White-tailed deer: look for the white flag
—Photo by DON BARTLING Wary as ever, a mature 5x5 buck casts a suspicious eye toward the photographer.
White-tailed deer abound in Boundary County. A person can hardly go on a drive in Boundary County without seeing one or more members of the white-tailed deer family.
White-tailed deer are the smallest members of the North American deer family. Adult white-tailed deer have reddish-brown coats in spring and summer. The color fades to a duller grayish-brown coat in the fall and winter.
Male deer, called bucks, are easily distinguished in the summer and fall by their large set of antlers. New antlers are grown annually and fall off in the winter.
“White-tailed” refers to the white underside of the deer’s tail, which it displays and wags when it senses danger. One of my many delights in the summer is to watch fawns as they try out their white “alarm” tail and raise their tail and run swiftly after their mother mimicking her actions.
White-tailed deer thrive in Idaho and are found from southern Canada through Central America. They prefer open woodland, but are often found on the fringes of populated areas and in farming country. White-tailed deer habitat includes areas along streams and rivers, mixed woodlands, farms, forests, and burned scrub fields. Open areas are used only when thick shrubs or forest are nearby.
They feed on a variety of vegetation, depending on what is available in their habitat. In forests, the buds and twigs of many trees are consumed, as well as many shrubs. Conifers are often eaten in winter when other plants become scarce.
White-tailed deer are the most nervous and shy species of deer in Idaho. They wave their tails characteristically from side to side when they are startled. They are very agile and may bound at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour through the forest. White-tailed females (does) are very protective of their babies (fawns). When looking for food, females leave their offspring in a hiding place for about four hours at a time. While waiting for their mother to return, fawns lay flat on the ground with their necks outstretched, well camouflaged against the forest floor.
White-tailed deer are generally solitary (meaning they live alone), especially in the summer. The basic social unit is a female and her fawns, although does have been observed grazing together in large herds.
White-tailed deer are crepuscular, feeding mainly from before dawn until several hours later, and again from late afternoon until dusk. They rest or are inactive during daylight hours.
Antlers generally do not serve as weapons against predators, but are used during the mating season, when the males fight to breed with females. The buck’s antlers are shed from January to March and grown out again in the spring.
Most white-tailed deer live about two to three years. The maximum life span in the wild is 20 years, but few deer live past 10 years old.
A white-tailed deer can weigh anywhere from 100 to 300 pounds. Their ears are considerably smaller than the ears of their cousin, the mule deer. White-tailed deer are good swimmers and will take advantage of large streams and lakes to escape predators. White-tailed deer are the most popular large game animal in the United States.
To spot white-tailed deer, go to the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge, five miles west of Bonners Ferry, during the early morning or late afternoon.
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