mule deer seen last summer near my home in southwest colorado with the velvet stubs of new antler growth. while deer are declining in most of the state, they are abundant around here: perhaps owing in part to the many vast apple orchards in the area; the later mostly abandoned and fallen to neglect since the juice factory left the area. in the background is a glimpse of the northern buttes of mesa verde national park as seen from my home. taking reference photos of the deer, i didn't notice 'til i reviewed them later that the young bucks seem to be smiling. these are very handsome healthy bucks-- which makes them targets -- i hope they can avoid the gunfire of many coming autumns.