A deer found across much of North America. Its coat is reddish brown in summer and grayish brown in winter.
The belly, inner thighs, and underside of the tail have white fur.
Young white-tailed bucks sometimes leave the area where they were born and move elsewhere. A Wisconsin study fitted GPS collars to 590 deer and compared age and sex classes. Dispersal was recorded in 64.2% of juvenile males, while it was uncommon in other classes.
Season and land use shaped movement. In spring, juvenile males were more likely to disperse when agriculture made up a larger share of their natal range. During actual dispersal, however, they typically avoided agricultural land and selected areas near rivers and streams; median distance was 5.77 km. Farmland can therefore relate to the decision to move while also being avoided along the route. Tracking deer by season and region helps explain how landscapes connect their movements.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Wisconsin GPS data showed frequent dispersal by juvenile males, who tended to avoid farmland and select areas near streams while moving. Continued study of how roads, farms and waterways shape routes can inform land management that maintains landscape connectivity.