White-Tailed Deer
White-tailed deer are easily recognized springing through riparian areas with their white tails signaling like flags.
About This Species
There are two species of deer in Colorado. White-tailed deer (or "whitetails") have smaller ears, antlers with a single main beam bearing smaller tines, and, of course, broad white tails. White-tails move with a graceful lope, the flag-like tail held erect.
Both species of deer are four to six feet long and stand three feet or more high at the shoulder. Weights of large bucks range over 400 pounds, but does are only half that size. Adult males begin to grow antlers in spring, used in a clash for dominance and breeding rights in autumn. Antlers are then shed in winter.
Deer are frequent traffic casualties, and mountain lions, coyotes and packs of feral dogs prey upon them.
Diseases
Chronic Wasting Disease and Acidosis
There are two diseases fatal to animals that can easily spread when congregating over feed: acidosis and chronic wasting disease.
Chronic Wasting Disease
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk and moose. “Prions” (pree-ons), the proteins that cause the disease, are in the saliva, feces and carcasses of infected animals, meaning the disease can spread by direct or indirect contact with an infected animal. CWD is not caused by a virus or bacteria — and so cannot be treated or prevented with vaccination. This makes it a serious threat to the health and long-term sustainability of herds if not controlled through active management.
Acidosis
Acidosis is a severe and often fatal disease that affects deer, elk, bighorn sheep, moose and pronghorn. It occurs when these animals eat an excessive amount of high-carbohydrate food, which causes dangerous levels of acid to accumulate in their stomachs. Acidosis can affect any ruminant species, including cattle, sheep and goats.
Deer Fibromas
Deer fibromas are wart-like growths of deer skin that are caused by the deer papillomavirus. Deer fibromas can last for weeks to months and can get quite large, but most will eventually regress and heal completely without treatment. In most cases, the growths do not interfere with normal deer behavior, although very large growths can interfere with limb movement and growths around the eyes can obstruct vision. Once the growths are healed, the deer has lifelong resistant to future infections by this virus.
What to Look For
Young deer are more commonly affected than older deer.
Deer fibromas are not a concern for public health. The deer papillomavirus is only known to affect deer and closely related species. The virus does not affect people, and meat from an affected deer is safe for consumption.
More Information:
Physical Characteristics
White-tailed deer are reddish-brown in the spring and summer and grayish the rest of the year. They are four to six feet long and stand three feet or more high at the shoulder. Weights of large bucks range over 400 pounds, but does are only half that size. Adult males begin to grow antlers in spring, used in a clash for dominance and breeding rights in autumn. Antlers are then shed in winter. White-tailed deer antlers have points that grow from a main beam, unlike mule deer which have forking antlers.
Range
White-tails have become increasingly common in streamside woodland and nearby crop lands along the rivers of the eastern plains.
Habitat
Mule deer occupy any "edge" habitat, including suburban residential areas.
Diet
Deer are browsers, feeding mostly on woody vegetation, including twigs and leaves of shrubs and trees, including ornamentals. They also forage on crops, especially corn. Because they eat little grass, they tend not to compete seriously with livestock or elk.
Reproduction
Deer breed from October to December. After a gestation period of six and a half months, spotted young (usually twins) are born. Fawns stay with their mothers for up to two years, but are weaned after only three months.
Threats to Species
- Vehicle conflict
- Climate change
- Human development
- Predation by feral dogs
- Contagious diseases such as chronic wasting and hemorrhagic disorder