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DougGuy
12-01-2020, 01:57 PM
A good story as told by Denise Laura Foshell a Pennsylvania photographer:

No this is not one of my best pictures I ever took. This was taken on our farm in Berks county, and this was taken from pretty far away.... I just wanted to show you the meaning of true strength.

This is Peggy, which my husband has named her, missing the whole front leg. She came to us like this, we do not hunt on the farm, and allow no hunting due to having 14 horses and two pet pigs. We don't know how she lost her leg. She has managed to survive in this world with this terrible handicap. It has made her very shy, she will not come up close like the many others, but stays her distance.

My neighbors have been afraid to shoot her, knowing it would upset us. She is our loner. The other deer we have here, stay away from her. Where I can see two or three mama doe and fawns eating together, Peggy is off in the opposite corner, all alone but for her young. We feed the deer in the winter back in a small hollow in the brush where they bed down in the cold.

But for Peggy, we put out hay and corn where we see her the most. I know the bit we help, may be the most she gets on a cold winter day, when food is scarce. She has twins every year, and she takes care of them as good as any mama deer with four legs. Of all the years we have watched her, there was only one year that by fall, she lost one of her fawns. Where there was once two, then only one.

Many times I can drive my four wheel buggy close to the deer, and they watch me like ok, here she is again...just smile, and just pose and then she will go away.... But Peggy being shy, and to not stress her out, especially when she has young with her... well I do not push it, but stay on the porch and just observe. There is a time to grab that camera, and times to just say no....

This year is the 11th year that we have been seeing her. The courage, and the will to live that this small doe has, is just incredible. It's not always a pretty picture, but it is the heart of the story behind it.... She is one of strong heart.... I am so proud of her, of the determination to not just lay down and give up.

There are many days when my leg I broke badly from a horse riding accident, causes me a lot of pain. I think about Peggy, I go on, and I don't complain. If she can travel this land on three legs, I can keep going with my bad one.... You just get up, dust yourself off, and begin... You got this....

272447

Alstep
12-01-2020, 02:28 PM
We had one like that around here a number of years ago. But the other deer surrounded her to protect her. This went on for a few years and then she finally disappeared.

LUCKYDAWG13
12-01-2020, 02:59 PM
I remember when I was a kid looking out our classroom window at a 3 legged dog who was unaware of the fact would run and play just like every other dog i still look back and think about his courage

BigAlofPa.
12-01-2020, 03:00 PM
Wonderful story. Thanks for sharing.

CastingFool
12-01-2020, 04:14 PM
We had a 3 legged doe that would show up in our backyard once in a while. Nicknamed her Tripod. She could run with the best of them, but you could tell she had difficulties when feeding. Yet, she did look like she was starving either. After a couple of years, she stopped showing up

Bull-Moose
12-01-2020, 04:24 PM
Cool story.

edp2k
12-01-2020, 07:00 PM
Feeding dried corn to deer in the winter time is dangerous to deer and may even kill them.
Among other reasons, their digestive system changes in the winter and they cannot correctly digest dried corn, which can lead to their death.
Plus dependence on man screws up the natural ecosystem and the group feeding is a vector for CWD.

Save your hate and disbelief, I won't argue this.
Look it up yourself.

cwtebay
12-01-2020, 07:22 PM
Delete

lightman
12-01-2020, 08:15 PM
Very cool story. Its amazing what they can endure. Thanks for sharing.

jlm223
12-01-2020, 08:52 PM
Amazing story, Thanks for sharing

cwtebay
12-01-2020, 09:20 PM
A good story as told by Denise Laura Foshell a Pennsylvania photographer:

No this is not one of my best pictures I ever took. This was taken on our farm in Berks county, and this was taken from pretty far away.... I just wanted to show you the meaning of true strength.

This is Peggy, which my husband has named her, missing the whole front leg. She came to us like this, we do not hunt on the farm, and allow no hunting due to having 14 horses and two pet pigs. We don't know how she lost her leg. She has managed to survive in this world with this terrible handicap. It has made her very shy, she will not come up close like the many others, but stays her distance.

My neighbors have been afraid to shoot her, knowing it would upset us. She is our loner. The other deer we have here, stay away from her. Where I can see two or three mama doe and fawns eating together, Peggy is off in the opposite corner, all alone but for her young. We feed the deer in the winter back in a small hollow in the brush where they bed down in the cold.

But for Peggy, we put out hay and corn where we see her the most. I know the bit we help, may be the most she gets on a cold winter day, when food is scarce. She has twins every year, and she takes care of them as good as any mama deer with four legs. Of all the years we have watched her, there was only one year that by fall, she lost one of her fawns. Where there was once two, then only one.

Many times I can drive my four wheel buggy close to the deer, and they watch me like ok, here she is again...just smile, and just pose and then she will go away.... But Peggy being shy, and to not stress her out, especially when she has young with her... well I do not push it, but stay on the porch and just observe. There is a time to grab that camera, and times to just say no....

This year is the 11th year that we have been seeing her. The courage, and the will to live that this small doe has, is just incredible. It's not always a pretty picture, but it is the heart of the story behind it.... She is one of strong heart.... I am so proud of her, of the determination to not just lay down and give up.

There are many days when my leg I broke badly from a horse riding accident, causes me a lot of pain. I think about Peggy, I go on, and I don't complain. If she can travel this land on three legs, I can keep going with my bad one.... You just get up, dust yourself off, and begin... You got this....

272447The story you tell is beautiful, thank you for sharing!!!
p.s. Peggy is an epic name!!

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

Woodbridge 30-30
12-01-2020, 09:32 PM
Seeing her around for 11 years is remarkable!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

varmintpopper
12-01-2020, 09:47 PM
I cursed because I had no shoes
Until I saw a Man who had no feet.

Good Shooting

Lindy

edp2k
12-02-2020, 12:54 AM
No hate or disbelief, but that's simply not true. Ruminants are incredible at adapting to dietary change - going from alfalfa fields to browsing brush, to whatever crop / crop aftermath is available. The VFA production within the rumen is more of a dynamic system than a set in stone metabolism. Otherwise it would be amazing that all of these cornfield deer even survive......

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

What you are missing is that their digestive system changes from summer to winter.
Of course in the late summer/early fall they can digest wet corn right in the cornfields.
When the later winter comes their digestive system is converted over to digest the twigs and bark
instead of the lush green stuff from the summer.

And deer vacuuming up a few kernels of dropped or on the stalk dried corn in the winter
is very different than gorging on a pile of feed store dried core.

Dried corn, like people buy at a feed store to feed deer in the winter, is a completely different thing
than non-dried corn from green, non-dried stalks.
You must live where it doesn't snow.

Make sure you don't do any research on the documented deer deaths and hardships this causes.

Sheesh, there's one in every bunch, guaranteed to come out of the woodwork.

abunaitoo
12-02-2020, 05:06 AM
It's sad and inspirational at the same time.
Should we feel sorry for her, or amazed at her courage and perseverance???
I'm sure many people would just give up and .................

CLAYPOOL
12-02-2020, 05:11 AM
I plant 3 acres every year.. They have it all cleaned up by FEB. I didn't get it out this year, so all most deer on my place. Over on the neighbors ground....corn of course,.

Pinger87
12-02-2020, 01:07 PM
It's sad and inspirational at the same time.
Should we feel sorry for her, or amazed at her courage and perseverance???
I'm sure many people would just give up and .................

Honestly, I'm not sure what I would do with three legs...

RU shooter
12-02-2020, 01:30 PM
Honestly, I'm not sure what I would do with three legs...
A side job at the circus would probably pay well ! Lol

FISH4BUGS
12-03-2020, 10:53 AM
Good for you. We have been taking care of a feral cat for five years now. I'm sure he has had a rough life - blind in one eye, limps, etc. (kind of like me)
Now he has a weatherproof cat house (with a heated pad) and all the food he needs. The house was our Christmas present to him.
Like you, it kinda warms the heart to help an animal get by.