Touching the Wild: Living with the Mule Deer of Deadman Gulch
Hardcover – April 1, 2014
Description
From Booklist *Starred Review* Well known for Illumination in the Flatwoods (2006), which describes his two years living with and studying wild turkeys, Hutto has also intimately observed wood ducks, bighorn sheep, and other animals. A move to an old ranch in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming brought him into contact with the resident mule deer, and a particularly friendly doe initiated contact with him and his wife, eventually bringing her family group into their yard. Thus began a seven-year study of the deer as Hutto habituated them to his presence and was able to integrate himself into their society. Recognizing individuals allowed him to discern family relationships and to observe how the deer conducted their day-to-day lives, and by noting subtle changes in behavior, he was able to learn what they meant. Naming the deer by physical traits and their personalities, Hutto makes the individuals very accessible for readers, who not only will learn quite a bit of mule deer ecology but also care about their fate. Full of color photographs of Hutto with the deer, this companion book to an upcoming documentary on PBS’ Nature will charm anyone who has ever enjoyed a distant view of deer. --Nancy Bent Review “Beautifully written and observed, Illumination in the Flatwoods is a work of art worthy of its subjects. The book takes us to a place we might never have even dreamed and gives our minds the courage to believe things our hearts have always known.” ( Rick Bass - Praise for Illumination in the Flatwoods: ) About the Author Joe Hutto is the author of Illumination in the Flatwoods , which was made into the celebrated PBS Nature documentary, My Life as a Turkey , chronicling his exhaustive study of wild turkeys. He is also the author of The Light in High Places , an account of living alone in the high country of Wyoming observing the life of the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. Read more
Features & Highlights
- Emmy Award–winning filmmaker, writer, and naturalist Joe Hutto has done it again.
- Touching the Wild
- is the enchanting story about one man who has lived with a herd of mule deer in the Wind River mountains of Wyoming for almost seven years. Why, you may ask, would a person choose to do such a thing? His response:
- how could you not?
- For Joe Hutto, close proximity to wild things is irresistible. In
- Illumination in the Flatwoods
- he unveiled the secret lives of the wild turkey to great critical acclaim. In
- Touching the Wild
- he turns his acute sense of wonder and affinity to one of the West’s quintessential “big game” animals: the mule deer, a species in peril due to environmental factors. Wily, thoughtful creatures, mule deer are not inclined to make foolish friendships with their primary predator—man. But due to the intense curiosity of one small doe, and the resulting introduction to an entire herd, Joe Hutto has been allowed unprecedented access and insight into the minds and behavior of this special animal. Spending every day among the herd, he develops uncanny connections with the deer, learning individual and group dynamics as well, unveiling just how much we have in common with these delicate beings. Each season brings new joy as fawns are born and heartache as matriarchs pass away, or hunting takes its toll, or a fawn is orphaned. But what overwhelmingly emerges from
- Touching the Wild
- is the enormous respect Hutto has for all wild things and the recognition that we have so much to learn from them about their world, ourselves, and the fragile planet we share. Throughout the book are gorgeous full-color photos.
