Courbet places the deer on a narrow strip between a waterhole and a rocky cliff in the foreground. One animal makes eye contact with the viewer. The cliff rises to the upper edge of the picture and takes up most of the space. As in a geological section, the strata of the cliff are exposed. There is a recess in the rock that might be a cave which could provide shelter for the animals. At the same time, however, the massive towering rock appears downright threatening. Courbet did not paint idylls, but images of real-life conditions.