Whitetail acting like a moose

[Barry Wensel]

One of my best friends just built a pond next to his house this summer. It's probably 30 feet deep in the middle. It just filled to capacity a couple weeks ago and he stocked it with fish last week. He just showed me some video of a doe walking down the bank and into the water. She goes in about half way between her belly and the top of her back. So she's not just knee-deep. Then she completely submerges her head and neck under water and apparently is feeding on something growing on the bottom of the new pond. First of all, because of the age of the pond I don't think there's a weed growing in it. There are no trees along the bank where she's feeding so it's not like she's diving for acorns or something. And he says she has returned several days now doing the same thing. She keeps her head under for a pretty long time so she's obviously holding her breath. Who teaches them that stuff? Ha. Seriously, I've spent about as much time with wild deer as anyone and I've never seen it before. Anyone else seen it? bw

[JimB]

I've watched them do that in the Summer,in beaver ponds.They were definitely feeding on some underwater plant but have no idea what's happening at your friend's pond.

[Pat B]

Maybe a natural mineral lick that she found before the pond filled.

[Wandering Archer]

What Pat said, or could be some mild of algae, they can establish pretty quick

[dhermon85]

Never saw that. I watched some video of a rutting buck a while back, laid down in a creek for a minute, put his head all the way under the water, then continued on. Was weird to see.
 Maybe cleaning her ears?  

[Jerry Jeffer]

They sure like my mom's water lillys.

   

 

[Mudd]

I witnessed it on Tree Creeks State forest back a few years ago.

I was mesmerized watching this does repeatedly sticking her head under water.

I wouldn't have known what she was doing except once she came up with greenery hanging out of her mouth.

God bless,Mudd

[AkDan]

What really stinks is when moose start acting like whitetails!  It's amazing a 1000lb animal can stay hidden in suburban Alaska and rarely be seen!  I have a 40" bull hanging around  my house I've seen ONCE!  he must like the street lights lol.

[njloco]

Here in n.j. We have some huge bucks that live their entire lives in back yards, but I can't imagine having a bull moose in the back yard, but then again, you are talking about Alaska.

[Knawbone]

I'm thinking that possibly this Doe has been submerged before(for whatever reason...food maybe), and in the process felt the relief of parasites perhaps.     By keeping her head above water,the parasites would gravitate to the deer's head. The natural response would then be for her to submerge her head. ( I'm probably all wet on this one )   :D

[bofish-IL]

Watched a doe on the Mississippi river a few years back in belly deep water sticking her head under water. When she raised her head out of the water she had some type of plants hanging from her mouth. This was after the water had raised for s few days.

[dbd870]

Never knew they did that!

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

Barry me and another guy were running a Jet boat up the New river near the Radford arsenal in VA on the New river while musky fishing   this June and saw several deer with head semerged . When we got close they would pull head up with a wad of grass from river bottom . Never even heard of that before that day .

WE called them Doose