In Illumination in the Flatwoods, Joe Hutto unveiled the secret lives of wild turkeys to great critical acclaim, which resulted in the Emmy Award-winning PSB documentary My Life as a Turkey. Now 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 Rockies for almost seven years.Due to the intense curiosity of one groundbreaking deer, 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 embedded among the herd, he develops an uncanny connection with the deer, witnessing individual and group dynamics never before observed and recorded, unveiling just how much we have in common with these delicate beings.Each season brings joy as fawns are born, and heartache as hunters, predators, development, and a pollution all take their toll. The mule deer of the West are in trouble, and Hutto is their most fervent advocate. Touching the Wild is proof that we have so much to learn from wild animals about their world, ourselves, and the fragile planet we share. Full color photos throughout.

Table of ContentsPrefacePart One: Some Interesting Mule Deer I Have KnownChapter 1: In the BeginningChapter 2: And Along Came RaymeChapter 3: An Inflorescence of Mule DeerChapter 4: Peep's DiaryChapter 5: Anne of a Thousand DaysChapter 6: Living among the Mule DeerChapter 7: And Then There Was Possum Chapter 8: The Babe Chapter 9: Making a Case for Mule Deer MiraclesChapter 10: Buck FriendsPart Two: The Essential Mule DeerChapter 11: Mule Deer vs. White-Tailed DeerChapter 12: The Essential Mule DeerChapter 13: High Society: Altruistic Does and Beneficent BucksChapter 14: World as Perceived by a Mule DeerPart Three: The Mule Deer in CrisisChapter 15: The PredatorsChapter 16: The Trouble with Mule DeerChapter: 17: Updates on Old FriendsChapter 18: Provisions of ConsciousnessEpilogue