A little high-strung, maybe? In a video posted Aug. 18 on YouTube, a deer just about jumps out of its skin when a raccoon brushes up against its leg.
In the video, you can see a small whitetail buck gobbling up corn from beneath an automatic feeder while a raccoon feasts right beside him. All seems calm and at peace, until the raccoon brushes up against the buck's front leg.
Chaos ensues.
The deer leaps into action, quite literally. He launches himself skyward, all four legs flailing, before crashing down on the feeder that just moments ago was providing a tasty meal. The raccoon appears confused, turning in a quick circle. The feeder crumples beneath the weight of the whitetail, one of the device's legs broken, and both buck and raccoon quickly flee the scene.
The video was captured by a Moultrie trail camera at 3:19 a.m. on Aug. 18. According to the caption, the incident occurred near the town of Connelly Springs, North Carolina.
Raccoons are known to forage with other animals. A study in North Carolina caught raccoons on camera chowing down with deer, foxes, flying squirrels and even coyotes. It's not certain why they so often dine with other animals; it could be safety in numbers, or it could simply be the raccoons are looking for company. Whatever the reason, this particular raccoon in the video caused a very abrupt end to its family dinner. It's difficult to tell whether the deer perceived the raccoon as a threat or was simply startled by the smaller creature unexpectedly brushing up against it.
Regardless, it was clearly an overreaction. However, it did give us an incredible firsthand glimpse into the jumping abilities of whitetails. According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, "adult deer can easily jump 7 feet or higher." We'd say this deer definitely hit the 7-foot mark.
