|
|
|
White-Tailed Wonders
By W.H. (Chip) Gross
Did you know that the white-tailed deer is Ohio's state animal?
Deer History
Deer live in all 88 Ohio counties, but that has not always been true. From about 1904 to 1923 very few, if any, deer lived in Ohio. That’s because deer hunting was unregulated before the year 1900. That means there were no laws to protect deer. Also, good habitat – the food, water, shelter, and space deer need to live – had been destroyed.
Thanks to the Division of Wildlife, deer are back in Ohio. More than 450,000 whitetails live in the state. They returned because deer hunting is now highly regulated. In fact, there are so many deer living in Ohio that deer hunting is necessary to control the size of the deer herd. Deer hunting is the most popular type of hunting in Ohio. Deer are our state’s only big-game animal. Deer meat is called venison and is very nutritious.
Deer Descriptions
White-tailed deer get their name from the white underside of their tail. When a deer runs it flips its tail straight up. The white “flag” is then easily seen and it signals danger to other deer. A deer’s senses of smell and hearing are very good. Its eye-sight is less keen. Deer are also great jumpers. They have been known to jump eight-foot-high fences. Female deer, known as does (pronounced “doze”), usually weigh 90 to 210 pounds. They give birth to one fawn their first year and usually twin fawns each year after that. Sometimes they might even have triplets. Male deer are called bucks. They usually weigh 130 to 300 pounds. The largest buck ever weighed in Ohio was 408 pounds!
Deer Antlers
Buck deer grow antlers, while doe deer normally do not. Antler growth begins in the spring and is over by late summer. The bucks then rub their antlers against small trees to remove the “velvet.” This velvet is a layer of special skin that covers the antlers as they grow. 
Bucks use their antlers to fight each other during the fall breeding season. Their antlers drop off in late winter. A deer grows a new set of antlers the following summer. Antlers are true bone and different from horns. Animals that have horns never lose them. Members of the deer family – like moose, elk, and deer – shed their antlers each year. Antlers can grow up to one-half inch a day. That is one of the fastest growth rates in nature. Scientists doing cancer research are studying deer antlers to try and find out why antlers grow so fast. The scientists hope that if they can answer that question, they may also learn why cancer cells grow so fast. Who knows, maybe deer antlers hold the secret to a cure for cancer!
Now, check out this page about tracking wildlife, and go outside to find signs of deer near you!
Return to WildKids Menu
|
|
|
|