Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama

cies of whitetails, including O. v. borealis, O. v. macrourus, O. v. osceola,
O. v. seminolus, O. v. texanus, and O. v. virginianus (McDonald and
Miller 1993). Due to the variety of stocking sources, many locations in
Alabama may contain deer with a combination of ancestries that cannot
be placed in a single subspecies. As a whole, it is assumed the
majority of deer in Alabama are of the Virginia subspecies since 56 of
the state’s 67 counties were stocked using this subspecies (Davis 1979).
BASIC DEER BIOLOGY
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SIZE AND PELAGE OF DEER
Female deer typically are smaller framed and weigh less than
male deer of the same age. At shoulder height, an adult female is about
36 inches tall, with males of similar ages being slightly taller. In Alabama,
weights of healthy adult does may range from less than 90 to 140
pounds or more, while healthy adult males may range from 140 pounds
to more than 200 pounds, depending on age and habitat quality. At
birth, most fawns weigh four to eight pounds and stand about 12 inches
from the ground at belly level.
The hairs of a deer’s winter coat are hollow and provide excellent
heat retention by trapping body heat next to the skin. These hairs
are longer and larger in diameter than those of the summer coat. During
summer, deer will shed their thick, brownish-gray winter coat for a
thinner, reddish coat. This summer coat allows body heat to escape
more easily and reflects more sunlight away from the animal than the
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