White-tailed Deer

1. Adapted From: Mrs. Reeves White-tailed Deer Presented by: Ms. Ryan

2. Always be safe!

3. Objectives: • List terms associated with white-tailed deer. • Discuss the description and characteristics of white-tailed deer. • Analyze whitetail populations and reproduction. • Discuss the diet of white-tailed deer.

4. Terms: • Buck: • Male deer • Doe: • Female deer • Fawn: • Less than one year old • Spike: • An unbranched antler of a male deer • Attributed to genetics, nutrition, age

5. Terms: • Tine: • A pointed branch of an antler • Antler: • A solid bony process that arises from the frontal bone on the head of a deer • Velvet: • A soft, vascular tissue found on developing antlers • Rut: • Annual period of reproductive activity

6. Description / Characteristics • Odocoileus virginianus • Also known as: • Whitetail deer • Virginia deer • Texas population: 4 million • Annual Harvest: 400,000 • Ruminants and chew their cud

7. Ruminant • Four compartment stomach • Just like what other animals??

8. Description / Characteristics • Sharp eyes • Communication: • Snorting, stomping feet, smell raise the tail "flagging", voice call • Top speed: 30-35 mph • Death usually 10 years or younger

9. Description • Small to medium hoofed mammal with reddish to blue-gray or tan colorings • Underside of tail is white • Antlers on male consist mainly of main beam with tines growing from it

10. Antlers • Made of bone material • Start developing in April • Nourished by blood vessels called "velvet"  • Velvet shed: September • Antlers shed: February • Prime antler development: • 5 ½ to 6 ½ years old

11. Diet • Consists of 3-7 pounds of dry matter per day • 14 to 18% protein • Woody plants, forbs or weeds, grasses • May include: peanuts, corn, peas, clover, oats, ryegrass, wheat, etc. • Example: food plots

12. Diet (cont.) • Increased eating of grass may indicate: • Over population • Poor conditions • Too much competition • Cover 40-50% of an area • Need woody cover • ½ to 1 gallon of water per day • Need water within 1 to 3 miles

13. Range • Texas has most white-tailed deer of any state • Buck’s range is 2-4 times larger than does • Texas hill country is most densely populated area in the country • West Texas and the Panhandle are the only spotty areas with whitetails

14. Habitat / Habits • Inhabits forest, swamps, open brushy areas, foothill plains, and river bottoms • Herbivorous – browser, eats forbs, twigs, shrubs, acorns, fungi and some grasses • Limited movement • Rarely more than one to two miles

15. Habitat / Reproduction • Lives to 16 years in the wild • Male is polygamous • Breeds more than one female • Rut starts in October through December • Spotted twin fawns are normal

16. Reproduction • Both bucks and does normally reach maturity at 15 to 20 months old • Does can have 3 estrus cycles per year • Doe receptive to buck about 28 hrs. • back in heat 28 days later • Gestation period: 200 days • Fawns weaned at about 4 months

17. White-tailed Deer

18. Population • Ideal is 1:1 ratio • Healthy herd can withstand 30% harvest • A lot of spikes indicate a management problem • Example: poor nutrition like we talked about earlier

19. Overpopulation??