If a Deer Starts Licking Your Camera Lens, You’re Probably a Little Too Close

Here’s a protip from Wildlife Photography 101: if a deer walks up to you and starts licking the front of your camera lens, you’re probably a little too close at that point.

That’s what YouTube user A Bad Idol experienced a couple of days ago. While standing on his porch with his Contour ROAM2 camera pointed at a nearby deer, the curious creature suddenly decided to stroll over and give his glass a lick.

In the description, A Bad Idol is careful to note that he wasn’t feeding the deer:

I was not and would never feed wildlife. It teaches them terrible behaviors that can be dangerous. It seems that neighbors have been feeding him for a while which led to his odd behavior. I was very lucky to be able to catch this moment because he thought the camera in my hand was a carrot or something similar.

Luckily for him, it was a deer that would rather lick his lens than headbutt it (as they have a tendency to do at times).