Through the Woods: And you thought she was nice

I took this photo the morning of Feb. 19. The area had received about 7 inches of snow a few days earlier. The early morning temperature was a few degrees above zero.

During winter in Southeast Missouri, it is typical for whitetail deer to travel in small herds for safety reasons. More eyes and noses locating potential danger is smart. I was watching a small herd of 12 deer, when I saw a larger doe head-butting a smaller doe, knocking it down.

It is common for a doe to stay with her fawn/fawns for the fawn’s first year. When a herd of does and fawns gather during winter, any particular doe will be especially protective of her offspring. This is what I witnessed. The fawn immediately got back to its feet, went to another doe and stood beside it. The fawn showed no signs of being harmed.

Horrell is an artist and outdoorsman. He lives in Chaffee. He owns Painted Wren Art Gallery in Cape Girardeau.