Exploring the Natural World: An Intimate Look at the Mule Deer of Deadman Gulch

debbie: A very good read

United States on Aug 11, 2023

mmck: One of the best books I have ever read

United Kingdom on Jun 27, 2021

mrs lesley batty: This book is absolutely beautiful. It is loving, wise and compassionate and made me cry at least twice. I’ve read Joe Hutto’s other two books but they don’t come close to this one.

United Kingdom on Feb 16, 2021

Adrian R: This is a fascinating, compassionate and moving story. To be privileged to be accepted by these deer is so awesome. An amazing story!

United Kingdom on Jun 25, 2018

ROGUE: I purchased this book after being moved by the PBS episode on Hutto and his relationship with mule deer, and was not disappointed. The first chapter was a bit of a slowburn and overly descriptive about all life around his home, but hang in there. It does get better, much better. Hutto brings a new perspective to animal science and animal watching, asking 'What can we learn if we're not defined by the taboo of not getting to emotionally invested in our focus animals?". His insight, philosophical and literary, is truly inspiring to read. He demonstrates the worth of citizen science and clearly had a lot of biological knowledge that he held himself back from divulging too much of, seemingly for fear of turning this into too much of a biology text. While I didn't mind the pure science portions, I felt his personal descriptions of the deer he knew, and his deep emotional explanations of his relationships with those deer could have carried the book alone. While only peppered throughout the book, they were brilliant. I also liked his wrestling with the emotions of not only being a lifelong hunter, and questioning modern "hunting" in regard to its harm of these particular mule deer. It...

United States on Jul 25, 2017

Maria McMahon: I was moved to tears on several occasions by this book. It is beautifully (and intelligently) written, so descriptive and full of love for these beautiful creatures that the author came to study, observe, write about and love. It is by turns heartwarming, but all too frequently heartbreaking... I've not been so moved or touched by a book about animals in a very long time. If you really want to look more deeply into the eyes of animals and find out whether they have 'intelligence' and feelings, this book delivers all the answers and the heartbreaking truth is that yes, unequivocally, they do. You will come to know, love and grieve for the many beautiful characters roaming the wild pages of this book. It's a tour de force that I am still thinking about days after having read it. Bravo to the author for bringing us new knowledge of these previously little understood, magnificent creatures.

United Kingdom on Feb 12, 2017

Barb in Milton: I've just finished reading this book for the second time, about a year apart. It hit me in the gut even harder this time than the first.

In the past week it's been almost impossible to get these mule deer out of my mind. Not only is this book excellently written, it's written with humor, honesty and most of all, with so much love and compassion that it leaps out at you through the pages. You can set the book aside when you've finished reading, but you simply can't set aside the troubling thoughts about what is happening to this beautiful species of animal, along with so many others in this world.

Based on the authors interaction with this herd over many, many years, it's clear these are amazing, intelligent, charming, family oriented and loving creatures. It's apparent they learn quickly, have long memories of others in their past and they are very concerned and saddened when one of their group is injured or killed. And...it's clear that we are losing record numbers of them in such a very short period of time.

Please, please do yourself, and the mule deer, a favor and read this book. I guarantee it will stay with you, and maybe if each of us are concerned...

United States on Mar 12, 2016

CF: Outstanding book written by someone who sensed how to get accepted into the safe zone of a distinctly spook-prone prey animal herd. Not written from a romanticized Bambi standpoint at all, it's quite realistically explained how these animals think and how their survival instincts drive them. He accepts the high mortality rate among the species (sometimes with great difficulty in the case of having gotten to know a particular animal well). And he understands that hunting is a fact of life, only wishing that it would be restricted to the seasonal rules (which have purpose) and not done for pure sport alone. While it's a book you can pick up and put down, it's absorbing and brings you into understandings you wouldn't have otherwise. Good writing!

United States on Jan 03, 2016

Jazziegirl: This is the story of the author and his wife who live in the mountains on a mini-ranch in Wyoming. He is a trained scientist. The book covers a time span of seven years telling how a herd of Northern American Mule Deer share their space along with a lot of other wildlife. The focus of the study in on the Mule Deer. The author, Joe Hutto gets to know the deer as individuals and names them as he learns about each of the personalities. The Mule Deer are declining to the point they will become extinct if steps are not taken to help their numbers. Anyone who loves animals will like this book and will also learn a lot about a species not so well known.

United States on Dec 25, 2015

Diana Laliberte: Heartwarming.Watching the family interactions in wildlife is so educational. If only we could apply more of it in our daily lives!!

Canada on Aug 25, 2014