by Anura Guruge
on February 24, 2023
Click images to ENLARGE.
I saw a lot of dear in & around Acadia last February (in what now appears to be my annual trip to Acadia in the 3rd week of February).
I saw 10 deer this year. I saw the same three, at the same place, late Monday afternoon & then Tuesday morning. This was on ‘Ocean Drive‘ just as you enter the ‘Otter Cliff’/’Otter Point‘ peninsula. That section is closed during the winter. This family of deer (as shown in the first three pictures above), which appear to be very tame (& was totally unfazed by my near proximity) seem to have worked out that they were safe from vehicular traffic along that stretch. I have heard that deer can be very smart.
I didn’t see as many deer as last year, but in a way I was also trying, somewhat, to avoid the areas that they were likely to be most numerous — especially around dusk. Even with that I had a narrow escape. Yes, having seen two deer-related accidents (one last year) I am leery. I would rather not hit one.
As I said last year, I have seen deer on most of my 17 (or 18 (or more) visits to Acadia over the last 10 years). I even know the best spots to spot one, e.g., golf course on ‘Cromwell Harbor Road‘ or the field before the ‘Seawall‘. But they seem to have become more numerous, more tame (i.e., braver) or both. I could, however, be wrong. It is possible that the population hasn’t changed that much over the years & it is just that I just happen to see more during my last two visits. Either way I wanted to share some of these pictures with you.
