White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

White-tailed deer live throughout almost all of North America. They have very general habitat requirements. They live in wooded and open natural areas, including cropland and suburban areas. Deer are herbivorous. They eat tender green plants, leaves, grasses, and new growth on trees.

Fawns are born in late spring. They can walk within minutes of birth. During the first 2-3 weeks of life, they bed down in vegetation. Their mothers leave them for hours at a time to forage. If you ever come upon a very young deer you should not disturb it or touch it. If a mother smells a human scent on her fawn she may abandon it.

Mating season begins in the fall. By this time of year, males have fully grown antlers. Antlers are made of bone and are shed in winter. They begin growing back in spring. Males use their antlers in the fall to fight with other males over access to territories and females. Females become pregnant in late fall. Very young females give birth to one fawn. Older females usually give birth to twins. Sometimes females even have triplets or quadruplets, but this is rare.

Deer populations have fluctuated in the past because of human influence. By the early 1900's, most of the natural predators of deer, such as wolves and mountain lions, were hunted by humans. In turn, deer populations exploded. When deer numbers get high, there is a lot of competition for food. Many deer are undernourished.