Above, you see one of the young white-tailed deer bucks in “our herd,” which refuses to recognize the validity of our title to their territory. One of the herd does is shown below:
As you see, these animals appear to be in magnificent shape. Soon our meadows will be mowed, and we’ll get to see more of them.
The two bucks that I’ve seen this past week already have shed and/or rubbed off the protective “velvet” covering for this year’s antler models. Bucks, does and this year’s fawns are transitioning nicely into their grayer and thicker winter coats. They’re also browsing more heavily than they did in August. Now is the time to gain weight and build up reserves for the winter.
Nonetheless, since about 2009, the winters have been getting milder and mostly without blizzards or other severe snowstorms. This is part of a warming trend that has been projected to continue and accelerate. The deer love the trend; skiers and snowmobilers, not so much.
Maine government trackers report that average temperatures in the state have risen by more than 3°F since 1895, and winters are now warming faster than any other season here. This has made our winter weather about two weeks shorter than it was in the early 1900s. According to the Maine State Climatologist, temperatures here are projected to warm an additional 2 to 4°F by 2050, and potentially up to 10°F by 2100.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on September 19 and 9, 2026.)