White-Tailed Deer

(Odocoileus virginianus: Cervidae)

Description: The white-tailed deer is a moderately large mammalian ungulate that is named for its most distinctive feature--the large white-tail or "flag" that is often all one sees as the animal bounds away through tall grass. White-tailed deer have a coat of short coarse hair that changes color seasonally and with age. Generally, white-tailed deer have reddish-brown hair in the summer which changes to a light, gray-brown or tan in winter. The belly and underside of the tail are completely white. The coat is shed twice a year in the spring and early fall. The juveniles' (known as "fawns") coat is similar to the adult's but has multiple white spots which gradually disappear when the deer reaches 3 to 4 months of age. White-tailed deer can be from 3 to 3.5 feet tall at the shoulder and anywhere from 4.5 to 6.75 feet in length (Nebraska Game and Parks, 2001). They generally weigh between 150 and 300 pounds. Male white-tails, known as "bucks," are slightly larger than the female "does" and are also characterized by their annually shed antlers which become larger each year. In rare occasions (1 out of every 1000), females can also bear small, simple antlers (Canadian Wildlife Service, 2001).

Pictures:

A nice buck

A doe grazing

Geographic Range: White-tailed deer are the most widely distrubuted and most numerous of any deer species. Its range extendes from the southern tip of the North American continent northward well into the boreal, or northern coniferous, forest. Scattered individuals can be found even farther north into Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service, 2001).

Habitat Requirements: Deer thrive best in areas with young forests and brush where they feed on buds, branches, fresh grass, and green leaves that are near the ground. White-tailed deer also are an "edge" species, favoring habitats with forest or vegetation cover near open spaces such as fields, croplands, marshes, or meadows. Deer are also found in mature forests and are also rapidly expanding their populations into urban and agricultural areas (Canadian Wildlife Service, 2001).

Distribution on the preserve: White-tailed deer sign (tracks, scat, scrapes, runs, etc.) and sightings indicate that white-tailed deer utilize and/or travel through all areas of the preserve as the reserve is a small part of their larger local habitat.

Status on the preserve: Although recent surveys specific to the Hope preserve were inconclusive, surveys conducted by the Michigan DNR for similar West-Michigan coastal habitat suggest that white-tailed deer are probably present in this region at population densities of about 30 deer per square mile (Hill, 2000). White-tailed deer are frequently spotted on the preserve, usually in mornings and evenings in groups of 5 to 12 individuals.

Literature Cited:

Canadian Wildlife Service. "Hinterland Who's Who: White-tailed Deer." 17 April 2001. http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/hww-fap/deer/deer.html

Nebraska Game and Parks Online. "Wildlife Descriptions: White-tailed Deer." 17 April 2001. http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/wtdeer.html

Hill, Harry R. "The 2000 Deer Pellet Group Surveys." 2000. Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Wildlife Report No. 3324. 13 March 2001. http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/pdfs/wildlife/deer_00survey_pellet.pdf

Contributors: Jonathan Atwell, Meribeth Huizinga, Joseph Veldman