Not Deer
If you've been spending some time on Reddit or TikTok or other strange corners of the internet you may have come across a new type of cryptid. No, I'm not thinking of those beloved Fresno Night Crawlers...but something else...something not. The Not Deer has been reported across North America, although there seems to be a specific concentration in the Appalachian area. Put simply, the Not Deer are said to look like deer...but not quite. Let's dive deeper into this strange new creature emerging from the woods.
Its description is similar to that of the average deer, but when you get closer or have the opportunity to give it more than a passing glance, you realize that there is something else at work. Often, they are said to have misshapen legs, forward-facing eyes (like a predatory), and unusually noticeable teeth. Almost as if some other creature who had never visited Earth was tasked with creating one.
They also don't move like a deer. Often, we think of deer as graceful, silent creatures. However, the Not Deer is anything but. They are said to move aggressively or jerkily, often moving in a disjointed way. Also unlike a deer, seeing a human won't immediately make them flee. In fact, they don't seem to be afraid of humans at all and, in some cases, may even become predatory and aggressive towards people.
One of the most popular accounts of a Not Deer comes from Reddit user /r/Ampersand_Dotsys. His account takes place in Waynesboro, VA near Skyline Drive. Often, he would take weekly trips on his motorcycle to the park and drive during the day to keep his membership up. But, one night he was feeling a bit antsy and decided to go for a moonlit drive along the path at around 11:00 pm. He felt a little uncomfortable shortly after entering the park but decided to press on, he was familiar with the area, armed, and, obviously had a motorcycle that could outrun any bear (which, at the time, was likely the biggest threat). He decided to pull over and enjoy the view, leaning against the light, for a little while. 10 minutes into valley-gazing, he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. He had done over 2 years in Iraq and felt his instincts of being watched were top-notch...and he felt watched. So, he sat and listened, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself by turning on his bike or flashing the light. He began hearing some things moving in the woods but, still, nothing that really spooked him. But, because of the feeling he decided to get back on his bike and head out. He road towards the exit gate, slowly so he wouldn't hit any wildlife that may have been using the roads.
That's when he saw it ...what he called an 'almost deer.' He writes, "It was like a deer that someone who had never seen a deer drew, but only after someone else described it to them. It stood on the left side of the road (mountainside), and I saw the eyes long before my headlight showed it fully. It was big-easly the biggest deer I've ever seen, and the lack of any horns that time in the year suggested that it was a doe. The head was almost bovine in shape, but fixed to a deer's frame. The legs seemed too long in proportion to the body, and the body was extremely barrel-chested. I've always been creeped out by malformed wildlife, and this was no exception. Unfortunately, I had to get it to move, or risk passing within a few feet of it. I was NOT traveling another 30+ miles up the road in the other direction to leave through another gate in the middle of the night, And I wasn't getting close to it... The dangers of it spooking and running into the side of my cruiser aside, I didn't want to get near it at all. Stopping and putting my feet down about 30' away from it, I tried to frighten it away. I flashed my beams down to low and back to high. Nothing. I revved the engine. Nothing. I honked the (considerable) horn...nada. Resting the bike on the kickstand, I left it idling and hopped off. I yelled at the thing and it still didn't budge, so I started to the side of the road to grab something to toss near the deer-thing, hoping to spook it that way.
As soon as I crossed into the other lane, it rose up onto its hind legs. I froze, putting my hand on my gun. I wasn't about to get charged by an angry, confused, malformed doe. It took two jerky, unnatural steps toward the center of the lane on 2 legs and froze again, staring directly at me. It suddenly shook its head wildly like a dog with a toy, took another short step, then -HOPPED- on two legs several times until it disappeared into the darkness on the right side of the road. I stepped back to the bike, mounted it, kicked up the kickstand, and turned the light towards the side of the road. On that side, there was a sheer drop of about 75-80° compared to the roadway, and the fucking thing's head was just peeking over the edge, still looking at me. The drop-off was about 40-50', so there's no way it was standing at the base of the mountainside. I cracked the throttle and beat the hell out of there, road-wildlife be damned. I never went back up on Skyline Drive at night alone, after that.”
But what is the Not Deer? Some people believe it is a Skinwalker cloaked as a deer. Others believe it is some kind of alien surveillance (hence the strange proportions).
Of course, there are some potential explanations for the Not Deer that aren't paranormal. For example, many animals, including deer, are affected by a disease called Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). In fact, it's very prevalent in deer and this disease can cause strange behaviors, movements, and even appearances as their brains become more and more impaired.
If you want to see the Not Deer for yourself, there isn't a ton to go on. You would have to go searching at night and likely be alone, or with a very small group. It is said you will have the best luck in quiet, less-inhabited areas where there have been previous sightings of the Not Deer (perhaps they have distinct roaming areas).
Although, if I were you I wouldn’t go looking for the Not Deer.
Thanks to AC for the blogstonishing suggestion!
Please note the feature image is of It is of Section of Prospect Park: 3rd Street Entrance Prospect Park wildlife depicted: trees Date and time: 2018-12-21 18:01:36 by Sgreene24. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. and is not directly related to the blog content.
