Friday had an inspection at a gated community. 50 yards inside the gatehouse I see a sign "we share this community with wildlife ". 50 yards up the road I look over and there is 3 deer, not common for me here, so I stop and take a pic. After the inspection on the way out a few hours later the deer are still there… I thought that is wierd, but now there is only 2 deer and thought that is really weird the little one is gone? Yesterday I was composing the report and thought I’d send a pic of these tiny deer to my Dad and pulled up the pic and realized what most likely happened.:shock:
And to think I had a client from up North get all excited about buying a home on the St John’s river. I kid you not, he looked me square in the face and said " Isn’t this great! My kids will love to play by the water! " My jaw hit the ground and so did the Realtor’s. By the way, he said his kids were 3 and 5 years old. Needless to say that was the end of the deal…
No it didn’t. The little one is not as small as you think. He is a likely a first year buck in velvet. Which ever one is missing just walked away that gator did not look that big and the deer are used to them and RARELY get eaten once that size. If he had the others would have been LONG GONE. There, now do you feel better 
I lived alongside the Shingle Creek back in the 70’s and was finally told by some of the locals I should be careful of gators, snakes and whatever else slithers around Northern Florida.
Slept in a sleeping bag one night after getting a toasted on some Rebel Yell. The swamp people thought I was a crazy Yankee.
Real swamp rats don’t worry bout them things. I grew up in the swamp and never had an issue. My 10 year old daughter has been duck hunting in the swamp with me since she could walk and Never ever manages to stay in the canoe We hunt in Stormwater Treatment Areas which was built by the State and the ducks swarm to them like wise it is full of gators, snakes and everything else that wants to eat wounded ducks and never have had a problem. We actually call gators together. My vet who is also a Lab Owning duck hunter has never even heard of a gator going after a retriever and neither have I. Snakebites sometimes but that is normally the foolish dogs fault, wanting to play with it.
I think I’ll stick to living in the North East. It may get cold in the winter, but gators, and hurricanes and poisonous snakes etc. are rare…
I would love where you live but I must stay for the families sake.
Till the young-un goes to college, unless I get an offer I cannot afford to refuse.
Then we are out of this HEAT hell hole :twisted: