long wicked winter but the herd is doing well and enjoying new mineral licks which we introduced this week to help prepare the bucks for antler growth. Thanks to everyone who has donated funds to make the purchase of such licks possible. Special thanks to Annie who donated 50 pounds of carrots on the occasion of her birthday on March 22, 2008.

We are anxiously waiting for the antlers to start falling but nothing so far. All antlers are still attached! Last year, Gulliver was first losing his on April 8, 2007. We'll keep you posted.

Texas sanctuary

2008-03-17T18:31:00.000-04:00

Recently we received a telephone call from Laura F. in Fredericksburg, Texas (near Austin) who has a 350 acre ranch and has rescued several fallow deer fawns being auctioned. Apparently the "business" of canned hunting has fallen on hard times for economic reasons and she predicts that more operators will be selling unwanted deer in the months to come with little regard to the fate or welfare of these animals. If the fallow deer escape or are released to the wild, they can be hunted all year round without license as they are considered "exotics" in Texas.

Like us, she has fallen in love with fallow deer after having experience hand raising orphaned white tail deer fawns.

If you are in the USA and know of fallow deer in need of a permanent, safe sanctuary, please get in touch with us via comment to this entry we will connect you to Laura.

One of the greatest pleasures in this project is the opportunity to meet compassionate and interesting folk like Laura and we look forward to exchanging visits in the future.

KoKo loves apples

2008-02-07T12:25:00.000-05:00

Janet Drew and her husband, Ron Heidebrecht, visited the Reserve on Tuesday after yoga class and Janet has sent us this great picture of KoKo enjoying a tasty bit of apple. All the deer were looking a bit bedraggled, damp from foggy, wet winter air, but KoKo managed to convey his satisfaction with fresh hay and crisp apples. Thanks, Janet, great photo.

Those long winter days

2008-01-28T19:49:00.000-05:00

Mike, George and Spike

Moki on the right with his left ear now healed

We learn so much from these deer about being present in the here and now. As we drove to the Reserve today, we were complaining about the length of the winter, more snow, endless cold, etc. etc.

We started down the hill and saw these sights. Thirteen deer hanging out, together, content, chewing their cud, enjoying rest and soft hay. Just the perfect way to spend a January afternoon in the country.

Open waters

2008-01-20T14:37:00.000-05:00

Don Murphy has brought his latest invention to the Reserve as of yesterday and we are happy to report that the deer now have 24 hour access to open, ice-free water despite temperatures overnight as low as -18 degrees Centigrade.

His invention doesn't have a name yet. It's about the size of a wood stove with three stockpots which are heated by a lantern with propane. The lantern is encased a vented, insulated metal box lined with aluminum foil. The single lantern heats all three pots of water thanks to a special spider-like contraption, again invented by Don, that transports the heat from the single lamp to all three pots. Ingenious.

We are 32 hours into the onsite trial and can report that we have observed Buddy and EGee enjoying a long drink and see no signs of ice in any of the pots. Don estimates that a single propane tank should keep the low level heat for up to 7 days. We continue to crack ice in other buckets for those less-courageous deer who have yet to discover the always open water source. Hopefully they will all find it soon helped by a few apples perched next to the bowls.

The same but different

2008-01-09T10:18:00.001-05:00

When people visit the Reserve, they always express surprise that we can identify the individual deer. Aside from KoKo who is easy to recognize given his chocolate colour, at first sight the rest of the deer look very alike.

Having worked with the bucks for over 19 months, we know that each one is quite different and unique in both appearance and personality.

Here's how we tell them apart.

Max, the leader, is a large deer with one of the largest sets of antlers and a golden colour especially on his head and back of neck. He often stands in the middle of the herd, but never gets challenged by other bucks. (A challenge is when a deer lowers his head and antlers and moves towards another in a determined way. Sometimes the deer will tilt his head and show one eye to the other deer. )

Dandy, is usually the second in command. He is probably the largest deer in body size but his antlers don't have the wide palmation of the other large deer. He is very calm.

Mike is next in herd hierarchy but sometimes he vies with Dandy to gain status to second. He looks quite a bit like Max and has large antlers. However, his right brow antler is bent over his right eye in an odd way caused by a collision with a barricade when the deer were being moved to Florida from Scotland Road in May last year. Mike is very social towards people. We hope his antlers return to normal this year.

Gulliver is another large deer with the largest palmation of antlers. He seems to be the big brother of Moki (one of our youngest and smallest) who is a constant companion. Gulliver will often let Moki "play fight/challenge" with him but never exerts the full power he could if the fight were for real. Gulliver likes to chase smaller deer at feeding time, doing his best to get all the food for himself, but he never challenges a deer that is larger than himself.

Murph is a large deer with exceptionally long antlers with good palmation and many spellers (or branches). He has a dark coat, but not quite as dark as KoKo. He is very independent and spends time away from the herd on his own. He is not that interested in people...can take or leave 'em.

Bash is a large light-coloured deer with large antlers that have many spellers and very straight brow antlers. He, too, is somewhat independent and will leave the herd to go on his own. He likes to bully Buddy who is also light-coloured. Bash used to be very frightened of people, but he is becoming very social these days.

Ty has a compact body, a muddy brown colour and very wide palmated antlers with many spellers. Like Bash, he was very fearful of people when we first started working with the herd, now he doesn't seem too worried by us. He never challenges large deer for food or water, but bullies all the other deer the same size or smaller than him.

Buddy is a medium-sized light coloured deer. His brow antlers turn inward instead of straight ahead which gives him a slightly cock-eyed, cute appearance. His personality is carefree and he's very curious about people and what they are doing whether it be building a shelter, digging or hauling water. He will run away from food to get a good view of human beings at work.

EGee is a medium-sized deer with shorter palmated antlers, few spellers and long straight brow antlers. He has a dark brown winter coat with a splash of white on his right side where he was injured last winter. He is very social and calm and only occasionally will he bully George or KoKo at feeding time to get in the best position.

George looks like the other medium-sized deer in appearance except for his antlers this year which have little or no palmation. Our theory is that this odd antler formation was caused by the anti-inflammatory medication he was given last winter after suffering a "shoulder" injury. We hope that his antlers return to normal this year. George is definitely the most social of the deer and he can be a nuisance if you are working inside the fence as he has no fear of people and will invade human space quite easily.

KoKo is our most recognizable deer because he is very dark in colour and even in summer he has very faint "spots" on his chocolate-coloured back. He has a compact, you might say round body and he is very social and calm. He is the one most likely to be hanging out in the shelter of the woods rather than the person-made shelter attached to the barn. He seems to like to hang out with Ty or Buddy.

Moki is one of our youngest at 3 years of age. His antlers are palmated but smaller than all the other deer (except for Spike). His right brow antler bends to the right and this winter he lost the top of his left ear as a result of a tussle with Spike towards the end of the rut.

Spike is the other 3 year old with antlers similar to those of Moki. He is the only deer in our herd with a brown tail which makes him a "menil" fallow deer. Spike is social and curious and likes to hang out with George and fight with Moki.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2007-12-18T18:37:00.000-05:00

We apologize for not blogging in the past few weeks.We are suddenly into the full winter work schedule -- feeding the deer hay each morning, breaking ice to keep water open at least twice a day. We are happy to report that the new shelter is still standing and a windbreak on the west side of the lean-to survived the high winds of the snow storm on Sunday, December 16th. There is ample evidence that the deer have burrowed themselves into the hay in both areas out of the wind and snow.

We've just made an arrangement to have the laneway ploughed whenever necessary, so there should be off-road parking if you want to visit before Christmas or during the holidays.

We wish to thank everyone (in the hundreds!) who has helped the Fallow Deer Reserve this year. You are all very special people. We wish you much joy and peace for the holidays and much abundance in the New Year.

The non-party's over

2007-11-28T18:41:00.000-05:00

Moki with injured left ear.

We are declaring the rut or mating season officially over. The bucks have returned to a more calm daily routine of grazing and resting while chewing cud. Most of the in-fighting has subsided. Mike and Dandy who had some prolonged and frequent skirmishes are now cohabiting in the shelter without fuss.

Casualties of the rut include many small trees and bushes that have lost bark caused by the bucks' regular thrashing with their antlers. And, Moki lost part of his left ear after a fight with Spike just this past week. At first we thought he might have ripped his ear on the fenceposts (think kids' rite of passage, tongue on cold metal), but then we saw some fresh blood on Spike's antlers. Mystery solved.

We have started feeding hay but as yet the bucks seem interested only in the hay's best parts (dried flowers, etc.) and push the hay around with their noses on the look-out for these succulent pieces.

Recently the herd has started to follow us whenever we walk around the 2700 foot fence line checking for damage, holes or obstructions. When we start out, Max usually walks quietly alongside or just behind us, followed by Mike and one or two others. Soon almost the entire herd is following along in single file except for KoKo. He finds it difficult to leave behind his beloved mineral lick and always choses it over the 1/2 mile hike.

Ice capades

2007-11-26T14:57:00.000-05:00

We received these innovative ways to keep the water buckets from freezing this winter from Susie who lives on Florida Road. We have great neighbours! Your ideas are very welcome, too. Remember we do not have electricity.

_____

I doubt that I've thought of or explored anything that you two haven't, but I've been looking for ideas for solar heating of water for animals. So far I haven't come across the perfect solution (!), but, for what they're worth, here are a couple of suggestions I've found which might be better than nothing.

(Both from a website for feeding feral cats)

Get an old tire off the rim [we could get you one - someone dumped a few beside the road at the top of Wildlife Hill!], and stuff it with rocks. Wedge a container (like a large bucket) in the hole in the tire and put the water in there. The black tire will absorb the light from the sun during the day and heat the rocks within the tire The rocks will radiate the warmth enough to keep the water from freezing.

This suggestion comes from a horse magazine, to keep water for the horses in the fields in winter. The barn manager piled a few rock-filled tires on top of each other and then inserted a water bucket in the center of them. She said this actually prevented the water from freezing for a period of time.

"Snuggle Safe." It's a disk about the size of a frisbee intended to keep pets' bedding warm. Under normal indoor conditions, you put it in the microwave for 5 minutes and it stays hot for 12 hours. For outdoor use, it has been reported that the discs can be safely heated up to 8 minutes in a 1,000 watt microwave to last as long as possible outdoors. Depending on the microwave, the discs can conceivably melt so you have to do a little trial and error to see how hot you can go.

The discs are just the right size to fit inside the under rim of some large dinner plates and water bowls. In the frigid outdoors their heat lasts 2-3 hours. If you can afford it, it's convenient to have two sets of discs - that way you can heat and bring one set to the colony, and pickup and bring back the set used the last time you were feeding. Available through PETsMART (Item No. 451284; $19.99).
http://www.petsmart.com

New shelter

2007-11-07T09:25:00.001-05:00

Here's the new shelter we put up this weekend as an experiment. It offers an additional place from which to feed the deer hay, keeping it dry and possible shelter from the winds. It's 20 feet long we left south and north ends open. The north end faces the barn which provides some protection from the north wind. So far, the bucks seem to appreciate it and haven't shown any signs of tearing at the sides. We shall see.

We are trying to find a solar or wind solution to keeping the water troughs from freezing this winter. If you have any suggestions, please make some.

Calendars for 2008

2007-11-04T17:13:00.000-05:00

We have designed and sent this year's desktop calendar to the printer so it's time to let us know if you want one or two. This year's cover boy is Bash under the apple tree at the Florida Road site. The calendars feature a coil top and measure 8 inches width by 4 inches height. There are 13 recent photos in full colour showing all the bucks.

Cost is $25 ($10 for the calendar and $15 donation with income tax receipt) and we must receive your cheque by December 5, 2007 to ensure delivery for Christmas gifts. Please make cheque payable to FALLOW DEER RESERVE and send to 204 Simmons Road RR2 Odessa ON K0H 2H0.

Good news

2007-11-01T12:54:00.000-04:00

Today we learned that The Community Foundation of Greater Kingston has approved our application for funding and we are going to be receiving $1000 on November 29, 2007 at 10am at a cheque presentation at the Kingston Yacht Club. We are very, very grateful for this generous support.

This is EGee a few weeks ago looking forward to a secure future thanks to his sponsors, Marian and David, and The Community Foundation of Greater Kingston.

After the Chase

2007-10-12T09:22:00.001-04:00

Here's George after he exhausted himself "fighting" with KoKo for at least 1/2 hour. We are almost certain that the rut is in full swing now and should be lasting for the next 2 weeks or so. The bucks go from complete lethargy to over-exertion. They are not eating much as throats and glands are swollen.

Life is good

2007-09-26T18:21:00.001-04:00

Resting after his performance on Sunday in fallen maple leaves is Max, the herd leader, secure in the knowledge that thanks to you there is food in the larder and hay in the barn.

Thanks to all deer lovers

2007-09-24T16:49:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who came to the Open House yesterday. What great, generous people you are! We were a bit overwhelmed and apologize for not being quite prepared for so many of you.

Because we received more food than we can safely store, we took some of the best apples and carrots to the Partners in Mission Food Bank in Kingston this afternoon, and they were happy to receive this nutritious donation from Fallow Deer Reserve supporters.

Estimated attendance is somewhere around 200. The deer performed as if having such an audience is a regular occurrence. The audience achieved a remarkable quiet that allowed the deer to come forward out of the woods. It was magic.

Special thanks to volunteers Aida Sulcs (facepainting), Wendy Workman (info), Miesje Stewart and Amber Bellamy (children's games), Don Murphy and Allan Park (tour guides), Adam Strauss and Colin Saccary (parking)

We are pleased to announce that we have raised $1225.71 since yesterday morning.

Thank you everyone. Merci tout le monde.

If you had to leave before the deer feeding or arrived too late, please call 613-386-3673 or via email jmcd@reztel.net to arrange a visit. Please resist the temptation to drop in without a deer-keeper. It's important to keep track of what the deer are eating and there are other safety issues for the deer and for yourselves.

The Fallow Deer Reservists

OPEN HOUSE, Sunday, September 23, 2007

2007-09-10T11:25:00.000-04:00

An invitation for you and your deerest

to the Open House at the new site

4265 Florida Road, near Wilton

(Call 613-386-3673 for directions)

Sunday, September 23, 2007

from 1-4 pm

Tour, hike, talk or walk.

Deer will be fed at about 3pm.

Children are very welcome.

Bring apples and/or carrots for the deer,

and cookies for everyone else.

We’ll provide lemonade & soft drinks.

Rain or shine.

Visitors from Woodstock ON

2007-09-06T11:42:00.001-04:00

Deb meets George

We welcomed Marianne and Deb Park, Allan's sisters from Woodstock, Ontario in August for their first visit to the reserve. They enjoyed the interaction with the deer and Marianne was able to get KoKo to take food from her hand, a first.

Volunteer of the Month

2007-09-05T16:41:00.001-04:00

M.S. (11) is one of our youngest volunteers. She loves to chop up apples and carrots for the deer and is great at pumping water into their trough. She was one of the first to hand feed KoKo in late August and now KoKo is high on her list of favourites, along with her beloved deer, Murph, who's in the background of this photo.

Closeup: Mike

2007-08-29T09:50:00.000-04:00

Here's a closeup of Mike now that his velvet has vanished, showing the injury on his right brow antler. Although the antler touches his forehead, there does not appear to be any rubbing and from our observations there is no problem with his vision.

Nearly all deer have a facial gland in front of each eye which you can see in this photo. The gland contains a strongly scented pheromone used to mark his home range. Bucks of a wide range of species open these glands wide when angry or excited.

Max moments after his velvet loss

2007-08-23T08:39:00.000-04:00

Max, moments after he tore away at his velvet. August 22, 2007.

More dreads

2007-08-22T08:30:00.001-04:00

More deer are losing the velvet that has covered their growing antlers since April/May. Gulliver and Moki are added to the list. KoKo lost his velvet overnight, from black velvet to bone with no signs of the dried velvet strands. Mike has lost his velvet and we are pleased that his injured brow antler has hardened in such a way as not to impair his vision. It looks like a broken finger and we are still trying to get a good picture of it.

This picture shows Ty in the background with his velvet still on. Moki is in the foreground with the velvet torn away from his left antler and the hard right antler, but some of the strands of velvet are still attached to the base (burr) and look like dreadlocks dangling on his forehead and sometimes over his eyes. This bothers the deer and they rub their antlers against the juniper and cedar boughs to tear away at them and hurry up with their loss.

Velvet shreds

2007-08-20T10:31:00.000-04:00

Two of our bucks have shedded their velvet so far -- both in the past few days. First EGee, then Dandy. Our picture of EGee was not the greatest, but Dandy stopped moving his head from side to side long enough to give us this picture. The deer are bothered by the long strips that hang in front of their eyes both the shreds of velvet dry and fall off in about 48 hours.

Sign posted

2007-08-06T12:38:00.000-04:00

Allan, Aida, Adam, Jane and the new sign

As of yesterday afternoon, our official sign is finished and in place at the entrance to the new Reserve. Thanks to artist, Aida Sulcs, for her excellent work which captures George perfectly in his prime.

Merci also to Diane Lalonde and Adam Strauss for helping to mount the sign.

July update and thanks

2007-07-26T08:39:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Don Murphy, we have a wonderful new gate that has allowed us to start work on the barn and that opens wide to allow tractor-drawn hay wagons easy entry to the enclosure.

With design, coordination and labour from Terry Thomson and Sam Bush, we have built a lean-to on the south side of the barn which will provide the bucks with warm shelter from winter winds, ice storms, etc. We were able to use lumber and plywood salvaged from the old reserve by Don in addition to the lumber that was stored in the new Reserve's barn. Also helping in this project are Adam Strauss and Drew Sauve.

Emerald Murphy has donated 250 bales of this year's hay which is now stacked in our loft thanks to help from Murph and Don. On Monday, July 23, Bruce Burt, our 90 year old volunteer, drove his tractor (purchased in 1949) and a load of 113 bales from his farm to the reserve about 4km. We are happy to report that both the tractor and he made the trip and the descent down the Florida Road hill without incident. Thanks to Colin Saccary and Paige for helping us unload the hay wagon and stack the bales. Thanks to Barry, Bruce and Stewart for the "supervision".

The deer are flourishing, growing enormous antlers and very relaxed. They've convinced us that they love their new home.

Many thanks from Allan and Jane

Bash, Buddy, Dandy, EGee, George, Gulliver, KoKo,

Max, Mike, Moki, Murph, Spike & Ty