The term "deer" can apply to several different kinds of animals in North America, including moose, elk, and reindeer. But on this continent, the animals most people think of when they think of deer are the white-tailed, black-tailed, and mule deer. While black-tailed deer and mule deer are found in the middle and west of the continent, white-tailed deer can be found pretty much everywhere, except for the northern tier of Canada and parts of the far western United States.

Deer are one of the most easily recognized wild animals in North America, and in many places they are the largest type of wildlife people encounter. Not long ago, deer were hunted so intensively they were almost extirpated from many parts of the United States. Today, thanks to years of effort to restore populations, white-tailed, black-tailed, and mule deer are thriving.

Habitat

Although they are traditionally thought of as a woodland species, deer can exist in many habitats and are ideally suited to exploiting "edge" habitat. Edges are created where a natural or human-made habitat break occurs, such as from woods to croplands, or from woods to marsh. One area—the woods—provides cover and shelter while the other—farmland or marsh—provides food resources. In northern latitudes, deer may have "summer" and "winter" home range areas that can be as far as 30 miles apart. Where winter snows are significant, deer "yards," where many deer congregate, may be found under evergreen cover.

Social Lives

Deer are faithful to areas called home ranges, areas that are apparently shared by related females who form matriarchies and that exclude related males after they have reached sexual maturity. The breeding season for deer occurs between October and January. This period—termed the "rut"—involves dramatic physiological and behavioral changes in male deer. Their necks swell to more than twice their normal diameter in preparation for the serious contests of strength that usually determine mating rights. Nervous and almost constantly active during the rut, males wander into residential areas and places where they would otherwise never be seen. Gestation is about 200 days, and one to three fawns are born in the spring.

Diet

Deer are primarily herbivores, although they occasionally have been observed sampling such incongruous foods as dead fish. Their feeding habits and preferences can vary widely from one location to another, but each local population seems to have preferred foods that are eaten first; "marginal" foods that are eaten only after the preferred foods become rare; and "starvation" foods that probably have no nutritional value, but are eaten because no other choices are available.

Deer eat an enormous variety of plants, and eat different parts of plants in all seasons. The succulent leaves of growing plants are consumed in the spring and summer, while fruits and seeds are eaten as they become available. The buds of woody plants are a mainstay of the diet in winter. Hard mast foods, such as hickory nuts and acorns, are an extremely important component of fall and early winter diets when deer, like many wild animals, need to establish fat reserves. Deer can be quite selective about certain foods, and are known to favor heavily fertilized ornamental and garden plants above others that have not been so well fertilized.

"Orphan" Fawns

A fawn who may appear to be alone in the woods probably isn't; her mother is most likely nearby, attentive and aware. The strategy deer evolved to deal with their primary predators (which once were wolves and bears) is to keep their young hidden except when feeding them. You can be sure that an anxious mother will be nearby, and will be taking care of her fawn once you move along.