WHITE TAILED DEER CAN BE FOUND IN:
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During the summer these creatures typically prefer the meadows in order to enjoy the sunlight and during the winter they prefer the forest to try and shelter them from the cold weather (National Geographic, 2013). White-Tailed Deer have a well-defined home range (area in which they will travel for food and shelter) but they are not territorial (Gallina & Arevalo, 2008). The average size of the home range is 536 acres for both males and females but during the rut (mating season) expands to 800 or more acres for males (esf.edu).
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These deer are mostly nocturnal animals. The deer create a bed that is compiled of leaves. The bed is typically in the form of an oval and there will be a depression in the leaves where they will lie down. The White-Tailed Deer is very particular about where they sleep because they must always be protected. They use “cover” which is any plant that can hide them while they sleep (Moran, n.d.). Some specific “cover” plants would include, but are not limited to, Red Maple, American elm, Yellow Poplar, Black Oak and Sassafras (Moran, n.d.).
White-Tailed Deer typically utilize their antlers to mark their territory. Bucks mark their territory by rubbing their antlers against a tree creating what is known as a rub (Moran, n.d.). A doe uses brush as a shelter for her fawns when she is gathering food (Moran, n.d.). A doe will only leave her fawn for four hours and they will remain in their brush pile until she returns (Moran, n.d.).