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"And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31)
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Since 
(Deer -
11) On 29 August 2002 we saw several white-tailed deer eating berries
on the side of the road. They looked at us with a sense of curiosity
rather than an instant sense of fear. This is a look that we have observed
many times; several are presented in this photo journal. Every time we
have had these encounters, it has dramatically reinforced our belief that
hunters are among the most cowardly human beings upon this earth, for to take
the life of such a trusting being could only be the act of cowardly individuals
who have to cause others to suffer and die in order to "prove" their
masculinity.
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(Deer -
12) We were only about 30 to 35 feet away from this mother and her
child when we took this photo. Truly, the deer are living up to the
standards of Isaiah's prophecy of the Peaceable Kingdom (11:6-9), even if some
of our fellow human beings are unwilling to do so. There is a dark line
running from Mom's eye to her lower jaw and we wondered if it was from a prior injury.
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(Deer
- 12a) This white-tailed deer appeared to be the leader of the group.
There appears to be the scar of a prior injury on this deer's left rear thigh.
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(Deer -
13) This white-tailed deer slowly entered the wooded pathway without
even keeping a watchful eye on us. To us, this is further proof of the
inherently peaceful and trusting nature of these beautiful creations of God.
Thank you, Lord, for allowing this encounter.
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(Deer -
14) Looking into the eyes of this white-tailed deer was like looking
into her soul. These magnificent animals deserve to live their God-given
lives just as much as we humans do. How really depraved a human being has
to be to take the head off such a wonderful living being and mount it on their wall!
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(Deer -
15) As we went on our way, we said good-bye to our friends and thanked
them for allowing us to take these photos and to share them with our readers.
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(Deer -
01) The two white-tailed deer in this photo are almost completely
hidden in the shadows of the woods. They are located about 1/3 of the way
from the left and about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the photo.
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(Deer -
02) Mary spotted these two white-tailed deer as we were on one of our
walks. We and the deer spent about five minutes just watching each other
(I was also taking these pictures).
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(Deer -
03) With their white bow tie neck markings, these white-tailed deer
look as if they're dressed for a formal affair. Watching and photographing
them was as though we were returning to the companionship of Eden, or moving
towards the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy of the peaceable kingdom (Isaiah
11:6-9). Considering the length of time we spent looking at these deer
only reinforces our impression of how cowardly and cruel hunters really are.
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(Deer -
07) We came across these two white-tailed deer as they were eating
some of the new spring growth along the side of the road. The one
continued to browse, while the other only exhibited cautious curiosity.
There were no signs of fear.
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(Deer -
08) These white-tailed deer continued to browse, casting an occasional
glance at us over their shoulders.
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(Deer -
09) Then these two white-tailed deer casually walked across the road
in front of us, one stopping on the side of the shoulder for a nibble.
There is absolutely no way that hunting these magnificent and peaceful living
souls could be considered a "sport"; it is only a somewhat socially acceptable
form of murder.
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(Deer -
10) These two white-tailed deer then slowly walked into the woods and
disappeared from our view. One of the deer even stopped to look back at
us, as if saying good-bye. Once again we had experienced a taste of the
peaceable kingdom (Isaiah 11:6-9), when we will no longer hurt or destroy
because the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord. Our own
personal experience and observation absolutely convinces us that it is only the
human desire to hurt, kill and destroy that prevents Isaiah's prophecy from coming true.
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(White
Tail Deer - 16) We were taking a walk during the second week of May,
when Mary spotted this deer browsing along the side of the road. Deer
should not be this thin, particularly at this time of the year, and we were
concerned about her health, especially because she appears to be pregnant.
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(White
Tail Deer - 17) This is a closer look at this mother-to-be.
Moments after we took this photo, there was a loud noise and she bounded off
into the woods. We will keep her in our prayers.
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(White
Tail Deer - 18) On 28 June 2003, while we were taking a late afternoon
walk, we came upon this deer eating along the side of the road.
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(White
Tail Deer - 19) As we watched this deer and continued to take these
pictures, she moved about looking for more of the tasty tidbits that had fallen
from the tree.
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(White
Tail Deer - 20) The deer would occasionally look at us as we slowly
walked toward her, but she continued eating.
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(White
Tail Deer - 21) As we continued to walk closer to the deer, she took a
longer look at us, and we were able to take this photo.
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(White
Tail Deer - 22) The deer returned to browsing for food, obviously
sensing no danger from us, even though we were upwind from her.
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(White
Tail Deer - 23) None of the photos of this deer were taken with a
telephoto lens. She allowed us to get close enough to take them.
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(White
Tail Deer - 24) When she turned to walk across the road, the deer
looked at us again. We believe that one of the reasons that we are able to
get so close to some of the wild animals is that we are vegans (total
vegetarians) and we don't smell like carnivores.
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(White
Tail Deer - 25) Our camera batteries had run out of power, so we had
to change them. Upon returning to our observation of this deer, she had
decided that the food she desired was not on the other side of the road, and
turned back toward our side of the road.
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(White
Tail Deer - 26) Part of the way across the road, the deer stopped to
eat more of the tree-fallen tidbits.
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(White
Tail Deer - 27) As she continued her walk back across the road, the
deer continued to eat these tasty tidbits.
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(White
Tail Deer - 28) There is something very special about these gentle
souls! We cannot understand how anyone could take pleasure in killing them.
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(White
Tail Deer - 29) Each of our encounters with wild animals, such as the
one we had with this deer, gives us a taste of the reality of the prophet
Isaiah's peaceable kingdom foretold in the Bible (Isaiah 11:6-9).
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(White
Tail Deer - 30) All the time we were photographing this deer, there
was a rabbit dining a little further up the side of the road. (Upper right
corner of photo)
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(White
Tail Deer - 31) As she ate, this deer continued to walk across the
road; and at the same time, we continued to move slowly toward her.
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(White
Tail Deer - 32) When the deer finished eating, she looked up at us again.
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(White
Tail Deer - 33) The deer took a couple of steps toward us, as we
continued to look at each other.
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(White
Tail Deer - 34) The deer then turned back to see if there was anything
good to eat on the bushes.
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(White
Tail Deer - 35) The deer then slowly turned away and began walking up
the road toward the place where the rabbit continued to graze on the roadside salad.
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(White
Tail Deer - 36) The deer then turned to reenter the woods. This
encounter was truly a blessing.
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(White
Tail Deer - 37) On 30 June 2003, as we were taking an early evening
walk in the same area, we spotted these two fawn on the road. We knew
Mommy deer had to be close by her children.
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(White
Tail Deer - 37a) We then spotted Mommy deer browsing in the shadows
along the side of the road.
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(White
Tail Deer - 38) As we continued to move a little closer, the deer
looked up at us.
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(White
Tail Deer - 38a) One of her children also looked up at us, but the
other one continued to eat.
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(White
Tail Deer - 39) The fawn on the left seemed to be a little skittish
about our presence, but the other one was not frightened and continued to eat.
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(White
Tail Deer - 39a) The deer seemed concerned that her one of her
children was frightened, so we stopped walking.
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(White
Tail Deer - 40) The mother deer remained on the side of the road, but
her children moved closer to her.
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(White
Tail Deer - 41) Realizing that we presented no danger to her or her
family, the deer returned to eating with one of her children, but the other
child was still frightened by our presence and began to run away.
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(White
Tail Deer - 42) Mommy deer was concerned about her frightened child
and started to go after him or her.
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(White
Tail Deer - 43) The deer walked up the side of the road toward her
fleeing child.
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(White
Tail Deer - 43a) The frightened fawn stopped running as mother deer
walked toward him or her.
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(White
Tail Deer - 43b) Even after his or her mother and sibling had left,
this little deer continued to look at us for what seemed like a couple of
minutes, before bounding off to join the family.
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(White
Tail Deer - 44) As we were walking along the road, we saw this deer
walk into the woods; and as we were taking this photo, her baby ran up to her
and they rubbed their faces together in a greeting of love.
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(White
Tail Deer - 45) As we walked down the road, this white tail deer was
slowly walking into the woods.
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(White
Tail Deer - 46) We believe that these are the two youngsters we
photographed with their mother the previous week. This time they were
without Mother.
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(White
Tail Deer - 47) I was softly talking to the deer as I slowly walked
toward them.
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(White
Tail Deer - 48) As I moved closer, the deer on the left trotted up
towards me and stopped next to his or her sibling.
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(White
Tail Deer - 49) Some flies seemed to be bothering the deer on the
left, and he or she kept trying to chase them away.
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(White
Tail Deer - 50) The deer on the right seemed particularly interested
in me, as I continued talking and walking closer.
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(White
Tail Deer - 51) These young white tail deer made no move to leave.
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(White
Tail Deer - 52) By this time the biting "deer" flies were beginning to
bother all three of us.
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(White
Tail Deer - 53) A little breeze began blowing, and the flies left, and
the deer returned to eating the white mulberries that had fallen on the road.
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(White
Tail Deer - 54) As I slowly walked closer, they looked up at me, but
didn't make any move to run away.
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(White
Tail Deer - 55) It is this gentle innocence of the deer that proves to
us the evilness of so-called "sport hunting."
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(White
Tail Deer - 56) As I was taking this photo, a fly began annoying the
deer on the left.
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(White
Tail Deer - 57) We continued watching each other.
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(White
Tail Deer - 58) The flies continued to bother the deer on the left, as
I moved to within about 30 feet of these young deer.
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(White
Tail Deer - 59) Trying to chase away the annoying flies, the deer on
the left kept swishing his or her tail and ears.
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(White
Tail Deer - 60) The deer on the right returned to eating some of the berries.
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(White
Tail Deer - 61) The more encounters we have like this one, the more we
realize how morally bankrupt a person has to be to deliberately kill another
healthy being, and how absolutely evil it is to kill for pleasure.
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(White
Tail Deer - 62) We pray that the hearts of the killers of life would
be softened to feel the greater pleasure of preserving life and enjoying it as
God created it to be.
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(White
Tail Deer - 63) We just stood and watched each other in peace.
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(White
Tail Deer - 64) Once again the flies broke the serenity of our
encounter, and the deer moved apart so that we could not photograph them together.
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(White
Tail Deer - 64a) The biting flies also brought us back to the reality
of the corrupt nature of this world, and how it separates us one from another;
however, as peacemaking children of God (Matthew 5:9, Romans 8:18-25), we can
minimize this corruption.
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(White Tail Deer - 65) Then the deer moved back together.
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(White Tail Deer - 66) And they returned to eating the white mulberries.
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(White
Tail Deer - 67) "Hey! Did you find something better over there?"
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(White
Tail Deer - 68) Then a fly interrupted the deer's quest for food.
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(White
Tail Deer - 69) As the deer walked up the road, so did we; and the
sound of our footsteps caused them to look back at us.
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(White
Tail Deer - 70) How horrible it must be to live in fear all your life,
where even the slightest noise causes you to have to look for danger.
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(White
Tail Deer - 71) I was softly talking to these deer as we stood looking at one another.
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(White
Tail Deer - 72) Then the deer began to slowly trot up the road to
return to their mother.
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(White
Tail Deer - 73) Our parting thought, before the deer entered the
woods, was that God would bring an end to the pain and suffering in this world,
and that we humans would help and no longer be the perpetrators of so much of
the world's evil.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 74) As we were walking along the road, Mary spotted this young
white-tailed deer in the brush.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 75) Slowly, we continued along the road and took another photo.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 76) As we started to cross the road toward the deer, we took
this photo. There was no sign of fright. We were curiously enjoying
the company of one another.
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(White-Tailed Deer - 77) We were now only about twenty-five feet away from this
gentle living soul. At times like this it's hard not to think about how
extremely cowardly hunters have to be in order to kill a deer from ambush.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 78) Looking into the face and eyes of a "wild" white-tailed
deer, as we are doing here, is like having a glimpse back into Eden or into
Isaiah's prophecy of the Peaceable Kingdom (Isaiah 11:6-9), where no one will
hurt or destroy because we will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 79) We were so close to this white-tailed deer that we could
see the individual hairs in her ears, and we thanked God for this meeting.
To hunt and kill such a beautiful being must be a form of cursing God.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 80) She cocked her left ear toward a car that was coming up the
road behind us, so we walked a little farther on to the shoulder of the road.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 81) As we walked a little farther up the side of the road, she
turned sideways behind the brush.
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White-Tailed Deer - 82)
If only the world could learn to live in the peace of this moment!
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 83) We said our good-byes, and our white-tailed deer friend
slowly went off to continue browsing for food.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 84) This is our parting photo of our white-tailed deer friend.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 85) While walking along the road, we spotted this white-tailed
deer walking through this clearing. We said, "Hello!", and she stopped to
return the greeting.
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(White-Tailed Deer - 86) Then she resumed her journey.
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(White-Tailed Deer - 87) As she continued to walk away, we prayed for God to protect
her and her sibling.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 88) As we parted company, we thanked God for this peaceful
encounter. We had truly received a blessing: "Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God". (Matthew 5:9)
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 89) We spotted these white-tailed deer resting and browsing
while we were walking to get our mail.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 89a) This is a closer look at two of the white-tailed deer.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 90)
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(White-Tailed Deer - 91)
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 92) The deer would alternate between browsing and watching us
take their pictures. We simply don't understand how someone can see these
gentle souls of God and still desire to kill them.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 93)
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 94)
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 95) Deer blend very well into their surroundings. See if
you can spot the 4 deer in this photo: 2 youngsters and their mothers.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 96)
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 97)
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 98)
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 98a)
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 98b)
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 99) After we said "Good-Bye" to each other, the deer slowly
turned and began walking away.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 100) We took this last photo of the deer and then continued on
our walk.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 101) In early April 2005, as we were returning from our three
mile walk to pick up our mail, these two white-tailed deer walked across the
road in front of us and began browsing in a wooded clearing about 30 feet away
from us.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 101a) This is a closer look at the two deer.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 102) These two white-tailed deer were very well aware of our
presence, as they continued to browse for something to eat.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 103) We had to stop and change the batteries in our camera, and
one of the white-tailed deer seemed to become fascinated with what we were
doing. When we finished, we took this photo of the pair.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 104) Then the other deer began looking at us. These
innocent animals show no signs of fear; they just seem to be as interested in us
as we are in them. It is this innocence that takes the term "sport" away
from "hunting", and calls it what is really is: "Murder".
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 105) On 2 April 2006, at about 5:00 in the afternoon, we were
walking back from picking up our mail from the mail room, which is about 1.5
miles from our home, when we saw a white-tailed deer walk across the road about
100 yards ahead of us. We continued walking and realized that she had
stopped about 10 feet off the shoulder of the road and was watching us walking
toward her.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 106) The white-tailed deer didn't move as we got closer.
We could sense that she seemed to have no fear of us, but had a fear of most
human beings. This emotional conflict seemed to make her keep her distance
of about 15 feet from us. We even began talking to her, and thanked her
for allowing us take these photos.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 107) Some people envision having "encounters of the third kind"
with a being from another world, but we have the most wonderful experiences
meeting members of other species on this planet. Our "peaceable kingdom"
encounter with this white-tailed deer is just one of them.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 108) We loved the curious look on her face as she lowered her
head and sniffed the air. We didn't smell like most other humans. We
smelled like fellow vegetarians.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 109) As we started to move up the road, so that the sun was
more to our backs, this white-tailed deer also began to turn around so she could
have a better view of us.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 110) As this white-tailed deer turned around we moved a little
closer, so our distance from her still remained at about 15 feet.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 111) We are so thankful for these times of having the privilege
of being so close to God's other creatures, that we can't understand how anyone
could harden their heart to such an extent that they could kill such a gentle
and magnificent being as this white-tailed deer.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 112) After standing and watching each other for a few more
minutes, the white-tailed deer turned to continue her browsing.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 113) Slowly, the white-tailed deer walked back into the woods.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 114) As she was leaving, we prayed and asked God to bless and
protect her and her fellow white-tailed deer, as well as the other creatures He
made.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 115) It was as though she heard and understood our prayer, for
she immediately stopped and turned to look at us.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 116) Why can't everyone come to know and understand the
blessings that come from encounters like this one between a white tailed deer
and us? If we did, then we'd also know what "peace on earth" is all about.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 117) We said our good-byes and continued on our respective
ways, until we meet again.
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(White-Tailed
Deer - 118) This is another white-tailed deer who walked across the
road ahead of us as we were walking back from picking up our mail. She
stopped just off the side of the road and seemed to be waiting for us as she
occasionally picked an old rose hip off the bush. When we stopped, we were
only about 10 feet apart. She even waited for us to take the camera out of
our case and take a couple of photos. How anyone can stoop so low as to
shoot such tame animals and call it "sport" is beyond our imagination.
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(White-Tailed Deer - 119) When we went to take this second photo, the batteries ran
out of power, so we had to change batteries before taking this picture.
She just watched what we were doing the whole time, occasionally reaching over
to pick off another rose hip. We visited for a few more minutes, then we
went on our separate ways.
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(White-Tailed Deer - 201) This
and the next 4 photo were taken by Sharon B. Johnson in her yard in the
foothills of the Boston Mountains near Winslow, AK. We thank her for
sending them to us.
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(White-Tailed Deer - 202) This is
one of about 7 deer that came to visit Sharon in her yard. She was only
about 10 feet away from her.
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(White-Tailed Deer - 203)
These deer decided to take a rest beside Sharon's wood pile.
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(White-Tailed Deer - 204) Sharon
wrote, "a few years back, one doe used to bring a couple of young ones and leave
them on my lawn for a while. She would come back after about an hour and rejoin
them. I never dared to take pictures of them for fear of scaring them off."
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(White-Tailed Deer - 205) Sharon
wrote, "I took the photo of this little one from the patio door in my living
room. She was only about 10 ft from me, but you can probably see there was a
chain link fence between us (for a dog run). She stayed around for quite a long
time - one of my dogs finally scared her off. She didn't realize he was just
trying to give her a dog biscuit."
|
The following photos were sent to us by
Alejandro G. Cossio of the rescued whitetail deer on his sanctuary in
Queretaro, Mexico.
Also see: About...Our Contributors, Friends,
Supporters, and Volunteers
And: Alejandro and the Deer
| God's Other Creatures | Art and Photos |
Presented here are just a few of the countless components of God's creation. Just as we
cannot have human and animal life without water and plants, neither can we have
lasting peace without love and compassion. It is our hope and prayer that
this series will motivate people to live and act in a cruelty-free manner; that
we would no longer hurt or destroy each other, the animals or our environment.
If you would like to contribute a photo and/or
comment, please contact us.
© 2001-2010 - The Mary T. and Frank L. Hoffman Family Foundation. All rights reserved. May be copied only for personal use or by not for profit organizations to promote compassionate and responsible living. All copied and reprinted material must contain proper credits and web site link www.all-creatures.org .
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