Deer

Today, in Indiana, our encounters with nature’s large mammals are limited to observing whitetail deer.  In fact, we often hope of seeing these elusive creatures as we hike our state parks and local natural areas, as they complete our outdoor experience.  They give us a sense of being in the wild and being one with nature.  They make us feel good about ourselves and about our environment.  In a sense they have become a symbol of nature for us, wild and free.  And at the same time we "humanize" them, we see them as nature's pets, and how can you not love a pet.  And of course the fawns, like all babies, are cute, and they remind us of Bambi.  There is a human-deer bond formed that emotionally connects us to them, and perhaps they to us.

One of my more enjoyable activities is placing a wildlife view camera in various locations in my wooded backyard to capture images of the whitetail deer that range across my woods.  My purpose is to capture images of the deer's behavior that I would not be able to photograph if the whitetail were aware of my presence.  These images, collected over the years, provide a foray into a whitetail's life.  Although a single image captures but a brief moment of the deer's life in space and time, taken-together the images shed insight into their daily life and struggles to survive through the seasons and over time.  The images of their facial expressions, body scars, disfigurations, and the sticktites attached to their fur provide glimpses into their life that we don't often see.  I have even captured images of a three legged doe, front leg missing.  I was amazed by her ability to maneuver the terrain, traversing up and down the ravine, and I was impressed by her ability to raise two fawns.  I have not seen her since winter past and I suspect she struggled to survive the cold and snow.  But her offspring continue her legacy and her carcass served an important role in the ecosystem, feeding scavengers and returning nutrients to the soil.  In a way she returned this year in the spring plant growth. No life is wasted in nature, and I am sure that the does I see today carry her genes.

I am amazed at how quickly their coat changes color as winter approaches.  It seems as if they go from a reddish-brown summer coat to a grayish-brown fall coat overnight.  And in a similar fashion the fawns' spots seem to disappear in a blink of an eye.  There one day and gone the next.  In looking at the images, one can see how much thicker their winter coat is compared to their summer coat.

My little piece of nature is not large enough in itself to support any whitetail, but because it buttresses up against a larger wooded area the deer migrate in and out browsing on the leaves and samplings, as well as the woodland forbs and flowers in the yard.  In general, whitetails are browsers, feeding mostly on leaves, yet they are selective feeders eating easily digestible foods such as new growth leaves and grasses, soft twigs, fruit, acorns, and of course birdseed and crops like corn.  Because the whitetail is a ruminant it can eat a variety of foods, changing their diet with the seasons and the food sources available.   Whitetail tend to feed quickly and then take cover where they remain still, often laying on the ground, digesting their food. 

Whitetail prefer deciduous vegetation, but they have adapted to live in a variety of ecosystems.  Although often thought of as a forest species they really are an edge species, living in the transitional zone between forest and open spaces--grasslands, meadows, and corn fields.  These edge areas provide the food that whitetail prefer to eat, and the trees and shrubs provide the protection from predators and shelter from the elements. 

In a way the whitetail is a reclusive animal, a skittish breed, more easily spooked then their cousins the elk and moose.  When spooked the whitetail raise their tail, exposing its white underside (for which they are named) and rump, signaling a warning to other deer as they retreat to safety.  I have heard them snort to warn others in the herd as they hop in a zigzag pattern, jumping high when necessary, as they retreat to take cover.  Whitetail also stomp their hooves on the ground to warn other deer of danger.  The stomping is not only an auditory and visual warning, but it releases a scent that provides a warning odor. 

Does are quit nurturing of their fawns, grooming and nuzzling them, as well as nursing them.  Does usually have two fawns each spring, but may give birth to one or three fawns.  Male fawns are slightly larger and heavier than females and by the end of the first season knobs appear where antlers will grow.  The fawns are born with white spots that are lost by winter.  The white spots allow the fawn to blend into their habitat, making them more difficult to see, protecting them from predators.  Within minutes of birth a fawn begins to stand and walk and the doe licks the fawn clean so that it is scent free, making it more difficult for predators to find.  During the first month of life, fawns spend most of their time laying still, hiding in vegetation as the doe forages.  By the second month the fawn follows the doe as she forages, staying close by her side for protection. Fawns will nurse for about 10 weeks and stay with the doe for about a year; often females stay together to from small herds.  Males, on the other hand, typically head out on their own by the end of the first year.

Bucks, or males, grow and shed antlers yearly. In late spring the antlers begin to grow and consist of spongy vascular tissue covered by skin called velvet.  Just before the mating season or rut, the antlers calcify becoming bone and the velvet is rubbed off leaving the bone to form the antlers.  By winter, after the mating season, the antlers are shed and re-grow the following spring. The size of a buck's antlers or rack depends on a number of factors including nutrition, especially the availability of calcium, age and genetics.  Bucks tend to be solitary, only seeking does during the rut. They use their antlers to attract does and to fight with other bucks for the opportunity to mate, breeding with as many does as possible.  Bucks often create "sign-posts" or scrapings by scratching the ground with their front hooves and make tree rubs, using their antlers to strip bark from trees.  These all mark the buck's territory, letting other bucks and does know they are in the area.  During the rut bucks rarely eat and frequently create rub-urine markings.  The does release pheromones, to attract bucks, as they enter estrus in late October, triggered by less daylight. 

By the 20th century unregulated and over hunting caused whitetail deer population to severely decline in the U.S.  Some estimated that the population dropped to less than 300,000.  Today, because of conservation programs and hunting regulation the whitetail deer population has dramatically increased to an estimated 30 million deer. The disappearance of the whitetail's natural predators has contributed to their overpopulation in some locations.  Wolves, bears, and cougars, long-gone from Indiana, were once the whitetail's natural predators. They kept the whitetail population in check, balancing the number of deer with the carrying capacity of the land. Today, the coyote continues to prey on the whitetail, primarily fawns and injured or weakened adults; however, they are not capable of keeping the whitetail population in check and as a result, in some areas, the density of whitetail exceed the carrying capacity of the land. 

This overpopulation of whitetail deer has negative effects on the environment.  Over browsing of forests degrades the forest, reducing the number of forbs on the forest floor, impacting the survival of oak and hemlock seedlings, and allowing invasive plant species to take root. The fragmented woodlands created in Indiana from land use practices has increased edge area or deer habitat that is unable to support the whitetail population.  As a result, the deer wander into croplands and urban areas to forage on corn crops and apple orchards and to feed on landscape plants.  As food sources are depleted or degraded disease and starvation set in.  And they travel across roads, especially at night and during the rut, causing vehicular and deer collisions.  Thus, regulated, seasonal hunting is necessary to manage the whitetail deer population.  It is an ecological necessity to ensure a balance between whitetail and habitat and to maintain a healthy whitetail population.  With proper management, the whitetail will be visible to Hoosiers for years to come and will serve as a symbol of nature.