Whitetail Deer, Odocoileus virginianus is a smaller cousin to Mule Deer, Odocoileus hemionus. While mule deer inhabit the Western, more mountainous parts of North America, whitetail deer have spread throughout the entire North American and most of South American continents thus becoming the most widely distributed ungulate species of the Western hemisphere. And while mule deer got their common name from the size of their ears, the whitetails owe it to the wide, fluffy tail that is carried upright when they feel scared or fleeing from danger. (Virginianus in their Latin name comes from being firstly described in Virginia)
The tail has a bright-white underside that is strikingly visible, especially in low-light conditions.
Whitetails have a language of their own - snorting, hissing and whistling sounds that they used differently in different situations.
Their scent glands, although less prominent than those of the mule deer,
play an important part as well as does their body language.
I came upon this doe and her fawn at dusk while kayaking Kootenay River. Once she figured out that I could pose a danger she gave out the typical deer snort and both of them took off. The light was already low and their coats quickly blended into the surroundings. But their white tails shone for a while form the darkness of the forest making each one aware where the other was going.
When threatened, the whitetails take off with an elegant gallop of a race horse but when they are really scared they tend to gain advantage by making huge leaps, preferably down the hill, gaining advantage against their pursuers.
Seeing them to flee like that, at a neck-breaking pace, jumping over bushes and broken trees several meters far and couple meters high into the unknown terrain, down the hill, always makes me wonder how come, that they do not break their delicate ankles and knees.
A small kayak on a quiet body of water at dusk or dawn can work wonders for a nature observer. As long as there are no sudden movements the animals do not perceive the kayak and its cargo as a threat.
I usually set up a tripod inside my little boat (challenging, but the times of my steady-photo-hand have vanished a long time ago). To manoeuvre between the tripod and the paddle takes some practice and more than an occasional prayer but for the most, the setup works pretty well .
The only trouble is that the vegetation can obscure the view. Nevertheless, I doubt that otherwise I would be able to get close to this buck who took up its residence among the dense bushes on a very steep river bank. He would hear and smell me way before I would ever be aware of its presence. Then he would sneak away, hide in the bush and watch me to stumble by.
The mule deer are "jumpers". Whitetails are "hiders". They are amazingly good at hiding in the underbrush and sneaking quietly away - unnoticed.
They are also much less social than mule deer and prefer to travel alone (that applies doubly for the males during the summer months.)
They are also much less social than mule deer and prefer to travel alone (that applies doubly for the males during the summer months.)
Just like the mule deer, the whitetails are more gray in the winter, their air-filled hair providing insulation from cold and also helping them to stand out less in the bleak winter weather.
In the summer they are more rusty brown.
Does are bred in the Fall, the fawns are born some six months later, usually May or June. When the fawns are born they can walk within a very short time. Yet, their Mom "park" them in a safe place where they lie still, their speckled bodies blending into the shade dappled undergrowth. They are nearly scentless; that making it difficult for predators to pinpoint their location. On the top of that, they do not eliminate any bodily wastes until a few weeks later - Mom then ingests everything further lowering the possibility of detection by the predators.
There is usually one fawn in tho doe's first pregnancy, the following might lead to two or rarely three young. The fawns stay speckled for about six months - they get their new one-colored coat just in time for the winter.
Last summer I sat in my kayak, parked in the dense mat of underwater vegetation by the edge of the river, silently enjoying the sunset, and the peaceful time on the river.
Soundlessly, the trio below walked out of the forest just a few meters away from me - way too close for my long lens to focus. Argggh. I had to move - slightly - to be able to re-adjust the settings. The twins seemed to enjoy my company but Mom just stomped her foot and all of them slid back into the darkness of the ravine.
Any north American country gardener can tell you that the whitetail deer like to eat shrubs! And things in the garden - flowers, veggies, even tomato plants! Wonderful in the evening - gone by dawn! We used to groan and say: "Why? There are grasses everywhere! Why do they have to destroy the gardens?"
The answer is fairly simple. Yes, they will eat grass but that is not their main supply of nutrients. They have GREAT cravings for salt - perhaps it has something to do with them being ruminants and needing to support all those bacteria in their complex stomachs.
I watched this deer for several evenings - every day after the sunset he walked out of the woods and took a very long walk down to the highway where salt from the winter road accumulated in the swamp.
In any case - the salts and other nutrients they need are not in the grasses - they are in buds and twigs and leaves of our precious garden trees (and the wild ones of course)! In cedar hedges especially!
All we can do to keep them away is to build a nice tall fence! (No link here - just type in "deer fence" and see how many sites you will get. Proof enough.)
So there we have it - Odocoileus virginianus - the Americas' most hunted, yet the most abundant deer.
Hiding in shadows, thriving in cleared lands and cultivated fields. Adjusting to people, their gardens, dogs, radios, their parks, even their cities.
Enjoying the demise of their main predators like wolves and cougars, increasing in numbers year after year.
Cursed and cherished at the same time, taking the lowlands, leaving the higher elevations to the mule deer.
Watching us from the shadows and, thankfully, most likely to stay with us for a very long time to come.
