The Deer is safe in Barker Reservoir where the Army Corps of Engineers does not allow hunting

White-tailed deer (head shot) 

They are not too shy either.

They will just stare at you. 

High-resolution pair below: 

Deer in Barker Reservoir

They like to come out of the woods at dusk and help themselves to the lush green grass 

on the slopes of the Barker Dam. Deer in George Bush Park are abundant and much more visible the the the wild hogs.

The flora on the slopes of the dam changes over the course
of the year. Now it's sunflower time again.

A deer at the bottom of the reservoir just behind the dam in an area
close to Buffalo Bayou that floods periodically.

Flock of birds flying over the reservoir at sundown

Deer at sunset in the woods: Where is the deer?

There are plenty of deer in George Bush Park (Barker Reservoir) and in Cullen Park (Addicks Reservoir) North of I-10. You can even watch them from the respective dam roads. These are large areas -- large by suburban standards -- that are basically left to nature running its course and no hunting or even carrying of firearms is allowed in these parks (except for the shooting center on Westheimer Parkway).

Find the deer in this landscape

The white-tailed deer enjoy quasi-protected status, and they are easy to encounter, much easier than, say, the feral hogs, that also roam the grounds along the meandering bayou. But they typically emerge at dusk, and shooting them with the camera is quite a challenge. They freeze alright and stare in your direction, but they don't let you get very close, so you need a powerful zoom or telelens; but you also need a longer exposure because of the dim light conditions. If the animal moves, your image of it will get blurred. At best usable for special effect, if you are lucky enough to have a whole group in front if you and some move while others stand still and gaze at the camera.

Apparently got to close for comfort - this one is taking off;
it almost looks like a kanguruh

Wrong pose ... and tail is not even white, at least not
when in the "down" position

These two look okay as small versions on  the screen, at ISO-800 and 1/50 shutter speed, 

with a little editing and cropping on the computer upon return from the woods

I accentuated the colors a little bit on this one with the photo-editing software.
The natural lighting was quite good actually better than during the warm season
because there is no foliage to interfere  with the illumination by the setting sun.

Another abortive foray to watch deer: The live specimen on display, and happily grazing -- at Bear Creek Pioneers' Park do not quite match the interpretive sign providing background info on the White Tailed Deer. It's educational all the same. You will just have to enjoy the ponies and donkeys and leave the deer-watching for another day in another place: perhaps the nearby woods.

 Farm animals at Bear Creek Pioneers Park

at other times of the year when the grass is greener

Deer Watching and photographing in George Bush Park

Deer can be seen regularly in George Bush Park along the trail, even from top of the Dam -- whether on the Eastern side near the gate (running North-South), or on the North side which runs parallel with Katy Freeway. Taking pictures of them -- at least with amateur equipment -- is more of a challenge, for they are shy and will disappear back into the woods  if you were to approach to reduce the distance (and focal length). Because they typically emerge only at dusk, i.e. in low-light conditions, shutter speed is an issue.

A point-and-shooter with superzoom will help, but the animals will often still come out blurred if they move when you press the release button, even when you use a tripod and there is no camera shake.

While the wild pigs hog all the attention, there is more to wildlife in George Bush Park

Large herbivores in the wetlands - some liked, others less so

No Hogs allowed in Wetlands Area?
So far the sign only mentions dogs

The wild pigs (feral hogs) are not liked very much, and have been in the news lately because Commissioner Radack wants to get rid of them, and feed them to the homeless.  

Meanwhile, the white-tailed deer are flourishing, and probably enjoy a safer future since no hunting is allowed in the U.S. Corps of Engineer's flood catchment areas behind Barker and Addicks dams, and nobody is proposing to capture these critters, which are also of quite impressive size and roam around the reservoir wilderness. 

Feral pig trap set up in George Bush Park

I have yet to spot a wild black pig (all I have seen is a trap set up to catch them), but the white-tailed deers are easy to encounter -- though shy -- and are a delight to watch  from the top of the dam at dusk. Usually they emerge in groups. 

I count nine (9) deer in the shot below - including males with antlers - but some are blurred because they moved during the longer-than-normal exposure time necessitated by scarce light at dusk and use of the maximum zoom-level.

Did I say the deer are safe? 

But there is another hypothesis. Perhaps the wild pigs -- denounced as an invasive species -- do have natural enemies after all and this is what's left of one of them after wide-wings-pan predators with voracious appetites descended from the sky for a hearty meal. Just speculating here. We'll need someone who knows about bones, or at least molars, which are very prominent on the skull.

I did find a large feather near the skeleton of what was definitely a large animal. That's some circumstantial evidence at the scene. Probably black vultures. They are abundant in this area. 

Okay, maybe I should call them scavengers, assuming this was not actually their kill. They usually let the motorists do the killing on the highways, and then fly in for the clean-up. Which would not solve the mystery: If not the vultures, who or what brought down this large reservoir beast? 

This is what the reservoir grounds look like this time of the year: incipient green in many a place, but not everywhere. The area shown in the photo below is located right behind Barker Dam (East) and floods several times during the year after heavy rains. See photos of flooding conditions in the reservoir from last year by clicking the highlighted text in this sentence.  

The next pic shows the water-flow in the spillway and the landscape on the city-facing side of the dam. Seems just about right for the kayaking. 

Buffalo Bayou spillway at the Barker Dam flow control gate

Dam wildlife is awesome - Photo safari on Addicks Dam Road

Addicks Dam protects the City of Houston from flooding after heavy rains. What is less well known is that the earthen dam with a gravel road on top also affords an excellent opportunity not only for walking and hiking (one stretch even has exercise equipment, albeit not as fancy was what is installed along Terry Hershey Trail) -- but for enjoying native wild life.This includes not only butterflies and sundry bugs, insects, and birds, but also large mammals: most notably deer - even groups of deer. Here are three on the edge of a wooded area, taken with tele-lens in the late afternoon (contrast and sharpness enhanced with photo editing software). 

All ears and staring at the Canon shooter (PowerShot SX 20 - ISO 400  f/5.7  1/20 sec.)

Buckeye resting on a tall grass

Not to mention the bounties of the colorful flora -- which changes over the course of Spring, Summer, and Fall - the butterflies that the flowers attract, and the simple beauty of the tall grasses. 

Flowers with bugs...looks like caterpillars

Even the gravel road plays host to beautiful living things

Indian Paintbrush amid high grass on the slope of Addicks Dam

Sensitive Briar 

Because of its elevation in what is an essentially flat landscape, Addicks Dam Road also offers nice sunsets, although the Barker Dam does better in that regard because it runs North-South with tree-line on the horizon, rather than East-West as Addicks Dam does [in the Energy Corridor segment], and also even has a lake to catch the setting sun's reflection. 

Deer at Bear Creek Pioneers Park

Deer crossing sign on Bear Creek Drive

Deer on the edge of a wooded area in Bear Creek Pioneers Park

Deer on the meadow

Interpretive poster with White -Tailed Deer info at one of the enclosure in the "zoo" section of Bear Creek Pioneers Park. Alas, the resident deer was killed some time ago, but there are wild ones also in the area (see above)