Though this season varies by region, it typically begins around October and sticks around through the end of the year, sometimes even lasting into the early months of spring.ĭuring this time, the testosterone levels in bucks rise dramatically, bringing with it significant behavioral and social changes. Along with the change of the seasons come hormonal changes in whitetail deer, signaling entry into the mating season. The world of the white-tailed deer drastically changes towards the end of the calendar year as the summer heat gives way to autumn winds and wildlife prepares for the long, cold winter ahead. These practices of “scraping” and “rubbing” are only two of many factors that usher in the chaotic white-tail mating season known as “the rut.” The Rut – Love is in the Air ![]() The buck will often urinate on the exposed earth to mark his territory and advertise his presence to other deer in the area. A buck will designate a scrape area by breaking off the end of an overhanging tree branch and pawing at the top layer of leaves and soil on the earth beneath the branch, creating a divot in the ground. ![]() Scrapes are another form of “signpost” behavior utilized by white-tailed bucks. When a buck rubs a tree with his antlers, the pheromones from this gland are secreted onto the bark, making the tree a sort of white-tail billboard that communicates the buck’s social status, suppresses the mating drive of competitive younger bucks, and stimulates does. One such gland is located on a buck’s forehead, between the antlers. White-tailed deer have a variety of glands all over their body that produce pheromone-rich scents for communication and reproduction. Bucks will then rub their antlers on young saplings with supple bark to further remove the irritating covering – and to mark their territory. When a buck’s testosterone levels rise towards the end of the year, this velvet covering begins to peel off. Upon regrowth in the spring and summer months, antlers develop a soft, furry covering called “velvet”, which encourages rapid antler growth. Bucks grow and shed their antlers each year. As a traveling group, they can better monitor for threats and locate resources.īucks (male deer) grow individually unique sets of antlers, which are bone structures grown from the crown of the head, meant to provide protection and broadcast social status among deer. Much of their waking life is spent traveling back and forth between bedding areas – such as hardwood creek bottoms which offer cover from the elements and watchful predators – and feeding areas – anything from soybean and corn fields to forested areas with wild acorns and muscadine grapes.ĭeer are very communal animals and prefer to travel in groups – particularly does (females) and fawns (young deer) who are still learning the ways of the world from their elders. White-tailed Deer BehaviorĪs resilient creatures, white-tailed deer can thrive in both rural and urban settings. In fact, some areas of the state are experiencing an overabundance of white-tailed deer, leading state wildlife authorities to encourage deer hunting to lessen the potential for disease transfer and the detrimental impacts of overgrazing on crops and other vegetation. However, due to large-scale conservation and rehabilitation efforts between the 1940s and the 1970s, the population was successfully restored. In the early 1900s – due to a combination of overhunting and habitat loss – the white-tailed deer population in North Carolina is estimated to have been at around 10,000 individuals, a mere 1/100th of the current population. ![]() While this large number certainly does not sound like a population in distress, that has not always been the case. There are estimated to be around 36 million white-tailed deer in the United States and – according to North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) – around 1 million in North Carolina, alone. Though many species escape our observation on a day-to-day basis, nearly everyone is familiar with the ever-present white-tailed deer. Regardless of your relationship with the white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), they are undoubtedly a North Carolina staple species. Others merely see them as the pesky neighbors who pillage our backyard gardens. ![]() Some call them the phantoms of the woods, noiseless silhouettes sleeking through old-growth forests and stately stands of pine.
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