Deer on the Move

There is plenty of evidence of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the T.A. Forest. Tracks, scat, and even a presumed roadkill carcass have all been found on trips outside with my students but until yesterday morning we had never gotten a deer on the game camera. This is partially due to the small number of deer who seem to occupy our fragmented piece of forest and the way in which our cameras are generally deployed. The majority of our game camera surveillance has been done up close on den sites, squirrel feeders, tree cavities, or nesting boxes. Over the past week, I have had a camera set up on an old logging trail. These types of openings are perfect places to find deer and other mammals seeking the path of least resistance as they travel through the forest. Just after sunrise an adult doe and her two yearling fawns wandered in front of the camera. It was still just a little too dark in the understory for the camera to capture color images.

A doe and her two yearling fawns wander through the T.A. Forest

The video captured after the initial image is particularly interesting. The deer are looking a bit shaggy this time of year as they begin to transition to their thinner summer coat. The second deer in line is undoubtedly a young buck. Watch for the beginning of its first set of antlers as it lowers its head. Like all members of the deer family, white-tails grow a new set of antlers every year. In fact, deer antler is one of the fasting growing tissues in the animal kingdom. Growth is now beginning to ramp up and will continue at a feverish pace through July. This yearling buck will be working on its first set of antlers, often simple spikes. 

Watch for the beginnings of antler growth in the second deer in line.