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White-tailed deer
Odocoileus virginianus
White-tailed deer were nearly wiped out (extirpated) in Iowa by the late 1800s due to unregulated hunting. Early 20th-century reintroduction efforts and the deer’s adaptability helped their populations rebound. Today, deer are a common sight across the state.
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In spring and early summer, does (female deer) give birth to one or two fawns. Fawns rely on their speckled coats as camouflage to stay hidden while their mothers spend most of the day away foraging, returning only to feed them. Finding a fawn alone does not mean it has been abandoned.
During the summer, bucks (male deer) grow antlers covered in “velvet,” a soft skin that supplies nutrients and blood for growth. In the fall, deer enter the rut, their breeding season, when bucks become more active and territorial. After the rut, they shed their antlers in winter.
Learn more about deer from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.