[. . . just four days after this photo, we woke up to see this buck resting in an oakbrush grove just west of our house. He was still there in the early afternoon and we wondered if he had had a long night in an alfalfa field and was now chewing his cud. By late afternoon he was lying on one side, breathing hard. A little later he jerked his head back and stuck his nose up, antlers dug into the ground. An hour later he died. His body is still warm. His open eye is glazing over. I'll bury him in the morning. We've got no idea what the cause of death is, but we're heavy-hearted here tonight.]
[ . . . the next morning. an officer from the state wildlife division came this morning and took a close look. there was no gunshot or arrow wound. instead, the deer had swollen feet and bloating and lots of hair loss -- in all likelihood a victim of epizootic hemorrhagic disease. hope he impregnated some of those does so he'll live on.]
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| the unconvinced doe is just outside the frame |
