I found this gentle soul resting in the grass on a hillside at Badlands National Park in South Dakota.  This is a mule deer doe.

This wasn’t my first glimpse of her.  We saw her while on a hike through some rugged terrain – the Notch trail.  That trail ends on a bluff, overlooking a valley.  The doe and her fawn were grazing the grasses below us.  (Zoomed in photo on left.)

Shortly after, we were hiking another trail and I caught a glimpse of her while climbing some wooden stairs.  She was still and quiet, as you see here here, and I almost missed her.  She remained quiet and watched while I took photos from a couple of angles on the trail stairs.  A few steps farther up and I saw her fawn resting in the shade. (Photo on the right.) The fawn was difficult to see and take a photo of because it was in some brush.

We have plenty of white tail deer in the area of Wisconsin where we live.  As far as I know, we don’t have any mule deer. This was a fun find.  I am most intrigued by the abundance of hair in their ears.

You can get a larger, more detailed look at the doe by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger image will open in a new browser window.

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