Facebook reminded me today about saving a baby deer, Ossian, from my dog.
Ossian was covered in ticks and abandoned. Starving and dehydrated, I tried to help.
I was lucky to have my friend Alan, whose family had a deer farm, and he gave me great advice.
DE dusting was amazing for the tick infestation.
Ossian’s fearfulness lessened over time.
Some people criticized me, saying I should have taken it to a shelter, but shelters often euthanize fawns.
Within weeks, Ossian was eating solid food, thanks to Alan.
Anti-hunting folks claimed I was doing wrong and threatened to report me.
Pro-hunters said my efforts were pointless and I should have let nature take its course, which makes sense, but the fawn was in my yard, cornered by my dog.
Government supporters also threatened to report me, assuming the DNR knew best.
Anti-government thinkers said I was already on the DNR’s radar.
Many friends called me Radagast the Brown again, knowing my heart.
Predators might have been drawn to the area because of the fawn.
When Ossian was ready, it jumped the fence and disappeared, never to return.
Because of the ear damage from ticks, I’ll always recognize the deer by its partially amputated ear.
Regarding DE, I’ve seen it kill thousands of potato bugs, but I’ve never seen ticks die like that. The blood-filled ticks died first.
I was surprised by the layers of ticks, piled on top of each other.
Would I do it again under the same conditions?
Yes.