Deer Friends

Winter's Plight

The next time you feel as though you have "the winter blues", please remember that our wildlife friends struggle during the winter months as well.

Whitetail Deer In Winter

It has been a long hard winter here. I believe the wildlife are looking forward to summer's warmth just as much as we are. 

Crouching Photographer Hidden Fawn

Whitetail deer fawns are normally born sometime between late April and early July. At birth, white tail fawns have a spotted coat. The spots are to camouflage the fawn, allowing it to blend in with it's surrounding  environment. The whitetail fawn loses its spots by the end of October of the same year it was born, or within 3 to 4 months after birth. The fawn is also weaned by the time it loses its spots. By November the average whitetail male fawn will weigh close to 80 to 85 pounds, and the female fawn will weigh 75 to 80 pounds. When a fawn is born it is odorless so that predators are not attracted to its location. The mother doe will stay away from the fawn for a few days so that her scent does not rub off on the fawn or attract predators to the area where the fawn is hiding, while gaining strength. When a fawn detects danger it will remain perfectly still. Fawns that live past the first week have a good chance of surviving to adulthood. A doe and her fawns live as a family group until the fawns are weaned. Sometimes multiple does and whitetail fawns will group together. The area where the fawn is born normally becomes its adult habitat.

White Tail Luncheon

I would have to say that one of my favorite wildlife animals is the white tail deer. I'm fortunate in that I live remotely enough to have them as frequent visitors, around my home, and on my property year round. They are a joy to observe. The male deer ( bucks ) lose their antlers once a year but re-grow them in the late spring. When they re-grow them they are at first covered in a fine tissue substance referred to as "velvet". They lose the velvet as the antlers harden and grow. They are generally foragers with a diet that consists primarily of grasses, hay, plants, leaves, fruits, corn, shoots, acorns etc... this diet varies with the seasons and availability of food sources. I love my deer friends and hope I have the pleasure of sharing my wilderness habitat with them for many years to come.