One thing Rodney and I enjoy is taking a drive in the country.  Looking at God’s beautiful scenery is one of “His” most magnificent creations.

About nine months ago, Rodney and I came across a field that had approximately fifty mule deer that were grazing on wheat.  We stopped to watch the deer play around and prance.  The deer appeared to not be afraid and seemed very relaxed as we observed them.

We decided to take a few pictures.  As we walked quietly toward them, the deer kept on with what they were doing.

When I looked through the lens, I could tell something was different about these deer.  I could see ear tags and radio collars around some of their necks.  Rodney said that the deer must be for a research project of some sort.  I had never seen a deer with this kind of marking and it was fascinating.

Rodney and I started to investigate to find out information about these deer.  We found out that Texas Parks and Wildlife has a five year research study on mule deer that started in 2015.  The study originated in Hall County, close to the Bridle Bit community, which is where these pictures were taken.

The radio collars are worn to monitor and study the deer movement.  The ear tags are to keep track of each deer.  They took DNA samples and completed tests to check out the health of each deer in the study.

The deer have been resealed and will continue to be monitored to understand their developing patterns and migration.  The benefit of this study is to help farmers and ranchers understand the deer’s environment.

Here are pictures that I took…

It will be exciting to see the outcome of this study.  When I moved to the area, I never realized how much work the Texas Parks and Wildlife conducts to ensure the future preservation of these animals.  I feel blessed to live in a part of Texas where there are many species of wildlife.