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The whitetail deer is one of the best
known and easily recognized large mammals and can be found around
the world. They are native to every continent except for Australia
and Antarctica. Other members of the deer family found in North
America include the elk, moose, caribou, mule deer and blacktail
deer. You can see them walking through town, grazing in the fields
or rotting on the side of the road. In short, they are everywhere.
There are about 100 types of deer (30 recognized), all of which have
some characteristics in common. Deer are members of the order
Artiodactyle, which simply means that they have hoofs with an even
number of toes.
Whitetails are herbivores, feeding on a large variety of plant
materials such as tender young leaves, stems, shoots and in some
areas acorns. Deer also seek out mushrooms and wild fruits and will
feed on man's agricultural crops, such as corn and soybeans, often
causing considerable damage. Like cows, sheep and goats, deer are
ruminants (cud chewers).
The adult whitetail deer's weight averages from about 100 to 350
pounds. Mature males are generally larger than the females. The
whitetail is an ungulate, or hoofed animal, with each foot ending in
a cloven or two piece hoof. The under parts of the deer's body are
white with a white patch on the throat and another smaller band of
white around the nose. The underside of the tail is also white. The
upper body parts are colored reddish brown during the warmer months
but in the fall, whitetail deer molt into their winter coats of
dark, grayish brown. For several months of the year, male whitetail
deer, known as bucks, are easily recognized by the presence of
antlers on their head, which the females, known as does, lack. They
are the only animal that posses antlers. Don't forget, they are
antlers NOT HORNS! One unique fact about antlers is that they are
the fastest growing living tissue on the face of the earth. They are
shed annually and are in most cases only found on males. While
growing, antlers have a sensitive tissue on the outside know as
velvet. When the antlers are fully grown this layer is shed,
revealing the solid bone like structure which makes up the bulk of
the antler.
Brief Facts
- Male deer may be called buck, bulls, stags, or
harts
- Female deer may be called does, cows, or hinds
- Young deer are know as fawns or calfs
- Deer are ruminants, also know as cud chewers
- Scientifically they are part of the family
Cervidae, order Artiodactyle
- Top running speed of a whitetail (40 mph)
- Top swimming speed of a whitetail (13 mph)
- Average tail length of a whitetail (10.6 inches)
- Average number of pounds of vegetation a
whitetail will consume in a single day (7)
- Number of stomachs a whitetail has (4)
- Average life span of a whitetail under unhunted
conditions (10 years)
-
Average number of times a whitetail defecates in a 24-hour
period (13)
Habitat
Whitetail deer are extremely cautious and wary
animals with highly developed senses of sight, smell, and
hearing. When threatened with danger, they will often attempt to
quietly sneak away. If seriously frightened however, a whitetail
deer will often utter a loud, snorting or blowing sound, and
then quickly run away while raising the tail upwards like a
flag, exposing the white underneath as a visual alarm to other
deer nearby. Bucks are primarily solitary animals except during
the breeding season, also called the rut, when they actively
seek out does for breeding. The breeding season usually takes
place in November but in some areas can extent into early
December. Bucks rub their antlers against small saplings to mark
their territory and also use them to fight with other bucks
during the rut. After the breeding season, the antlers are shed
and a new set begins to grow later in the spring. Does often
travel together, especially during the winter months, or a doe
will often be accompanied by her young from the previous season.
By late spring, the young deer begin to drift away from their
mothers. Does give birth to their young in early summer. The
young deer, known as fawns, are almost scentless for the first
few days of their life. White spots on a reddish brown coat help
to camouflage the fawn on the sun dappled forest floor where it
spends much of it's time hiding from predators. The mother
returns periodically to nurse the fawn until it is large enough
to follow her about.
Deer can adapt well to nearly any habitat. They inhabit the cold
territory of Canada to the tropic weather of Florida. They
prefer areas which have woodlands to hide in and open land to
graze in. Oddly, deer population has not been reduced by humans,
but has increased dramatically. At the turn of the century the
deer population was about less than a million. Since then the
growth of human population, the deer population had increased to
25 million. This increase in population was caused by the
improvements farmers have made to the deer’s habitat when making
fields. By cutting down areas of woods for fields the deer were
provided with a much larger food supply, unlike the thick woods
which provide very little light for smaller plants to grow.
Deer usually will occupy an area with about a radius of a mile.
Sometimes, however, harsh conditions such as drought and winter
may force deer to move else where in search of food. Listed
below are types of habitat and some of the advantages to deer
for each.
Pines Provides good shelter during the winter.
Also provides good bedding areas.
Swamps The unappealing conditions of swamps to
hunters keep hunter away, allowing a good place for deer to hide
out during the hunting season. Cedar swamps provide shelter and
food during the winter.
Woodlot Provides shelter and some food. Very good
source of food in young forests.
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