Step away from the baby deer....

And that is just what I had to do yesterday after finding a tiny baby deer in our front yard. So small.... about the size of our cat Mickey, except the deer's legs were longer. And so fragile.... it was all I could do to resist the urge to pick up that baby and cuddle him close. But.... not exactly what you should do with a baby deer.

The momma deer will leave their baby for ten or even twelve hours at a time, so we are all told out here not to touch them, move them, or try to feed them when they are alone. The baby deer just rests and sleeps, and picks up its head every once in a while for a little look-see, and then goes back to sleep. At one point this afternoon as the sun moved through the trees, the baby's sleeping spot was no longer in the shade. We watched from the kitchen window as the baby deer got up and stretched its legs and then gingerly moved three steps into a shady spot. My husband and I watched from the kitchen window, both of us wanting to go out there and somehow help that tiny fragile baby.

We got close enough to take some pictures, neither of us touching the deer but both of us wanting to. I kept Savannah away from that part of the yard all day, and let Mickey stay in the kitchen so even he wouldn't bother the baby. At dinner time, I walked Savannah in the backyard, and when I got to the front yard, the baby deer was gone. I walked all around the pecan trees and the gazebo and then all through the side yard to make sure the baby hadn't wandered off. My guess is that the momma deer had been watching the yard and when she saw me go out of sight around the back, she came and reclaimed her baby.

The yard felt so empty all of a sudden. I walked down the road a bit and looked out into the tall grass of the pasture, and then I walked up to the barn and looked out into the fields there.  Not a sign of any deer at all. Well, I am hoping that momma and baby are safely tucked away in the woods by now. And I hope the hiding place there is as quiet and as safe as our front yard was all day for that tiny baby.