Students at Marietta College in Ohio are reporting unsettling encounters with deer that aren’t quite right.
The creatures, dubbed “Not Deer,” have sparked campus-wide chatter this semester. According to The Marcolian, Marietta College’s student publication, these deer-like animals display behavior that goes beyond typical wildlife. They stand on hind legs. They growl. Some even chase students across campus.
Students Describe Bizarre Encounters
Junior Natalie Murphy had what might be considered the tamest interaction. “I was leaving Gilman when I saw that pack of deer that’s always on campus,” Murphy told The Marcolian. “I had a little bit of my asiago bagel left, so I went up and fed one of them, and it got on its back legs, bowed its head at me and walked off into that wooded area between McCoy and the DBRC.”
But not everyone got off so easy.
Transfer student Isabel Sinclair described a terrifying chase. “It started when one of the deer that stalks the campus approached me,” Sinclair stated. “I thought it might have smelled my Cinco, so I just ignored it, but then it growled at me, got on its hind legs, and death glared me. Then it chased me across campus! I keep seeing it outside my bedroom window, but I’m on the third floor!”
Sophomore Tomás Mateo witnessed another disturbing incident. “I think I saw one of them standing on its hind legs chasing some girl from McDonough to Dorothy Webster,” Mateo said, adding, “there’s something off about them, especially that tall one.”
The “Not Deer” legend has roots in Appalachian folklore. These creatures resemble deer but move wrong, act wrong, and trigger an instinctive unease in witnesses. The phenomenon has gained traction online in recent years, with people from across Appalachia sharing similar stories.
Could this be normal deer behavior misunderstood? Deer can occasionally rear up on hind legs during mating season or when threatened. The sightings coincide with Halloween, raising questions about whether students are interpreting ordinary deer behavior through a spooky seasonal lens. Some campus deer populations do become habituated to humans and lose their natural skittishness.
Still, the consistency of the reports is striking.
The Marietta College Police Department has weighed in, stating the deer pose no threat to students. Their advice? Just ignore them.
As Appalachian cryptid tales go, the Not Deer occupies an interesting space between folklore and potential misidentification. Whether these Marietta College sightings represent genuinely strange animal behavior or Halloween-fueled imagination remains an open question.
One thing’s certain: students at Marietta are keeping a wary eye on the campus deer.
Seen something unexplained? Email Reports@ParaRational.com
