Bismarck’s Beloved Deer “Jonnie” Has Not Been Seen In A Month

This truly makes me sad.  The Bismarck area's favorite pet deer "Jonnie" has not been seen in over a month.  I recently reached out to Brenna Guenther and she told me the bad news.  Jonnie, also known to "Ruth" to some would spend most of her evenings on the porch of the Fallgatter farm over the last 5 plus years where Brenna lives.

Jonnie was found by the Fallgatter's after she was hit by a vehicle.  Both her mother and sibling were killed.  The Fallgatter's nursed her back to health (she had a broken leg) and she became a fixture at their farm.

My family and I got to meet this sweet animal this past spring.  We had her literally eating out of our hands.  You can see my photos and video of Jonnie here.

This past June Jonnie gave birth to a pair of fawns.

Jonnie would roam back and forth between about 10 farms south of the Sterling, North Dakota area.  There's even a Facebook group page that would track her whereabouts. Sadly, nobody has seen her in over a month.  Unfortunately, when you do the math that timeline points to the North Dakota deer hunting opener.

We started a campaign last year to save Jonnie when the deer opener started.  Our listeners suggested marking her somehow with bright orange.  That's something that was tried by friends of Jonnie/Ruth but the scarves/vests would never stay on.  Not to mention they get caught on fences.  Jonnie made it through the deer season last year.  Unfortunately, we're not so sure about this year.

Wild deer face many dangers besides hunters.  Vehicles, fences, coyotes, and disease.  The Fallgatter's have had to rescue Jonnie before from packs of coyotes.  Nature can truly be cruel.

I will continue to monitor the situation and hold out hope this beloved animal is alive and well.