The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known as the whitetail,

1. THE LIFE SPAN OF A WHITETAIL DEER CAN BE UP TO 14 YEARS IN CAPTIVITY.

In the wild, their life span is about 4 or 5 years old. Predators and the harsh elements of nature play a role in this.

2. WHITETAIL DEER ONLY WAG THEIR TAILS WHEN THEY’RE STARTLED.

Deer are very skittish and nervous animals, so it’s no surprise that their tail wagging is in association with their anxiety.

3. DEER HAVE PERFECTLY HEALTHY VISION AND HEARING, BUT THEY RELY MAINLY ON THEIR SENSE OF SMELL FOR PROTECTION.

This is why it is so important for hunters to mask their scents before they touch any area where they might hunt deer. They can smell you coming from miles away.

4. THEY CAN RUN AS FAST AS 30 MILES AN HOUR AND CAN JUMP AS HIGH AS 10 FEET.

5. THE PROPER TERM FOR DEER BEING MOST ACTIVE AT DAWN AND DUSK IS CALLED CREPUSCULAR.

6. WHITETAIL ARE THE SMALLEST OF THE NORTH AMERICAN DEER.

7. THEY’RE VEGETARIANS.

Whitetail deer will eat virtually any plant, twig, or fruit .

8. THEIR FEEDING HABITS CHANGE WITH THE SEASONS.

They will graze on lush grass in meadows during the spring and summer months, but will migrate deep into the forest in the fall and winter months and adapt to eating twigs and bark.

9. THEY HAVE A FOUR CHAMBERED STOMACH WHICH LETS THEM DIGEST THEIR FOOD VERY QUICKLY.

They don’t always chew their food before they swallow it. Sometimes they will swallow bites whole and cough them up later and chew it then.

10. THEY CAN EAT MUSHROOMS THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE POISONOUS TO HUMANS.

11. IF A WHITETAIL BUCK SHEDS THEIR ANTLERS IN THE SPRING OR SUMMER THAT MEANS THAT THEY ARE SICK.

Deer normally shed their antlers in the winter, so if you see any signs of fresh shed on the ground in the spring or summer months, that means the buck that dropped them is diseased.

12. THE HARDENING OF THE ANTLERS IS DUE TO CALCIFICATION.

It directly correlates with rising testosterone levels before mating season in the fall.

13. WHITETAIL DEER ARE THE STATE ANIMAL OF NINE STATES.

They are the state animal of Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

14. WHITETAIL HAVE BETTER NIGHT VISION THAN DAY VISION.

Their eyes have more rods than cones, therefore they can see better at night. They have their own built in night vision googles.

15. THEY’RE A BIT COLOR BLIND.

The colors red, green, and orange appear as gray to deer, which is why hunters can get away with wearing bright orange safety vests.

16.White-tailed deer are also good swimmers and often enter large streams and lakes to escape predators or insects or to visit islands.

17.White-tailed deer mate in late

October or early November in the northern parts of their range and in January or February in the southern parts of their range

18.Females are pregnant for 6 and 1/2 months and give birth to one to three spotted young, known as fawns.

Fawns are able to walk at birth. They are nursed several times a day until they are 8 weeks old, after which they begin to add vegetation to their diet. Fawns are weaned by 10 weeks old.Female fawns may stay with their mother for two years, males usually leave after a year

19.White-tailed deer are preyed on by several natural predators including wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, bears, American alligators, jaguars (in the tropics), and humans

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We hope we were able to provide you with at least a few facts about whitetail deer that you didn’t already know. What are some facts you’ve learned through your hunting experiences? Let us know in the comments!