There are a massive number of deer spread across the United States, with an estimated 36 million throughout the entire country. In New Mexico, an estimated 11,000 deer are harvested by hunters every year, with around 95% of those harvested being mule deer. So if you’re going to have an encounter with an animal out in the wild, the chances of it being a deer are pretty high.
This skier at New Mexico’s Red River Ski Area, located just north of Taos, had a pretty wild encounter with deer while on the slopes. As the skier comes down the mountain, a fairly small deer cuts across the trail, missing the person by just a hair.
It’s pretty incredible just how close the deer gets to the skier, but it’s fortunate they didn’t actually collide. Deer aren’t usually agressive, but they might attack if they’re sick or protecting their young. Of course the real danger created by deer exists on the road, with 1.5 million traffic accidents involving deer occurring every year.
