White-tails N. America’s most-hunted big game

The white-tailed deer is named for the white underside of its tail, which is raised in warning when the animal is alarmed.

About 220,000 to 255,000 deer overwinter in Maine each year. In the 1970s, only about 160,000 overwintered.

In northern Maine, there are estimated to be two to five deer per square mile. In central and southern areas, there can be 10 to 20 deer per square mile. In some places, where hunting is restricted or limited, there can be 40 to 100!

Deer’s home ranges are normally less than a square mile in summer. They may range up to 25 miles in winter.

Adult male whitetails, or bucks, weigh between 150 and 300 pounds. Some bucks can be up to 400 pounds in Maine. Adult females, or does, generally weigh between 90 and 200 pounds.

Deer are great jumpers, and they can run up to 30 mph.

Deer can live to be 18 years old, though about 10 is more common in the wild.

Whitetails are the most-hunted big game species in North America.

The white-tailed deer has four stomachs for digesting its food, each with different functions. Animals that digest this way are known as ruminants.

There are more white-tailed deer in North America now than there were when Europeans first arrived.

As many as 1.5 million collisions between deer and vehicles occur each year in the U.S. In Maine, roughly 3,000 to 4,000 collisions a year are reported. Pennsylvania has the most collisions, sometimes reaching 70,000 a year.