Deer

How many deer do you see in front of Calvinwood?

Deer are a commonly seen animal around camp grazing on plants as they walk by. They are often so quiet that I am surprised when I look up to see them staring at me from the bushes or across the field.

The most common deer subspecies in Washington is the Columbian Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus). There are about twelve subspecies from the species Odocoileus hemionus. A subspecies are groups of animals belonging to the same species, animals that can successfully breed and make offspring that can breed. What makes them a subspecies is that they are geographically isolated from each other, creating a population that looks slightly different than other populations of the same species. This subspecies can be found from Northern California all the way into Canada. Male deer reach up to 200lbs while females are smaller, weighing up to 130lbs.

In general, deer belong to the order Artiodactyla, or even-toed ungulates (hoofed animals), along with goats, sheep, llamas and many more animals. From there, they belong to the family Cervidae which includes man different species of deer, elk, reindeer, and moose. Like many of our farm animals, deer are ruminants and herbivores, plant-eaters. As a ruminant, in order to digest all the plant material they eat, they have a four-chambered stomach which allows them to better digest their food.

Deer also tend to be crepuscular animals, meaning they are most active in the mornings and evenings. As prey animals, deer have many ways to avoid a predator attack. Their long legs help them quickly run away at any sign of danger and their large, flexible ears give them the ability to hear all around them really well.

Every year, male deer grow and shed a pair of antlers. They use these antlers to fight other males for dominance. A male deer, or buck, grows larger and more branched antlers each year.

Female deer are called does and baby deer are fawns. The white spots on a fawn help it hid better in the low brush of the forest. As the deer grow and become faster runners, they lose the spots.