White-tailed deer : North Carolina wildlife profiles

White-Tailed Deer North Carolina Wildlife Profiles White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) No wild animal in North Carolina is as recognizable as the white-tailed deer. Whether a mature buck with splendid antlers, a graceful doe, or a spotted fawn running with its mother, the white -tailed deer is one of the most popular of animals. Description A deer’s coat is usually a tannish brown, or some shade of brown, ranging almost to gray. It usually has a white patch on its neck and large prominent ears. Its eyes are circled with white and a white band rings the muzzle. The belly is white, with white running down the inside of the legs. The tail, about 9 to 11 inches long, is mostly brown although the underside is all white. The hooves have two toes covered with a hard fingernail- like material, and another toe, called the dew claw, appears about 3 inches high on the back of each leg. Buck deer grow antlers, not horns. Antelopes grow horns, as do buffalo and goats. Horns are permanent parts of a skull that grow continuously, while buck deer drop their antlers each year. Anders range in size from little spikes that pro trude from the skin, to larger “racks” that branch out to a variable number of points. An average mature buck typically has eight or more points. Antler size depends on the age of the buck, its nutrition, and its genetics. While deer can run up to 35 or 40 miles per hour, they cannot run 35+ miles per hour for very long. They are also excellent swimmers and strong jumpers. To protect themselves, deer rely mainly on their strong sense of smell. They also have good hearing, as well as eyesight that enables them to easily detect movement, even in low-light condirions. Deer feed mostly in the early morning and at twilight, but they may also feed at any other time of the day. History and Status The white-tailed deer population in North Carolina has made a dramatic turn¬ around. Deer were plentiful when European setders first arrived, but the animals were hunted extensively for meat and hide with no thought of conservation or management. Within 100 years, deer were threatened with extirpation in North Carolina, as well as in the entire United States. Deer populations today have risen to approximately one million deer in North Carolina. For more information on this species, including status and any applicable regula¬ tions, visit www.ncwildhfe.org/deer. The white-tailed deer is one of the most popular animals in the country. Range and Distribution In the United States, white-tailed deer are found in all 48 contiguous states. Every county in North Carolina has deer, although they are distributed unevenly, with large numbers in some areas of the Upper Coastal Plain and Piedmont and fewer deer in the Mountain Region. 2015 North Carolina White-Tailed Deer Density less than 15 15-29 30-44 45 and greater No Density Estimate Where harvest data are not available to produce density estimates because hunting is limited or prohibited; includes federal and state parks, munic¬ ipal boundaries, water bodies and human density greater than 1 person per 2 acres.