If you expected to read about making a lot of money from seeing the title of this post, I am sorry to disappiont. The Bucks I am talking about here are the ones with antlers, and not the green kind.
A big Buck from southern Texas.
White-tailed Deer are the only deer species in the eastern USA and they get pretty big in the brushlands of southern Texas. I see this majestic animal quite often when visiting national wildlife refuges and reserves and always enjoy taking pictures of them.
A big Buck grazing in the short grass.
This Buck got some vegetation stuck in its big antlers.
It is always nice when a beautiful White-tailed Deer poses for a close shot!
White-tailed Deer have become so common in many parts of the eastern states because most of their predators have been extirpated. Although a few Mountain Lions show up in the east now and then (in addition to the small population in Florida), these appear to be males that wander all the way from Nebraska and they have yet to establish stable breeding populations east of the Great Plains.
This big cat was probably the main, historical predator of White-tailed Deer in the east along with Gray and Red Wolves (two more species that have disappeared from most areas east of the Great Plains and south of the Canadian border). Coyotes will take deer if and when they can but they have much less of an impact on deer populations than wolves or Mountain Lions. Their main predator nowadays are hunters and since the hunting is done in a sustainable, managed manner, this assures that White-tailed Deer continue to be a common animal in most areas.
A White-tailed Deer having a morning stretch.
Two big Bucks from southern Texas.
Another mammal that frequents the brushlands and subtropical habitats of southern Teas is the Javelina or Collared Peccary. These wild pigs can be aggressive but they are fine as long as you keep your distance.
A big Javelina.
I can’t end this post without at least one picture of a bird. Here is a Crested Caracara that perched on a convenient post at the end of a long, beautiful day in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The Crested Caracara is a common bird species in southern Texas with a striking appearance.