Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 18, 1990 TAG: 9005220274
SECTION: SMITH MT. LAKE GUIDE PAGE: SML-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ED SHAMY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The deer were once a vital link in the food chain, their soft hides and flesh making them easy slaughtering for natural predators. Man was among the long list of predators vying for deer meat.
In just the past 300 years, though, deer have been replaced by domesticated livestock as man's chief source of meat. Predators have been chased out as the forests have been cleared and settled, yet the adaptable white-tail remains to play a less-than-essential role in the ecology of field and forest.
The deer has learned to thrive in suburbia, living in close quarters with one of its historic enemies.
And despite its uncertain role now in nature's scheme, we are still thrilled by its sight.
White-tailed deer are the largest, most accessible land mammals to visitors to the Smith Mountain Lake. They dot farm fields and frequently feed near the edges of roadways.
If hunting statistics are an accurate indication of live deer population, as wildlife biologists believe they are, there are plenty of deer near the lake - 3,724 were killed by hunters last year in Bedford, 1,869 in Franklin.
It is still the role of deer as game animals that attracts the most attention.
Since 1699 the Virginia General Assembly has regulated deer hunting, an indication of the deer's historic importance to settlers as a food supply. The animals were so plentiful and made such an impression, their scientific name still bears Virginia's stamp: Their genus is virginanus.
But what are white-tailed deer like when they are alive? How big are they? What do they eat, and how much? What are their habits and how long have they been around?
Following is a collection of facts about the white-tailed deer:
History: Deer's evolution can be traced as far back as the Miocene period, 15-20 million years ago.
Range: Eastern two-thirds of the United States, though white-tails have been found in all 48 contiguous states. If undisturbed, does (females) will live their entire lives in a 1- to 2-square-mile area, 10-12 square miles for bucks (males) in search of mates.
Population: Estimated 19.5 million in United States. In 1975, estimated 450,000 in Virginia. In 1989, estimated 700,000 in Virginia.
Habitat: Forest edges, where both dense cover for hiding and open land for grazing are nearby.
Life expectancy: Protected from hunters, deer live 11-12 years, though some as long as 23 years. Teeth are limiting factors; they are ground down over time and eating gets nearly impossible in old age. Most bucks in the wild killed by hunters before third birthday.
Predators: Man, cougars, coyotes, wolves, bobcats, black bear.
Best time of day to see: Deer are nocturnal, though they are most active at dawn and at dusk.
Size: Hunters' stories to the contrary, white-tailed deer's backs are rarely taller than a tabletop. Bucks may be 36-40 inches tall at the shoulder, and about 6 feet from nose to tail. Their weight ranges from 130 to 250 pounds.
Does are slightly smaller, and weigh 90 to 150 pounds. Deer are larger in the north, smaller to the south.
Sense of smell: Excellent, most vital defense. Cannot tell offspring by sight, only by scent.
Hearing: Excellent. Ears are 7 inches by 3 inches, swivel to face sound source. Deer commit sounds to memory, so that squirrels rustling in dry leaves or even traffic on a nearby road are not considered threats to flee, but man's heavy footsteps will send deer to flight. Scientists believe that deer don't hear gunfire frequently enough to fear it. During hunting season, deer may stand within rifle range curiously trying to understand source of loud noise.
Vision: Point of some debate among scientists. Most believe deer do not see colors, and don't have particularly sharp vision in conventional sense. But they recognize shapes, and can detect the slightest movement. Eyes protrude beyond head, can see 310-degree arc around body.
Moving: Deer walk about 3 1/2-4 mph. Running, move at 25-30 mph, can reach 40 mph. Leaps up to 26 feet in a bound, can jump obstacles up to 9 feet tall. Excellent swimmers, up to 13 mph.
Young: Gestation about 205 days (6 months). Fawns, born between May 15 and June 15, weigh 4 to 7 pounds at birth and are approximately 18 inches tall. They are dappled white for camouflage. Fawns double their birth weight in 15 days, and double it again in the next two weeks. Deer's milk has approximately four times the fat content of cow's milk. Fawns weaned in five weeks. Twins are most frequent, triplets and singles common.
Food: Deer eat more than 600 types of foods. Acorns and forest nuts are preferred. Grasses, weeds, mushrooms, berries, newly fallen leaves, and aquatic plants are also suitable. Deer have a soft spot for apples, and will also munch on farmers' corn, hay, and grain crops. In winter, deer will eat less savory twigs from tree branches.
Feeding: Deer will always eat facing the wind, to smell danger ahead, and will constantly walk into the wind to move away from danger behind. They are ruminants, meaning they chew their cuds and have four stomachs. Can fill paunch in 1 to 2 hours and retire to safe hiding to chew cud and digest.
Food per day: 5 to 7 pounds.
Water per day: 2 quarts.
Teeth: Deer have 32 teeth, 20 on top, 12 on bottom, none on front upper gum. To eat, clench feed between bottom front teeth and coarse pad on roof of mouth. Teeth, not antlers, accurately tell age.
Body temperature: 104 degrees.
Hooves: Made of keratin, same as fingernails. Outer rim hard, inner is soft gland that leaves scent with each footstep. Hoof is concave for good traction on rough surfaces, but treacherous on slick surfaces. Fallen deer on ice or pavement sometimes cannot right themselves.
Antlers: On bucks only. Antler size is not an indication of age but of quality of food supply and heredity. Made of calcium, phosphorous, hard inside and out, rarely used as weapons. Begin to grow about April 1, as days lengthen, covered in skin called "velvet". Velvet's sensory receptors help bucks grow accustomed to size of antlers, avoid bumping low overhangs. Grow\ -inch per day, into mid-August, when antlers shed velvet. After breeding, antlers fall off, from late December to late January. Forest animals eat fallen antlers for the calcium.
Tail: White on the underside, reddish brown on top. Raised to alert others when frightened or when in flight, 11-13 inches long.
Hair: Deer molt twice annually, in spring and fall. Average deer has 3.2 million coarse, gray-brown hairs in winter coat; 6.2 million fine red-brown hairs in summer coat. Warmer, more humid the climate, the darker the pigment. All hairs face the back of the animal, except in the chest area, where hair is ruffled. Cold not a problem for deer, but wind can sweep away halo of body warmth, and deer will seek cover on blustery days.
by CNB