Man crunches apples in forest, deer comes to share

There is a beautiful forest in southern Ontario where the deer are protected. They cannot be hunted and they are safe from most of the dangers that wild deer usually face. Their contact with people is very limited, but those few who do share this area with them have never posed a threat. The deer have not learned fear and they will occasionally venture close if a person is still and quiet.

This man has learned that if he sits patiently and eats apples, the deer will eventually come over to check him out. After enough time, the sound and smell might even entice them close enough that he can toss them a few pieces and share his snack with them. Some of them will casually graze or even lie down in the grass a few feet away.

Sitting soundlessly in the forest with only the calls of the birds and the soft footsteps of a herd of deer is a very peaceful experience. Getting close enough to look in their eyes and hear the sound of them also crunching apples is an unforgettable experience.

Deer are prey animals and they are always on the lookout for threats, even in an area where they feel safe. These deer communicate with each other far more than we might expect. To sit among them and observe their behavior carefully, we can actually see that every head movement and ear twitch tells the others something. A sudden movement or noise will startle one of them and the tail will lift, the ears will tilt back and the body language changes. Other deer in the herd will respond and some will even make a quick dash towards shelter until they see that it is a false alarm.
One of the deer in this herd is actually a large fawn, having been born this spring. He has only recently lost his spots and he is naturally wary. He is also extremely curious. He is the one who comes over to his mother for reassurance and sniffs her nose briefly. He carefully watches the other deer and makes his decision to venture close to the man to eat some apple as well, but he is still unsure and wont't come as close as the others.

Every tail switch and head movement that the mother makes is a signal to him as they wander around this man and look for chunks of apple.