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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing white tailed deer. These cervids are the most common, most widespread, as well as the smallest deer in North America. There are many white tailed deer subspecies, and the key deer is one of the smallest weighing less than 80 pounds (36 kg). The largest white tailed deer weigh in at over 300 pounds (136 kg), but many factors play a role in their size. Males, also known as bucks, are the largest. They can be told apart from females, also known as does, by their antlers. It's technically possible for a white tailed doe to have antlers, though this comes about from hormone dysregulation. 99% of the time, if you see a white tail with antlers, it's a buck.

White tailed deer are native to the Americas, however, it's worth noting they're absent from the west coast of North America. These mammals need covered habitats, and the sparse vegetation present along vast stretches of western North America have limited their distribution there. Instead, the most common deer species in that area is the mule deer, who we'll have to discuss in another episode! White tailed deer have also been introduced outside of their native range often for deer parks and private collections. These animals prefer open forest and edge habitats. A clearing in the woods is an excellent spot to find foraging white tails, or even along a forest road where the clearing for the road makes way for perfect deer food.

White tailed deer generally remain in the same place year after year. They may move between different habitats depending on the season, but typically if you see deer around your home, they're the same deer each time. Unless they've been hunted, of course, but we'll come back to that! White tails get their name for their iconic, big, bushy, white tail. This is typically only seen when the deer are startled and run away. The flash of white helps alert other members of their herd that danger is near. They also stomp their feet and make breathy grunts when they're distressed. Deer trails are a good sign of deer presence in your areas. They use these to move through the environment while in search of food. 

White tailed deer spend a majority of their time eating. They don't often remain in the same place for too long, generally walking slowly as they pull food from trees and bushes. These cervids flowers, fruits, seeds, grass, buds, herbs, lichen, and whatever other tasty plant parts they can find. In harsh conditions they'll even take birds, bird eggs, fish and insects! They're technically herbivores but they'll eat meat in a pinch! White tailed deer are ruminants like cows, so they swallow food, regurgitate it, and chew the cud a second time before fully digesting their food. Their excrement comes out in little pellets, not unlike rabbit poo!

Predators to white tailed deer include wolves, coyotes, bears, mountain lions, and more no matter their size or body condition, however, fawns are the most susceptible. These deer are also hunted by humans. Since the expectation of the gray wolf in the contiguous 48 states and the hunting of other large predators, white tail deer populations have skyrocketed. While I certainly love seeing deer, it's generally agreed in the scientific community that these mammals are potentially at an overpopulation due to lack of predators. This can lead to disease transmission, more run-ins with cars, property damage, and more, but hunting helps curb that overpopulation– at least in some areas. In other areas it has a reverse effect. Ecology is tough, y'all.

If they can avoid predators, white tailed deer can live to be fifteen years old, however most don't make it to a decade. Most folks know that bucks lock antlers in the fall to show off for the does and earn breeding rights. This time is called the rut. Males will mate with multiple females so long as they've out ranked the competition, and females can mate with multiple males to the point that their offspring can have different fathers, just like cats! Most bucks don't mate their first year. Does that become pregnant most frequently have twins, though rarely cases of up to five fawns in a single litter have been reported! The babies are born in dense vegetation where the mother leaves them for hours at a time. The fawns know to keep still and quiet to help avoid detection, but they can bolt if needed. Within a few weeks they're ready to join their mother.

White tailed does tend to travel in family groups of a mother and her daughters, sometimes her sisters. The bucks leave to form bachelor groups once they reach a year old. Generally these cervids don't form large aggregations, however, during the winter they may join up in deer yards to help conserve heat. Hundreds of white tailed deer may be present in a single woodland clearing during this time, however they disperse as the weather warms.

Many people mistakenly believe that a buck's age can be determined by the number of points on his antlers, but this is a myth. Bucks grow and shed their antlers each year, developing a new set prior to each breeding season. A better way to age a deer is to look at its teeth. Older deer have spent more time chewing than their younger counterparts, so their teeth appear more worn down with age!

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