Whitetail deer

[havalotta]

September
Sooooo Where do you think she's heading?

Deer communicate with each other using various sounds....
Nursing whines are made while a fawn feeds. Bleats help a doe and fawn find one another.
An alert snort preceded by the foot stomp signals danger has been detected. Distress calls are used during attacks or when a deer is critically wounded. Bucks grunt while trailing does in heat. Aggressive snorts and wheezes challenge other deer into serious fights during the rut.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to take a look.
Whitetail deer are believed to be completely color blind and have very poor depth perception.

Oh shoot. Now they know where I've been.
Deer feed upon the fruits of shrubs and trees. Their diet consists of...stems, buds, berries, acorns, hay, pine, cedar, moss, lichens, corn, cabbage, and just about any other greens or farm crops they have access to.

Hey....... Those are ours!
Deer use several distinctive body movements.
Flicking tails, ears, curling of their lips, and stomping their feet, warn other deer of danger
or warn off unwanted deer to an area they consider their own.

Oooooo I best get out of here FAST!

Deer can travel up to 40 miles per hour, leap over 25 feet and jump an 8 foot fence from a stationary position!
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.....

Approximately 1.5 million vehicle-deer accident occur each year resulting in $1 billion in vehicle damage, 150 human fatalities, and over 10,000 personal injuries.

Humans, fights, wolves, bobcats, cougars, diseases, parasites, and freezing weather will also take its slice out of their population.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by havalotta

September
Sooooo Where do you think she's heading?
Attachment 22135
Oh shoot. Now they know where I've been.
Deer feed upon the fruits...Attachment 22137

Beautiful shots--I love how you can see their whiskers in the first one.

I love the framing of the doe with the apple trees.

Also, the 4th one reminds me of my sister's plastic deer family.

[havalotta]

Thanks Dapjwy...
The first pair were shot just before dusk along a country road. What a rack!
I saw him a few weeks later. His velvet.... torn and and bloody from rubbing.

Late summer-early fall, bucks remove the velvet from their antlers by pushing and scraping against trees, shrubs, and bushes with their forehead.
As the breeding season approaches they rub more vigorously as they "Fight" with the saplings and trees.
This mock fighting hardens and polishes their antlers and strengthens their necks in preparation for sparring bouts with one another.

[havalotta]

Nearing the arrival of breeding season, their sparring ends.
They are now fighting for dominance, the right to breed doe(s) and their territory.

The two bucks exchange threatening glances, circle one another and walk in a stiff-legged posture.

The two deer clash horns together until one gains the upper hand.

Battles can be brief or last as long as several minutes depending upon their individual strength.

Occasionally, two bucks will lock antlers. Without being able to feed properly they both ......shall die of starvation.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by havalotta

Thanks Dapjwy...
The first pair were shot just before dusk along a country road. What a rack!
I saw him a few weeks later. His velvet.... torn and and bloody from rubbing.

Funny that I noticed there "whiskers" more than his rack!

I knew they rubbed their velvet off, but always pictured the velvet as geting dry and needing to be rubbed off. How cool that you get to observe them in all stages.

Originally Posted by havalotta

Late summer-early fall, bucks remove the velvet from their antlers by pushing and scraping against trees, shrubs, and bushes with their forehead.
As the breeding season approaches they rub more vigorously as they "Fight" with the saplings and trees.

Don't I know it!!! I should've known to protect the 7 foot tall quaking aspen from rubbing! I put one in for my mother years ago, and it was nearly killed by a deer using it as a rub. The same thing happened here, so I put a small fence around it (after the fact) to let it recover.

[havalotta]

October

Brings change....

I don't recall seeing that pile of brush here.

I'm going to sneak in for a closer look.
Wide field of vision allows the deer to be aware of the entire area even if it is staring straight ahead.
Hmmmm This doesn't smell quite right.
A deer can detect odors and scents several hundred yards away!

When a threat is detected a deer prepares to either fight or flee.
If it's unsure.... the deer will stomp a foot in an effort to get some sort of a response from the questionable object.
Other deer in the area are warned through the grounds vibrations of this possible threat.

When it's identified as danger, the deer erect their tails to warn the others and flee waving their white tails (Thus its name whitetail) for others to follow. Deer often take to water when frightened. They are very skillful swimmers and can easily cross at speeds of over 10 miles per hour.

We're out of here!

[havalotta]

Mom....What are these things?

I've been seeing more and more of them lately.
Notice how the fawns spotted reddish coat has been replaced by a bluish-gray-brown coat.
The longer, wavy, thicker, air filled hairs in this new Winter coat shall provide insulation against the bitter cold in the upcoming months.

Here's another one!

I think it's best we slide back under this fence and leave the area.

Wait for meeeeee......

Recent studies estimate the whitetail population to be....close to 30 million! They are the most abundant big game animal in North America.
Hunting helps keep their population under control and cuts down the spread of lymes disease, and vehicle-car accidents.

Areas that have banned hunting often lead to overpopulation.
When free of predators and hunting pressure, deer can double its population every year.
2 deer left alone.... can produce up to 35 deer in just 7 years!

[dapjwy]

I was away for a day and half, and it looks like I have a LOT of catching up to do. Love the area--brush pile and all...is that still your property?

Also:

Originally Posted by havalotta

I've been seeing more and more of them lately.
Attachment 22201http://www.wildlifegardeners.org/for...r-dscf1631.jpg

BEA-U-TIFUL! It would make a great painting...almost looks like one already.

[Runmede]

They are beautiful. At Woodend a Audubon Naturalist Society property in Silver Spring, Maryland, you can see them bedding down in the evening.

But, the park where I volunteer had to build an eleven foot fence to keep them from browsing to the point that their collections were decimate.

[havalotta]

Is that still your property?

I'm thinking you must be referring to the last two posts..... Most of those are on various areas of property we own with the exception of
the fall colors, the two deer in and by the waters edge and the second tree blind.

Dapjwy... I took note of your absence. I do so love receiving your comments. They let me know someone appreciates what I've donated.