Semi-domestic Urban Whitetail Deer

I headed outside and fired up the big ol' lawn tractor, all 35 horsepower, 54-inch cutting deck and all, ready to attack the South African veldt that overtakes my yard every summer.

Firing up to full throttle, I cruised up the driveway and engaged the blade, while two whitetail bucks just stood there 20 feet away, as casual as zoo animals.

The older one looked at me as if to say, "Your not the first tractor that I've seen, and certainly NOT the BIGGEST! Putt, putt, putt."

A bit later, upstairs with my camera I spotted "junior" here, taking a "pause" during his lawn dinner to doo his duty in my yard. There are HUNDREDs of little deer reminders in my front yard alone, and thousands more out back in the open area. They even jumped my four-foot chain link fence to get at young trees and shrubs, and left a deposit in the middle of the back yard to show total disdain for my fence.

A balancing act of the first order. (Clicking on photos will open a larger views)