Saw this when I walked out the back door of my apartment building...

[Mastershroom]

I normally go out the front door, but today I was taking trash to the dumpster, which is much closer to the back door that I normally don't use. Anyway, there are a few ground-floor apartments next to that back door, facing the woods. I walk outside, and I see a lady standing on her patio hand-feeding this buck and petting it like it was her own dog. ^__^

According to her, he lives in the wild, but he's been coming to her every day for a couple of years. Apparently it was quite tricky to teach him how to drink from the metal bowl. He's quite friendly; he walked right up to me and took my apple from my hand when I offered it.

Deer aren't exactly rare here in Ohio, but usually you see them at 30 miles per hour when they jump out on the road ten feet in front of your car, and even on foot they sprint away when you get within a hundred yards of them. It's quite a rare sight to see one so tame.

[Nix16]

oh wow, that is so cute. Amazing pics, thanks for sharing

[jacqueline]

cute, but tricky, no? if that deer is to tame towards humans - even you a stranger - he might go up to another human, who was not so kind, and put himself in a potentially dangerous situation. . .sorry, but i'm a big one for keeping wild animals wild. we humans can be pretty predatory. . .

[pinky]

That poor guy is at risk of being an easy shot when it's hunting season.

[suzilovespiggie]

Beautiful animal. Hope he stays safe if to you have a hunting season near you.

[NarwhalsRock]

That's so cool! Very interesting how he comes every day!!!!!! If you really wanted (I don't know if there are laws about this) you could buy an orange collar like they do for dogs. Even if hunters see it, they probably won't shoot if it has a collar. I don't know if others think it would be unnatural and weird for a wild animal to wear a collar like a dog, but it seems to me the best way to keep him safe!

Poor guy has really bad mange... D:

[ojars]

take care -- deer ticks transfer readily to humans

[Wildcavy]

He's beautiful, but along with what folks have said about the jeopardy for him and also disease, be aware that deer panic and run into human habitats. If you've ever seen the aftermath of what happens when a deer gets into an apartment or store -- well, I won't describe it. It's very grim, even where there are no injuries to humans.

Beautiful pix and I'm sorry to be a downer.

[PigPandemonium]

As people said above, there are many reasons to just leave him alone. There is also the point that it's not like he is a pet dog who will be tame, he's a wild animal and if he decided that he no longer felt safe and that you were a threat to him, he could do quite a lot of damage. I live near a huge deer area, and have had quite a few run in with deer, one even landing me in the hospital after being hit by a deer on my bike , and that was a female, if it had horns I shiver at the thought of where I would be now.

[MissJean]

That's freaking majestic, man.

[Xeygwyn]

I agree with the above, and beautiful pics! At first I read it as 'talking trash to my dumpster', and my mind went somewhere very confused and yet highly entertained. Oh de(e)ar. Ba dum cha!

[dbsam]

He's beautiful...but I agree with the pp's.

I live in Indiana - lots of deer here too. My neighbors were feeding three young deer for a year or two. They became so 'tame' that one day I stopped my car and rolled down the window to talk to a neighbor - the deer approached my open window! (probably thinking I stopped to feed them.) I gave my neighbors literature explaining why they shouldn't be feeding them (and they became angry at me).

I have thought of the deer over the years and wondered what happened to them.

[TigerLily]

That is sooo neat! Your so lucky, I wish I could live near or in the woods like you. I love wild animal watchin. We have a preserve and a lake close to were I live and a few other places. I like to get up super early in the morning and drive there and watch for animals just before daw every now and then, at the least we are close to nature its not a long drive at all. Sometimes I see a few animals sometimes I don't see anythiing. I have good time even through its only rabbits, ground squirels, donkeys in some areas and cyotes that I usually see (because I'm in the desert) but I still get really excited. If I'm really lucky and at the right place at the right time I get to see the big horn sheep come down the mountain.

[CavyMama]

Very cool to see it up close but ditto what others have said, it's not safe for the deer to associate people with good things like food. For their own protection, they need to have a healthy fear of humans. Not just that, this deer looks relatively young, they need to maintain their instinct for finding food on their own.

[Mastershroom]

Luckily for the deer, hunting is illegal in the entire city and all the parks. Off the top of my head, the nearest legal hunting ground is over half an hour's drive away...so he doesn't have much to worry about as far as ill-intentioned humans are concerned.

As for his mangy look, apparently they build a thick coat in winter and shed it over summer, so that's why he looks so patchy. The fuzz on his antlers will also molt pretty soon, according to the lady who takes care of him.

[CavyMama]

While it's great that the hunting is illegal, people have ill-intentions sometimes. They could try to poison the deer and if the deer isn't afraid of humans, he could walk right up to them and take the poison from them. Hard to believe but some people would stoop to that level.

[Delaine]

We also have many deer in our subdivision. We have mule deer and white tail deer in the area. Right now the does are bringing the fawns around. They are so cute and funny to watch. Like any young animal, they run around and play games with each other.

That is why I got guinea pigs. I was so lonely for a pet after my Standard Poodle passed away that I was tempted to start feeding the white tail deer which is not a good idea. I decided I better get a real pet and not feed the wildlife. If I encouraged the white tail deer they would eat out of my hand.

[ThePigAlchemist]

I agree with everyone about keeping wild animals wild, but I have to say he's very beautiful. Do you know what kind he is? I used to live in an area with lots of white-tailed deer but he doesn't look like one of those.

[Mastershroom]

While it's great that the hunting is illegal, people have ill-intentions sometimes. They could try to poison the deer and if the deer isn't afraid of humans, he could walk right up to them and take the poison from them. Hard to believe but some people would stoop to that level.

People are far from perfect, but I have a hard time imagining anyone in this apartment would willingly bait a deer just to poison it. Apathy is one thing, but killing an animal slowly and painfully just for the sake of killing it...that's future serial killer territory.

I suppose nothing's impossible, but I'm really not worried about anyone here doing that.

I agree with everyone about keeping wild animals wild, but I have to say he's very beautiful. Do you know what kind he is? I used to live in an area with lots of white-tailed deer but he doesn't look like one of those.

I have no idea.

[NarwhalsRock]

I'm glad to hear that there's no mange! I tried to search what kind he is using your pic on Google Images, and the only thing that came up were your pics! But after a little research, I think he might be a Johnson deer. I searched for Ohio deer, and Johnson and White-Tailed came up... Johnson looked more similar than White-Tailed.

Hope somebody can verify!