Touching the Wild: Living with the Mule Deer of Deadman Gulch

by Joe Hutto

Emmy Award–winning filmmaker, writer, and naturalist Joe Hutto has done it again. Touching the Wild is the enchanting story about one man who has lived with a herd of mule deer in the Wind River mountains of Wyoming for almost seven years. Why, you may ask, would a person choose to do such a thing? His response: how could you not? For Joe Hutto, close proximity to wild things is irresistible.

In Illumination in the Flatwoods he unveiled the secret lives of the wild turkey to great critical acclaim. In Touching the Wild he turns his acute sense of wonder and affinity to one of the West’s quintessential “big game” animals: the mule deer, a species in peril due to environmental factors.

Wily, thoughtful creatures, mule deer are not inclined to make foolish friendships with their primary predator—man. But due to the intense curiosity of one small doe, and the resulting introduction to an entire herd, Joe Hutto has been allowed unprecedented access and insight into the minds and behavior of this special animal. Spending every day among the herd, he develops uncanny connections with the deer, learning individual and group dynamics as well, unveiling just how much we have in common with these delicate beings.

Each season brings new joy as fawns are born and heartache as matriarchs pass away, or hunting takes its toll, or a fawn is orphaned. But what overwhelmingly emerges from Touching the Wild is the enormous respect Hutto has for all wild things and the recognition that we have so much to learn from them about their world, ourselves, and the fragile planet we share. Throughout the book are gorgeous full-color photos.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Nature, Science, Environment, Natural History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2013

Reviews

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book after watching the PBS special about Joe Hutto's experience with a herd of wild mule deer in Wyoming. This is an excellent book. Have you ever been asked the question, "Who in the world would you like to meet for lunch if you could pick anyone (presumably someone famous)?" I used to say Jane Goodall, but now I might be inclined to choose Joe Hutto. Perhaps it's a bias I have being from Wyoming, but this was an extraordinarily well written book and the overall message resonated with me. All animals are individuals with distinct personalities, and the world will be a better place when more humans begin to view animals in this way.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author can write, the mule deer are fascinating, and was quite impressed with most of the book. The end is very doom and gloom, though, and gives a bleak picture for the mule deer and even the entire globe. I think we need to be aware of problems, but I would have appreciated a little more constructive thought on how we can fix these problems rather than be left with such a hopeless mindset. I am definitely not going to look at a mule deer the same after reading this - they are such intelligent, graceful, and sensitive animals.

[Judy Scheibach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable! And then a little boring. Loved the photos.

[Joni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy Touching the Wild as much as Illumination in the Flatwoods. It was just too much. Too much emotion, too much detail, too much of the author pleading for the reader to care and fight for the mule deer. I did skip around and passed over the boring bits but this book would have been much better had he stuck to telling the story of a handful of deer, their actions, habits, and routines and allow the reader to fall in love with the mule deer on our own. Instead I felt like I needed a diagram or family tree to keep the deer names straight and it seemed Hutto highlighted injuries and death scenes more than those good moments like meeting new fawns.

[Sydne · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, this is such a beautiful account of a man's observations of the mule deer he's been living with.

Secondly, this is such an important work detailing the behaviour and social life of these animals.

As an animal lover interested in ethology, I am never surprised by the depth of feelings, care towards each other, and grief over the loss of a friend, that all animals display.

However, the surprise I frequently see amongst humans over these displays of emotional intelligence tells me that more books like this one are needed.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not have read this book but it was the one my daughter needed to read for her master's thesis. I was surprised to enjoy the book. It is the experience of a man living near Lander, Wyoming, on a ranch where the wild mule deer roamed. Not only did he share information about the deer's habits and lives, he share stories of several deer and his interactions with them. He learned to love them as a group and as individuals.

[Renate Kinscheck · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent and detailed description of the life and personalities of the herd and individual mule deer. The author has a ranch near where the deer often graze and he gets to know many of the individuals very well. For example, he describes the feelings of sorrow and hopelessness when a female again losses a fawn.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating account of how the author embedded himself into a herd of mule deer. He spent so much time with them that he got to know their individual personalities just as the deer learned to recognize him from other people.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written, heartbreaking book.

[daisy riddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

This is a fascinating, compassionate and moving story. To be privileged to be accepted by these deer is so awesome. An amazing story!

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story that filled my heart with joy, made me laugh, and made me cry. It gave me a new perspective on the mule deer and opened my eyes to their plight. Loved it.

[Bryon Gale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific Read

A close relationship with a Mule Deer herd, their acceptance of a human, their lives, struggles and necessary approach to their future.

[MaryJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Hutt is a passionate advocate for the mule deer, whose populations are vanishing from the rocky mountain west. This book tells of his life on a ranch in Wyoming, Over a period of many years, he and his wife got to know many members of a herd of mule deer, giving them names, and observing them from season to season, sometimes developing relations with the deer such that the deer approached them expecting to be groomed or to get a treat. I picked this book from a reference in a paper discussing the role of the lead female in herds of horses, and I was fascinated to learn more from Hutto's detailed observations. The end of the book is a cry against the disruption of mule deer habitat and the increasingly difficult conditions of their lives, including competition by elk and white tail deer. Growing up in Montana, mule deer seemed abundant. It is hard to imagine they are now endangered.

[Marsella Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give this a four and a half. I dare you to read this and not want to adopt a mule deer. This book is full of amazing pictures,text, not to mention tales of the exhilarating day to day described by this biologist (and wife) studying the lives of mule deer, amidst rural Wyoming. Joe Hutton realistically portrays their precarious struggle to survive in the best of conditions, as well as his own mixed feelings of falling in love with all their distinct personalities. When they follow the call of nature to go forage, he watches them leave with a heavy heart, knowing many will not return to the safe harbor his ranch provided. His life is forever changed by knowing each and every one of them.
Marsella

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy is really fascinating -- I found out about him by reading the long article in the New Yorker about him living with a family of wild turkeys. I like the idea of pushing the edges of scientific inquiry by considering the emotions of the researcher and the subjects. (The relationship between the researcher and the subjects is usually relevant to whatever you're trying to find out.) But this book gets very sad at the end. Spoiler alert: Mule deer have a hard life already, and their environment is disappearing.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars for the author's honest, often heartbreaking descriptions of mule deer behavior and society. The deep relationship he managed to develop with the wild herd over the years is amazing. Four stars for the rundown of obstacles the species faces in a changing environment. Two stars, however, for the lengthy and preachy tirade about how the mule deer needs to be saved -- simply seemed like overkill. The book would have been better, in my opinion, if the first two sections were allowed to stand on their own.