Good morning, Steemit!

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I've been trying hard to cross their paths for the last few days. You see, @papa-pepper hosts a Combination Photography Contest. The combination is animals combined with plants, two of @papa-pepper's favorite things! So here we go!

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Here in Crestone, we live with the wildlife. Seriously, this area is a wildlife refuge, which means that nobody is allowed to kill or harass animals in any way. That comes with its own set of challenges, like keeping the bears out of your house, but overall it's a real blessing.

Most deer are notoriously skittish, but not these buddies! They surrounded me, but it's alright, I didn't feel threatened. If I make any sudden moves, they run away... fast.

Full disclosure: I put some oats on the ground. I normally don't feed wildlife, as it's not ecologically responsible, but the animals around here have been having a really hard year. The vegetation in the mountains has been drying out recently as the area prepares for unavoidable wildfires in coming years. Bears have been casually breaking into people's houses more frequently this year, as food has been harder to find in the hills. Needless to say, this family of deer really appreciated this blessing of breakfast!

This guy walked right up to me to take a closer look.

With complete fearlessness, he stared me down, and I got this lovely closeup!

Before I said goodbye, I had to take a few selfies with my friends, for contest entry proof. It's a bit of a bummer that so many people want to take advantage that we have to prove our photos in this way, but I'm happy to comply!

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