I met Bambi yesterday
By topffer
@topffer (42156)
France
September 28, 2016 7:07am CST
I like to do walks and rides in the woods since I am a kid, and what happened yesterday was a first for me and will probably never happen again during the rest of my life. Sadly I had only my phone with me, which has not a very good camera, but it is better than nothing.
I did a bicycle ride in the nature yesterday, and I was on a small road in a public forest when I saw a little deer alone on the side of the road
. The parents are never leaving their children going alone in the wild before they are 6 months old, and this kid was about 3 months old. I have often seen groups of deers in the woods, but never a fawn alone. Deers are usually sleeping when the sun is high, and this one probably escaped at the supervision of its parents and decided to do a walk. I stopped the bike at about 40 feet from it. The bicycle is soundless, and it had not noticed me. I asked it where was its mother ? It looked at me. Despite of its big ears, it had not understood well and... walked towards me. I was surprised
, deers are never socializing, and I left a second the camera to get off the bike. It frightened it, it ran on the other side of the road and stopped again to watch me. Maybe I was its first human encounter, or maybe it had never seen a bicycle 
? It finally jumped in the woods. I am sure that it has been scolded by its parents when it told them what it had seen
.
I did a less nice animal encounter during the night yesterday, I will tell you about it later.
Have you encountered wild animals in the nature ? Did you managed to took pictures ? I took these yesterday afternoon.
. The parents are never leaving their children going alone in the wild before they are 6 months old, and this kid was about 3 months old. I have often seen groups of deers in the woods, but never a fawn alone. Deers are usually sleeping when the sun is high, and this one probably escaped at the supervision of its parents and decided to do a walk. I stopped the bike at about 40 feet from it. The bicycle is soundless, and it had not noticed me. I asked it where was its mother ? It looked at me. Despite of its big ears, it had not understood well and... walked towards me. I was surprised, deers are never socializing, and I left a second the camera to get off the bike. It frightened it, it ran on the other side of the road and stopped again to watch me. Maybe I was its first human encounter, or maybe it had never seen a bicycle ? It finally jumped in the woods. I am sure that it has been scolded by its parents when it told them what it had seen.
I did a less nice animal encounter during the night yesterday, I will tell you about it later.
Have you encountered wild animals in the nature ? Did you managed to took pictures ? I took these yesterday afternoon.19 people like this
23 responses
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
28 Sep 16
That the fawn stayed long enough for you to take a picture is amazing. Something magical happens to animals when I grab my camera—they disappear. Even my cat turns his back on me and I often get pics of his rear end when I wanted pics of his face.
4 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Sep 16
I missed this discussion. I will look at it. I am very careful when I meet wild boars, especially when it is a mother with its little pigs. And it is not reassuring to see a large one sunbathing on the middle of a path and not moving when you beep it : "you do not expect me to move for a bicycle 
?".
?".3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Sep 16
What is also rare is to see a deer at 2 PM. They are usually doing a nap at this time. I suppose that this fawn was not far from its family, though.
I was very close, and I have used no zoom, but the pictures that I make with my phone are never very good. I always take my phone with me, but rarely a camera...
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
28 Sep 16
I have, I grew up in a nature preserve, we knew enough to never touch, but sometimes they were so curious I had to run away from them!
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
30 Sep 16
In public forests, the rights to hunt are sold, and it might be very expensive, but for deers the number to kill every year is fixed by the administration with the help of the forest rangers. There is no limit for wild boars : they are always overpopulated and are doing damages to fields out of the forest, since some people breeding wild boars have crossed some wild boars with pigs to have more piglets and they escaped in the nature.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
30 Sep 16
@topffer we have to allow a certain amount of hunting, if not the deer get overpopulated and then end up all starving and dying of diseases. I am fine with hunting, as long as the hunter takes responsibly, AND uses everything, sport hunting is an abomination
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
1 Oct 16
@topffer wild pigs are a nusance all over, even here
1 person likes this
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@stringer321 (5644)
• Kiryat Ata, Israel
30 Oct 16
It is very nice to see a wild animal during the day.
I saw wild boars where I worked 2 years ago. Those boars have their natural territory shrink since we, the humans, build more homes and cut trees to develop the city. The boars started looking for food in trash cans and even going into backyards, walk on the streets. I was lucky to video record a bunch of boars. I wonder what would have happened if a dog saw them and start barking.
You can sure walk between the trees and look for the deer, but, you better watch out from the deer ticks, they hide in such places and can transmit diseases. I try not to walk next to bushes and among the weed.
Tell me, what is that road sign next to to bambi ?
@topffer (42156)
• France
30 Oct 16
Wild boars are also doing damages out of the woods here. We have too many since a few people breeding them have crossed wild boars with pigs to have more piglets and they escaped : a "normal" wild boar had 1 or 2 piglets in the past, the "updated" ones can have 7 or 8. They are considered harmful now and can be hunted all the year.
In front of a dog, they usually go away, but they face if the dog insists. People hunting wild boars with a pack of dogs have often their dogs hurt or killed. Personally I am afraid each time I see a mother with her piglets : when they decide to attack they can be very dangerous.
You are the first one asking about the road sign
. This one exists only in France, since 1952. It says "Beware of fire" and alerts about a fire hazard in this place. I post a picture of it.
. This one exists only in France, since 1952. It says "Beware of fire" and alerts about a fire hazard in this place. I post a picture of it.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
1 Nov 16
@stringer321 There are electric fences around this public forest, but the boars always manage to find a way to go in the fields surrounding them, and the state is responsible for the damages. I have a few acres of woods where I wanted to forbid hunting, and I did not when the local hunting society told me that I would be held responsible for the damages done around by the animals
. In public forests, the state sells the rights to hunt, fixes the number of animals to kill every year (there is no limit for wild boars) and is always responsible for the damages done by animals out of the forests. If they were not hunted, you would find soon wild boars in the streets of any city.
. In public forests, the state sells the rights to hunt, fixes the number of animals to kill every year (there is no limit for wild boars) and is always responsible for the damages done by animals out of the forests. If they were not hunted, you would find soon wild boars in the streets of any city.1 person likes this
@stringer321 (5644)
• Kiryat Ata, Israel
31 Oct 16
@topffer I wish there were more signs like this near the forests in my country. One accident with fire can make a horrible fire for days in the forest, that can burn many trees.
I don't think one has to hunt the boars, but, just don't let them go into the city and eat and make damage. Hunting them ? That's cruel. :-(
I had a dog who used to threat cats, he loved running after them, but, he was afraid of their scratches, he liked running after them but he also ran away from them when they tried to attack him, he cried.
He never hurt the cats, he just like to annoy them and run away from them.
Boar hunting is cruel to the dogs and the boars. This is sad that we don't live with animals in the wild and we build homes and cut trees.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137464)
• United States
28 Sep 16
What a nice story, Top! I am glad you saw the fawn and stopped before it saw you! I am quite sure you would have scared it badly
if you hadn't noticed it and stopped the bike before you got too close to it.
For a phone camera, those pictures aren't too bad! (As you said, any camera is better than no camera in a pinch! )
I tend to take more pictures of the plants I see than I do the animals... that is, if I even notice the animals while I am out and about... (shrug!)
! I am glad you saw the fawn and stopped before it saw you! I am quite sure you would have scared it badly if you hadn't noticed it and stopped the bike before you got too close to it.
For a phone camera, those pictures aren't too bad! (As you said, any camera is better than no camera in a pinch! )
I tend to take more pictures of the plants I see than I do the animals... that is, if I even notice the animals while I am out and about... (shrug!)1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Sep 16
I was climbing a hill and the road was straight like you can see. If I had seen it on the downhill, I would probably not have been able to stop quickly without making a lot of noise with the brakes. It was not scared until I moved to get down the bicycle when it was moving towards me. It was a very nice encounter.
I bought an Olympus bridge camera with a 40x optical zoom recently, and I would have made fabulous photos of it if I have had it with me. These were taken with no zoom : if I try to zoom, they are blurred most of the time.
.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Sep 16
@DaddyEvil It is a problem with the auto focus when you zoom. Sometimes it works, more often it does not... It is a Huawei YP 550. I have changed the software camera for a better one, Open Camera, but the focus problem when you zoom is a hardware problem I think. It is not bad for movies though, and you can add an external mic on the jack headset, which is not possible on many phones. It was the cheapest 4G phone, I paid it new about $150 2 years ago when they released it, and it never had any failure, so it was a good investment. But it is a low/mid phone, and you cannot expect to find a high end camera on such a phone. The front one is only 2 MP, and the back one 5 MP.
The Olympus camera is really good : I can zoom on a tile on a roof 1 street away and the photo of the tile is neat. But it is a bit bulky and I need a bag to bring it when I go out for a bicycle ride, while I have always my phone with me.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137464)
• United States
29 Sep 16
@topffer Hmmm... I would have loved to see pictures of the fawn taken with your new camera, too!
I wonder what is going on with the zoom on your phone's camera? Mine don't blur when I zoom stuff. I'll see what I can find out about it.
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
29 Sep 16
great photos! I used to live out in the woods.. and deers used to come into our back garden all the time. They are ok with me, but deadly scared with adults.. purely cos I was shorter and less of a threat?
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Sep 16
I always liked woods, but I never lived close. You were lucky. Maybe they feel when someone does not represent a danger ? Cats know very well when they can trust somebody enough to put a hand on their back. Deers are hunted here, by regular hunters but also by poachers, and it was the first time that I was seeing one walking towards me. It was amazing. It has certainly been scolded by its parents.
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
29 Sep 16
@topffer That is a shame! but deer meat does taste nice in France! Alas I am torn
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
30 Sep 16
European Bambi's : most of our deers are small deers called "chevreuils" in French which are living only in Europe+both European and Asian part of Turkey. You can find them in all France, and this is one of them. The big deers, the same than in North America, are rare in France ; out of North-Eastern France, they are present only in a few forests of South-Western France, among them this very large state forest, but I have not seen one since several years. They are called "cerfs" in French.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (20046)
• United States
28 Sep 16
Pretty pictures. i have seen a goat, a turtle, and bunnies on my walks to take the trash out.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Sep 16
Tell me : the goat was not a wild goat ?
We have colonies of Florida turtles in the rivers here. People have put them in the rivers when they were too big to keep at home, and they settled. They are considered like harmful, but very good animals for photographers.
?
We have colonies of Florida turtles in the rivers here. People have put them in the rivers when they were too big to keep at home, and they settled. They are considered like harmful, but very good animals for photographers.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Sep 16
@JESSY3236 A goat at home ? This guy did not knew what was a goat when he bought it. It is not a sheep. It is more stubborn than a donkey. They are very picky with their food, and I hope that he has only planted flowers that this one does not like, or they will not last long.
? This guy did not knew what was a goat when he bought it. It is not a sheep. It is more stubborn than a donkey. They are very picky with their food, and I hope that he has only planted flowers that this one does not like, or they will not last long.1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (20046)
• United States
29 Sep 16
@topffer no. A neighbor said that the guy who lives on the other side of dumpster (I saw it at our dumpster when i took out the trash) owns the goat and the goat either got free, or he let it out. The turtle I saw was small.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Sep 16
I have never seen a coyote and fortunately we have no more wolves in my area. I find them frightening. My grandmother told me that she had been once followed by a wolf when she was going to school
. She was born in 1889, so it happened circa 1900.
The only wild animals that might be dangerous for a human being in my area are wild boars, and we have a lot since some people breeding wild boars have crossed them with pigs to have more piglets.
You are the second one to speak of tame deers in this discussion. The species are not the same in Europe and USA. The deers we have mainly here are called "chevreuils", they are smaller than yours and are usually never socializing with humans, except in zoos and public gardens.
. She was born in 1889, so it happened circa 1900.
The only wild animals that might be dangerous for a human being in my area are wild boars, and we have a lot since some people breeding wild boars have crossed them with pigs to have more piglets.
You are the second one to speak of tame deers in this discussion. The species are not the same in Europe and USA. The deers we have mainly here are called "chevreuils", they are smaller than yours and are usually never socializing with humans, except in zoos and public gardens.1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99405)
• Atlanta, Georgia
29 Sep 16
@topffer I think our deer are friendlier than they were when much hunting was going on. Few people hunt here anymore and I think deer are losing their fear of humans. I've never seen a boar. I believe they do have them further up in the mountains.We don't see wolves where we live now. but they are further out in the contry
1 person likes this
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
29 Sep 16
Do you think Bambi will ask for a bike when he tells his parents about his adventure?
We get to see elephants and deer sometimes during trips back from picnics.
We get to see elephants and deer sometimes during trips back from picnics.1 person likes this
@teresatrotter (4073)
• Jacksonville, Florida
29 Sep 16
Deers are nice to watch.
1 person likes this
@CaptAlbertWhisker (32748)
• Calgary, Alberta
29 Sep 16
I felt awkward replying on this one because my dinner last nightwas Venison from a doe. Omg I ate Bambie's mom. Back to the topic I had encountered monkeys and wild birds before.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Sep 16
Your venison was coming from a breeding or from hunting ? I eat venison very rarely, it is quite expensive here. Bambi Mom was probably not far and worrying for its fawn which had bad company.
Monkeys are something that you would not encounter in the wild in Europe. The only place with monkeys is Gibraltar, and they are seeing so many tourists that I cannot tell that they are wild anymore.
.
Monkeys are something that you would not encounter in the wild in Europe. The only place with monkeys is Gibraltar, and they are seeing so many tourists that I cannot tell that they are wild anymore.
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Sep 16
No, and I regret it. We have no skunk in France (the only French skunk that I know is Pepé Le Pew), but we have its cousin polecat, which is smaller and not so cute. I have not seen a polecat since years. They are considered like harmful and trapped.
This deer is a "chevreuil". They also do not live in America. I give you the link to it on French Wikipedia.
), but we have its cousin polecat, which is smaller and not so cute. I have not seen a polecat since years. They are considered like harmful and trapped.
This deer is a "chevreuil". They also do not live in America. I give you the link to it on French Wikipedia.
Un article de Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre. Aller à : navigation, rechercher Capreolus capreolus Pour les articles homonymes, voir Chevreuil (homonymie). Ne doit pas être confondu avec le Cerf de Virginie, appelé « chevreuil » en Amérique du Nord. Capr
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
28 Sep 16
Cool pictures even though it wasn't taken with a regular camera. Phones do come in handy for unexpected surprises. We have many deer that cross the roadways so I don't usually get pictures of them too often.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Sep 16
Thank you. I have always a phone with me, but rarely a camera these days, and this phone is not a champ when it comes to photos. Most of the time they are in groups here, and it was the first time that I was seeing a fawn alone. Maybe the rest of the family was not far though.
1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
28 Sep 16
Since I live in a wooded area, I get to see all kinds of critters @topffer .
1 person likes this
