Posted on October 26, 2010 by sonjabarrie

The fire did a lot more than just burn down a few houses, it has destroyed a large area of the ecosystem, that is really apparent when it comes to the deer.

When I talk about the ecosystem I'm talking about the thousands of acres that were burnt and the effect it has had on the wildlife.  Herriman is a small town at the south end of the Salt Lake Valley about as far west as you can go without climbing the Oquirrh mountains.  This means it is very close to lots of wildlife.  One of the reasons we liked living there was the fact that we could walk for 10 minutes and be in the rolling hills, fantastic.

It also means you have to put up with deer eating ANYTHING you plant whether it is 'deer resistant' or not!  If a deer is hungry he'll eat anything, of that fact I can assure you!  So I am used to seeing deer at dawn and dusk coming down from the hills to eat the more succulent offerings in mine and every neighbors yard.  I have netting around the most tender shrubs and plants that will die with the constant grazing, we have even had to put chicken wire around the trunks of all the trees as they will use the trunk to get the velvet off their horns.  We lost 2 trees because they had completely scraped the bark off.

As you can imagine with so much acreage burnt they have nowhere to forage EXCEPT in all our yards and not just at dusk and dawn either.  For the first time I have seen them wandering around the streets at all hours of the day, laying down on lawns and in flower beds.  They have nowhere to go.  They really do look lost and puzzled, and they are certainly getting used to humans more.  These guys in the pictures below were just laying on the grass on one side of the street when I stopped to photograph them.  I think I unnerved them by being so close for so long as they got up and started to forage on the other side of the street where there is a stand of scrub oak.

Deer in Herriman after the fire, crossing a road to get to more food.

Deer in Herriman after the fire following mama across the road to get to more food.

Deer in Herriman trying to find food. My what big ears you have dear!.

Deer in Herriman after the fire

Deer in Herriman eating the grass along the sidewalk

Deer in Herriman after the fire "who you looking at then?"

Deer in Herriman, my what big eyes you have dear!

 

These pictures were taken at the end of our road.

Oops I think I've been spotted

OK, I'm outta here!

I get the message, I'm leaving!