Took my telescope out last Tuesday and a deer nearly knocked it over

I had my 8-inch Dobsonian set up in the backyard around 11pm, trying to get a clear shot of Saturn. Out of nowhere a deer came crashing through the fence and ran right past me, bumping the tripod leg just hard enough to send the whole thing swaying. Has anyone else had wildlife interrupt their viewing session like that?

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barbaraschmidt5mo ago

And exactly, Hugo. Deer are like furry little chaos machines with legs. I swear they have a sixth sense for finding the most inconvenient thing to startle at. Like, you could be out in the middle of an empty field with a single telescope and a deer will somehow find the one tree root to trip on right next to you. I once had a raccoon climb onto my observing chair mid-session, which was a whole different kind of rude. But a deer? That's a whole new level of "thanks for coming out tonight, here's a near heart attack.

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hugo_singh5mo ago

You're acting like the deer pulled off some master plan to ruin your Saturn viewing. It's a deer. They're dumb and jumpy. Maybe don't set up your telescope right in the middle of their bedtime path and you won't have this problem.

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