Two Stories --- One buck apiece

1. So earlier this summer I was teaching a riding lesson on our cross-country course at work, which is a historic barn located in the smack-dab of suburbia. All of the sudden, a good-sized buck bolted out of some trees and came running down the gallop-track towards my group of students, who were all mounted. One horse used this as an excuse to start rearing straight up (and he is a TALL horse), and another horse promptly bolted off in the other direction bucking and farting as he went.



Once the deer saw this, he made a prompt u-turn and headed towards our outdoor arena, still at a dead run. Unfortunately, there was a jumping lesson running in that arena.



I could tell the poor buck was panicked. He whipped around towards my group, sized us up, and then ran for what he was worth towards us a second time. This time he took two of the cross-country jumps in perfect form and bolted up behind our water jump.



Luckily no one fell off and the horses were quickly put back under control. Once we all realized we were okay, we all had a good laugh. I was amazed to see such a beautiful buck in the middle of the city, and I hope the horses used him as a teaching example for how to run and jump the fences on the cross-country course!



2. On Sunday at the Roundhouse, Nick and I were enjoying some quiet time in the hammock when Simon noticed something along the back fence. We climbed out of the hammock to check it out, and it was a beautiful, but badly injured 4-point buck.



As we approached him, he got to his feet but his back legs would not function. He drug himself a few feet, then laid back down. We figured he was hit by a car on HWY 20, and bolted through the backside of the neighborhood before laying down behind our house.



Nick called Fish and Wildlife, but they told him as long as the deer was moving, they wouldn't do anything about it. I felt horrible, but there was nothing else to do.



Later that night, just as we sat down to a hamburger dinner, the Sheriff of Sisters arrived. He spoke with our next-door neighbors, hemmed-hawed around for a few minutes looking and acting thoroughly upset, then herded the buck into their backyard. Moments later two shots were heard, followed by the neighbor exclaiming, "Nice shot!" For me, this completely killed my appetite for hamburger.



Even with the compliments, when the Sheriff (who, as the sheriff of Sisters, had probably never had to fire his gun before) reappeared from the backyard we could tell he was visibly shaken. When he got back into his squad car, he backed straight into a tree, doing some damage to his bumper. Those of us on the deck of the Roundhouse started laughing, which I'm sure didn't help the situation. But it was sure funny watching a cop damage his car!!

Poor sheriff. Poor buck. But atleast both of them by now out of their misery...