My favorite thing about Wallowa Lake is the not-so-wild-life.
Our cabin (named Pine Cone) windows looked right onto the lake from the kitchen, and the ravine from the sitting room. I stayed in Pine Cone many years earlier (maybe 6?) during my first trip to Wallowa Lake. I met a deer I named Bitey right oustide Pine Cone. Bitey was pretty young at the time, not full grown. She had a big deer shaped chomp out of her ear. It was still raggedy and scabbed when I met her, so the bite was fairly new. Bitey was the tamest of all the deer. She ate baby carrots right out of my hand. I told Dad and Step-mom all about the town’s deer, and Bitey in particular. I explained that I had chopped up organic carrots at the ready (which I also carried in my coat pocket during our journeys) in case we ran across any deer.
The first dusk went by with no deer spottings outside Pine Cone. I went for a walk with carrots in my pocket and found no deer.
We did see a bald eagle (quickly dubbed “Baldy”) hunting along the shores of the lake, but no deer.
The next day I set up a deer trap. Hubby had determined that the grass patterns outside the sitting room windows were made by deer lying on the grass. Further investigation revealed deer droppings in the area as well. I laid a mound of carrots near the depressions in the grass and waited. Baldy was about, but still no deer.
The last evening arrived, and I had still not seen any deer. I loaded my pockets up with carrots and took one last walk. While I was away, Dad and Step-mom visited with Big-Bro in Pine Cone. They decided to take a nap in their own cabin, and upon exiting Pine Cone, were greeted by deer. These weren’t any old, random deer, though. It was Bitey! Dad couldn’t believe it. He was prepped to meet up with some tame deer, but not to meet up with the one who had a bite out of her ear that I had so carefully described from my trip years ago. Bitey was full grown now and had offspring. A little male deer with fuzzy little bumps starting to appear on his head was with her. Bitey was reportedly as tame as ever eating carrots from Dad and Step-mom’s palms. They told her that I had brought organic carrots just for her and that they would tell me she dropped by.
I’m so proud of Bitey! She’s survived several years and given birth and done everything a successful deer should do! I’m lucky to have a deer-friend like Bitey. I hope I see her next trip!