With the recent snow and cold, the deer are out foraging wherever they can. They also stand out against the white terrain pretty well, too! As I took a little trip around town after work Monday night, I spotted deer all over the place without leaving city limits. First were these deer under the railroad bridge on the Mandan side of the river. There were plenty of them, just not all in the frame at the same time. They’re right in someone’s back yard too, as you can see.

I surprised these guys between two tree rows behind some houses on the south side of town. There probably three or four times as many as you see here, it’s just that some are more alert than others. There were deer on both sides of the street, poking around in the fields south of town.

As you see, there were enough deer to scoop up with a bucket! Unfortunately, nobody left a crane attached to this bucket, so it was too heavy to lift. These deer seemed more determined to find food than to bolt in search of safety. Let’s hope they ride out the rest of the winter okay.

It’s nice living in a place where wildlife still roams within the city. We’ve got bunnies in our yard, which are pleasant to watch when they’re not eating my wife’s flowers. I remember the night we got a call at Mandan PD about a deer charging down Collins Avenue! The furry critters of nature…they make life in Bismarck-Mandan interesting.