Are animals really different then humans?

As most of you know I deer hunt. I have hunted with my dad since high school and now I hunt with him and my husband. No we don't shoot everything we see and yes we do eat the meet! Yesterday my husband and I went to site my gun in. After we sited it in we were driving around in my husbands LOUD PICK-UP TRUCK...as we turned a corner he saw a doe (female deer) she saw us and ran off but a few yards behind her in the middle of the road were two bucks fighting! I have never in all my years seen such, more have many people. We were actually able to DRIVE close to them, get out of the truck and WALK within 30 yards of them. I had my gun of course just in case. No I didn't shoot one! They were young deer for one and I was really way too amazed by the actual event. These deer were young and small body but really big racks. They were both 8 points and outside the ears. The biggest look to have a 22 inch spread (WHICH IS REALLY GOOD.

We watched them fight and get their antlers hung together and then unhung. The biggest one would push the other deer up and down the hill, and then stuck his antlers into the side of his neck. It was amazing, there is no telling how long they were fighting before we got there. Not only is it rare to see this, it is even more rare to be standing on ground level within 30 yards from this happening. It was a once in a life time event. Of course the big deer won!

If you are wondering why they were fighting, the were fighting over the doe. MEN right:) It is kind of like a high school thing. There is a good looking girl just minding her business and this boy comes along to try to get his way with her, she says no but he still follows her and talks to her...trying his best, then another boy hears this and goes to check out what is going on. Once he gets there he looks at the first boy the wrong way and BANG.....the fight starts. The girl....stands there for a minute and leaves while the two boys have it out. By the time they got done fighting she was far away, (she ran off this time because we scared her once she saw us but normally the will leave the scene) These two males had one thing on their mind...sex...and they didn't want anyone to get in the way of it so they fought over the female to prove who was the best and to whom she belonged. She showed them....she left. The female wasn't really wanting sex right now...she wasn't in heat just yet but the men were. Go figure!

It is so funny how nature works. It is so hard to see a big buck anytime, because they seem to be somewhat more cautious then the female. The usually come out alone and usually come out right at or after dark or when no one is really hunting and that is if they come out where you can see them. That is part of the Hunt. However, when the boys smell that the women are going to be coming into heat, they get dumb, as did these two deer. The rut (spelling) is when the breeding takes place and once the cold weather starts the deer actually start. In a few days or another week the women will actually stand for the bucks but until then the bucks will drive them crazy and continue to get even more DUMB.

I guess animals are more like humans then most people think!

Of course I didn't have my camera with me so I have no pictures of this for you to see but here are some Emily and I did today! IT IS FINALLY FALL. I LOVE IT