Welcome my Children

I am proud of my antlers, but today, I'm proud of my 4 new babies. Good job mommas! And, hey, the antler growth ain't half bad either, eh??

Puck, Proud Papa

Presents Abound!

Cinnamon says - Wait, one minute Mistletoe.....It's a holiday for two more Puck babies. Don't stop the count yet. We now have 5 boys and 6 girls...still hitting that 50/50 ratio!

Cinnamon welcomes her daughter Cassia and son (W#6).

Puck is sharing his corn snacks tonight!

The girls at SIS Ranch

Christmas in June

Mistletoe announces the birth of her daughter, Holly and son (W#4 - for right now).

Miss Holly makes her debut loud and proud on a hot day in June. Come Christmas, she and momma Mistletoe will think the holiday is all about them.

Daddy is Proud Papa - Puck!

SIS Ranch now has 4 boys and 5 girls welcomed into the SIS Ranch family.

Welcome babies!

The Girls at SIS Ranch

Humph!

Do I look like I'm having fun to you? It is hot, I'm tired of carrying these babies around and want them OUT OF HERE!

Don't even talk to me. I'm not happy with anyone!

Mistletoe

Spirit Says....WHAT?

That weasel, Star. I'm not weak. I sure don't need her to protect me. I may have had to struggle to survive but that makes me one strong hombre. She thinks she's so-o-o smart. She thinks she KNOWS it all. Well, she is just a girl. I'm a buck, and like Puck and Falstaff, I will be strong and handsome some day and everyone will know I survived for a reason. I will be champion.

She will be....a girl!

Spirit, the little deer that could!

Star Speaks

Well, while the boys are off dining, and usually I am right there with them, this time I thought I should let you know that I am the leader here. Just like Starr Jones Reynolds, a STAR has been born. I take no grief, I love anything shiny and bright, I am cool, I am the healthiest! I always was.

My daddy is Outlaw from Law Creek Ranch and my granddaddy was from the Premier Ranch. My brothers have the same daddy and granddaddy.

Spirit, the littlest brother almost didn't make it and I have to watch out for him. He thinks he is tough, but he really needs a big sister's attention. I'm like Lucy from Charlie Brown. I hear she is dynamic too.

I am going to be boss lady when I get back. DO YOU HEAR THAT MISS ROSEBUD? I got to come to camp and train the humans on how to walk down the hall, how to get to their office. They follow direction well. I'm going to be ready to kick some serious bu.....

All for now, but I'm sure the fan letters will equal Ms. Reynolds pretty soon and I'll have to report back. Ta-ta for now my friends and fans.

Miss Star Anise
Princess of ALL deer

Hello World!

We say HELLO to you from our camp, West End Deer Farm. We are fine and having great fun. Food is great. We play all day and talk to the other babies here. The humans take us on walks. Don't know why they can't go without us, but they can't. So, we go along.

We were born June 3, as many of our fans know. And, we were not in the best of shape when we arrived. Well, as you can see, we are fabulous and doing well. We will be home at the end of summer after we have learned all we need to know and helped those humans find their way back to their pens. We hope our friends at SIS Ranch are getting ready for the Rowdy Bunch, 'cuz we are too cool for words.

Signed,
Thief #241, Star #240 & Spirit #239

Hot Summer Days

We love to cool off in the sprinklers. This is our Sunday afternoon. How is yours?

The girls at The Ritz

What about ME?

Puck, Puck, Puck...well, I hate to tell you but folks do ask about me...SIR JOHN FALSTAFF. And, they don't want to see double stories of you!

I think folks would like to say hey to me too. I may be younger, this may be my first year, but I look pretty darn good too.

Even Mistletoe, Miss Mommy Fatty, is impressed. See her behind me? And, I thought I'd make you take a double take...the tree looks like it is me...HA. I'm bigger, I'm bigger than Mr Loudmouth Puck...at least until you look really, really close!

Falstaff

Puck Grows Along

While the babies continue to grow, and it continues to get hotter and hotter, I continue to make quite a statement. Many have asked, and yes, we do read our mail, how I'm doing this week. I know the girls would like to think it is all about them and the babies, but antlers are a guy thing. Sort of like cars, sports stats and....antlers.

So, for the guys, and gals out there who keep asking. Here is the latest shot of my antler growth. As you can see, my left antler is split its browtine and the G4 has started, almost webbed to the G3. The right antler shows my G3 very well established but no G4 yet. But, as I told Mr. Human the other day, tomorrow you could see a whole new growth perspective. My antlers are just that way.

I'm glad they are growing back. I feel so naked, like the first day of a fresh haircut, without them. Yes, I do enjoy the weight off my neck in the first month or so, but I'm always glad to see those babies growing wild and strong. The girls just have more respect, that's all I can say.

So, enjoy your summer. I'm enjoying mine.

Puck

Puck Grows Along

While the babies continue to grow, and it continues to get hotter and hotter, I continue to make quite a statement. Many have asked, and yes, we do read our mail, how I'm doing this week. I know the girls would like to think it is all about them and the babies, but antlers are a guy thing. Sort of like cars, sports stats and....antlers.

So, for the guys, and gals out there who keep asking. Here is the latest shot of my antler growth. As you can see, my left antler is split its browtine and the G4 has started, almost webbed to the G3. The right antler shows my G3 very well established but no G4 yet. But, as I told Mr. Human the other day, tomorrow you could see a whole new growth perspective. My antlers are just that way.

I'm glad they are growing back. I feel so naked, like the first day of a fresh haircut, without them. Yes, I do enjoy the weight off my neck in the first month or so, but I'm always glad to see those babies growing wild and strong. The girls just have more respect, that's all I can say.

So, enjoy your summer. I'm enjoying mine.

Puck

Hi!

Hi! I'm Bell. I'm playing hide-and-seek. I see you. Sh-h-h-h, we don't want Chili to find me. She's looking, but she's over in the other set of trees. I'm smaller, so I can hide better. Te-he. That silly, silly sister of mine. Rosebud lives at The Ritz, and we have seen her once in awhile. I can't wait to play with her and our other friends who went away to baby deer school. I don't know why you have to go to school to be a baby deer, but I guess they needed some special attention.

My mommy is Pepper and my daddy is Wildthing. They lived at Cheeks Deer Farm. But, my mommy is here at SIS Ranch now and she says she likes everything...but cows. I don't know why, but she says to stay away from them. I think they look silly. They make funny noises and eat grass. Yuck!

Oh, gotta go. Chili is coming this way. Bye-e-e--e

Bell, baby of Pepper

Ta-Da!

NEED I SAY MORE!

PUCK

Falstaff Keeps Growing

Well, I hear Puck-this and Puck-that, so once again it falls to me to point out just how fabulous I'm doing for a young buck. I'm starting my G2's now, and yes, I know Puck has already done that, in fact, he's on his G3's and his brow tines are splitting...oh, please. He's three years older than me, what do you expect? But, I think Indigo and Cayenne are impressed. They like to admire them. I've seen them watching me. In fact, I've noticed Nutmeg across the way over in The Four Seasons watching me too. She shouldn't have been so mean to Pepper and she could've stayed with me, but alas, she is just too prissy.

So, while I retire to a shady spot, you can enjoy my profile.

Sir John Falstaff

Hangin' with my pals!

We're just hangin' in the breeze...relaxin' in the trees!

Parsley, Sage & Thyme

Deer Philosophy

Some days it is just best to sit and reflect on the ups...and downs of life. We have had a nice, quiet day today. As we chew our cud, we reflect on all the wonderful things like the wind weaving its way through the nice, green grass, or, the grasshoppers who amuse us with their leaf high jumps. It is the little things that sometimes make the biggest impression on a deer. Maybe humans could see more beauty in the simple things like grass growing, birds cruising , and babies learning to play and grow.

Pepper's babies have made occassional appearances, jumping over the tall grass as it tickles their tummies. Rosebud is getting bigger and stronger every day too. We hear Miss Star is great and one of her brothers has moved to the pretty healthy list. The other little brother is still a little unsteady on his feet, but each day makes him stronger.

The rest of us have all enjoyed the quiet of an early summer day with a nice breeze, plenty of shade and a cool drink or snack on occassion. What more could man or beast want or need?

The deer of SIS Ranch

Sadness at SIS Ranch

It is with great sadness that we report the first deaths at SIS Ranch. Two babies died at birth on Sunday, June 4, 2006 to Licorice. Anise had her babies as well and they have been transferred to the West End Deer Ranch to receive 24-hour care and attention. Two of the three were buck fawns and both are in "guarded condition" at the moment. The doe fawn, Star Anise, is doing great. She has been an inspiration to the buck fawns to get better. We are not exactly sure of the lineage and if they survive we will check further so the "girls" will know for sure, but at the moment we are trying to pull three healthy babies out of this sad day.

"We have often posted about this race to have our babies first, or so-and-so is better than the other," said Mistletoe, who considers herself sort of the reporter for all, "but Licorice's loss is a loss for us all. We've told Licorice that these things happen and sometimes you have to let Mother Nature take her course. We are lucky to live where we have every possible care and attention from our Humans. They have given us plenty of food and water, and snacks. And, in this hot, dry summer in south Texas, we are lucky that we don't have to make a choice about which baby to save. We've heard about some of the wild does who are having to leave one fawn behind because they can't find enough food to provide milk for both."

All the deer watched as Anise and Licorice withdrew to the Hilton pen to grieve as good friends do with one another. But, deer are different than humans. They rebound quickly and move on. That is their nature and as Mother Nature intended. In the wild deer live in fear of predators taking their children, from large birds to coyotes, and even fire ants, a deer's life is tenuous at best. At SIS Ranch, as at all deer facilities we have seen, the deer are given the opportunity to live and breed in safety.

"Anise and Licorice are mature does who understand the life balance," said Pepper, a mother for the third time, "and I know in their hearts they've set their babies free."

"Pepper knows more than I," said Rosemary, a first-time mom of two, "but I do know that in the wild I would've probably had to choose to keep only one of my babies. A first-time mom with twins can sometimes not have enough milk, and I was not sure I could do it. It was best to send Puckson to a wonderful ranch, in fact, Pepper's old home. I know he will be raised with love and attention, and I can devote myself to raising a strong little girl in Rosebud."

"Anise and Licorice are my friends and I miss talking to them, " said Falstaff with sadness in his eyes. "I look forward to the day when they aren't so sad."

Life is full of blessings and sadness and we revel in the blessings and learn from the sadness. We hold out hope for our buck fawns now in the hands of Mother Nature, but no matter what, we know we did the best we could to give them a fighting chance.

The SIS Ranch Family

Hey, hey, hey!

Babies, all I'm hearing about are babies. Rosemary, Pepper and I think Anise, with that fabulous mood of hers, is bound to be next.

Well, I thought this was all about how fabulous I am, and how big my antlers are becoming. I am, afterall, the signature buck of this SIS Ranch thing. And, I am the daddy for most of the soon-to-be offspring around here.

Look at this superior growth. This takes work, man. This is something to be in awe of, for sure. A couple of "cute" babies is no big deal. Granted, I think they are interesting to look at, they are so small and rather awkward, but I don't think at the big deer convention this summer they'll be showing many baby pictures. It's going to be all about those big buck racks. Just ask Mr. Human. He knows. "Cute" isn't his style either. We know where the bread and butter of this operation comes from. So, talk about the babies all you want. Come fall, it'll all be about my B&C ranking for the year.

Puck, Head Buck

Due Any Minute

Oh, it's Rosemary and her twins, then it's Pepper and her girls....geez, who cares? So, we weren't the first, but we are sure the biggest. HA. Beat that. We are the most miserable. HA. We don't like anyone but each other, so we don't care about who had what baby when. We are not Vegas odds makers. We are moms-in-waiting. Plee-a-a-z-ee. Give it a little dignity.

We will deliver when, or if, we choose.

Licorice

Well, actually Lic, we don't have a choice. Those babies are coming between 200 and 220 days no matter what we do. We can cross our legs all day long. They are coming sooner or later.

Actually, I am beginning to wish for sooner. It's getting hard to walk, run, stand, get up, get down. I'm getting too sluggish. Let's go babies.

Anise

See Me?

Someone wanted to see me? I'm here, I'm here. I'm doing what mommy told me to do. Lay still. I'll see everyone in a few weeks.

Bell....or Chili

Te-he, only I know for sure!

Pepper Sees Guests

Well, in all the excitement of Rosemary's babies and my little ones, I plumb forgot to give a "shout out" to my guests just days before all the new additions. Miss Human's guests, L. and C., dropped by to encourage us moms to be to get moving. A few extra snacks worked well in my case. Any time they want to feed me straight from the can, I'm up for that. I hope they'll come see Bell & Chili soon.

Mr. Human opened up The Ritz for us and we have all spread out now. It's nice to have some extra trees and coverage on a hot day. And, my babies like it to hide in better.

Oh dear, I think it's time to go find them. I hide them in different places so no mean preditor can find them together. I know they are safe here, but it is just something etched into our instincts. It's funny to watch the humans when they look for them. Quite often they walk right by and never notice. Ha, ha. My babies are smart...and good at doing as they are told.

Pepper