Dec 3, 2023 By Ben Moyer 5 min read

Halfway through the 2023 deer season is an apt time to consider the animal hunters in our region so eagerly pursue. Our only surviving member of the deer family (Cervidae) here is the white-tailed deer, sometimes called simply “whitetail.” A much larger deer family representative, the elk, was native here and once abundant, but was extinct in southwestern Pennsylvania by the mid-1800s. A growing herd of reintroduced elk is thriving in northcentral Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania hunters tag between 300,000 and 400,000 white-tailed deer every year in the state. A hunter’s general license allows taking of a single antlered buck, anywhere in the state. But harvest of antlerless deer is regulated geographically. To legally take antlerless deer (doe), hunters must possess a valid antlerless license for the appropriate unit where they plan to hunt. The state Game Commission has divided the state into 23 different Wildlife Management Units.

Congratulations, by the way, to my son-in-law Rich Wolinski of Smithfield, who tagged a beautiful 7-point buck on Saturday, Nov. 25, his first-ever day of deer hunting.

White-tailed deer were nearly extinct in Pennsylvania by the close of the 1800s. Widespread logging of the original forest, combined with unregulated year-round hunting nearly wiped the whitetail out. Established in 1895, the Pennsylvania Game Commission began enforcing rules to limit the seasons and the number of deer hunters could kill. The Commission also initially protected all antlerless deer from legal hunting. These regulations, coupled with the regrowth of forest across millions of acres allowed deer numbers to rebound. Today, the whitetail is abundant in every one of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

This history is testament to the white-tailed deer’s adaptability. It inhabits a huge range, but only in the western hemisphere, making it “America’s deer.” Whitetails live from central Canada southward across nearly the entire United States, rare only in the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains. Whitetails also live throughout most of Mexico and Central America. Throughout that range they inhabit forest, grassland, swamp, and some forms even thrive in desert. The Coues deer of Arizona is a small version of our white-tailed deer, adapted to a dry environment and sparse vegetation.

White-tailed deer exhibit differences based on where they live, especially in body size. Deer from northern latitudes tend to grow larger. A mature buck from central Canada can sometimes reach 300 pounds. Whitetail bucks from southern Florida seldom exceed 75 pounds. Biologists attribute these regional differences to adaptation to climate. In colder regions, larger body size helps conserve heat. In hot places, losing body heat can be valuable, so smaller size is favored.

Our whitetails here are of moderate size. Mature bucks can sometimes approach 200 pounds, though 120-150 is more common. Adult does average around 100 pounds.

All members of the deer family grow deciduous antlers, meaning they grow and fall off within a yearly cycle, which is repeated. In most deer, including whitetails, mule deer, elk, and moose, only the males typically grow antlers. But caribou of both sexes grow antlers. Deer antlers are among the fastest growing tissues in nature. Whitetail bucks begin growing antlers in April, and they reach full size by September. Typically, those antlers are shed sometimes between late December and February.

Most people probably notice the whitetail’s difference in pelt color throughout the year. In summer, these deer wear a coat of short, thin hairs of reddish-brown color. When the sun strikes them in summer they appear to blaze. But by mid-October the grizzled gray winter coat replaces the red of summer. The winter coat is thicker, made of long hollow hairs that supply superb insulation against cold.

The tail may be the white-tailed deer’s best-known trademark. Just as the name implies, its tail is bright white, but only on the underside. When a deer is at rest, the tail’s upper surface shows brown and black. It’s during alarm that the whitetail flashes that white “flag.” Bounding away from danger, the deer lifts the tail and sometimes “wags” it side-to-side. The white pennant is easy to see through the woods, and it’s often the only part of a deer a hunter ever observes, especially a careless hunter.

For people who don’t hunt, white-tailed deer may most often be considered a menace. They have a way of bounding into the path of your car at the last moment when there’s no time to react. Nobody, except insurance companies perhaps, knows how many deer motorists hit every year. The Game Commission once published the annual total on a statewide map, showing known deer road-kills in every county. But the agency stopped doing that long ago. It’s best to just be aware it can happen at any moment. Tailgating is a bad driving habit that can’t be justified in deer country (which is everywhere). Tailgaters leave the driver they’re pressing no options when a deer suddenly leaps into the road. Expect the unexpected.

Safe hunting for the rest of the season.