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Deer first appeared in Asia about 38 million years ago. Today, they are found throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and North Africa. These hoofed mammals are usually characterized by bony, often branching antlers that are shed and regenerated annually. They range in size from the impressive European elk, (also called moose) which may be as tall as 7.7 feet at the shoulder, to the tiny South American Pudu, which is the size of a medium dog - about 10 inches at the shoulder. Whitetail deer, the most common species in America, measure between 3 and 3-1/2 feet at the shoulder. Males weigh as much as 400 pounds; females weigh 70 - 200 pounds.
Whitetails are known for their tined antlers and flag-like tail with its prominent white underside. The color of its upper body and sides changes with the seasons, from reddish-brown in summer to buff or gray in winter. The belly and underside of the tail are completely white, and there is a white patch on the throat. Deer shed their hair twice a year; in spring, a heavy winter coat gives way to a lighter one that is replaced again in early fall.
Deer eat woody vegetation as well as leaves, grass, buds, berries, bark, wild grapes, apples, sunflowers and acorns. Croplands are a reliable year-round food source, and provide cover from July until harvest, when deer retreat to permanent cover for protection from weather and predators. In some areas, more than 50% of the whitetail's year-round food comes from crops.
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Habits and Habitat
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Deer are most plentiful in mixed wooded and open land; they also live in swamps, on mountains, and northern tundra regions. In many areas, the best deer habitat is along streams, where deciduous trees provide woody cover. Grasslands and marshy vegetation are also suitable if the topography provides concealment. Former crop-producing lands that are under long-term retirement have increased whitetail distribution in recent years.
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Deer Facts & Features
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If cover and food are ample, a deer may live its entire life and die within 1 - 2 square miles.
Deer move the greatest distances in spring and fall, searching for breeding and/or fawning sites.
Life span in the wild is 16-1/2 years.
Adult females move less than other deer.
Yearlings, on their own for the first time, travel the greatest distances.
The whitetail deer is the most important big game animal in North America.
The annual harvest, mostly through hunting, of whitetails exceeds 300,000 in several states.
Whitetails avoid predators by depending on scent as well as excellent hearing and sight.
The whitetail's lithe, compact body and long powerful legs are well suited for rugged terrain.
Deer are excellent swimmers.
Deer are ruminants (or cud chewers), and have a four-chambered stomach.
Whitetail deer feed most actively at twilight.
Males are known as bucks and are generally solitary.
Females are called does and may travel in small groups, especially with babies (fawns).
In winter, deer often herd for warmth.
Males and females do not normally associate until mating season in the fall.
Except for the musk species, all deer have a liver without a gallbladder.
In the United States, deer have few natural predators and are overabundant in many areas.
They often over-browse their territory and die of starvation, especially in deep snow.
Deer are very adaptable to humans as well as urban and suburban construction.
Automobiles kill thousands of deer annually.
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