LARAMIE — Close encounters with mule deer in Laramie’s Greenhill Cemetery isn’t anything out of the ordinary. What is are the new re red-lettered signs posted near the cemetery’s entrances, warning dog owners to think twice about walking their pooches there.
“Attention dog walkers. Beware of deer-protective mother is aggressive towards dogs. She WILL come after you,” the signs read.
The cemetery is a popular spot for locals to take strolls, go jogging or walk their dogs.
Lately, however, at least until a fawn known to be among the resident deer grows up a bit, its dog-hating momma is making things downright dangerous for pets vising with their humans.
In the meantime, it might be best for people to walk their dogs elsewhere, said Judy Lake, the cemetery’s administrative secretary.
“We’ve only had one reported incident with her so far,” Lake told Cowboy State Daily. “A person walking their dog here apparently got too close. The mother deer really did not like the dog and started to come after it, aggressively, with the hairs on her back raised.”
Luckily, the deer broke off before making physical contact with the dog or its owner. But out of an abundance of caution, the staff decided to put up warning signs, Lake said.
“This is a really popular spot for dog-walkers,” Lake said. “We just want people to be aware, because we don’t want anything to happen.”
As far as anybody knows, the little deer with the protective mother is the only fawn in the cemetery this year, she said.
“Last year, we had one doe with a set of twins and one with a single fawn,” Lake said. “But this year is strange. We have only the one fawn.”
Deer Take To The Cemetery
The cemetery is just north of the University of Wyoming campus, adjacent to residential neighborhoods and a few open, undeveloped fields.
A small group of mule deer hang out in the area. At odd hours, particularly just before sunup, they can frequently be spotted crossing 15th Street as they move between feeding and bedding areas.
Years ago, the deer used to love hanging out downtown, said Laramie local Punch Williamson, who stopped by the cemetery office for a visit Thursday.
But recently, they’ve moved east, favoring the UW campus and the cemetery, he said.
“There is wonderful grass and food for them here,” he said.
Even as he and Lake chatted, a young buck was clearly visible through an open office window, bedded down among some headstones.
Williamson said he generally doesn’t mind the presence of deer. He even keeps a warm bowl of water available in his own yard during the winter so the deer have something to drink.
He added that he hasn’t had any trouble yet with the momma deer that prompted the signs, but he is sometimes annoyed by the deer gobbling up flowers around the graves.
“They’ll come in and eat everything, and now they’ve decided the cemetery is a good place to be,” he said.
Fawn Already Knows All The Tricks
The weather late Thursday morning was perfect for a stroll through the cemetery. The adult deer were easy to spot, with a reddish tint in their summer coats.
They were nonchalant about a stranger approaching them for photos.
That’s typical, cemetery groundskeeping employee Braeden Wood told Cowboy State Daily as he took a short break from maneuvering a lawnmower around the grave markers to cut the grass.
“The deer will let us get right up next to them when we’re mowing,” he said.
As for the protective mamma, “I haven’t had any trouble with her at all,” Wood said.
Once the fawn was spotted, getting photos became a completely different game than it had been with the adults.
The little deer was mature enough to have full use of its legs, but still young enough to have spots. And it knew all the tricks a fawn must master to survive.
It darted among the gravestones waiting until it was just out of sight before suddenly changing directions, making an approach to within photo range frustrating. It also curled up and hunkered down near the base of a bush, becoming essentially invisible before leaping up and taking off again.
All the while, its mother watched, lounging in the shade of a nearby bush. Her ears were perked up and she almost seemed to be admiring her offspring’s mad skills of evasion. But since no dog was there, she showed no aggression toward the bumbling intruder trying to snap a photo of the fawn.
A fawn mule deer pauses just long enough for its photo to be snapped in the Laramie’s Greenhill Cemetery on Thursday. Cemetery staff are warning people not to walk their dogs near the fawn, because its mother hates dogs and will go after them. (Mark Heinz, Cowboy State Daily) 
A doe mule deer keeps watch over her nearby fawn in Laramie’s Greenhill Cemetery on Thursday. The doe hasn’t been aggressive toward people, but cemetery staff are warning people to keep their dogs clear, because the doe hates them being near her fawn, and will go after dogs. (Mark Heinz, Cowboy State Daily) 
A buck mule deer, with this year’s set of antlers just starting to grow in, hangs out near the Greenhill Cemetery office in Laramie on Thursday. (Mark Heinz, Cowboy State Daily)
One Must Be Cautious
Lake said she welcomes the deer, despite their propensity for devouring flowers. She also hopes dog owners will heed the warning signs.
She’s had a touchy encounter or two with mother deer and their fawns.
She recalled one incident last year when just as she arrived for work, she got a text from the cemetery’s arborist warning that a mother and fawn were right next to the office building.
Lake appreciated the heads up and approached with polite caution.
“The little fawn was right there by the rail leading to the door, and that mother deer was watching me, waiting to see which direction I was going to go,” she said.
“Mothers are always protective of their little ones,” she added.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
