White-tailed Deer Photos by Bruce Dayton - White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

ORDER: Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
FAMILY: Cervidae (Deer)
SPECIES: White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
The White-tailed deer is a medium-sized deer and can be found in southern Canada and most of the continental United States. - They are cautious and wary animals with highly developed senses of sight, smell, and hearing. They are extremely agile and are great runners, swimmers and jumpers. - Male (bucks) grow and shed a set of antlers each year. - Male bucks may live in groups consisting of three or four individuals, except in mating season, when they go out individually looking for a mate. -
SIZE	An average adult White-tailed buck weighs between 100 and 150 pounds live weight and stands 32 to 34 inches at the shoulder. Size and weight vary greatly in the White-tailed Deer depending on the the region where it is found. Some whitetail deer from the northern United States and Canada may weigh as much as 350 pounds.
DESCRIPTION	The white-tail was so named because the underside of its tail is covered with white hair and is displayed (Flag) when the deer is running. The belly, throat, areas around the eyes and insides of the ears are white all year long. Hair color is alike in both sexes. The summer coat consists of short, thin hairs that are reddish-brown in color and the the heavy winter coat is longer, grayish brown hairs over a short wooly undercoat. Sexual Dimorphism: Male are about 20% larger than the female. Males grow and shed a set of antlers each year.
BEHAVIOR	White-tail deer are generally considered solitary animals. They have an unusual social grouping. They are the most nervous and shy of the deer family. The most common sounds heard are whistles or snorts of disturbed White-tails. They are extremely agile and are great runners, swimmers and jumpers. White-tails generally live in a range of only about one square mile, although linear ranges can be much longer. Buck deer are primarily solitary animals except during the breeding season, also called the rut, when they actively seek out does for breeding. White-tails communicate with vocalizations and scents.
RANGE	Scientists have identified 30 subspecies of whitetails in Central and North America. Whitetails occur from southern Canada south through the lower 48 States and Mexico to Panama.
PREDATORS	The main predator of adult deer is man. Many are taken as game during hunting season, while thousands more are killed by motor vehicles each year. Sometimes roving wild dog packs (even domesticated dogs in packs) will kill deer. More natural predators are the coyote, bobcat and cougar. Fawns, in addition to the above are subject to being killed by Black Bears.
HABITAT	White-tailed deer can adapt and survive in a wide variety of terrestrial habitats from the big woods of the northeast to the swamps of Florida. Most woodland deer prefer a habitat of mixed woods, open areas and dense brush thickets to provide food and help conceal them from predators.
DIET	The White-tails are herbivores. Some foods white-tails may like to eat includes young leaves and stems, grass, berries, bark and nuts. In agriculture areas, they will eat crops such as corn and alfalfa.




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White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Verona Township Oneida County, New York	Varick Township Seneca County, New York


WtDrG-304_055925	WtDrG-304_016340


Mendon Township Ontario County, New York	Aurelius Township Cayuga County, New York


WtDrG-304_056331	WtDrG-304_027623