Deer Superpowers You Never Noticed

Carol 0:01

Ready to be fascinated by how unique deer are? Who would have guessed there are over 90 species of deer on this planet? They have become known as nature's ultimate survivors because they have 310-degree vision and see well in darkness. Also, they are another animal species who can see ultraviolet light. The disadvantage of having eyes on the side of its head, like most prey, is they can't focus on a single location with both eyes, thus very poor depth perception. It is understood that deer do not have as good a visual resolution as we do, and although not proven, it is believed deer are colorblind. They can leap over 25 feet in a single bound, and their hollow winter hair can act as a personal life jacket. They can swim up to 15 miles per hour, and this natural buoyancy allows them to swim in oceans or rivers to get from one land mass to another. The male or bucks' antlers have the fastest growing tissue on any mammal. And surprising to me is that during summer the antlers can grow at a rate of three-quarters of an inch a day. There is a price to pay for this growth. Bucks actually experience the temporary pain of osteoporosis because the antlers pull calcium directly from their ribs and breastbones.

How Mothers Hide Scentless Fawns

Carol 1:39

I see deer every day most of the year, and most perplexing to me was to notice the mother deer come to where I put out bites of apples and scratch grain with her newborn fawn, and the fawn is so fragile and itty bitty, to me it was itty bitty, still drinking mother's milk. But the next morning, or at dusk, I see Mom but no fawn. It was only after several seasons that I learned the newborn fawns are born with almost no scent. Mom protects her fawns by leaving them hidden in different locations. She purposefully stays away so her own scent doesn't attract predators to these hiding places. I used to worry something had happened to them when I didn't see them with mom.

How Bucks Taste Pheromones

Carol 2:29

And bucks have a special organ on the roof of their mouths which can literally taste the air for pheromones. Helps them locate female deer or does. They can look a little contorted when they are doing this because they curl their lip upward and make a strange-looking face. Deer are known as micro nappers because they rarely enter deep sleep. They survive in 30-second to five-minute sleeping intervals, even sleeping with their eyes open while their ears rotate continuously, scanning for danger. When people have this extreme physical and mental alertness, it's called hyperviligence, an overactive threat detection system, and results in a fear-based insomnia. Deer, however, truly need to survive with what is a disorder in humans. And

Food Deer Love And Need

Carol 3:25

because I watched deer pull leaves off branches and chew up apple bites I cut for them, I realized I never saw upper teeth. I looked it up and the reason I didn't see them is because they don't have upper teeth. They have a very hard upper palate and a bottom set of teeth they use to tear and pull their food. I know they could, given the chance, eat up to 30 apples a day. So whatever I cut up for them is like a small healthy snack. So if you want, feed your deer apples, persimmons, and pears, which are truly deer candy, and gives them a quick burst of energy. If you want to watch deer go nuts, put some acorns out and chestnuts. Hooves down, these are their absolute favorites. They survive by balancing soybeans, alfalfa, clover, and chicory in the spring and summer. Think leafy and high protein like wild berries and fresh green shoots. A friend of mine who planted a variety of food on his farmland invariably had his corn crop attract every deer around him. Each new season was a challenge to discourage them. Even building a fence around just the corn didn't work. The old adage, if you can't beat them, join them, so he kept his fence around one patch of corn and created a second planting of corn forty feet away with no fence, which he provided for the deer. Easier access, and with a couple of deer salt licks, he enticed them to stay within the deer crop of corn. And no, that's not where deer corn came from. Having

Why Deer Corn Can Kill

Carol 5:12

provided a wildlife habitat for over 26 years that also became a sanctuary for especially neglected injured animals, I made a big mistake from my perspective by buying food labeled deer corn. I thought like most foods labeled dog food, cat food, duck food, bird food, that deer food, in quotes corn, was nutritionally good for deer. No, not only is it very low in protein, it lacks the essential nutrients deer require. It is truly the bad deer candy that provide a scent deer love. Here's where my mistake comes in. Deer corn is not to help deer or to feed them well. It is used by hunters to be an attractant to shoot them. Hunters don't care that hard corn causes terrible digestive issues with deer as it can expand in their stomachs, causing acidosis, and that is an awful fatal way to go since it causes dehydration, diarrhoea, incorporation, convulsions, and depression. The hard deer corn is dried whole kernel-filled corn. It's essentially junk food for deer since it's high in starch and completely lacks the fiber a deer's stomach requires. Despite deer having a four-chambered stomach and like humans, relying on specific gut microbes to digest their natural high-in-fiber diet, the wrong bacteria get introduced into their guts. These bacteria feast off the corn carbs, causing an explosion of multiplying that always hurts deer. I stick with cut-up apples, and except during summer droughts and no foliage in winter, the deer do well with the clover around me. State wildlife agencies can advise you what to feed, and I suspect most, if not all, tell you not to feed corn. Better alternatives are these suggestions to plant native shrubs, trees, make a food plot, and or provide high protein feeds that are labeled as formulated deer chow pellets if you provide a regulated supplemental feeding program where you live. Deer

Deer As Sacred Global Symbols

Carol 7:41

are found almost everywhere except, of course, Antarctica, and then there's no deer in Australia. In Shinto, Japan, the deer called Silka Deer, S-I-K-A, are revered, and over 1,000 free roam the narrow park in narrow Japan, considered sacred messengers of the gods in Shinto tradition. The deer bow to visitors for crackers. Deer are celebrated globally as a symbol of peace, renewal, and spiritual awakening. In Celtic mythology, deer not only symbolize feminine grace and the magic of the fairy kingdom, but also are understood to be the bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. Indigenous North Americans regard deer as the ancient caregivers of the earth. They symbolize abundance, sensitivity, and precognition. But deer were hunted by early settlers and Native Americans for food and clothing.

Are Humans The Real Imbalance

Carol 8:52

Whenever I hear that deer must be killed because they are overpopulated, I find myself asking a different question. Is it really the deer who are out of balance or is it us? Throughout history, human expansion has reduced habitat, altered ecosystems, and pushed countless species into smaller and smaller spaces. Before we rush to blame deer, perhaps we should consider our own role in reshaping the world around them. Think protect, restore, plant more. We could learn much from the highly perceptive deer to be more aware and to trust our instincts. Deer move through fear and pressure with grace and find strength, despite their vulnerability, and without aggression. Bucks shedding and regrowing their antlers keep them as an archetype for transformation, shedding old habits and experiencing continuous personal growth. In the Harry Potter series, the white stag prominently represented Harry's connection to his father. The white stag acted as a protective embodiment of his father's love, courage, and forever presence in his son's life. Thus, deer can be seen as a reminder that those who we love never really leave us. They live on inside of us. Having read Bambi as a child, I forever carry the loss of life in that sweet book as one example of my deep connection to deer. The novel looked at the harsh realities of the wild and the cycles of life. It was for me the revelation of the relationship between nature and humanity that grew stronger in my heart and soul with each year of my life. Most of literature has deer serving as metaphors for being vulnerable, for being an object of romantic pursuit, and most fun as magical gods who bridge our physical world with the supernatural.

Compassion Is Action Not Feelings

Carol 11:04

There was a movie called Powder out in 1995 where Deputy shoots the doe with a rifle. Powder, an albino empath, is overcome with the anguish of watching the deer die. He grabs the deputy's hand and places his other hand directly onto the dying deer. This conduit allowed Powder to transfer the final moments of the deer's physical agony, its sheer terror, its intimidation of being surrounded by hunters celebrating her death and the profound sadness of life being stolen away. The deputy was changed profoundly. He gave away all of his guns and vowed never to hunt again. I cried just thinking about how horrible that moment was, but I feel when we know better we become better. I know how empathetic I am with all animals. I also know that all the sympathy in the world helps no person or deer. I have a saying I once put on a button that said compassion is an action. I gave them to any person I saw or recognized as someone whose compassion resulted in taking a positive step toward helping an animal. Compassion isn't something we feel. Compassion is something we do. There's a balance we humans need to feel, not just be detached about. We need to understand what responsibilities we have in regard to other humans and animals. I feel this movie is a classic drama about wearing someone else's hooves. The deer ultimately is a symbol of sensitivity and kindness, a teacher of compassion, which can allow you to see between the shadows, detect the subtle movements of nature and people, and hear what is not being said. Deer teaches you to look and read between the lines of what is not being said. I hope understanding deer energy a little better can help you develop these gifts.

Closing Thoughts And Next Week

Carol 13:11

This has been Carol Butler, and I send you the thoughts that you can avoid being a deer in headlights by always being in touch with your inner alertness, your emotional awareness, your compassionate heart. Deer are a bright light in our dark days, a spiritual light, and I wish you the connection I've made with their sensitive eyes, their gentle spirits, and their reminder of the bridge we cross with these magnificent messengers and guides. Join me next week when we explore what the wolf teaches you and how this knowledge can strengthen and develop your special attributes. Thank you for listening, and please share with others you feel will enjoy learning about themselves through animals. Listen, reflect connect.