Wisconsin deer are chicken

I was out on a cold afternoon near Willow Grove Golf Course in Pewaukee, WI. Willow trees right along the driveway - I was looking out for truth in naming. I came to the end of the driveway and saw 3-4 deer about 60 yards away. They noticed me at the same time I noticed them. They did that deer thing of looking at me for a second or two and then they took off. They hightailed it out of there.

That got me wondering about the origin of "hightail." Could it be that the origin is related to a frightened whitetail deer running away? Close:

"HIGHTAIL -- a slang expression meaning 'to leave in a great hurry,' is a Western expression and was originally used to describe the way a herd of mustangs will break and race away when 'spooked' or frightened by the approach of cowboys." From; Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris (Harper Collins, New York, 1977, 1988).

So why are Wisconsin deer chicken? Well at North Chagrin, you can almost whisper in a deer's ear. They do not hightail it for any reason. Ohio is the home of brave deer.

* All of us in marketing are tuned into "long tail," but as far as I know "hightail" is an open phrase for marketers. Hmm.