Osgood, Wilfred Hudson,      1875-1947

English

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THE WHITE-TAILED DEERfS/V.\. -^swFIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORYCHICAGO1922Field Museum of Natural HistoryDEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGYChicago, 1922Lbavuct NUMBm 1The White-Tailed DeerThe common deer of eastern North America wasone of the first of our large mammals to be brought tothe attention of early settlers. Although originallyabundant in Massachusetts and other parts of NewEngland, it seems to have been reported especiallyfrom Virginia by early French writers who called itCerf de Virginie. It was then given the scientific nameCervns virginianus and so came to be known generallyas the Virginia Deer. In later years this name provedto be misleading, for the same species of deer, or vari-eties differing slightly in size and color, was found tobe present not only in Virginia but over most of theeastern and central United States. Another name forit, therefore, has gradually come into use, the nameWhite-tailed Deer. This is frequently shortened toWhitetail, which is a very appropriate name, for thedeer's tail is entirely white on the under side and whenheld erect, as the animal dashes through the woods, isvery conspicuous. The upper side of the tail, however,is not white but reddish brown or gray the same as theback and sides of the body.The White-tailed Deer withstands the advance ofcivilization much better than most of our larger mam-mals and is still common over much of its originalrange. In Pennsylvania, Virginia, and in parts of NewYork and New England, where elk, bison, bears, cou-guars and wolves have completely disappeared, theWhitetail still flourishes. This, of course, is mainly onaccount of the protection afforded by good game laws,[112 Field Museum of Natural Historybut it is also due in part to the animal's habits whichare very adaptable. It will often maintain itself foryears in a small piece of woodland only a few squaremiles in extent. Its original range included all of eas-tern North America from the mouth of the St. Law-rence River west to the Rocky Mountains and south tothe Gulf of Mexico. Throughout Ohio, Indiana, Illi-nois and most of Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, it isnow wholly exterminated, but elsewhere it remainscommon wherever there is sufficient cover for it toexist. Except in the extreme western part of its rangeit is the only species of deer to be found. In southernMichigan and southern Wisconsin it has retreated be-fore civilization and intensive cultivation of the land,but in the northern parts of these states it is exceed-ingly abundant. In Illinois, it is probably entirely ex-tinct, although as recently as 1909 it was reported fromUnion and Alexander counties in the extreme southernpart of the state.The whitetails of the eastern United States aredivided into several varieties or subspecies, as follows :The Virginia Whitetail (Odocoileus virginianus) ,which is of medium size and is now found principallyin Virginia, West Virginia and the Carolinas; theNorthern Whitetail {Odocoileus v. borealis), which isthe largest variety and which ranges from Maine andNew Brunswick westward at least to Manitoba; thePlains Whitetail (Odocoileus v. macrourus), which issaid to have an unusually long tail and which formerlyinhabited river bottoms throughout the Great Plainsregion, but is now almost extinct ; the Florida Whitetail{Odocoileus v. osceola), which is the smallest varietyand is confined to Florida; and the Louisiana White-tail {Odocoileus v. louisianae) , which is relativelylarge in size and inhabits the lowlands of Louisianaand eastern Texas. Besides these of the United States[2]The White-Tailed Deer 8there are various other whitetails, or closely alliedspecies, inhabiting Mexico, Central America and north-em South America. Thus, the whitetails, as a group,have a more extensive distribution than any otherAmerican deer.Perhaps because it is so common and so wellknown, the Whitetail does not always get full creditfor its grace and beauty which are scarcely excelled byany other member of the deer family either in Americaor in the Old World. No prettier woodland pictureever greets the nature lover's eye than that of our owndeer as it threads its way along its forest trail or stepsalertly at nightfall from the green depths to the openborder of lake or stream. When in motion, especiallywhen not alarmed, it has an ease and grace beyond thatof any other of our game animals. Its normal gait isthat of running or trotting and, although it can anddoes make great leaps, it does not "bound" with all fourfeet striking the ground at once as do the westernBlacktails or Mule Deer. If slightly startled, it movesaway in low, springy jumps alternated at short inter-vals with single high leaps, the entire movement beingcharacterized by an indescribable grace and resiliency.Meanwhile the head and long, flashing, white tail areheld erect and the whole effect as the animal appearsand reappears among the trees and bushes makes abeautiful sight.The outward appearance of the Whitetail showsmarked differences with the change of the seasons. Insummer its hair is relatively short and thin and thecolor of its coat is rich reddish rufous. On this ac-count, it has sometimes erroneously been called RedDeer, a name which properly belongs to a very differ-ent European species. This red coat is worn during thewarm months from May until September in the periodwhen the horns are attaining their annual growth.18]T '* 'V.^? > f I. •. \ 1Field Museum of Natural HistoryDoubtful1. Florence.The White-Tailed Deer 6In the fall it is replaced by a beautiful gray coat whichgradually grows longer and thicker as cold weathercomes on until in midwinter it is full and heavy, form-ing an ample protection against the severest weather.In spring this coat is more brownish in color and afterthe long winter is apt to have a ragged and faded ap-pearance, especially just before it is shed and followedby the reddish summer coat. The fa^vns, which usuallyare bom in May or June, are reddish like the adults atthe same season, but are beautifully spotted withwhite. Late in the fall when the first coat is shed, thefawns lose their spots and become grayish. Two fawnsare commonly born at a time and rarely there arethree. Young does, as a rule, produce only one fawnand the number varies somewhat in different parts ofthe country. Male fawns follow their mother for thefirst year and females often do so for two years.Like other members of the deer family, the White-tail sheds and renews its horns annually. The does,or females, never have horns, but the bucks grow anew pair every year. The shedding takes place in latewinter or early spring and there is a short period atthis time, therefore, when there are no horns in eithersex. The mature horns, which are carried through thewinter, simply drop off and fall to the ground, leavingonly the slight bony knob or pedicel from which theygrew. Almost immediately new horns begin to grow,appearing at first as soft prominences covered withthe peculiar fuzzy skin which is known as the "vel-vet." They rapidly elongate and send out brancheswhich are nourished by a copious supply of blood flow-ing under the protecting velvet. In a few months theirgrowth is practically completed and except for theirvelvet covering and the club-shaped tips, which hardenlast, they have much the appearance of mature antlers.Early in the fall, usually in September, the bucks rubtheir antlers against trees and bushes and the velvet6 Field Museum of Natural Historycomes off in bloody strips and shreds until the fullyhardened, smooth horn is exposed and ready for therunning and fighting which takes place soon after.The antlers vary in size and form according to the ageof the animal. The young buck in his second year hasonly simple unbranched prongs and therefore is calleda "spike" or "spikebuck." In his third year, severaladditional points are gained but the antlers are rela-tively small. Full development of the gracefully curvedand branched antlers comes in the fourth, fifth, andsixth years when the bucks are in their prime. Withadvancing years, the antlers may continue of fair sizebut they are less regular in shape, have fewer points,and are said to be "going back." The normal life ofthese deer is seldom over ten years.The habits of the Whitetail vary somewhat ac-cording to the region it inhabits, but it always fre-quents the thickest cover available. In our northernstates, it haunts the deep forest, the thickets of aldersand willows bordering streams, and the dense growthsin swampy flatlands. In summer, like its big cousin,the moose, the Whitetail feeds to some extent onaquatic plants to secure which it wades about shallowcoves in lakes and ponds. It does this in broad day-light in remote regions where it is undisturbed, butwhere man frequently crosses its path, it keeps to coverduring the day and only ventures into the open in* thedarkness of night. It is an excellent swimmer and willvoluntarily cross large lakes. When pressed by wolvesor dogs it frequently takes to the water. It has evenbeen found swimming in the sea from island to islandor point to point on the coast of New England. Itmakes good time in the water, but unless it has toomuch of a start can be overtaken by good paddlers witha canoe. Aquatic plants form only part of its foodduring the summer, for it eats a variety of browse in-[6]The White-Tailed Deer Teluding many tender shoots of small bushes and it isby no means averae to grazing when the marsh grass isabundant.In the fall, the deer usually move to higher groundand often spend much time in tracts of burnt-over landwhere the second growth affords good cover. Whenbeechnuts or acorns are available, they feed extensivelyon them and become very sleek and fat. At this season,the bucks clear their horns of velvet, their necks growthickened and, as the rutting or mating season ap-proaches, they become restless and roving. The periodof the rut extends from late October to early Decem-ber and is a time of great activity, especially for thebucks, which range far and wide in search of the does.When two bucks meet, a fight is almost a certainty andif they are well matched, the contest may last severalhours. They rush together head on and, after lockinghorns, push each other backward and forward withmouths open and eyes glaring until one or the otheracknowledges defeat by leaving the field to his adver-sary. They seldom gore each other seriously and usu-ally suffer only bruising and temporary exhaustion,but occasionally there are fights to the death. Not in-frequently their antlers become inextricably lockedand the poor beasts, unable to loose themselves or totake nourishment, struggle to the point of total ex-haustion and death. Evidences of these tragedies arefound in the weathered skeletons with the boundantlers attached. Probably they are less frequent thanmight be supposed from the number of sets of lockedantlers which are offered for sale by taxidermists andcurio dealers, since it is not difficult for the unscrupu-lous to spring separate antlers into a locked position.The antlers of the Whitetail may be distinguishedfrom those of other American deer by several charac-teristics. The two main branches or beams have a(718 Field Museum of Natural Historypronounced forward curve and the points all rise fromthe back and top of these beams almost perpendicu-larly. The pair of points nearest the base of the beamsare much longer and more upright than in other Am-erican deer. The number of points is variable but nor-mally a full grown buck has five or six well-developedpoints on each side, making ten or twelve in all. Ab-normal heads may have several times as many, and invery unusual cases there have been known to be asmany as seventy-eight points.The Whitetail, especially in the northern part ofits range, often finds the winter season a great hard-ship. The deep snows do not prevent it from feeding,for it is able to browse upon twigs and to paw the snowaway to secure other food in protected places ; but snowinterferes greatly with its freedom of movement andmakes it an easy prey to its arch enemy, the wolf.When the snow is deep, the deer range within very nar-row limits and beat down paths which are followed dayafter day until a space of several acres may be coveredwith a network of them. Such places are called "yards"and the deer may congregate in one of them in num-bers from two or three to a dozen or more. Whenforced to leave the yard by dogs or wolves they floun-der in the drifts and are easily overtaken. When thesnow is slightly hardened on the surface, a form ofhunting called "crusting" is sometimes practiced bymeat hunters with snowshoes which support themwhile the deer with their sharp hoofs break throughat every leap. Needless to say, crusting is consideredquite unsportsmanlike.Among the different varieties of the Whitetailfound in the United States there is much variation insize. The northern variety is much the largest, andfull grown bucks from northern New England, Mich-igan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota will average slightly[8]The White-Tailed Deer Amore than 200 pounds live weight. Many have beenkilled which weighed over 300 pounds and there aresome apparently reliable records of bucks weighingas much as 400 pounds. The does are smaller, weigh-ing perhaps 150 pounds for the average. The smallFlorida Deer weighs scarcely more than half as muchas its northern relative and 100 pounds is a good weightfor a full grown buck. The maximum for bucks isscarcely more than 125 pounds and does, of course, aremuch smaller. The Virginia variety is intermediatein size between the northern and the Florida varieties.The Whitetail has always been a favorite objectof the chase. The Indian pursued it before the comingof the white man and made good use of its hide, itshorns, and its flesh. The pioneer settler did the same,and buckskin breeches, horn implements, and venisonsteaks meant almost as much to him as they did to theaborigines. In later years, deer-hunting has furnishedfascinating sport for thousands of Americans of allclasses in practically every state in the Union. To-day it still has innumerable devotees and although theseason for shooting is now limited to a few weeks or, insome states, to a few days, there is never any lack ofhunters. The methods of deer-hunting vary in differ-ent parts of the country, but the most sportsmanlikeand at the same time the most difficult type of huntingcan be practiced anywhere. This is the so-called stillhunting in which the hunter pursues his game by day-light, following its track and using his wits againstthose of the alert and often crafty wild animal until heis able to approach within shooting distance of it.Such hunting requires great skill in woodcraft, muchphysical strength, and inexhaustible patience. It ispracticed principally when there is light snow on theground, making the tracks easier to follow, but it canbe done by experienced men when there is no snow.[»]10 Field Museum of Natural HistoryWhere deer are very plentiful, it is possible for thehunter to take up first one trail and then another untilfortune favors him and he suddenly comes upon hisgame and gets at least a running shot as it boundsaway. Hounds are used frequently for deer-huntingand most commonly when several hunters station them-selves at different points along runways known to beused by the deer, or near lakes to which the deer maytake to escape the dogs. In southern states, dogs aresometimes trained as "slow trailers," meaning thatthey follow a deer's trail without baying and soslowly that the hunter can keep a few yards behindthem ready to shoot if the deer is started. Lying inwait at salt licks or favorite feeding places is anothermethod and a much more common one is that of "jack-ing" or hunting at night with a bright light. Hound-ing, jacking, killing in the water, night hunting, etc.,are now in most states prohibited by law. All suchmethods may afford some excitement but require littleor no skill and if permitted would soon cause the ex-tinction of the deer.No game animal affords better evidence of theeffectiveness of good game laws than the White-tailedDeer. In some of our most populous states it is stillabundant, and during the short open season each yearthousands are killed by sportsmen. In Vermont, whereit was nearly extinct, and in New Jersey, where it wasquite so, it has re-established itself successfully aftera period of complete protection. In 1920, over 4,000deer were legally killed in Vermont, whereas 25 yearsago, scarcely a one could be found. In New York andPennsylvania it is probable there are more deer nowthan 50 years ago, although of course they are not sowidely distributed. In northern Michigan, Wisconsinand Minnesota, deer are perhaps as abundant as everthey have been. The number of buck deer legally killed[10]The White-Tailed Deer 11in New York State in 1918 was 8,293 ; in Pennsylvaniain 1919, it was 2,913; and in Minnesota in 1919, bothbucks and does were killed to the tremendous total of18,572. In 17 states east of the Mississippi River, anestimate of the number of deer killed in 1910 was 60,-150. These results have been accomplished by well-conceived and well-administered game laws. At firstthese merely limited shooting to certain seasons of theyear and protected the animals only while the youngwere being born and partly reared. Later, more re-strictions became necessary, such as shortening theseason, requiring licenses of hunters, limiting the num-ber permitted to be killed by any one hunter, regulatinginterstate commerce in game, prohibiting the sale ofvenison, and wholly prohibiting the killing of does andfawns. The so-called "buck law," by which only malescan be legally killed at any season, thus completelyprotecting the does and fawns, is on the statute booksof about half the states and there are fifteen states(including Illinois and Indiana) in which deer huntingis entirely prohibited for a period of years.Another recent development has been the estab-lishment of both public and private preserves andgame refuges. Game farming is also practiced suc-cessfully and deer are kept in semi-domesticated condi-tions in large enclosures and sold under special regu-lations for their meat or for restocking and propaga-tion purposes. With the good laws now in force andwith the demonstrated capacity of the deer to thrivein limited areas in close proximity to man, there isevery reason to hope that the White-tailed Deer, per-haps the most attractive of all our game animals, mayremain a feature of our woodlands for many years tocome.WlLFBEO H. OHOoon,Curator of Zoology.till12 Field Museum of Natural HistoryBOOKS AND ARTICLES ABOUT WHITE-TAILED DEERCaton, J. D.—Antelope and Deer of America (New York, 1877).CoBY, C. B.—Mammals of Illinois and Wisconsin, pp. 60-66 (FieldMuseum of Natural History, Pub. No. lo3, Zool. Series, Vol.XI, 1912).Lantz, D. E.—Deer Farming in the United States, pp. 1-20 (U. S.Dept. Agric, Farmers' Bull., No. 3.30, 10O8).Lydekker, R.—The Deer of All Lands, pp. 249-267 (London, 1898).Merriam, C. H.—Mammals of the Adirondack Region, pp. 107-138(Trans. Linn. Soc. N. Y., Vol. I, 1884).Nelson, E. W.—The Larger North American Mammals, pp. 4.56-458(Nat. Geog. Mag., Nov., 1916).Roosevelt, Theodore—^The Deer Famih^, pp. 65-97 (New York,1903).Seton, Ernest T.—Life Histories of Northern Animals, Vol. I, pp.68-113 (New York, 1909).The White-tailed Deer is especially well shown in the FieldMuseum by a large four-season group in the east end of Hall16 on the Main Floor. This includes four divisions representiusrSummer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring. It not only illustrates thedeer's habits at different seasons, but shows tlie changes in itscoat throughout the year and the growth and shedding of theantlers.ti2]

The white-tailed deer

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The white-tailed deer

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