260905

 

 

Yesterday I walked through the woods near our home, and today I returned to the Tenafly Nature Center. My wife and I were on the trail for about an hour when we witnessed something quite unusual. As you can see in the photo below, there was a buck with one antler broken off. What struck me was that he stood his ground, staring straight at me without the slightest intention of moving. What a peculiar fellow. How did that antler break—did he get into a fight with another buck?

But then another question arose: why was he standing so firmly, glaring at us without budging? Curious, I looked around, and about ten meters away, hidden among the brush, I spotted a doe quietly concealing herself. Only then did I understand why the buck refused to move. He was protecting his mate and trying to warn us off.

Ah, the fate of the male—standing guard, even with a broken antler.