Robot Deer at Ausable Club

I am sure no one will believe me when I tell you this story since I don't have any pictures to prove it, but a deer at the Ausable Club actually followed me!  

I had finished running the Lake Road to and from the Ausable Lakes, and was waiting for Drew back at the Ausable Club.   He decided to run up Indian Head when we got to the Lakes and I didn't tag along because I had received 6 shots of novocaine in my toe the day before for an ingrown toe nail that decided to grow back.  That's another story and consider yourself lucky that I didn't blog about that yesterday!  

Anyways, I was sitting on a bench taking in the beauty of their golf course with the mountains in the background when I started to get cold.  He had the keys to the car so I decided to jog back to the Lake Road to warm myself up.  Just before the gate, I noticed a small deer off to my right.  I stopped and looked at it, waiting for the deer to go running off.  The deer didn't move. I rubbed my eyes thinking maybe it was a fake deer.  I stomped my foot trying to scare it away. Nothing.  Then, it started walking towards me!  I couldn't believe what was going on.  

Most deer get spooked by crazy ladies in running capri's swinging their arms shouting, "I'm not your mother little deer, stay away from me!"  I thought maybe a member of the Ausable Club was sitting in one of the cottages with a remote control playing with this deer and watching my funny reaction. This went on for about 20 minutes.  I would walk away from the deer and she would follow.  I would stop, say something and start walking again.  The deer followed.  The closest the deer got to me was maybe 8 feet or so.  The deer was freaking me out.  

She itched herself on a whirligig at one of the cottages and scratched herself with its back leg like a dog.  The deer just looked at me like, "Will you please scratch behind my neck, I think I might have a tick."  I picked up a small piece of wood just in case the deer got too close to me and wanted to rub up against me.  

I finally saw Drew coming down the road and started waving my arms frantically and motioning for him to slow down and stay quiet.  I pointed to the deer and he said, "Oh yeah, they're robots." I said, "What do you mean?  No, it's real.  It follows me."  Apparently, he has encountered these deer as well and has been within arm reach from them before.  

The Ausable Club is no petting zoo, but it certainly felt like that.  Maybe with all the wealth surrounding the Club they have stocked their grounds and private Adirondack Mountain Reserve with a special breed of deer that run with you like dogs, since no pets are allowed on their property.

When I told this story to a friend on the phone last night she said, "The only thing that would have made your story better is if you told me it was a unicorn."  I wonder if that means she didn't believe me?