White tailed Deer
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) once were nearly eliminated in the CSRA, but through diligent wildlife management efforts deer were successfully restored throughout the state. In fact, the current deer population exceeds 1.2 million.
Adult deer in Georgia range from 70 to 250 pounds with bucks (males) typically weighing more than does (females). Newborns, called fawns, are spotted and range from 4-8 lbs. Most are born between May and August with a peak in June. For the first month or so, does spend very little time with fawns, hiding them for hours at a time and returning to nurse them only 4 or 5 times per day. This tactic helps keep scent levels very low so predators are not attracted to newborns. Young deer begin foraging on plants within a month and are completely weaned in three months.
Deer can be seen about anytime of day, but are mostly active around dawn and dusk. This is called a crepuscular activity pattern. The deer herd is the result of a complex interaction of food supply, population size, births, deaths, movements, weather, and past history.
Deer are the only native animals that routinely browse plants 4 to 5 feet above the ground. They eat about five pounds per day (dry weight) of hundreds of species of both native and non-native plants, but have definite preferences for certain plants, fruits and nuts. Some of their favorites include Japanese honeysuckle, acorns, grapes, apples, persimmons, greenbrier, blackberry, maple, blackgum, grasses, corn, clover, summer weeds, and sumac.
Deer are known as generalists because of their ability to thrive in a wide variety of habitats including forests, woodlots, suburbs, golf courses, extensive agriculture, swamps and coastal marshes. High deer numbers are a serious concern because they can destroy their own habitat and that of dozens of other species, even causing extirpation of plant species. The best deer habitat contains mixed ages of pine and hardwood forests interspersed with openings and agriculture. This provides the optimum combination of food, cover, and water that are the essential components of any habitat.
Deer are the only hoofed wildlife species in this region. While walking the tracks of a deer will register, but will not if the animal is running or jumping. Cut vegetation, rubs (where deer rub the velvet from their antlers), and bedding areas are also signs of an active deer population. Bucks grow their antlers each spring and shed them in the winter. Shed antlers quickly become a food source for rodents.
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) once were nearly eliminated in the CSRA, but through diligent wildlife management efforts deer were successfully restored throughout the state. In fact, the current deer population exceeds 1.2 million.
Adult deer in Georgia range from 70 to 250 pounds with bucks (males) typically weighing more than does (females). Newborns, called fawns, are spotted and range from 4-8 lbs. Most are born between May and August with a peak in June. For the first month or so, does spend very little time with fawns, hiding them for hours at a time and returning to nurse them only 4 or 5 times per day. This tactic helps keep scent levels very low so predators are not attracted to newborns. Young deer begin foraging on plants within a month and are completely weaned in three months.
Deer can be seen about anytime of day, but are mostly active around dawn and dusk. This is called a crepuscular activity pattern. The deer herd is the result of a complex interaction of food supply, population size, births, deaths, movements, weather, and past history.
Deer are the only native animals that routinely browse plants 4 to 5 feet above the ground. They eat about five pounds per day (dry weight) of hundreds of species of both native and non-native plants, but have definite preferences for certain plants, fruits and nuts. Some of their favorites include Japanese honeysuckle, acorns, grapes, apples, persimmons, greenbrier, blackberry, maple, blackgum, grasses, corn, clover, summer weeds, and sumac.
Deer are known as generalists because of their ability to thrive in a wide variety of habitats including forests, woodlots, suburbs, golf courses, extensive agriculture, swamps and coastal marshes. High deer numbers are a serious concern because they can destroy their own habitat and that of dozens of other species, even causing extirpation of plant species. The best deer habitat contains mixed ages of pine and hardwood forests interspersed with openings and agriculture. This provides the optimum combination of food, cover, and water that are the essential components of any habitat.
Deer are the only hoofed wildlife species in this region. While walking the tracks of a deer will register, but will not if the animal is running or jumping. Cut vegetation, rubs (where deer rub the velvet from their antlers), and bedding areas are also signs of an active deer population. Bucks grow their antlers each spring and shed them in the winter. Shed antlers quickly become a food source for rodents.
