One of the things we enjoy most about living in the Carroll House is the deer who live in the woods close to the house. Previous missionary couples living here fed the deer and it has been one of life's "simple pleasures" for us as well. (If we had a garden, we might feel differently!) CK was well known for feeding the birds, mostly doves, at home in St. Pete. So feeding the deer comes naturally for him and he even built special feeders for them! We started out in June 2011 with our "core" group of deer, 4 does and 2 young bucks. As time passed, we picked up fawns and a mature buck. Sometimes we have had as many as 10 deer so apparently they have invited some friends to join them. Everyone enjoys a free meal! When we are off the ranch, several of the other couples are more than willing to take over feeding without us even asking. We wish we had named them because we have come to know them so well over the past year.
 |
| This young buck now comes very close to CK. |
 |
| A couple of CK's "ladies" |
 |
| One of 3 fawns born this year. |
The ranch has 385 species of wildlife residing here, including 275 species of birds! Brigham Mason is the full-time Wildlife Biologist who manages the wildlife on the ranch. There are 45 hunting camps here. Hunting leases are yearly with strict rules including reporting everything killed on the ranch and following all the laws governing hunting in Florida. The camps are various sizes depending on the number of hunters and the ranch allows 500 acres/hunter. There is also a fishing camp on the ranch at Taylor Creek Reservior. The visitors center has mounted white-tailed deer, an Osceola turkey, and "Gus", our 12 foot alligator who was scaring the pickers in the orange grove on the south end of the ranch. The ranch has received awards for its stewardship to the wildlife. They even built a rookery for the endangered woodstorks on the ranch. A favorite FHE activity for the missionaries is going to the rookery in the evening to watch the birds. There's lots of alligators in the water surrounding the rookery too!
Several weeks ago as the missionary couples were coming to the Carroll House for our 6:45 AM devotional, they saw a black bear crossing the lawn in front of the Carroll House. The Kennedys missed it, but one of the employees also saw it! Unfortunately, no one had a camera. Needless to say, I did not walk that day!
 |
| **We have an owl who sits on the DCC sign. |
 |
Grayson with Gus.
**Roseate Spoonbill with an alligator.
(Possibly taken at Jug Island, a reservior on south end of ranch.)
**Photos courtesy of KSL-TV May 2011 |
Spotting alligators is "the" favorite activity for the people who take our tours. Summer is not a good time to see the wildlife, but especially gators. The rest of the year, we have a lot of fun looking for them. Although we have an employee who is licensed to kill them if they become a danger to people, that doesn't happen often. Last summer he had to remove an 11 foot gator from the youth camp. The cattle and the alligators seem to coexist peacefully for the most part; however, the cowboys lose their dogs from time to time. (The biggest danger to the cattle? Lightning!! The ranch loses about 2% of the cattle each year to lightning. ) The ranch actually sells alligator eggs! A company spots the nests from a small helicopter and men on the ground take about half the eggs from each nest. They know whether they are getting male or female by where they are in the nest. The temperature at which they develop determines the sex. They have to handle the eggs very carefully and put them in a special box.
 |
| Alligator in the "wild". |
