Description - The word deer originally comes from an old English word, deor which literally translates to four-legged beast. You can imagine the confusion back in the days lol. Northern white-tailed deer (the largest and darkest of the 26 sub species of white-tailed deer. Changing its coat from grey-brown which they display in the fall and winter to reddish-brown in the spring and summer. The Buck (male) white-tailed deer can weigh between 145-300lbs but usual size in Alberta is around 200lbs max, while the doe (female) weighs in the range of 85 – 190lbs with does on average in Alberta averaging around 135lbs.Did you know white-tailed deer have a hard time distinguishing between red and orange as they are have dichromatic (two-color) vision with yellow and blue primaries.
Did you know that like a cow, the white-tailed deer’s stomach has 4 compartments? This allows it to feed on thing’s that other mammals can’t because it allows the food to be processed more efficiently.
Habitat - White-tailed deer are often found in Alberta in the prairies, and southern boreal zones. They prefer open fields such as a farmer’s field with the occasional group of scattered trees, however these animals are best suited for forested habitats where they have a better chance at evading prey and raising their young.
Tracks and Scat
Key Features – White-tailed deer can be recognized by their white underside or by its tail which it raises when it senses danger is near. Another key feature is their antlers which the bucks regrow each year. Also 1 in 10,000 does also have been known to grow antlers as well.
Signs of Animal Activity / Warning Signs
Behaviors – Males prefer to rut in temperatures below 4 degrees Celsius.
Most Active Time - White-tailed deer between dawn and dusk, though they are seen throughout the day.
Mating Season and Young – White-tailed deer tend to rut in November in Alberta when the temperature drops below 4 degrees Celsius.
Diet – Due to the 4-compartment stomach, I mentioned above, white-tailed deer can consume mushrooms and poison ivy. Their main diet consists of grasses, herbs, blueberries as well as a variety of woody plants and grasses.
Infections and Illnesses – Deer are known to carry the adult black-legged tick which transmits the Lyme disease bacterium to humans.
