This Columbus yard is a fairy tale when ‘Snow White’ calls for her herd of deer

Every afternoon around 4 p.m., Susan Massey’s Columbus backyard turns into a fairy tale.

Massey — dubbed “Snow White” by her family — grabs her bucket and heads outside, where the jingle of wind chimes and the babble of overflow from Cooper Creek magically blend into song.

At first, the forest is still. Then, Massey calls for her “sweet girls.”

And a herd of as many as 11 white-tailed deer emerges.

Beneath a canopy of oaks, crape myrtles and mimosa trees, she feeds them.

Sometimes, the doe-eyed visitors get there first, inching toward Massey’s deck and staring through her windows until she comes out with a small feast of apple-flavored corn and apple pellets. Other times, they gather in her backyard around an old kitchen sink that serves as a trough and wait for Massey to bring them their buffet.

“Over the years, they’ve gotten so used to me. When I call them, they’ll all come running,” Massey told the Ledger-Enquirer. “I love it. I think it’s just absolutely hilarious.”

The origin of this wonderful ritual

Massey has been feeding the deer since she bought her house four years ago.

“I saw them in the backyard and decided I’d try to feed them,” she said. “It’s just grown for four years.”

In the beginning, Massey fed them carrots and apples — which they didn’t like — and soon upgraded to the horse food they currently enjoy. She said they have become increasingly comfortable with her presence.

“I feel like the more I do it, the more they are used to me,” she said. “I really enjoy it.”

Massey said those who criticize her for making the deer too comfortable around humans misunderstand the situation. The deer still are wary of other humans; they’re just not afraid of her.

Feeding them can be challenging, she said, because most of them are extremely skittish, flinching and fleeing with every loud sound or sudden movement.

Massey has made it her mission to get closer to them, but she still wants Mother Nature to do its thing. Even though she can tell each deer apart, she said she won’t name them or go any further than feeding them. Other than giving her something to do every afternoon, Massey said simply watching the herd makes the daily effort worth it.

“I’ve probably seen three sets of new babies being born and watched them grow up,” she said. “It’s kind of like they’ve become my family. They’re the same deer that have been coming around for years, so it’s a pleasure to watch the cycle.”

Her backyard is an enchanted forest

Tucked in a cul-de-sac off Reese Road, Massey’s backyard is a suburban oasis. Its raw, nearly untouched landscape transports guests out of Columbus and into an enchanted forest.

In addition to the deer, Massey said she also has seen raccoons, barn owls, hummingbirds and other creatures pass through.

Though it might come as a surprise, deer have plenty of space to roam throughout Columbus. Once upon a time, Muscogee County was heavily forested, and parts of that wilderness remained even after the city’s establishment in the early 19th century, according to the Digital Library of Georgia and the Columbus Consolidated Government.

Massey said the deer that visit her backyard follow Cooper Creek from Parkhill Cemetery to her house, then to a chunk of land behind Christ Community Church and Milgen Road.

“What a big area they have,” she said. “They follow the food, and they love my backyard.”

The Columbus Snow White doesn’t live with seven dwarfs, but she does have three cats — Toby, Sophie and Ruby — and a shih tzu named Chuchu. All the animals on her property have landed in her care by chance; Massey’s indoor pets are rescues, and her outdoor friends are forest freeloaders.

Massey, a Kentucky native, said she grew up camping with her family and always has been outdoorsy but never had experienced such an intimate wild animal encounter.

“I’ve had squirrels that have come up to the door, and I fed them peanuts before. But I’ve never had anything like this with the deer,” she said. “So this is kind of cool to me. Everybody thinks it’s a hoot.”

A neighborhood sensation

Massey’s unique relationship with the deer has become a neighborhood sensation, with out-of-town visitors requesting a front-row seat to the spectacle. Her daughter, Jennifer Richardson, said that’s because, while deer are common in Georgia, they don’t often frequent developed areas.

“It’s pretty neat, especially being in the city like that,” Richardson told the Ledger-Enquirer. “I can understand that more out in the country, but being in the neighborhood in the city, it’s neat to see them coming.”

To the deer, Massey’s yard is a convenient fast-food joint. According to The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, white-tailed deer eat about five pounds of food per day, grazing on a wide range of fruits, nuts and plants. Some of their favorites include Japanese honeysuckle, summer weeds, grasses, acorns, clover and blackberries. Thanks to Massey, they can add Tractor Supply’s apple pellets to that list.

Her neighbor Josie Dwyer said it seems like the local deer are “eating everything and anything.” They quickly can become a nuisance, gorging on flowers and vegetable gardens.

“They’re nice animals and all, but when they get into the flowers and the garden, I’d like to not see them,” Dwyer told the Ledger-Enquirer.

Still, Dwyer said she and her family enjoy seeing them.

“Aside from the fact that they’re eating my flowers, they’re nice to see. I don’t mind them,” she said. “There are a lot of them, but they’re pretty. It’s nice to see that Susan is feeding them.”

Massey said she plans to keep feeding the herd as long as they keep coming around. She has not yet fed a deer out of her hand, but she said she is close and determined to make it happen.

Regardless, the Columbus Snow White intends for her “sweet girls” to live happily ever after.

This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 11:52 AM.