The Mysterious White Tailed Deer
Nov 6, 2018 13:11:44 GMT -5
Post by Silver-Sparrow on Nov 6, 2018 13:11:44 GMT -5
Mysterious White Tailed Deer
Hello there! I am wildlifephotographer specilalicing on deer animals, specially white tailed deer. This serene, wild beautiful animal has charmed me, and I love sharing my knowledge with others. I Want people to have closer look to this being. They are much more than an animal you see at times at the edge of the field. It is animal with personality, animal with wisdom and power. Even many here are wolf lovers, I hope you would pey some attention to this animal.
I have studied this animal only about year and a half, but I do know quite abit. Most my knowledge comes from experience. I visit my wild friends up to 3 times a week! These animals often tend to be forgotten, or thought as nothing special. I used to overlook the deer at first too. I did not pay much attention to the animal. Until I started seeing them alot after I found new forests to visit. That was when I found white tailed deer.
This animal holds a special place in my heart. Most of my wildlife photos are of a white tail. Let me introduce to you: White Tailed Deer! This is all from my head and all the knowledge I can think of while writing this. I might be wrong at some things, and will not bite if you fix me. Actually, will be glad if you do, but only if I am surely wrong. I believe all this is fact that I know. I believe I can not be too wrong with anything.
This is a white tailed doe (female) deer in her wintercoat.
How to regognize a white tailed deer?
White tailed deer are semi-big deer animals. They are about 80cm to 100cm on shoulder height. They have longish, slender legs, black hooves and at summer,reddish brown coat and at winter, dark brown coat. They have white underbelly, a white spot under their chin. Also black nose with white ring around and often white chin. They have round ears with darker rings around them. They have some white on their legs. White tailed deer also can have blackish coloring on their muzzle. They have big, brown eyes. They can be told apart from roe deer and fallow deer rather easilly; fallow deer have spots and roe deer are small and dark reddish colored. Only thing I see people having problems with is telling them apart from mule deer (black tailed deer). They can seem similiar, but aren't the same animal. White tailed bucks antlers are from one spike to 7+ spikes on one side of the head, depending on age and genes and what they have been eating. Every buck has unique antlers and that is how you can regognize one buck from another.
Mule deer have VERY large ears. Differend antler shape. And have differend tail with dark spot on the end of the tail. A little job for you: google white tailed deer. Note: ears, tail, antlers. Then google mule deer. Compare: ears, tail, antlers. See anything that could help you? They do look differend enough!
Deer's life - Winter-Spring
Cycle of deer life and yearly cycle of them is very complex. At early spring, white tailed does are pregnant with fawns, white tailed bucks testosterone levels drop and the bucks shed their antlers. (Drop Them). The new antlers start growing immediately and can grow up to 1,5 inch a day. Crazy! Antler is pure bone; when growing, the antler is covered with skin (velvet). It is furry skin that insides veins to bring the growing bone vitamins and other important things. White tailed bucks move alone or in groups of maximum 3 bucks.
White tailed does move throughout the autumn, winter and early spring together in close family groups containing their siblings, last year fawns, mothers and other blood related members. The groups can be as small as three (usually doe and her two fawns) or as big as over 10 members. Deer are normally only seen in these groups during wintertime.
Start of Summer
At spring, white tailed deer shed also their winter coat and it turns to light reddish brown, lighter and less thick summer coat. This time bucks antlers are only small studs. Does go around preparing for birth. Does leave the family groups and wean their last years fawns, who will now have to start surviving alone.
At midsummer, does give birth to 1-3 fawns (sometimes even 4, but rarely). At first two weeks of life, the fawn mostly stays hidden in plants while their mother is out alone feeding and returns to either move the fawn to new place, or just feed it. (If you find lone fawn in forest; don't touch it!)
Bucks spend their summers eating and living that free, bucks summer life. Growing new, bigger antlers. Bucks start as spikers. Spiker is a yearling (1+) buck with only spike antlers, which means 1 lone spike on each side) two year olds normally have two spikes, but this can differ due to the deers feeding and genes. From three year on it is nearly impossible to surely tell a bucks age by antlers. Bucks grow abit bigger antlers every year, until they have reached their golden age. After this golden age, the antlers start getting smaller every year until the buck dies.
Whole summer does grow their fawns. At age of around 3 weeks the fawns start following their mothers around and learning ways of the deer. The mom teaches the fawns how to survive. The fawns have spotted pelt through the summer.
Buck with middle way grown antlers in velvet in his summer coat.
White tailed fawn in spotted coat.
Autumn and rut
At autumn things start to change. Deer start shedding their summer coat and it turns darker brown, fluffy winter coat. Same time, bucks antlers have reached their full size of this year and they scratch off the velvet by scratching trees. It causes the velvet to tear off in slices leaving bloody antlers. The blood dries and causes the white antler it's fresh looking dark brown color. Also the trees leave some brown color on antlers. Sharp hard bone antlers are ready for rut...
A white tailed buck with fully grown velvet antlers and coat with hint of autumn colors.
Fawns look like miniature sized deer now, as they also change their spotted coat to dark, fluffy winter coat. The does start looking for their family groups and are gathering in herds for the winter now. Bucks move around, eating and growing a good amount of fat and muscle. Thier necks swell, and bucks have this puff muscular rut look.
A huge swollen necked buck on rut season with full 10 pointer antlers with no velvet anymore.
Does and fawns now visit fields and are getting 'rutty'. The young bucks might leave their mothers and go venture on their own, trying to survive alone like a true buck. The doe fawns spend their autumn and winter with their mothers in family groups. Bucks are chasing eachothers on pre-rut (start of november) and can engage in bloody, violent fights over the does and territory. At first, before rut, bucks start at sparring, basically trying antler sizes and their own muscle force in yet not so serious fights, which will change to true blood shedding, crazy fights once the does go on heat and bucks fight on their chances on breeding.
Does will also look for only the best - big buck with big antlers strong enough to be worthy of breeding with. Smaller bucks often get no chance. Buck will gather his does and follow them around until they are ready to breed. Buck will take no chances, the time when doe is ready to breed is only matter of days. The bucks can be found running around kilometers per day, forgetting to eat or rest, as they chase off other bucks and try to find the does that wish to breed. Bucks can lose many kilograms of weight during rut.
Bucks also keep scratching the trees marking their scent on their foreheads on the tree to tell that they have dominance on the area. Many bucks can mark the same tree over and over. Bucks also pee to mark. Bucks are very heated up on rut and even it is very rare, can behave aggressively even towards humans. They also are constantly ready to breed and can sometimes mount something else than doe in their desperate need.
Communications
White tailed deer are often quiet animals, but will let out small grunts to contact or call eachothers. Also a scared deer will let out very loud warning sneeze that can be heard very far in the area. This sneeze tells other deer that there is something dangerous around, a predator or human. This will send the deer running. Deer fanws let out loud bleats mostly to warn others around or to call their mom to help them.
An aggressive wheeze is something a buck makes to other buck while rutting - this tells the other buck that I am the boss, come at me I will fight. This often makes the other buck extremely mad and it will come to challenge the rival. Buck can let out several grunts in order to ask a doe to stop and wait for him so he can breed the doe. Grunt, sneeze and wheeze are main sounds an mature deer makes. Bleat is only for fawns.
Winter
At winter the rut is over, bucks start calming down. Does have been bred and are now pregnant for new fawns. The deer spend quiet life, moving as less as possible. They try to get to easy places for food, the more snow and the more cold - the less the deer are on move. Does move in family groups, mostly at nightfall. Bucks move alone or in small groups. The cycle is ready to repeat...
Deer meets a human
At some areas white tailed deer is known to come to backyards to feed and even rest, and slowly gotten more tameish. Here in my country, they are completely wild and are rarely seen on backyards. They are fully wild and difficult to approach - which is fairly good.
What happend when wild deer sees a human? I have seen this behaviour several times so I know it so well..
Deer sees movement. It raises it's head, staring at the direction. Ears are pointed forwards, the deers nostrils sniff the air. It thinks it sees a human. Now it stops. This alerts other deer that something is wrong. It doesn't need to do anything but stop and stare and everyone picks up this behaviour.
If you are still and difficult to see: The deer will stomp it's leg to say to others: hey there is something wrong. The deer might start walking towards you making tall steps and hitting their front hooves loudly on ground. It raises it's tail revealing the white underside to the other deer. The tail up high is mark of danger to other deer - and a way to tell the predator that it has been seen.
The other deer will be looking at the same direction waiting for the deer who spots you to make a move. The deer decites you are human: the deer will make loud sneeze, turn and start running. This alerts all the deer close by and they will run off sneezing loudly in the air alarming whole area. Not good!!
You are walking even the deer looks at you: it will quickly see you are human and all the deer will run off sneezing and tails up high. Whoops...
You are standing still but the deer sees your shilouette and knows you are human: same story..they will be gone.
Random notes
These animals have very sensitive nose and ears, but eyesight is very poor. Deer mostly see shapes and 2D world. They do not see most colors. Deer do see movement much better than human eye, though. Deer nose is about same level on wolfs nose. Deer can hear and smell so well, so it is difficult to get close by them. Deers eyes can be easilly cheated, though. I have learned this the hard way.
I have been more than many times been standing on open field only twenty meters from a deer. The deer staring right at me, camo suited photographer. The doe had seen me moving, and was suspicious about my precence. I had stood still immetiadely after she raised her head. She stares for good minute or two, then lowers her head and continues eating, giving me chance to silently as a mouse, sneak closer. This is what I mean by, that deer do not have good sense of scent.
Deer bucks are duller, braver and more stupidly courageus than does and are more easy to sneak up to.
Deer are very curious animals and have all differend personalities, they have some sort of pecking order when they are in herds and can kick others to show dominance. Even doe deer!
Leader of the family group is often mature, experienced doe.
Doe deer move most often at dawn, and bucks at dusk. Even both genders obviously move at both times as well. Deer are also known to move around througoutly during the day and night.
Deer eat mostly tastier plants, veggies and fruits. They love corn, broad beans and rapeseed, also grains, grass and differend types of leaves.Also roots. At winter deer eat mostly tree bark and twigs.
Deer are opportunists and are seen to eat meat and bones, and even little mammals and birds. There is even a video of a deer eating a living baby bird off the ground.
White tailed deer (nor any other deer animal) does not have upper front teeth.
Deer are good swimmers, I have heard. I am not 100% sure if this is true. But as moose are for sure, then maybe deer too?
I have quickly gotten better at sneaking up to deer. I have gotten better at finding them. I have actually opened door to deers private life and now I seem to be part of it. I meet these gorgeus being several times a week. I get to see them every phase of the year. It is big part of my life and I totally would not change it to anything else. Following these animals in their natural environment and following their evolution is something special to me, and deer have totally stolen my heart!
ALL PHOTOS are (c) me, please do not use, copy or share them. At least without my written, given permission. Thank you.
What did you think? Did you learn anything new? Want to know something more? Have any questions? I am here, feel free to discuss with me, I am always open to share my knowledge and learn more about these beings.
I update photos that I have taken on my instagram childofwild98 and sometimes here on forums. Also on my imgur silversparrow98.imgur.com
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