Walker Wilson
2/26/16
English 6th
White-tailed deer
white-tailed deer are beautiful creatures that live and inhabit North America. The white-tailed deer is one of the most common species of deer found in North America. Their distinct white tail that is raised and flagged when danger is present tells them apart from any other specimen. The white-tailed deer Is unique,graceful and a clever creature that roams the bug infested swamps of Florida to the cedar forests in the North West to the bitterly cold plains of the Dakotas. The Odocoileus virginianus Miller or more commonly known as the white tailed deer live in most of North America. The white tailed deer has long, thin legs and a reddish summer coat and a dark brown winter coat along with the famous white tail that is shown when spooked. These deer have a white belly with a white eye rings and a white spot on the neck to under the mouth. Male deer or bucks grow antlers ever year starting in the spring and then shed their velvet off of the antlers in August. From later January to mid February are when most of the buck have shed their antlers. An adult male normally weighs around two-hundred pounds while an adult female weighs normally 150 pounds. In Canada it is not unusual for buck to get above the 300 pound mark. Deer are crepuscular in their movements. This means that they move primarily at twilight. This is especially true when it is the summer and hot in the middle of the day. However during the winter months deer may change their movement to center toward the mid part of the day when it is warmer. Predators have a big affect on their night time/day time movement. Hunting pressure from hunters can almost make deer completely nocturnal and heavy pressure from night time predators like coyotes can force them to move in daylight hours only. Weather can also affect deer movement. Heavy snowfall limits deer movement because of their small feet making them sink in the snow, also strong wind can limit deer movement because they rely on their hearing and sense of smell as protection from predators. Deer are herbivores. …show more content…
They are also considered browsers, not grazers which means they eat off of high growing vegetation such as fruit trees and shrubs and not on low growing vegetation such as grass. Deer that live in agricultural lands like in the Midwest eat crops such as corn, soy beans, wheat, and Alf Alfa. Deer that live in the eastern woodlands tend to have a diet that leans toward acorns, persimmons, briars, and muscadines. For deer in farm country soy beans are a spring and summer crop and in the fall their food source changes to corn and Alf Alfa. In the winter their diet changes to wheat and rye due to the farmers changing out crop annually. For forest deer food availability is dependent on the time of year. In the spring there are lots of blossom shoots and new growing vegetation. In the summer fruit is present including wild grapes, crab apples, and fruit. In the fall woodland deer mainly eat acorns, but in the winter they are forced to eat whatever they can find such as clover patches, woody plants, and left over acorns. In the
2/26/16
English 6th
White-tailed deer
white-tailed deer are beautiful creatures that live and inhabit North America. The white-tailed deer is one of the most common species of deer found in North America. Their distinct white tail that is raised and flagged when danger is present tells them apart from any other specimen. The white-tailed deer Is unique,graceful and a clever creature that roams the bug infested swamps of Florida to the cedar forests in the North West to the bitterly cold plains of the Dakotas. The Odocoileus virginianus Miller or more commonly known as the white tailed deer live in most of North America. The white tailed deer has long, thin legs and a reddish summer coat and a dark brown winter coat along with the famous white tail that is shown when spooked. These deer have a white belly with a white eye rings and a white spot on the neck to under the mouth. Male deer or bucks grow antlers ever year starting in the spring and then shed their velvet off of the antlers in August. From later January to mid February are when most of the buck have shed their antlers. An adult male normally weighs around two-hundred pounds while an adult female weighs normally 150 pounds. In Canada it is not unusual for buck to get above the 300 pound mark. Deer are crepuscular in their movements. This means that they move primarily at twilight. This is especially true when it is the summer and hot in the middle of the day. However during the winter months deer may change their movement to center toward the mid part of the day when it is warmer. Predators have a big affect on their night time/day time movement. Hunting pressure from hunters can almost make deer completely nocturnal and heavy pressure from night time predators like coyotes can force them to move in daylight hours only. Weather can also affect deer movement. Heavy snowfall limits deer movement because of their small feet making them sink in the snow, also strong wind can limit deer movement because they rely on their hearing and sense of smell as protection from predators. Deer are herbivores. …show more content…
They are also considered browsers, not grazers which means they eat off of high growing vegetation such as fruit trees and shrubs and not on low growing vegetation such as grass. Deer that live in agricultural lands like in the Midwest eat crops such as corn, soy beans, wheat, and Alf Alfa. Deer that live in the eastern woodlands tend to have a diet that leans toward acorns, persimmons, briars, and muscadines. For deer in farm country soy beans are a spring and summer crop and in the fall their food source changes to corn and Alf Alfa. In the winter their diet changes to wheat and rye due to the farmers changing out crop annually. For forest deer food availability is dependent on the time of year. In the spring there are lots of blossom shoots and new growing vegetation. In the summer fruit is present including wild grapes, crab apples, and fruit. In the fall woodland deer mainly eat acorns, but in the winter they are forced to eat whatever they can find such as clover patches, woody plants, and left over acorns. In the