Washington State Department of Fish &
Wildlife
Living with Wildlife
Deer
Two
species and four subspecies of deer occur in the state.
Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus
columbianus) are our most common subspecies of mule deer.
They occur from the crest of the Cascades west to the
ocean, preferring brushy, logged lands and coniferous
forests.
Many of the physical characteristics of black-tailed deer
are similar to those of the larger mule deer. The tail is
broader and the backside of the tail is covered with dark
brown hair that grades to black near the tip. When alarmed
or fleeing from danger, the tail may be raised, displaying
the broad, white underside. Adult black-taileddeer bucks
weigh 140 to 200 pounds and adult does weigh 90 to 130
pounds.
Facts
about Washington Deer (Odocoileus)
Food
and Feeding Habits
Deer eat a wide variety of plants, but their main food item
is browse—the growing tips of trees and shrubs. In
late winter and early spring, deer eat grass, clover, and
other herbaceous plants.
Deer also eat fruit, nuts, acorns, fungi, lichens, and farm
and garden crops if available.
For their first few weeks of life, fawns thrive on milk,
which is more than twice as rich in total solids as the
best cow milk.
Deer eat rapidly and, being ruminants, initially chew their
food only enough to swallow it. This food is stored in a
stomach called the “rumen.” From there it is
regurgitated, then re-chewed before being swallowed again,
entering a second stomach where digestion begins. From
there it is passed into a third and then a fourth stomach,
finally entering the intestine.
Shelter
and Range Needs
Deer are sometimes referred to as “edge”
species, meaning they thrive at the interface of openings
and cover patches. This allows deer to feed in productive
openings while being close to escape cover.
Many wooded suburban environments, such as parks,
greenbelts, golf courses, and roadsides, meet the needs of
deer.
Mule deer can move long distances during spring and fall
migrations to avoid mountain snow. Mule
deer
summering in the Cascades migrate as far as 80
miles to reach adequate winter range.
Black-tailed and white-tailed deer normally reside within a
½ to 3 square-mile area; in mountainous locations, they
move to lower elevations for the winter.
Reproduction
and Family Structure
Deer breed during a rutting season that normally occurs in
November and December. Bucks compete for the right to breed
using ritualized posturing and movements, and occasionally
through intense fighting.
Unlike elk, deer bucks do not herd groups of females;
however, a single mature buck may breed with several
females.
Pregnancy lasts 180 to 200 days. Younger does give birth to
one fawn, while does three to nine years of age and in good
condition often have twins. White-tailed deer will
occasionally have triplets.
Newborn fawns nurse soon after birth and can walk on
spindly legs almost immediately.
Adult bucks take no part in raising fawns, and generally
remain solitary or form bachelor groups throughout the
summer.
Family groups usually consist of a doe and her fawns, and
sometimes her fawns from the previous year.Occasionally,
groups of several does may be seen together.
In winter, deer may be observed in larger groups of 15 to
30, usually grouping because they are concentrated in
limited winter habitat.
Mortality
and Longevity
Cougars, bears, coyotes, and domestic dogs prey on adult
deer; young fawns fall victim to these species as well as
to eagles and bobcats.
Hunting, vehicles, and diseases all take their toll on
deer. In many deer populations, hunting dampens
the
effects of other mortality factors; as hunting
mortality decreases, other forms of mortality tend to
increase,
and vice versa.
Probably few deer live longer than ten years, and most live
for no more than five.
Black-tailed
deer Food Plants
Trees
& Shubs
Vine maple, Acer
circinatum
Red
alder, Alnus rubra
Serviceberry,
Amelanchier
alnifolia
Snowbush,
Ceanothus
spp.
Deer brush, Ceanothus
integerrimus
Hazelnut,
Corylus
cornuta
Hawthorn,
Crataegus columbiana
Salal,
Gaultheria
shallon
Douglas-fir,
Pseudotsuga
menziesii
Oak,
Quercus
spp.
Cascara, Rhamnus
purshiana
Blackberry,
Rubus
spp.
Thimbleberry, Rubus
parviflorus
Salmonberry,
Rubus
spectabilis
Willow,
Salix
spp.
Elderberry, Sambucus
spp.
Western red-cedar, Thuja
plicata
Red
huckleberry, Vaccinium
parvifolium
Forbs
& Legumes
Pearly everlasting, Anaphalis
margaritacea
Balsamroot,
Balsamorhiza
spp.
Fireweed, Epilobium
angustifolium
Cat’s
ear, Hypochaeris
spp.
Alfalfa, Medicago
sativa
Clover,
Trifolium
spp.
Vetch, Vicia
spp.
Grasses
& Other
Oats, Avena fatua
Deer
fern, Blechnum
spicant
Bluegrass,
Poa
spp.
Sword fern, Polystichum
munitum
Wheat,
Triticum
aestivum
Lichen
Mushrooms and other fungi Seaweed
Droppings
Deer droppings vary greatly in size and shape, but are easy
to identify. Most of the year they are deposited in a group
of 20 to 30 dark cylindrical pellets with one flat or
concave end and one pointed end. Individual pellets are ½
to ¾ inch long; individual piles are 4 to 6 inches in
diameter. When deer are feeding on moist vegetation, the
pellets stick together and form clumps. New droppings have
a shiny, wet appearance for a few days and then lighten in
color as they age.
Feeding Areas
In areas where many deer live, a noticeable "browse line"
appears on trees where the deer have repeatedly reached
up to eat
low-hanging twigs and branches. Similarly, the tops of
shrubs may be browsed, leaving only a few inside branches
extending upward. Browsing seldom occurs more than 4 feet
above the ground, except in areas with deep snow.
Browsing by deer can usually
be
identified since twig ends deer have browsed have a ragged
appearance, while those browsed by rabbits, porcupines, and
other rodents have a neat, clipped appearance. This is
because deer lack upper incisors and canine teeth, and
cannot nip off twigs. Instead they must press foods between
their hard upper palates and their bottom teeth, and jerk
their heads up to tear it free.
However, when deer browse new growth they leave a clean,
blunt stem-end, where the tender shoots break off. The
height of the clipped plant will then be the indicator of
what species ate it.
When browse and other green foods are no longer available,
deer strip bark from young trees.
Rubbing
Sites
Bucks scrape off the velvet covering their antlers by
rubbing them against young trees and shrubs. These rubbing
sites also communicate their presence and breeding
readiness to other deer. This communication has several
facets: the visual sign left by the buck’s rubbing,
chemical signals left from glands on the buck’s face,
and the sound of the buck thrashing branches of the tree on
which it is rubbing.
Although antlers are bonewhite when the velvet is first
removed, they become stained various shades of brown as
plant compounds accumulate through constantly being rubbed
by brush and trees. The color results from a chemical
reaction of the plant compounds with the air, in a process
known as oxidation. (See the handout “All About
Antlers” for more information.)
Bedding
Areas
An area of flattened vegetation 3 to 4 feet long and 2 to 3
feet wide indicates where a deer has bedded down. Deer
sleep in dense cover or tall grasses and may return to the
same spot over many days. Since deer often travel in small
groups, there may be several “deer beds” in the
same vicinity. During winter, similarly sized depressions
in the snow, often littered with old hairs, characterize
bed-sites.
Calls
The best-known vocalization is an alarm whistle,
“snort,” or “blow,” made when deer
exhale forcefully through their nostrils. The sound
resembles a sudden release of high-pressure air. The snort
is a danger call that alerts all deer in the area of a
potential predator.
Older fawns commonly bleat when frightened, and older deer
sometimes do as well. Doe deer call to their hidden fawns
with a soft, gentle mewing sound, and fawns respond quickly
to this call by seeking the side of their mother. Bucks
make a grunt during the rut.
Deer
Fawns and What to Do If You Find One
To reduce the risks of a predator locating her fawn, a doe
seeks seclusion just prior to birth, trying to be less
conspicuous by avoiding other deer. For the first few weeks
of the fawn's life, the doe keeps the fawn hidden except
for suckling bouts.The doe may also feed and bed a
considerable distance from the fawn's bed site.This way,
even if a predator detects the doe, the fawn may still have
a chance of avoiding detection.
To further keep her fawn safe from predators, the doe
consumes the fawn's urine and droppings to help keep the
fawn as scent-free as possible.The droppings provide the
mother with further nutrition at a time when it is much
needed.
When not nursing, the fawn curls up in a bed site and
remains motionless, its white spots blending in well with
the sun-flecked ground. Fawns lose their spots at 90 to 120
days of age, when they begin growing their winter coats.
Every year, wildlife departments and wildlife
rehabilitators receive calls about "orphaned" fawns.
Callers are told that in the spring it is a perfectly
natural occurrence to come across a fawn that is seemingly
by itself in the woods.The fawn is probably not alone; its
mother is nearby, aware, and attentive.
The advice to anyone encountering a fawn lying quietly
alone in the woods is to leave it alone. Mother will be
nearby and will be taking care of it once you move away.
If you have handled the fawn, rub an old towel in the grass
and wipe the fawn to remove human scent. Using gloves,
return the fawn to where it was found. Fawns can often be
returned to their mothers if taken back to where they were
found within eight hours.
If a fawn appears cold, weak, thin, or injured, and its
mother does not return in approximately eight hours, it may
be orphaned. In such a case, you can call a local
rehabilitator (look under "Animal" or "Wildlife" in your
phone directory) or your local Department of Fish and
Wildlife office Regional Office for the name and phone
number of a rehabilitator in your area.
Deer
Fences
When deer browsing is moderate to severe, or a landowner
isn’t willing to tolerate even a limited amount of
damage, fencing to exclude deer is the only option.
However, traditional deer fences are not always practical
because of appearance, zoning restrictions, cost, or rugged
terrain. In such cases, another type of barrier described
below may be appropriate.
Before
installing a deer fence, ask these questions:
• Must
my entire property be protected or only certain parts, or
certain plants?
• Is this need temporary, such
as to protect young trees for a few years?
• Are there visual constraints,
including aesthetics, or your neighbor’s or a
passerby’s view?
• Are there any community or
local government regulations or restrictions?
• Is building a fence time- and
cost-effective, or should other methods be considered, even
though they are not as effective?
Before
you build:
If you decide
to build or have a fence built, construct it properly. A
poorly constructed deer fence is dangerous to the deer, and
will not protect your valuable plants. If a deer fence
exists nearby, ask the property owner about its
effectiveness, its construction, and who built it. To
locate a fence builder, look under “Fence
Contractors” in your phone directory. Request
references and follow up on them before hiring any
contractor.
If you build a deer fence yourself, carefully measure the
area to insure the efficient use of fence rolls. (You
don’t want to end up having to cut a small length of
fence from a new and potentially expensive roll). In
addition, make sure you know where your property line
is—existing fences may not be on your property. Never
fence across an easement without notifying the necessary
authority.
Fencing
facts:
• It is easier to build a fence
while the land is vacant; when possible, fence an area
before you plant an orchard or a garden.
• Enclose the entire area
needing protection (including driveways). Deer will wonder
the perimeter of the
fenced area until they find an
opening.
• Keep fencing
material flush to the ground (including under gates). Fill
dips with gravel, rocks, logs, or other suitable material.
Incredibly, deer will try to either crawl under or squeeze
through a fence before jumping over it.
• Deer can be excluded from
areas with a properly constructed and maintained 6 to
8-foot high fence. The higher fence will be needed in an
area with many deer and a low supply of wild food.
• A board fence or hedge that
prevents deer from seeing a safe landing zone on the other
side need be only 5 1/2 feet high.
• The larger the area being
enclosed, the more travel patterns will be disrupted, and
the more pressure the fence will receive.
• Large areas with high deer
pressure should be fenced with woven-wire deer fencing or a
high-tensile electric wire. Heavy-duty black polypropylene
deer fencing is commercially available and useful where
other fencing is visually
obtrusive.
• Information
on corner bracing, stretching wire, and other
fence-building details can be obtained from fencing
material suppliers.
Major materials include sturdy, rot-resistant wooden corner
posts set in concrete (optional), wooden or studded steel T
line posts, woven-wire fencing, and gates.
If needed, extensions can be attached to the top of the
fence to prevent deer or elk from jumping over. A 2foot
high band of chicken wire can be added to the bottom to
exclude rabbits and hares.
Mini-Barriers
Barriers to
protect small areas, individual plants, or vulnerable parts
of plants can be purchased or made at home. These have the
advantage of being less expensive and obtrusive than full
fences, allowing deer access to surrounding food plants
while protecting others. They can also protect plants from
bucks rubbing their antlers, which breaks branches
and strips bark off trunks.
To prevent deer from pushing over or moving a mini fence
surrounding a tree or shrub, the fence should be 5 feet
high and staked to the ground.
Netting—normally
sold to protect berries and fruit from birds—can be
draped over individual plants or used as a temporary fence.
However, deer can easily break lightweight netting with
their hooves to get to desirable plants and songbirds can
get entangled in excess netting. Stronger netting material
is commercially available from bird-control outlets and
companies selling polypropylene deer fencing. When draped
over plants, any netting will need continual rearranging to
protect new growth.
An inexpensive and subtle deer barrier can be made from
100-pound test monofilament fishing line tied to sturdy,
5-foot tall stakes, or attached to a structure. At a
12-inch spacing, fishing line works best to protect small
enclosures, such as surrounding several rose bushes.
Commercially available tree guards protect trees from
damage done to the bark from deer antlers and gnawing from
other wildlife. They can be wrapped around nearly any size
tree, cut to different heights, and expand as the tree
grows.
Plastic or nylon tubes, netting, and bud caps have all been
used successfully to protect small transplants and growing
tree tips. For small plants, use tubes that match the
plant’s height and allow room for growth. Be sure to
hold the tube upright with a wood or metal stake.
Repellents
Deer repellents
use a disagreeable odor or taste, or a combination of both,
to dissuade deer from eating the treated plant. They are
easy to apply and homemade solutions are inexpensive (see
“An All-in-One Homemade Deer Repellent”).
Numerous odor and taste repellents have been developed to
reduce deer damage, and new products are continually
becoming available. There have been numerous studies to
test the effectiveness of these repellents, often producing
conflicting results. No repellent eliminates deer damage
entirely.
Before
you apply:
Most repellents
function by reducing the palatability of the treated plant
to a level below other available plants. Hence, repellent
effectiveness depends upon the availability of wild deer
food. Repellents are more appropriate for short-term rather
than long-term problems and are the most practical for non
commercial users experiencing low to moderate deer damage.
Repellents work best if applied before
the
deer develop a routine feeding pattern. This means applying
repellents before leaves or flower buds emerge and as new
growth appears. It’s easier and more effective to
prevent a feeding habit from forming than to try to break
an established one.
Repellent
facts:
• Spray-on repellents need to
be applied frequently to protect the new plant growth, and
will need to bereapplied after rain and long exposure to
hot, dry, or windy weather.
• Deer may become accustomed to
the same repellent over time, and eventually ignore it.
Alternating repellents may help keep deer confused and more
wary of eating your plants.
• Repellents that are applied
to plant surfaces are generally more effective than
capsules containing garlic oil, bags of hair, or other
devices that pro duce an odor intended to protect a
specific area.
Finally, before putting complete faith in a repellent,
first try it on a small area. Always use commercial
repellents according to the manufacturer’s
directions.
An
All-in-One Homemade Deer Repellent
Mix the
following in a 1-gallon tank sprayer:
• 2 beaten and strained
eggs—strain them to remove the white strings
surrounding the yolk, which otherwise will plug up your
sprayer). Note: Studies indicate that repellents with
active ingredients that emit sulfurous odors, such as egg
solids, generally provide the best results.
• 1 cup milk, yogurt,
buttermilk, or sour milk
• 2 tsp.Tabasco sauce or
cayenne pepper
• 20 drops essential oil of
clove, cinnamon, or eucalyptus, found in small bottles at
health food stores
• 1 tsp. cooking oil or dormant
oil
• tsp. liquid dish soap
Top off the tank with water and pump it up. Shake the
sprayer occasionally and mist onto dry foliage. One
application will last for 2 to 4 weeks in dry weather.
Landscaping
with Deer-Resistant Plants
Although a deer
fence or other barrier is the best insurance against
damage, landscaping with deer-resistant plants is a more
aesthetic alternative. In addition, there may be areas
where a deer fence isn’t practical. A walk or drive
through the neighborhood or a visit to the neighbors can
give you an idea of what plants are less palatable to deer.
Whether or not a particular plant will be eaten depends
upon several factors: the deer’s nutritional needs,
its previous feeding experience, plant palatability, time
of year, and availability of wild foods. When preferred
foods are scarce, there are few plants that deer will not
eat. A large deer population can create competition for
food, causing deer to eat many plants that they normally
would avoid.
Deer develop predictable travel patterns, and prior damage
is often a good indicator of potential future problems. Any
new plantings added to an existing landscape or garden
already suffering from severe deer damage will likely also
be browsed.
The list of deer-resistant (or close to it) plants is a
general guide. Deer sometimes will browse the plants listed
and sometimes will avoid plants not listed.
Note: A few vigorous
native plant species are included below).
Deer-Proof
(or close to it) Plants for Washington Landscapes.
Plants are
listed alphabetically by their botanical name. (N)
Indicates that the plant is native to Oregon, Washington,
or British Columbia.
Note: All small,
newly planted plants are subject to being pulled out of the
ground by browsing deer. All trees are vulnerable to damage
until they are at least 4 feet tall, at which time they can
generally handle
being browsed by deer.
Deciduous
Trees
Birch,
Betula
spp. (N)
Fig, Ficus
carica
Oregon
ash, Fraxinus
latifolia (N)
Sumac, Rhus
spp. (N)
Willow, Salix
spp. (N)
Little-leaf linden, Tilia
cordata
Evergreen
Trees
Fir,
Abies
spp. (N)
False cypress, Chamaecyparis
spp.
Juniper, Juniperus
spp. (N)
Tan oak, Lithocarpus
densiflorus (N)
Spruce, Picea
spp.
(N)Pine, Pinus
spp. (N)
Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga
menziesii (N)
Western red-cedar, Thuja
plicata (N)
Hemlock, Tsuga
spp. (N)
Bay (Oregon –myrtle), Umbellularia
californica
(N)
Deciduous
Shrubs
Barberry,
Berberis
spp.
Red-twig dogwood, Cornus
sericea(stolonifera) (N)
Hazelnut (filbert), Corylus
spp. (N)
Winter jasmine, Jasminum
nudiflorum
Potentilla,
Potentilla
fruticosa (N)
Chokecherry, Prunus
virginiana (N)
Golden currant, Ribes
aureum (N)
Red-flowered currant, Ribes
sanguineum
(N)
Wild gooseberry, Ribes
spp.
(N)
Wild rose, Rosa
spp. (N)
Elderberry, Sambucus
spp.
(N)
Spirea, Spiraea
spp. (N)
Snowberry, Symphoricarpos
spp.
(N)
Lilac, Syringa
spp.
Evergreen
Shrubs
Manzanita,
Arctostaphylos
spp. (N)
Sagebrush, Artemisia
tridentata (N)
Evergreen barberry, Berberis
spp.
Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus
spp. (N)
Mexican-orange, Choisya
spp. (N)
Silverberry, Elaeagnus
pungens
Silk-tassel
bush, Garrya
elliptica (N)
Salal, Gaultheria
shallon (N)
Juniper, Juniperus
spp. (N)
Mountain-laurel, Kalmia
latifolia (N)
Oregon-grape, Mahonia
aquifolium (N)
Wax-myrtle, Myrica
californica (N)
Oregon-boxwood, Pachystima
myrsinites
(N)
Dwarf mugho
pine, Pinus mugo
mugo
Coffeeberry,
Rhamnus
californica (N)
Rhododendron, Rhododendron
spp.
Evergreen huckleberry, Vaccinium
ovatum
(N)
Ground
Covers and Low Shrubs
Kinnikinnik,
Arctostaphylos
uva-ursi (N)
Dwarf coyote brush, Baccharis
pilularis (N)
Bunchberry,
Cornus
unalaschkensis (canadensis)
(N)
Cotoneaster,
Cotoneaster
spp.
Heather, Erica
spp.
Wild
strawberry, Fragaria
spp. (N)
Wintergreen,
Gaultheria
procumbens
Salal,
Gaultheria
shallon (N)
Sunrose, Helianthemum
spp.
Juniper, Juniperus
spp.
(N)
Lithodora,
Lithodora
diffusa
Oregon-grape,
Mahonia
spp. (N)
Oxalis (wood
sorrel), Oxalis
oregona (N)
Trailing rosemary, Rosmarinus
officinalis
Trailing
raspberry, Rubus
pedatus (N)
Trailing
blackberry, Rubus
ursinus (N)
Vines
Clematis,
Clematis
spp.
(N)
Honeysuckle, Lonicera
spp. (N)
Wisteria, Wisteria
spp.
Adapted
from “Living with Wildlife in the Pacific
Northwest”
Written by: Russell Link, WDFW Urban Wildlife Biologist.
Copyright 2004 by the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife.