We've all experienced it: workdays that seem to never end and drag on forever. But then there are days like I had recently where you wish the day would never end. That day was spent with over 120 animals across 32 acres at Vaughn Deer Farm in Norris City with Riley "Dink" and Diana Vaughn. Besides a short chat with Dink prior to my visit, I had never met either of the Vaughns before. By the time I left, I felt like I had known them forever as they make you feel at home and are some of the nicest people you will ever find. Let me tell you just a few reasons why this is a place you HAVE to visit...
First of all, if you have never been out in the country in the Herald area, you are missing out on a beautiful route for a country cruise. Some of the winding, wooded roads made for beautiful scenery leading the way to this wild animal haven.
Spending half the day with Dink and Diana gave a pretty clear picture of just how much work and love goes into their farm. While Dink is retired after 34 years working in the coal mines, Diana still works as a Nurse Practitioner three days per week. Needless to say, the animals keep them busy every waking hour they are not working their typical day jobs!
As I pulled in, Dink pulled out of one building in an ATV with feed in the back, and Diana walked out of another building carrying a bucket of feed. In order to feed all of the animals in a timely manner, they divided and conquered as the animals are spread out across several acres. Not missing a beat, Diana had me join her on her feeding duties to get an idea what a typical morning is like.
Feeding began with the raccoons, pictured above left. With a surprise litter arriving just days before, the total number of coons jumped to 8! Behind the coons were the patiently waiting bobcats, who received a hunk of raw meat from the local butcher shop who saves spare parts for them. Did you know that a bobcat's diet is made up of 85% muscle meat?
Next up for breakfast was the many different foxes they have. Do you remember our friends at Cider Barn Tree Farm that we wrote about last December? They have a new fox that they got from non-other than Dink and Diana! Along with the young foxes in one enclosure, they have a few other species in their own enclosures as well, including an all-white marble red fox and a beautiful Arctic Fox. Although it is mostly black now for summer, it is all white during the cold winter months.
Despite the many different foxes, bobcats, and raccoons in the first section, Diana expressed how different all of the animals' personalities were. And to keep them individualized and to showcase their personalities, each animal has a name. Parents, if you think it's hard to keep your kids' names straight, try keeping over 100 animals straight! But they knew each animal's name without hesitation and each animal clearly responded to their names. Another showcase of the love they have for these animals and their farm.
After Dink fed the donkey and deer in their very large fenced in enclosure that was similar to a woods and field, they moved on to probably my favorite part of the day: feeding fawns in their own little building. When Diana asked, "Would you like to feed the babies?" I did not know there was any other answer but "YES!" Gunter (who was a little camera shy), Violet, and Wayland all had bottles they are fed and to my delight, I got to feed whoever jumped in first! Wayland, a growing boy, had half a bottle gone before you could blink!
Although I could have stayed there all day, there was still more to see. Right outside this building, the goats and pot belly pig could be seen eating their breakfast right along the fence row. Deeper into that same area, were many white tail deer, including what many hunters would call a "trophy buck" that is only a few years old. Imagine what this guy is going to look like in the next few years!
Just across the shady path from this enclosure were two other enclosures with fallow deer, white tail deer and another trophy buck appropriately named Buckeye, pictured below.
Their first "non-typical" animal they brought to their farm 5 years ago was their deer, Clover. Diana had always wanted foxes, so since they enjoyed having Clover they thought, why not? Despite their kids jokingly threatening to stage an intervention with them, the Vaughn's continued to add new animals to the farm, growing to what it is today. The wild animals are all purchased from breeders, coming from as far as Indiana and Tennessee. Diana wishes to keep the animals that they have on their farm indigenous to Southern Illinois.
Before last year, there were even more deer on their property. Unfortunately, they had a pack of dogs find their way into the enclosures and kill a number of deer. Devastated by the big loss, the Vaughns repaired any damages or entryways into their fences and hope to have measures in place to prevent future issues.
After feeding all of the animals, we took a little break in their grain bin gazebo and chatted about how they started the petting zoo and their future plans for the farm. While explaining that many people they knew had expressed a desire to come out and see the animals, Patches the Donkey decided he wanted in on the conversation (see left). As tame and mild mannered as a dog, Patches quietly enjoyed pets and a cookie while we continued our conversation.
Dink and Diana decided in 2022 to open their farm up to the public and started their petting zoo business. Not only does it allow the public to come and enjoy what they also love, it helps offset the cost of the animals' feed and care.
As for future plans for Vaughn Deer Farm, Dink says he has a LOT more fencing to put up, a running pen to build for the foxes and bobcats, and several more enclosures to build for the newly added squirrel, skunk, and opossum! While this does sound like a lot of work, all of the buildings and fencing you will see at Vaughn Deer Farm was put up or built by Dink. The posts for the fencing are old poles Dink has picked up over the years from Wayne-White Electric. Talk about being self-sufficient!
Just as I thought I had seen it all and planned to travel back to work, they pulled out one last surprise on my way down their lane. While their dogs were on one side of the lane and the horses in a pasture on the other side of the lane, there was a lone building near the end that I had thought to be empty when first pulling into their residence. Hiding in a stall in the corner of the building was one of two adorable miniature horses. He could not get any cuter and is guaranteed to be a big hit once he joins the rest of the animals at the petting zoo!
In case you have been trying to keep track, I could not count the number of animals I saw that day. Instead, we tried to make a list of the animals and how many of each there are. Here is what they came up with: 5 - Bobcats, 8 - Raccoons; 5 - Fallow Deer; 22 - White Tail Deer; 28 - Chickens (or "pest control" as Diana called them!); 12 - Foxes; 9 - Goats; 5 - Horses; 3 - Opossums; 2 - Miniature Horses; 1 - Donkey; 1 - Pot Belly Pig; 1 - Pony; 1 - Skunk; 1 - Squirrel; 4 - Dogs; and 5 - Cats. There may be more; we kind of lost track!
Business hours and details are listed below for those who wish to visit Vaughn Deer Farm and see for themselves how much fun this place is. For safety reasons, some animals are only viewable and not available for petting, but it does not take away from the experience of seeing these beautiful creatures up close and personal. They were recently federally licensed, so you can guarantee a safe, clean, fun experience.
Young, old, or somewhere in between, Dink and Diana and what they have created at their farm will leave a lasting impression on anyone. Go check it out and tell them who sent you.
Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative is proud to power Vaughn Deer Farm.
