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White-Tailed Deer - (Odocoileus
virginianus)
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November
17, 2009 - Food Guy was able to capture a ton of
pictures of a juvenile white-tailed deer. It
still had several faint rows of white spots on
its back. The fawn didn't seem overly skittish
as he tried to get as close as possible. He
traveled and grazed alone. While the male fawn
is more likely to travel alone, this deer showed
no sign of any pedicles (permanent structures
between the ears of a buck fawn from which
antlers grow).
We live in the country and are concerned about
hunters. In this "southern" part of hunting in
New York, bow hunting season is from October
17th to November 20th and regular hunting season
opens on November 21st and ends on December
13th. We're both get excited at "Bambi"
sightings and welcome them in our yard. In fact,
we were disappointed that after acquiring better
camera equipment and skills, we saw only a few
white tails disappearing down the back hill this
year - until now.
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November
27, 2009 - Our little guy is back! I thought I
was looking at a lone doe (reading glasses are
not the best for clear identifications of
animals or birds in our side yard. Closer
inspection by Food Guy showed the deer appeared
to be the one "spotted" on the 17th.
December 04, 2009 - Certain poses in our next group of pictures of the
deer reaffirmed the theory that our fawn is all male, although there
seems to be no sign of antlers yet. A male starts growing antlers from a
pair of skin-covered nubs located between his ears at about six to ten
months. These pedicles are the point of new growth of antlers on older
males in March or April. Antlers will be broken off and shed at
this same point in January or February (after breeding season).
Made of dead bone, antlers are some of the fastest growing tissue known
to man.
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November
04, 2009 - This was a surprise picture captured
with our first birdcam. After viewing this we
began putting out apple slices, pieces of other
fruit and carrots on the paver stone table and
on the ground around it. It didn't take long for
the fruit to freeze completely to the table
(Oops!). Never saw the fawn (or doe) return for
a snack, but we did we did see deer prints
returning to that spot after a new snowfall.
Perhaps there were a few less carrots after
that.
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We
planted twenty small trees (really sticks with
roots). It didn't take us long to realize we
would never live long enough to benefit from any
shade they would cast. Anyway, the deer must
have thought we planted candy sticks with a few
tender, juicy leaves throughout the yard. It
wasn't long before those sticks were gone.
Bigger trees are more expensive, but stand a
better chance surviving.
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The first summer
after we moved into this home with its wide,
expansive windows facing the backyard, we were
delighted to see a beautiful doe and her two
adorable young fawns. She brought them to the
berry bushes at the tree line along the back of
our property. But their favorite spot soon
became the old cherry tree closer in. We had
enjoyed a beautiful pink umbrella of blossoms
in the spring, but the crop of hard, slightly
misshapen cherries was only appetizing to the
birds and the deer. From July through early
fall we would see this little family wander in
for the cherries several times a day. As the
babies grew taller with their spots fading, we
began to see the fawns seemingly on their own.
They would pose unafraid and watch us when we
were quietly in the yard taking pictures. After
the very last cherries were eaten off the ground
the deer came back to also pick clean the
bordering berry bushes.
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This year we
watched and waited for our first glimpse of new
fawns. The berry bushes in the back were still
full of juicy fruit, since the birds had more
feeders than last year and many new berry-laden
bushes nearby to chose from. Finally, near the
middle of August we saw a doe. She was all
alone, snuffled at the lawn, ignored the cherry
tree, and quickly bounded off. We had renewed
hope for seeing a new family of deer.
It wasn't until the first week of September that
we spotted a doe with her fawn. Because pictures
taken at dusk are still in the experimental
stage for us, we didn't achieve the quality
photos we had hoped for. However, it was a
pleasure to at least have deer stop by for a
brief snack if not for a large, family dinner.
The invitation is still open with no need for an
RSVP or a reservation.
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Size:
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Shoulder Height:
2-3.5 ft
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Length:
4.25-6.5 ft |
Tail Length: 6-13 in |
Weight: 50-300lb |
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ID:
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Male: Smallest North American deer;
reddish to yellowish brown in spring-
grayer in winter; white on belly,
inside legs, under tail, on chin and
throat, inside ears, and around eyes and
nose; tail long (12 inches), bushy brown
with white edges and often a dark stripe
down the middle, raises in alarm and
flashes white in retreat; antlers- small
brow tines and one main beam which has
several vertical points branching from
this (size determined by age, genetics
and nutrition); antlers -velvet-like
covering while growing hard bone, shed
in winter; long, thin legs and hooves;
excellent hearing
Female: Twenty percent smaller than
male; no antlers
Juvenile: Silky reddish brown coat with
the white coloring of adults; protective
white spots for 3-4 months; coats
grayish with no spots by first winter
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Habitat:
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Needs access to variety of habitats;
woodlands for cover and open areas to
browse and forage on grasses, shrubs,
young trees and other vegetation;
wetlands; woody suburbs
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Diet:
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Herbivore; leaves, stems, buds,
grasses, crops, mushrooms, wildflowers,
nuts, and berries
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Family Behavior:
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Mating Habits: Some bucks mate with
one doe otherwise polygamous; mate in
fall; females (mature at one year) will
mate the following year and bear only
one fawn, then twins and sometimes
triplets thereafter; male fight over
territory using their antlers
Bedding: Beds in grass, leaves or snow
in hidden, shallow depressions
Young: Born in early to late spring
weighing 8 pounds (gestation about 6
months); heavily spotted at birth and
active soon after; trails female after a
few days; left in hidden place, fawn
remains motionless if disturbed; nurses
for several months; independent at one
year old
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Activities:
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Active day or night; excellent
swimmers; fixed home range though not
territorial; form small groups of female
and their young; males live alone or in
small male groups; groups join in deer
yards in winter; can run 30 to 40 mph,
jump over obstacles 8 feet high and can
bound about 30 feet
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Predators and Dangers:
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Bobcat, coyote, and domestic dogs;
man with hunting weapons and
automobiles; starvation caused by
overpopulation and/or weather conditions
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Sounds:
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Sharply exhaled nasal snort and foot
stomping when alarmed
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Lifespan:
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Around 20 years, but often less than
10 living in the wild
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