“White-tailed Deer” refers to the white underside of the tail, which is held conspicuously erect like a flag when the animal is alarmed or running.
White-tailed deer are more numerous today than prior to European settlement of North America. In pre-colonial times, they were prey for wolves and mountain lions. Native Americans hunted white-tailed deer all year round. White-tailed deer are found in forests, farms, wetlands, parks, open areas, and suburban areas.
White-tailed deer are browsers and grazers. It is a ruminant and has no incisor teeth in its upper jaw. They feed mainly from before dawn until several hours after and again from late afternoon until dusk.
Males are larger than females and grow antlers from March-August. Age, genetics and nutrition determine antler size, which establishes social status among males. During the mating season, the bucks fight to breed with does. Large-antlered bucks, with their intimidating racks, mate more frequently. The antlers are shed in late winter every year and are eaten by rodents for the high calcium content.
White-tailed deer have good eyesight and acute hearing, but depend mainly on their sense of smell to detect danger. They have numerous scent glands on their legs for intraspecies communication and secretions become especially strong during the rut.
A baby deer, called a fawn, weighs between 3 and 6 pounds at birth. They are reddish brown with white spots for camouflage. The spots disappear by their fourth or fifth month. Fawns can walk at birth and run within a week White-tailed does are painstakingly careful to keep their offspring hidden from predators. When foraging, females leave the fawns in dense vegetation for about four hours at a time. They are weaned at approximately six to ten weeks of age. Females generally follow their mothers for about two years, but males leave the group within the first year. Bucks develop a pair of spiked antlers by the fall of their second year |
