WICKED!

Wicked is the only word I can think of to describe the weather of this past week.  High winds, single digit temperatures, and heavy snowfall created near blizzard conditions throughout the North Country.  I was fortunate enough to stay indoors with a blazing fire, two dogs for company, Downton Abbey to watch, and plenty of reading material for entertainment.  I felt sorry, however, for the critters who had to brave the storm outdoors.  Knowing that the neighborhood deer depend on me to create a safe haven for them during the winter months, I put out extra feed blocks for them.

At the height of the storm, I had around ten deer who huddled around the feed blocks when the snow came down in nearly horizontal fashion.

Their winter coats were covered with the heavy snowfall.

The herd's pecking order was clearly evident in how they approached the feed blocks.  This doe, for example, stood at the back of the pack and watched until a space opened for her to eat.

In contrast, this buck, still sporting part of his antler, stepped right up and began eating, although he caught sight of me shooting through the window and watched somewhat warily.

I've become familiar with the deer herd over the past few years.  What was unusual about the deer that came during this storm was the number of young bucks there were.  I was also surprised to see they still sported some antlers.

With all that testosterone, there was some territoriality being expressed between the males.

But most of the deer visitors just licked their chops at the good food available to them, all the while watching me photograph them through the window.