— By CPW Employee Michael Scott
You really shouldn’t have to look for a reason to get out in the woods. But, over time, I guess that other things in life seem to pull many of us away from the great outdoors — work, kid’s activities, I-70 traffic, etc. I realize now that I have not been out as much as I should have in the past, and I am determined to make up for it.
One unique opportunity came when we hosted some friends from out of state and went out onto Lake Dillon for an afternoon of boating. I didn’t really think that we would see any real “wildlife” on the lake, but I was wrong. On the way back to the marina, we looked toward shore and there was a young mule deer buck swimming across the lake. I have seen deer swim across rivers before and have even seen them swim across smaller ponds. But, I have to admit that when I saw the buck headed across the wide part of the lake, I was concerned that it may possibly drown. Did I mention that this was Lake Dillon? You know, the big one that you drive by on I-70 when you go by Frisco? We made one pass in front of the buck with the boat to try and turn him back to the closest shoreline. However, he seemed determined to cross to the west side and just circled around the boat and continued on. Not wanting to stress the buck, we decided to get out of the way and let him go on his way. I can’t even tell you how impressed I am with how well that buck could swim. Last we saw, he was more than half way across and was still swimming strong.
As a side note, one of our friends did manage to take a picture of the deer with her phone.
When I sent it to my daughter, of course she asked me why I didn’t take any video with my smart phone. I guess I’m not used to documenting my life and posting it on Facebook every day. I do wish I had videotaped it though.
Anyway, the summer is flying by, and I need to get out more. Since it doesn’t seem to just happen, maybe I need to block out some dates on the calendar. Since the calendar seems to be full of “Have-To” appointments, I’d better schedule some “Want-To” dates soon. Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.
Submitted by CPW employee Michael Scott.
