Watch out for Deer!
Friday, December 13, 2024
Be careful when driving around in late autumn and early winter, because White-tailed deer are on the move! I recently had two deer bolt out from tall vegetation within a strip mall retention pond during the day. There were a number of cars slowly traveling along, but all of us, including the deer, were a bit shocked! Normally more active from dusk to dawn and rather shy, plus great at hiding, the rutting, or mating, season can bring these large mammals out into the open any time of day (as can the winter months when there is less food).
Although the peak of their mating season is in November, White-tailed deer breed from October to January in Illinois. Their mating season is triggered by light, or actually the dwindling light, that accompanies the autumn season. This decrease in sunlight triggers an increase in testosterone for male deer, or bucks, and they begin to look for, and then chase, receptive females. Day or night, this time of year deer are more distracted and less cautious around roads so we need to be even more cautious.
To facilitate the breeding season, bucks begin growing their antlers, which are made of bone, in the spring. The size, and weight, indicates their fitness level to the females; larger and heavier antlers are formed by the healthiest males. Once fully grown, shedding of the soft velvety covering that supplies nutrients, and protection, to the growing antlers designates the start of the rutting season. Males rub their antlers on trees, and make “scrapes” on the ground with their hooves, to share their scent with the females and other males. Females scrape the ground too while males "spar", or lock antlers with other males, pushing against each other, to establish dominance.
Does, or female deer, usually have one baby, or fawn, their first year with twins, or sometimes triplets or even more, in later years. Fawns are born in late May to June and average 5-6 pounds. Once born the fawns can stand up shortly after birth but they don’t start traveling with their mother until they are about 1 month old. Before then, does leave their fawns hidden in the forest, relying on the fawn’s spots and stillness to keep it camouflaged, while the mother deer searches for food. She will visit her fawn a couple of times a day to nurse her baby.
To learn more about our native White-tailed Deer visit here.