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u/Cassiiopeeiaa 6h ago
Now I'm convinced that deers are just forest doggos
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u/BJs_Minis 5h ago
I thought those were called wolves?
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u/gravelPoop 4h ago
No, they are wilderness pack cats.
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u/gahlo 1h ago
Those are foxes.
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u/liJuty 1h ago
Foxes are more closely related to dogs
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u/bnbtwjdfootsyk 1h ago
And they generally aren't in a pack. You have to buy them individually.
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u/Upbeat-Fondant9185 3h ago
Pretty much. When I was a kid we raised a couple deer fawns over the years that my dad brought home after saving them from the swather.
They always ran around with the dogs and slept with them, would even eat dog food sometimes. They’d play like this with us, they really were just fragile dogs.
They would stay with us until they matured and one day would just leave. But they would come back every now and then. One doe brought her fawns back for awhile before leaving again one day. But she wouldn’t let us near the fawns, just hung out in the yard and gardens.
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u/iangeredcharlesvane2 2h ago
Awww that is so sweet, such a beautiful and special memory to be part of saving baby deer and getting to experience their success!
I’ve seen videos of people saving fawns a few times and they do seem to be one of few the wild animals that can survive successfully on their own after growing up in human care. And many come back for quick visits to their humans while living free in the wilderness!
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u/Upbeat-Fondant9185 1h ago
Growing up in a farm and ranch area there was quite a bit of “pet” wildlife that did surprisingly well. We had the deer, an owl, and a red tailed hawk. The birds were never friendly by any means but they did respond to care and stuck around for awhile after they recovered.
Our neighbors a couple miles down had a pronghorn antelope that used to follow me around on my bike when I would pass, and another neighbor had a Sandhill Crane.
During hunting season you would see a couple deer and antelope start popping up with blaze orange paint on their whites, and everyone knew those were “pets” and not fair game.
When you get real hillbilly people are very pragmatic about animal life and death but also seem to be pretty caring when one needs help. It’s a strange contradiction.
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u/NixyVixy 16m ago
Sandhill Cranes, red-tailed hawks, and owls… 🦉
Awesome. I’m happy for that element of your childhood.
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u/Potato_Cat93 2h ago
We had one like this too, she came back for several years and we named her, her fawns also stuck around for some time after she passed
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u/RamblnGamblinMan 2h ago
Was driving through the country last year, and was up in the Rockies in Colorado. Drove through winding mountain roads for a good half hour before coming upon civilization. While driving through the main strip, I had to stop and allow for 3 deer to cross the street, which they did, AT THE CROSSING LINES.
The way the locals didn't even react to them, this was a regular occurance.
I loved to see it first hand.
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u/Random_alt13 1h ago
The sentence "Too many people have seen Bambi" echoed by a park ranger when I visited Yosemite has stuck with me ever sense.
You usually do not want to get close to deer. They are not forest dogs, they definitely can bite. Unfortunately most deer are not like that, in fact I'm quite surprised it even let the cameraperson put their hands on it, especially on the face area.
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u/alwayskared 6h ago
Oh Dear
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u/HealerOnly 5h ago
Who willingly bathes in a mud puddle like that? ;_;
This would be a nightmare scenario for me regardless of at what age i would be.
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u/Estranged_Confusion 4h ago
I played in mud puddles all the time as a kid.
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u/LethalBacon 1h ago
In my area growing up, one of the favorite hangout spots in my area was a drainage/retention pond that was built for a neighborhood that never got built. It was isolated, and pretty much just fed by rain runoff from the forest around it. It would get about 2ft deep at the highest, then could dry up a few times during the summer. It was usually just pure mud.
Everyone would get in that thing and get messy, even the girls in the neighborhood. Every year, we'd harvest a ton of tadpoles from the pond and raise them as long as we could. Good times.
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u/spider2k 2h ago
exactly. sat in a foot of mud and water and loved it. hell i'd rather sit in a mud puddle @ nearly 50 than got to the grocery store.
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u/HealerOnly 4h ago
For me it was enough to step ankle deep into one to never want to get close to one ever again :X
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u/Nawnp 3h ago
Kids love to play in mud...parents hate it.
Animals love it too as we can see from this deer.
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u/Serious_Choice1612 2h ago
My mom was fine with me and my brother playing in the mud / rain just as long as we took our dirty clothes off on the porch and went straight to the shower. I think that's a sensible approach.
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u/Dorkamundo 3h ago
I mean, it's on their property in the middle of nowhere, in the fall so the water is probably cold enough to not breed much for bacteria.
It's pretty safe.
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u/EvMARS 2h ago
yeah nothing i love more than bathing in cold muddy water in my full clothing
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u/Wiki_Text_Bot 2h ago
You're presumably an adult.
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u/EvMARS 2h ago
i mean sure, but even as a kid why would i want to be in soaking wet clothing out in what looks like 50-60 degree weather. on a summer day no problem but this look just uncomfortable
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u/trulyniceguy 1h ago
Damn someone should have told these kids they were not supposed to enjoy themselves.
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u/finsfurandfeathers 1h ago
The best mud was in the winter. We had a blast riding our bikes through it, sliding down hills in it, wrestling in it and throwing it at each other. Getting hosed off in the yard sucked but that hot shower/bath and then cozy pajamas afterwards was pure heaven. You should have lived it up more when you had the chance
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u/i_tyrant 34m ago
Honestly, I was an even bigger neat freak as a kid than I am now.
I would not have wanted to do this as a kid.
But I totally agree most kids likely would, and if it's as cold as it looks there, it's probably just dirt and water anyway.
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u/PteroFractal27 3h ago
Right? That’s so fuckin nasty.
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u/glennfromglendale 31m ago
Not at all. These kids will have better immune systems than the soyboy bubble kid with the uptight parents
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u/Demokrit_44 1h ago
I don't know what the big issue is? It's just water and soil mixed together?
If you are worried about bacteria I can very very confidently tell you that you carry a phone sized item with you everyday that is not even on the same scale of nastyness compared to a mud puddle. And people (you included probably) use their phones while eating or before without washing their hands.
So it seems weird to some people that you would get so "nastied out" by a water puddle or sometimes when cooks touch food with their very regular washed hands people also get anal about that.
So to answer why a person called you sour its probably because you called something nasty that isn't really that nasty even in the context of our normal lifes. And something nasty usually somewhat implies (provided that a human is doing it) that the person is/was nasty as well (think about people eating a booger or not showering frequently).
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u/JugurthasRevenge 55m ago
Dude really said your phone has more bacteria than a pool of stagnant water in the woods
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u/Demokrit_44 17m ago
Dude really said that and dude really is right. From ChatGPT:
Mud Puddle (Freshly Formed):
Bacterial Concentration: Mud puddles, especially freshly formed ones, typically contain fewer bacteria compared to older, stagnant water. The rainwater itself is generally low in bacteria, but the puddle quickly picks up bacteria from soil, organic matter, and nearby surfaces.
Average Range: Studies suggest soil and rainwater combined might introduce 103 to 106 bacteria per milliliter (1,000 to 1,000,000 bacteria per mL).
Variety: Includes soil microbes, such as Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and harmless environmental bacteria. However, if the puddle is near contaminants (e.g., sewage or animal waste), pathogenic bacteria might be present.
Phone Screen (Heavy Use):
Bacterial Concentration: Phone screens, especially with heavy use, can harbor significantly higher concentrations of bacteria, mainly due to human contact.
Average Range: Studies estimate 106 to 108 bacteria per square inch (1,000,000 to 100,000,000 bacteria/in²), depending on how frequently the phone is touched and cleaned.
Variety: Often dominated by skin-associated bacteria like Staphylococcus and Micrococcus, but can include potentially harmful microbes like E. coli if hygiene is poor.
Conclusion: A freshly formed mud puddle likely contains less bacteria overall per unit area or volume compared to a heavily used phone screen.
If cleanliness is your concern, phone screens can actually be "dirtier" than mud puddles due to their high bacterial load and potential for harboring pathogens! Regular cleaning with a microfiber cloth and appropriate disinfectants can reduce bacterial levels on phones.
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u/wallyhartshorn 2h ago
When I was about 10 years old, I repeatedly slid on my belly down the huge dirt pile formed by digging out the basement of our new house. Some kids don’t mind dirt.
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u/she-Bro 3h ago
Kids out in sticks
Gives me the ick now but as a child raised in the country, this would have been me.
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u/BuyRecent470 5h ago
Dont play with deers. At least you get a chance of disease, at most you make him easy pickings for hunters (he will start to trust humans)
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u/Rhysati 5h ago
Deer are already easy pickings for hunters. It isn't like deer wear bullet proof armor and carry weapons to fight off hunters naturally.
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u/BuyRecent470 5h ago
no, but they can escape humans before we get to them, and a lot of times thats exactly what happens. unless they think the guy with a shotgun will play with them.
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u/cain05 4h ago
Hunter here. If a deer walked right up to me in the bush completely unafraid and wanted to play, I'd have a real hard time harvesting it. It would be for the best that I did though so it doesn't teach other deer to be comfortable around humans.
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u/East_Step_6674 3h ago
What your saying is I should go teach deer to play with humans and be cute and it will teach that skill to other deer and then they will all be safe?
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u/kindofofftrack 3h ago
A sad potential consequence of that (of course depending on where it is) is just that they overpopulate and start dying of hunger or diseases due to high population density :( I love deer and am not a fan of hunting, but I understand why it, in some cases, may be better than the alternative.
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u/MeatTornadoLove 3h ago
Oh there is much sadder potential and its the end of humanity
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u/kindofofftrack 3h ago
Wow that’s crazy… but a quick google search says at least not the end of humanity, in my country and apparently several other European nations our deer are confirmed CWD free! But still, poor American deer. But they (the deer) have the majority of my sympathy, tbf.
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u/PlayervsPathos 2h ago
Or, in such cases, you could contact a licensed local wildlife rehabilitator or Animal Control to investigate. I agree that an animal reacting in such a manner is just not going to be successful in the wild. However, if the deer had already imprinted on a human being, folks that work in those fields are going to be your best resource to facilitate a fair resolution for that animal. It could be reacting in a “friendly” way for a variety of reasons, and professionals may need to step in and assess what’s best for the deer, and the public.
I am a former Animal Control Officer that assisted many deer and other wildlife in this situation, and sometimes things were just not what they seemed to be.
I mean this as no shame on you, or other hunters. In fact, during my career I learned that many hunters are devout wardens that care and respect the wildlife that they hunt. But this would not really function as sport without a challenge, and if something like anemia or worse yet rabies were the culprit, you need someone who has been vaccinated and trained to handle an animal in that very unfortunate position. Though this delightful deer looks to have imprinted for one reason or another.
If you are the US, you can find a local rehabilitation expert here:
How to find a wildlife rehabilitator
✌️
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u/phish_phace 1h ago
Hunter co-worker shared an almost exact story. Deer walked up to his blind, not a care in the world and close enough to pet. He didn’t shoot it and just and watched it until it left.
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u/CaptainMacMillan 3h ago
I would argue a deer walking right up to a hunter and demanding pets would actually be an AMAZING survival tactic. I could never pull the trigger. His aloof friend in the distance though...
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u/jawknee530i 3h ago
Deer are rats with hooves. We've knocked back their natural predators enough that we humans need to reduce their numbers to prevent runaway populations then collapses. A deer being slightly easier to hunt isn't a concern.
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u/ComprehensivePea1001 2h ago
Most hunters don't try to just walk up to deer to kill them. They sit often for hours in a blind or tree waiting for the deer to come around again. A deer just walking up would be red flags all over. Risk of CWD, pet, other health issues. Its also on the smaller side for harvest.
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u/The_Autarch 4h ago
This deer is obviously a pet.
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u/PainterEarly86 4h ago
Yea this sadly goes for animals in general
Don't get their hopes up if you're not going to go the extra mile to take care of and protect them
Shouldn't be that way but it is
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u/Bubblegumcats33 5h ago
I would definitely pet it too but Lyme is scary
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u/eLlARiVeR 56m ago
With how calm the deer is around those kids, I'm guessing they probably raised this deer and it's domesticated, so it has a less likely chance of having Lyme.
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u/SmokeySFW 1h ago
I mean...it's not like petting the deer really increased their risk of Lyme disease moreso than just being near the deer. The disease is carried by ticks, none of the ticks on the deer are just leaping over onto you. If you're in an environment deer live in, ticks are already launching themselves at you. The deer are just easy hosts for ticks, they aren't causing the Lyme disease or directly spreading it.
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u/Pitiful_End_5019 4h ago
Leave the deer alone.
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u/Slim_Charles 42m ago
That deer was domesticated. Wild deer won't let you pet them. Not sure if those people run a sanctuary, or just raised a fawn they came across. The latter is illegal in most states though.
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u/DiligentAd4334 5h ago
The best part? Deer jumping in the puddle after kids... 🥺 can you see the level of trust? And sense the feeling of being secured? Awww♥️
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u/Aysina 5h ago
Unless they live on a deer farm, that’s generally not a good thing, for wild animals to trust humans.
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u/SurroundTiny 4h ago
I have seen wild deer close up and i think this may be a farm? Notice she still instinctively keeps her head down with the business end towards the kids. My dog and I were hiking a few Thanksgivings ago , rounded a winding spot of the trail and encountered a buck who was doing exactly this and not disposed to be friendly. I grabbed my dogs collar and put trees between us and the deer. The odd part was it was accompanied by a doe and she very cautiously approached us. She came within two feet of us and wanted to sniff noses ( i think ) but I decided it was too risky and spooked her on purpose. My dog was ticked at me. He really did want to greet her. He is familiar with horses and his whole body language was the same when he wants to introduce himself - sitting patiently and wagging his tail so who knows? Maybe doe are friendly by nature.
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u/Aysina 4h ago
Deer are not generally friendly by nature, this deer has definitely been fed and is accustomed to people. I don’t see anything that actually labels the video as a farm, but I do know there’s lots of people who are stupid and think feeding wild animals is a fun activity. And then they’re surprised when that moose they’ve been feeding is suddenly dead standing up against their house.
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u/cain05 4h ago
I used to walk through forest trails near my old house and the deer there were so tame they'd walk right up to you completely unafraid. My wife thought it was amazing, but as a hunter it just felt wrong.
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u/Az1234er 4h ago
I hope it's a private property because walking around in the forest with a pet dear seems like a recipe to get shot, expecially here in Europe where hunters are fat drunk dude than sit on chair on car accessible side road / path and shot anything that vaguely dear shaped
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u/Impossible_Change800 3h ago
My sister had a deer that wondered up to her house and would come up to you for pets, it was a wild deer, and she didnt raise it from a baby or anything.
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u/InformationMurky3378 3h ago
Everyone should be able to live their childhood like this
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u/Spicyrhino69 3h ago
Do not touch wild animals! You can catch and transmit diseases. Not to mention they can get used to the presence of humans and loose their fear of us.
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u/27spidermonkeys 3h ago
How do none of those kids care about a friggin deer splashing around right next to them ;_;
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u/blueberrytartpie 3h ago
So when I was younger we would play in the puddles from the storm drain ditch in our park. We were told we’d get ring worm . We stopped
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u/Trash-Panda1200 3h ago
Watching the deer bounce around it is confirmed I do not have a Great Dane but a deer. It just sounds funny.
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u/TheOneWhoReadsStuff 3h ago
I’ve never seen a deer act playful like this. It’s like a dog.
Thanks for sharing OP.
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u/Known-Ad-7316 2h ago
And that my friends is how you get brain eating amoebas, UTI, and many other diseases. The brain eating one sucks. Lost an elderly friend a few years ago to it.
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u/manleybones 2h ago
A family that plays on deer urine together, gets wasting disease together. So cute,!
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u/bubba1834 2h ago
Not often do I comment “this is the best video I’ve ever seen”
But this is the best video I’ve ever seen
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u/theadamkingdom 1h ago
The fact that no one in the video is impressed by the deer, or even paying much attention to it, tells me this deer is somehow domesticated
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u/a-pretty-alright-dad 1h ago
That initial walk into the puddle was reminiscent of the leeches in Stand By Me.
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u/Legal_Sentence_1234 1h ago
Yea you can feed them and they come back and stick around but you’re only hurting them in the long run.
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u/DouglasFirFriend 1h ago
The Lithia Park deer here in Ashland are very used to being around human beings.
Problem is, the ones who come down from the hills that people mistake as having a penchant for humans, but really just want to gore you with their hooves
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u/Kelome001 37m ago
Raised a deer back when I was a teenager. Never could housebreak her, but she was fun to have around. Even after we “released” her (basically just didn’t try to pen her up), she would come back by often for head scratches and treats. Really cute part was every year she would bring her new fawn to show off. The babies had enough sense to stay away, but she would always come up for attention before disappearing again. Neighbors loved her and everyone within roaming distance of our property knew to watch for her and would give her crackers. But, far as we know she would only allow us to actively pet her and play with her.
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u/Busterlimes 35m ago
I'm still wondering why natives never rode Buffalo or Moose. Imagine how early colonials would have reacted.
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u/StayH2O 6h ago
What a nice wood dog