New Fawn

Bill happened into it when he was out fishing near Esopus creek, famous among fishermen for trout and among foodies for one of America’s most delicious apples, the Esopus Spitzenburg (frequently lauded by Thomas Jefferson), about which more some other time.

He was walking through the woods back to his car and there it was, barely dry and still wobbling. It went to ground immediately. The doe was in the underbrush, snorting. He could have picked it up and carried it away, thereby saving somebody else’s garden a lot of trouble, but of course he didn’t.

Bill Bakaitis

Newborn fawn in the woods on public land. The blue paint on the tree is a forest service mark: “this one is to be cut down.”