A Colorado witness reports encountering what he describes as a 'Not Deer,' a supposed creature that resembles a deer but doesn't really have the same characteristics.
The following account was recently forwarded to me:
"I believe I saw what a lot of people call a "not deer" last fall. I see the term "not deer" tied in with other cryptid creatures pretty often. There isn't a lot to this story but it has stuck with me and every time I think back on it I feel really uneasy.
I live Colorado, in a mountain town south of Denver. The road I live off of is a winding back road through a valley. One side of the road is right against rock, steep like a wall in some places and more sloping in others, and the other side kind of drops off into the valley. Also might be worth noting that the mountain on the other side of the valley is a huge burn site with nothing but skeleton trees (I've heard a couple of stories that take place near burn sites so maybe there's some correlation?).
This was around late August/early September 2020. I was driving home late, probably around 1am. I know the road and all the curves pretty well, so I was going a pretty decent speed and probably wasn't being as actively aware of my surroundings as I should have been, especially since deer and elk are pretty common here. Anyway, I was coming up on the last curve before my street, and I saw a deer standing at the side of the road on the side with the rock face. This deer was standing completely still, facing the rock wall. That in itself doesn't sound too strange, I know, but there was just something unnatural in its stillness. And the fact that it was staring straight into the rock, nowhere it could go, was odd. But what has stuck with me is the feeling I immediately got upon seeing it. Just an ungodly pit in my stomach. It felt like my heart stopped. And this wasn't the "oh shit, the deer on the side of the road surprised me" kind of stomach pit, this was an absolute feeling of dread. It also seemed like there was something just 'off,' about the deer.
For the life of me I can't picture it in my head or pinpoint what it was, but something proportion-wise was wrong, like maybe its legs where a little too long, or it's torso was stretched out, I'm not sure. I didn't have time to really react other than just slow down a bit, I just kept driving. As I rounded the curve I literally could not take my eyes off the rearview mirror, and the thing didn't move AT ALL. Not a flinch, nothing. Just stone still. Even after it was behind the curve and I couldn't see it anymore, I still couldn't peel my eyes off the rearview. I pulled into the garage and hit the garage door closer before I had even parked, and when I got out of the car I couldn't stop myself from running up the stairs. I couldn't shake the feeling of dread, like I was in danger.
I'm not by any means superstitious. I like stories about cryptids, and I think they're super interesting, but I've never really believed them. But since that night, as short lived as that encounter was, if there is one supernatural thing I believe in, it was that creature. I know in my gut it wasn't just a deer. It's also worth noting, that after I told my visiting friend about the experience, she admitted that the year before when she was visiting for the first time, she felt a similar dread/pit in the stomach as we had approached that same spot.
It seems like the "not deer" is pretty new, and there aren't a whole lot of stories and sightings of them. But from what I have read I am lead to believe that that's what I saw that night." FT
NOTE: The "Not Deer" is generally considered as a folk cryptid, especially in the Appalachians. I have heard other witnesses state that is was a diseased deer or possibly a 'ghost.' I will occasionally receive a report from a witness who spotted a weird-looking deer that just seems out of place, usually followed by a physical reaction to seeing it. Anyway, your thoughts are welcomed. Lon
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