Chiricahua Mountains

Just back from three days in the Chiricahuas. WOW!! There is so much to talk about. The fire, the flood, and the wildlife. I am going to start with a fun little wildlife story today:

I was driving along Forest Road 42 and saw what first looked like a Jackrabbit in the middle of the road. As I got closer I realized that it was too small to be a Jackrabbit. As I got still closer I realized in was a Deer! Now, I know you ask, are you serious? A deer smaller than a Jackrabbit? No, this is not one of those Texas jokes. It was a Coues (pronounced cows) White Tailed Deer. The Coues White Tails are smaller than the White Tailed Deers you see all over the US. The Coues (named after Elliott Coues, 1842-1899) are only found in southern Arizona. An adult White Tail Buck will weigh 200 pounds. An adult Coues White Tail Buck will weigh only 80-90 pounds. Fawns weigh 4 to 6 pounds when they are born. The deer on the road was a fawn. Here is the first photo:

The guard rail is about 15 inches off the ground. The fawn easily went right under the guard rail.

A close up of the Coues Fawn

Mother and twins went under the bridge and up the South Fork of Cave Creek.

Mother and twins just getting out of the creek.

Close up of the twins

Remember you can click on a photo to see it enlarged.