GENERAL INFORMATION
Whitetail Deer   (Odocoileus virginianus)

The whitetail deer is a large animal which varies quite a bit in size, depending on the particular subspecies (there are 30 recognized) and the region where it is found. The adult whitetail deer's weight averages from about 100 to 350 pounds. Mature males are generally larger than the females. The whitetail is an ungulate, or hoofed animal, with each foot ending in a cloven or two piece hoof. The under parts of the deer's body are white with a white patch on the throat and another smaller band of white around the nose. The underside of the tail is also white. The upper body parts are colored reddish brown during the warmer months but in the fall, whitetail deer molt into their winter coats of dark, grayish brown. For several months of the year, male whitetail deer, known as bucks, are easily recognized by the presence of antlers on their head, which the females, known as does, lack.

• Reddi sh brown coat in summer months turing to a darker gray in the winter.
• They are most active during dawn and dusk.
• They depend mostly on there excellent sense of smell to detect danger.
• Their most outstanding characteristic is their large whitetail which is used to signal other deer when danger is present.
• They have scent glands on there legs and feet which are used to produce scents to communicate to other deer.
• In areas of overpopulation, deer cause an over browsing affect called a "browse line". In areas with a browse line, most plant species below the browse line are stripped bare damaging the habitat for many species. These brows lines can be from four to six feet high.
• Deer establish a territory and will not leave it.
• Deer are known to starve rather than leave their domain.
• Just 2 deer without predation can produce a herd of up to 35 deer in just 7 years.
• Deer can live up to 11 years in the wild.
• Under optimal conditions without regulating factors like predators or hunting, deer populations can double in size annually.
• Two of the considerations used when establishing a deer management plan are Biological Carrying Capacity (BCC) and Cultural Carrying Capacity (CCC).
• The whitetail deer is one of the best known and easily recognized large mammals and can be found throughout North America. Other members of the deer family found in North America include the elk, moose, caribou, mule deer and blacktail deer.