White-tailed DeerTop

 

Description

Habitat

Foods

Importance

Distribution

Habits

Reproduction

Hunting

 

Description:

The white-tailed deer is named for its most distinctive feature, the large white tail or "flag" that is often all you see as the animal bounds away through tall grass. The color of the deer's upper body and sides changes with the season, from a generally reddish-brown in summer to buff in winter. Its belly and the underside of its tail are completely white, and it has a white patch on the throat. The deer sheds its hair twice a year, its heavy winter coat giving way to a lighter one in spring which is replaced again in early fall. A fawn's coat is similar to the adult's but has several hundred white spots which gradually disappear when the deer is three to four months old. Top

Fawns are born in late spring and summer and by early November a male fawn weighs about 85 pounds and a female about 80 pounds. Yearling bucks average 150 pounds, while does of the same age average about 20 percent less, or about 120 pounds. Some older bucks weigh about 250 pounds. Top

A buck fawn has bumps on his skull where antlers will grow when he is older. Yearling bucks may have one to six points on each antler. Studies show that 20 percent of the yearling bucks have four points on each antler; 19 percent have three points on each antler; while about six percent have only spikes instead of fully-developed antlers. Antler development is dependant on nutrition, and when nutrition is poor, 50 percent or more of the large "typical" bucks can have seven or more points on a side. The typical white-tailed buck's antler has a main beam that sweeps forward and each of the points rise from it. Most buck fawns develop "buttons" by the fall of their first year, which are generally not visible above the hairline. These are hardened antlers which are shed. Subsequent antlers are also shed each year. Antler growth begins normally in April to early May. The new antlers are tender and velvet covered, with the velvet shed in early September on almost all bucks. An occasional male, possible one-half of one percent, does not shed the velvet at all. Top

The time of antler shedding varies among individual deer and somewhat by area. Most bucks drop their racks in January and February, but rarely may carry them into early May. Contrary to some opinions, numbers of points are no indication of age, but are of some value in judging the animal's condition. Top


Distribution and abundance:

The white-tailed deer is the most abundant and most widely distributed big game animal in North America. Top

Habitat and Home:

The best deer habitat is along stream courses and their associated breaks. This prime deer habitat consists of deciduous trees, primarily cottonwood, ash, willow, elm and box elder. Oak and red cedar occur along some drainages, while basswood, walnut and hackbery are found only occasionally. Associated shrubby vegetation includes plum, sumac, chokecherry, buck brush (snowberry or coralberry) wild rose and several other species. River breaks are often characterized by deep gullies and ridges with generally sparse woody growth. In the east, there are thousands of miles of shelterbelts. A combination of hardwood trees, red cedar and shrubs is usually found in these plantings. They are often used by deer for cover, though perhaps only on a seasonal basis if they are located considerable distances from more extensive cover. Top

Woody cover provides the best whitetail habitat, though it is not essential for their survival. Grasslands are suitable where the topography provides concealment, especially when it is associated with marsh vegetation. Dense areas formerly used as crop producing lands, such as those under long-term retirement programs, have increased whitetail distribution in recent years. Top

Croplands are a reliable year-round food source, and provide a sea of cover from July through October or November. Deer may use croplands for extended periods, but they must retreat to permanent cover for protection from weather and predators after harvest is completed. Top


Habits:

In some areas where cover is extensive and other requirements are met, a deer may live its entire life and die within one or a few square miles. With the linear habitat of stream courses movements may be extensive. Deer move most often and for the greatest distances during spring and fall. In late spring, does may travel in search of fawning sites, although adult females move less than other deer. Greater travels are made by yearlings, on their own for the first time. Travel increases in fall after the harvest, as deer leave croplands and begin mating activities. Whitetails have developed keen senses to help them avoid predation. They depend on scent, particularly in thick cover, but also have excellent hearing and sight. Top


Foods:

Agricultural crops constitute from 40 to more than 50 percent of the whitetail's year-round diet in some areas. Although whitetails are commonly observed in alfalfa fields, alfalfa is a relatively minor food source. Native foods that make up part of the deer's diet include woody vegetation, particularly buckbrush and rose, with lesser amounts of dogwood, chokecherry, plum, red cedar, pine, and a host of other species. Forbs, particularly sunflowers, are important, while grasses and sedges are used only briefly in spring and fall. Although whitetails can obviously subsist entirely on native foods, they apparently have a preference for farm crops, which constitute the biggest management problem in agricultural states - balancing deer numbers so as to satisfy both hunter demand and landowner tolerance. Top

Reproduction:

With good health and good nutrition, whitetailed deer are prolific breeders. Breeding commences in mid October and peaks in mid-to-late November for adults, and about one month later for fawns. A buck may mate with several does. Fawns are born after a gestation period of about 201 days, from early May through late September, with about 60 percent of the total born in June. Does bred when less than a year of age normally produce a single fawn, with 10 percent of them bearing twins. Older does average almost two fawns - 67 percent have twins, 21 percent have single fawns and 12 percent have triplets. This means that about 140 fawns are born for every 100 does in the population. The whitetail's reproductive rate is quite high. Top

At birth, a female fawn weighs about 5 1/2 pounds, and a male about 7 1/2 pounds. A fawn is capable of walking shortly after birth, but its movement is limited during the first few days. When the fawn is two or three weeks old, it begins eating vegetation in addition to nursing. A fawn is normally weaned when it is about four months old, but is capable of surviving without milk at three months or less. About 30 percent of the fawns do not survive until fall. Top


Importance:

As is indicated by its distribution and abundance, the white-tailed deer is the most important big game animal in North America. The monetary impact is also substantial. Deer hunters spent about $1.5 million for permits alone in 1990, and about $1.2 million of this was attributable to whitetails. The enjoyment provided by looking for and watching deer and the time spent in photographing them is of inestimable value. On the negative side are the nearly 3,000 deer/car collisions which occur annually. Landowner losses of growing or stored agricultural crops can be substantial, although protective measures such as haystack location, fencing and deer repellents often reduce these to tolerable levels. However, the most effective control is through harvest by hunters. Top


Hunting:

To be successful the hunter must know the deer's habits and be able to recognize sign that signals a buck is in the area. One sure sign that a buck is in the vicinity is a rub " a branch or sapling that has been stripped of its bark by a buck knocking the velvet from its antlers. Later in the fall, as the rut approaches, fresh sign of this antlerwork may appear on larger, harder trees, as restless bucks shape up their fighting skills. An even better sign that a buck is around is an active scrape. This is where a buck has pawed the leaves and grass away, exposing a patch of bare earth from one to three feet in diameter. He generously applies his scent and tracks in the scrape, which serves as a signal to does that he is in the area and available, and warns other bucks that this is his territory and they'd better stay out, or risk a fight. A buck fully caught up in the fever of the rut may have several scrapes which he checks frequently, or he may post just one and stay nearby. Whichever is the case, the scrape that is being renewed and maintained is a sure sign that a buck will be along sooner or later, and that it merits careful consideration on the part of the hunter. Top

Of all the sign a hunter is likely to come across, deer tracks are the most obvious and are also the most misused and misunderstood by the novice hunter. A lot of greenhorn deer hunters are likely to latch onto the first set of tracks they find and spend the rest of the day following them, almost invariably without seeing the deer. Top

Tracks are a valuable sign to a hunter, chiefly as an indication of the frequency and the deer's direction of travel. They might also give an indication of the size of the deer using an area Generally, they provide a lot of the same information as do droppings. Top

Some hunters claim they can distinguish tracks of bucks from those of does, but other experienced hunters discount this. Generally, the tracks of bucks and does look identical, although a hunter tracking a deer might surmise he's on the trail of a buck if it is traveling alone and sticking to more secluded or secretive haunts. Top

Following a set of tracks in hopes of getting a shot at the deer making the tracks is an iffy game, and is a tactic mastered by only a few specialists. Most hunters follow a trail too slowly or make too much noise to be successful. And, a lot of hunters cannot distinguish a really fresh track, and thus may take up on a trail half a day old or more. Top

Most hunters following deer tracks pay way too much attention to the impressions themselves and almost forget to look for the deer standing in the tracks. Experienced trackers look for the most distant visible sign, giving it just a glance while keeping their eyes on cover ahead, while being ready for a shot. They also look behind, because deer often double back on their trail to see if they are being pursued. Top

About the only time most hunters will need to track a deer is after they have taken a shot at one. If the deer doesn't go down, the hunter should check where the deer was standing when the shot was fired, looking for blood, hair, or other signs of a hit. If none is apparent, he should take up the track for a few hundred yards, looking for blood on the ground, bushes and trees the deer may have brushed against, or for signs of staggering, limping or other evidence of a hit. Top

The deer should be field dressed as quickly as possible so that the meat cools rapidly. This insures flavorful, high quality meat for the table. Top

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