White-tailed Deer

Description:

White-tailed deer vary in size across their range with the smallest subspecies living in southern Florida and ranging to animals that on the average are twice that size in the northern part of their range. Average sized deer in Minnesota weigh 180 lbs. or more. They are reddish brown in the summer and tend toward gray/brown in the winter. Males are larger than females and have antlers that are shed and regrown annually.

Habitat:

White-tailed deer have a wide range across much of the US and Canada, in a number of different habitats. They tend to avoid large open areas and are most often found in brushy forests and along tree-lined rivers in grasslands. Increasing numbers are found in suburban parks and mature wooded yards.

Notes:

This is the time of the year when the white-tails go into rut, their breeding season. Bucks are still fairly docile with each other right now--I've not seen any skirmishes yet--but it won't be long before they will be fighting for dominance. This particular buck seemed interested in a doe that he was following and somewhat cautious as there was another buck in the area. As a result, he was very alert as he stalked past me. Later, I ran into this buck again. He was slowly walking towards me and then bedded down about 20 meters away (second and third photos).