Doug Thorburn sent me these pictures of a mule deer buck preparing its bed. Neither of us had previously seen a deer do such a thing. It repeatedly scraped its fore hoof across the dirt until the ground was smooth and cleared of small sticks and rocks. It then lay down.
The pictures were taken in Kokanee Glacier Park a couple of weeks ago.
The first two pictures show the hoof being moved forward and back as it prepares the ground.
Having prepared the ground, the buck lay down.
Doug took the next two pictures prior to watching it prepare the ground.
Douglas Thorburn’s pictures are used with permission.
Al or Doug, have you any idea what that odd looking thing on the inside of the right rear leg near the middle joint might be? It is most visible in the second last picture. Great shots, Doug. Thanks for sharing.
Doug, that is a tarsal gland.
Just to be clear, the last picture is of a smaller (I guess younger) deer hanging out with the big guy. You will notice that the antlers have much less spread as compared with the mature buck.