Just because you grow up a hunter doesn’t mean that it’s a tradition that you will carry with you for your entire life. That’s what one outdoors-loving-man proved recently when he decided to put down the gun for good after bonding with a member of his prey.
It all started 10 years ago when Aladino Montes was driving along the backroads of the Asturias in northwest Spain in his jeep.
While exploring some new territory in the mountainous region, he noticed a couple of cows out in a field being followed by a baby deer.
“It was strange because you don’t find deer with cows,” Montes told Zoomin TV.
If anyone would know where deer are typically found, it’s Montes.
Up until that point, he had always been an avid deer hunter. After closer investigation, he found that the young fawn had lost its mother and now was chasing the cows around confused and alone. It was just looking for someone to love it, but when the cows didn’t take the baby deer in, it turned expectantly to Montes.
The man took pity on the poor animal and decided to take it back with him to his mountain home.
He named the fawn Bambi, not realizing at the time how much of an impact the animal would end up having on him. Adopting the little deer literally changed his life.
“I have always loved animals, but I learned to hunt deer from my father,” said Montes “We would hunt and kill them for food, but since I’ve been with Bambi, I can’t hunt or kill anymore, I will die before I do.”
After bonding with Bambi, the thought of going out again to hunt just no longer appealed to him.
Montes persisted to show the orphaned fawn love and the two quickly became best friends. Now, Bambi basically follows him around the forested retreat in the hills everywhere he goes. Sometimes, she’ll even walk right into the bar Montes operates on the property looking for him, much to the shock of the customers drinking there.
It’s actually become one of the main selling points of the establishment.
Word of the two’s unlikely friendship has spread all around the area and attracted all kinds of tourists looking to meet them.
Even the wild deer in the region have taken notice.
“The other deer can see she’s safe here with me, and in turn they also trust me,” said Montes.
Bambi isn’t the only animal that Montes has rescued either.
After the success with the deer, he was inspired to take in other animals in need too.
“I also saved a fox. I am very happy. We share great affection and it also eats from my hand,” said Montes.
In his younger years, Montes was a very avid hunter. However, after his bonding experiences with the deer and fox, his perspective has completely changed. The 53-year-old will likely never again head out into the woods with a rifle looking to kill. The thought just no longer crosses his mind. He is much happier keeping the various animals he used to hunt as pets than he is eating them.
Watch the full heartwarming video discussing the hunter’s adoption of the orphaned deer below.
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