Keep scrolling after you read the story. There are a lot more pictures!

This is the 11th year of my retirement here in our White City home near Jacobsville, and the 10th winter of feeding the deer that yard-up in this area. This is such a pleasant experience that it is hard to put into words. I don't hunt anymore and even if I did it would be difficult to kill such a beautiful animal. I do understand the need to have a hunting season to keep the size of the deer herd in a manageable and sustainable size.

Deer usually start coming into our area when the snow deepens back in the deep woods and their natural food supply gets covered up and becomes scarce. This could be any time between the first part of December to the first part of January, depending on snow cover.

This year, 2000, the heavy snow came fairly early and the first deer showed up on December 23rd. I knew he was one from last year, as he came up near to me. By December 27th their number increased to three deer, and again they were familiar with me. I recognized that they were regulars from last year. Many survive from year to year and they do have an excellent memory, especially where food is concerned. After all, winter can be harsh and food is their main concern for survival. My intent (besides the enjoyment) is not to be their only source of food, but only to supplement their diet. Trying to be their main source would weaken their ability to survive in the wild. I'm sure they think otherwise, but I won't cave in to their desires. I feed them scrap veggies, peelings and bread ends that we save up during the summer in our garage freezer. When this is gone I get large bags of returned bread and rolls from Thurner's Bakery in Calumet and rejected produce from the supermarkets when I can.

This year was most unusual only because on January 2nd, when Barb went up the driveway to get the mail, she saw a large buck with antlers watching her. Sure enough, this buck showed up that afternoon at the usual feeding time. I feed them in the morning and late afternoon. Bucks usually lose or drop their antlers around the 1st of December and grow them back every year. We have never seen any antlered deer in all the past winters of feeding, even though we've had as many as 40 in some of the harshest winters. In the severe winters I received help from the local Sportsmen's Club, who went all out to help the deer survive. They brought deer pellets, corn and hay. This year I have 6 regulars so far and have had as many as 11 (a much more manageable size herd). We've got to eat too.

This large antlered buck (well over 200 pounds) became a regular. What a beautiful animal. And he surely intimidates and gets respect from the other deer with his large rack of antlers he still possesses. We wondered how long he would hold onto his antlers. He quickly became the center of our attention.

On January 11th, he came in as usual for the late afternoon feeding with 5 others. About a half hour after feeding, Barb looked out the kitchen window and called me, telling me that it looked like a pair of antlers side by side about 20 feet from the house in the driveway where I feed them. Sure enough, they were Bucko's antlers (that's the name we gave him), 11 points in all. To say the least, we were totally flabbergasted. Bucks usually drop or knock off their antlers out in the woods and seldom both antlers at the same time or place. Porcupines and other animals usually get them before people can find them. In all my wanderings through the woods, I have never found antlers, and here they were, laying there right in our yard. It was as if he gave them to us as a gift for feeding him. This is what we will always believe.

I took the antlers and had them mounted by a fellow from our church who does this. Naturally we took many pictures of Bucko with his antlers and after, as he is still a regular. However, although he is a huge buck, once his antlers were gone, he seems less intimidating to the others. He would only come about 5 feet from me during feedings. I hand-feed most of them, and on January 26th, he finally came up to me for his first hand feeding. I had finally gained his trust like I have with the others. It's hard to explain the feeling I get when the deer come right up to me with that trusting look they give me as they are demanding food. God produced a beautiful animal here. If one takes the time, all of God's creations are beautiful and each with a purpose. Each deer has distinguishing features and are easily recognizable, as I have discovered during my enjoyable 10 years of faithfully and supplementally feeding them. This is one of the many benefits of living out here, close to nature and what it provides away from the hustle and bustle of living in the city. I've written this because this experience with Bucko is so rare and we probably won't experience anything like it again. He and the others will remain around here until spring when the snow melts and their natural food re-appears back in the deep woods. Hopefully they will survive the elements and return again next winter. I'll be waiting.

Thanks Bucko.

Bucko with Antlers

Bucko with Antlers Again

Another shot with Antlers

Another one with Antlers

Bucko Loses His Antlers

Aha, but I got them!

Bucko without Antlers

Bucko without Antlers

Bucko and Friends at Feeding Time

Bucko and Friends at Feeding Time

Leaning In for a Bite to Eat

Bucko Gets Hand-Fed

Group Photo from Past Years

Group Photo from Past Years

And the fishing is pretty good here too!

This story took place at our home here in White City on the Keweenaw Peninsula during the winter of 2000/2001. I took all photographs (except the fishing picture) with our 35mm Minolta camera, and then scanned them for layout on my Macintosh PowerPC computer. This webpage was created by Barb Nelson on February 10, 2001.