BRC Fallow Deer

We spent Saturday weaning our fawns from their mothers.  Boy what a day that was. We have officially ran all of our fallow deer through our deer barn and the Papa chute system. This adventure was very similar to how I was expecting the day to go and yet it was completely different!

Have you ever tried to herd wild animals into a confined space? Yeah? Most cattlemen should raise their hands. I mean we have ALL dealt with a wild cow/bull before but DANG fallow deer have given me a brand new perspective on herding animals. Basically everything I learned from owning our cattle has been thrown out the window. Do not throw your arms around. Unless Brendan tells you to. Do not run at the deer. Unless Brendan tells you to. Do not make any sudden movements. Unless Brendan tells you to. And by golly please be quiet.  Well…. maybe it is similar to working cattle with my husband, I just need to follow his directions. All jokes aside, I am proud of how well we worked together during this new experience.  

I swear the fallow deer KNEW that we were up to something. From the very minute that Brendan stepped out in the pen on Saturday morning they became extra cagey. They were not willing to waltz right into the catch pen like I wanted them to. Like come on ladies, let’s show those other deer farms how it’s done. They didn’t get my memo. Instead, they decided to critique Brendan’s catch pen design and find the weak spots. Nice right?! Don’t worry the weak spots didn’t last long. Brendan came up with some quick remedies and called in some extra hands. That’s me, I’m the extra hands. We quickly figured out how to work as a team and outsmart our quick deer. All I had to do was stand behind the wall, where the deer could not see me. Then pull the rope connected to the gate to get it to stay shut. VIOLA! We captured the deer.

Once all the deer were safely in the holding pens, we decided everyone could use a minute of reprieve. It was only a short break. Apparently that reset our deer. For as quick as our deer were that morning, out running, out thinking and out cunning us, that’s not how the rest of the day went. They switched up to a new tactic. They moseyed through the chute system. A few even laid down. Even though that slowed down progress it was nice to be able to work at a relaxed pace. We collected a hair sample from every doe and fawn that went through the chute. We gave them all pour on meds for internal and external parasites. The fawns also got metal ear tags, per state regulations, and some shots of vitamins to boost their immune system. A few of them even got a bluetooth ear tag. Fancy Right? When we released them from the chute, we routed them to their new pens. Fawns separated from the does; the underlining purpose of our day. We chose to wean our fawns now to allow our does some time to recover before A.I. breeding later this fall. Research suggests that this will help increase their likelihood of being successfully A.I. bred.  

Our first time working our deer through the new deer barn was quite an experience. It was fast paced, yet slow. It was exciting, yet systematic. It was long, yet quickly over. It was wonderful being up close to our deer, yet I’m glad they are back in the pasture. It was a relief to be done, yet I am looking forward to our next opportunity. It was a successful day. All the deer ended up where they needed to be. What a day!

~The Deer Wife
BRC Fallow Deer